http://qs1969.pair.com?node_id=50991

For those of you with access to the approval nodelet and the nodes to consider page there have been a few recent additions. When adding a node to consider you can add a short reason describing the problem. This will allow the person taking action on it to have a better idea of what the problem is.

Also for voting on the nodes to consider page you are now limited to one vote per node. If a node reaches 5 votes for deletion, has less than 2 "keep" votes, has a negative reputation and no replies below it is automatically deleted. If it doesn't meet all of those criteria I receive a message notifying me of the problem node.

Lemme know what you think about the scheme. There will probably be more changes/improvements? to the system in the near future.

vroom | Tim Vroom | vroom@cs.hope.edu

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
More suggestions to Consider
by footpad (Abbot) on Jan 19, 2001 at 00:50 UTC
    Let me start by seconding kudra's suggestions.

    Here are a few more ideas:

    • It would be nice to see who fingered the node for consideration. An example might be: Footpad considered this node and says <Reason>.

      When no reason is given, it might say, Footpad considered this node for reasons that might be obvious (if you're feeling humorous that day) or Footpad considered this node without comment (if you're not).

      That might help stimulate some (privately /msg'd) discussion about the node in question, as well as indicate who is editorializing. (Personally, I would find that helpful if one of my nodes gets "considered" so I can follow-up and make appropriate updates.)

    • It might also be use to be able to add additional comments. For example, this haiku was placed into consideration because it was posted to the wrong place. Later, someone moved it. The additional comment would let everyone know that the request had been handled. It might say like, "Footpad adds: It's been moved."

      This would also help our illustrious leader know when he can free the node from consideration.

    • Also, it appears that one's choices in the radio buttons aren't sticky. For example, if I pick Delete for a node and check the next day, the radio button defaults to Nada.

      (I presume that any additional choices are ignored, much the same way that additional votes from the same IP by the same login are ignored. Is this correct?)

    • Once you've "voted" (e.g. submitted anything other than Nada) for a node under consideration, would it be helpful to display a tally of the votes received to date, much the same way we see Reputation after we've voted for "regular" nodes?

      This would help us see how other monks responded.

    Update: I agree with kudra; the first two ideas are meant as enhancements to the messages that appear only in the Consideration area.

    All in all, though, I like the feature. Good work.

    --f
      I like the last three suggestions. I can see the second idea being useful in other ways, too. For example, recently there was one with a reason something like 'this is vague and pointless' and I wanted to add that in addition, it was a duplicate of an earlier node.

      I'm not sure about the first one, since it seems like a possible opportunity for the same kind of conflicts that have been brought up with voting. I am assuming that vroom, at least, knows who has made the request, so there is the possibility to sort things in case of abuses. On the other hand, I'm willing to stand by all the suggestions I make to nodes to consider. Maybe if the suggestion I made earlier were implemented, it would be good to have the name shown only on the nodes to consider page, and not on any of the other pages.

      Kudra, who's thinking all this should maybe have been a new thread.

      In a similar vein, it may be useful to display who approved a node to whatever section it is in.
Re: Nodes to consider changes
by turnstep (Parson) on Jan 11, 2001 at 03:01 UTC

    I agree, the 5:2 ratio (and the "automatic" part) has me a little worried as well. About how many people have this power right now? If only 4 people regularly consider nodes, or if 100 do....

    (Maybe bad nodes can be automatically moved to a trash can (i.e. mark it as "off-limits") until an actual person can review it?)

      Right now nuked nodes are placed into tomb table so if anything horrible happens and there is a request for the node to return it can be resurrected if that's any consolation.

      vroom | Tim Vroom | vroom@cs.hope.edu
(kudra: additional suggestions) Re: Nodes to consider changes
by kudra (Vicar) on Jan 15, 2001 at 21:30 UTC
    I have a few suggestions for additional changes to nodes to consider.

    It might be nice to give some indication when a node is under consideration--indication that is visible to all levels of users, not just those who have the ability to add items for consideration. What I have in mind is a small indication on the newest nodes page, as well as a message when viewing the node. The message would indicate that the node was under consideration (specifying whatever reason was given by whomever marked it for consideration) and that you are encouraged not to respond to the post unless you disagree with the assessment. On the newest nodes page, this would help people decide which of 3 identical posts to read. On the node itself, it might help to keep replies under one post in the case of multi-posting. It could also be used to advise people not to respond to obvious trolls. (Update: an example a node that I think could have benefitted from this is this troll, which can't be automatically deleted due to comments recognizing it as a troll.)

    I would like to see the consideration nodelet available to users of all levels for their own posts. That way, if someone accidently multi-posted, it would be possible for the node to be automatically deleted. Putting your own node up for consideration should perhaps already give it one delete vote (especially in cases where the user isn't able to view the nodes to consider page and vote on it).

    I guess I see potential deletion and editing type requests as two different things. I might actually like to see 'edit' consideration requests go to editor requests as opposed to the nodes to consider section. Because deletion can be automated and editing really can't be, this division would make more sense to me than the current division based upon who requests it.

Re: Nodes to consider changes
by Corion (Patriarch) on Jan 11, 2001 at 02:14 UTC

    The only thing that I wonder over is the arbitrary limit on the number of "keep votes". I would rather err on the side of keeping too many bad nodes and never automatically delete any node that a "keep vote" was cast for.

    But on the other side, I think that it will take long enough for a node to gather 5 "delete votes" that 2 "keep votes" will also come in, if the node is controversial enough to warrant keeping.

Re: Nodes to consider changes
by extremely (Priest) on Jan 11, 2001 at 20:10 UTC
    A single person can already prevent a message from deleted, they can post a response. The only posts that are going to be autodeleted will be duplicates, so long as people all keep their comments to one post. This is a more-than reasonable scheme vroom proposes. =)

    Hmm. This was supposed to be a reply to Corion. Doh!

    --
    $you = new YOU;
    honk() if $you->love(perl)

Re: Nodes to consider changes
by lemming (Priest) on Jan 17, 2001 at 21:01 UTC
    Since it's now been in operation for a few days:
    When nodes are deleted they have this (or similar) displayed:
    Server Error (Error Id 1811804)!
    An error has occured. Please contact the site administrator with the Error Id. Thank you. Reason: Need I explain?

    Not a critical bug, but it looks annoying. I'm betting it won't be hard to tweak.
      Another thing which seems somewhat 'broken' is when there are replies to a deleted node and you want to access the thread. Just so that it can be made easier to view all the replies at once (which is the reason I customarily go to the root node), it might be nice for the node to still exist, but just be devoid of content.
Re: Nodes to consider changes
by runrig (Abbot) on May 24, 2001 at 06:48 UTC
    I find it annoying when I hit the submit button on, say, the second page of results (15-30) and then I am returned to the first page of results (1-15), and I have to hit 'Next' 3 times to get to the third page. And it gets even worse on subsequent pages.

      I know that people are reluctant to use their browser's "Back" button on this site as some such uses can make things like repeated chatter more likely. However, here is another case where it is quite useful.

      Simply use Submit, Back, Next.

      Also, you can go up to the "Address" field and fill in any numbers you like to skip to whatever part of the listing without using any Next/Prev buttons.

              - tye (but my friends call me "Tye")
Re: Nodes to consider changes
by Vynce (Friar) on Jun 14, 2001 at 19:46 UTC

    i'm not clear on how to add a particular node for consideration in some cases. Specifically, the node pdf (by the ever-wise and all-knowing Anonymous Monk) seems to be blank and just prevent an otherwise useful search in the search box. But when i go it, i don't have my approval nodelet. is there a way to manually specify what node i want to consider?

    .