If you feel something is not right ...

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I have been asked by a member to delete his account, as he no longer wishes to be a member of a forum where "there have been more postings promoting discriminatory/racist comments"

1. There should not be posts promoting discrimination or racist. It's illegal. It's not what we're here for.  If you see a post which steps over the line, please report it to the moderators. We WILL review and almost certainly take action, though general members may not see the action taken as talking about it could itself be promotion

2. If you see ANYTHING that ain't right or irritates, please let the team know.   We have hundreds of posters, and it's the nature of the beast that you won't like everything - but if you just check out, what a pity - we won't have learned from you and for others. In effect "they" have won ...

[ChrisB]

I have to say that I’m surprised. I’m subscribed to the vast najority of theeads & would say that I read them too. I haven’t seen (m)any posts of that description, and would definitely report any that I thought fitted that description.

Do the mod team accept that there have been recent pists of that description?

[grahame]

I have to say that I’m surprised. I’m subscribed to the vast najority of theeads & would say that I read them too. I haven’t seen (m)any posts of that description, and would definitely report any that I thought fitted that description.

Do the mod team accept that there have been recent pists of that description?

The question has been raised, Chris.  At this stage, the moderator team is considering it and so we neither accept nor deny it; we do say that the very raising of the question means it's important for us to look at.

[Chris from Nailsea]

We on the administrator / moderator team here continue to review all posts on the Coffee Shop forum.

If there is anything that causes you concern, please do report it to us.

CfN.

[grahame]

We on the administrator / moderator team here continue to review all posts on the Coffee Shop forum.

If there is anything that causes you concern, please do report it to us.

CfN.

Interesting to look back on this post three years later.

Nothing has changed as to how the moderator and admin team keeps one eye open on what's posted onto the forum as part of our own wider interest and use of the coffee shop.  And whilst the general approach is to be welcoming and encouraging, with minimal intervention, we can and do - very occasionally - take rapid action to remove a post from view; we err on the side of safety while we consider, a conversation amongst ourselves and usually with the original post who had made the post.

What has changed is that we now keep a log on the "pulse" of admin / moderator presence.   From next month, we are require not only to do the moderation [that we have always done] but to be able to prove that we consistently do so.  Which was a bit of a head scratcher when our members are wonderful and give us so little cause to take action.  So we now take a snapshot every few hours looking at how many admins / moderators have been around on the forum.  There are also a couple of things that will trigger an email to me in certain abnormal circumstances, and a couple of running stats on the front page.

As CfN says - yes please - do report concerns.  Happy to address them.

[LiskeardRich]

I’ve never noticed anything amiss on this forum in all my time here. It’s been a while!

[ChrisB]

What has changed is that we now keep a log on the "pulse" of admin / moderator presence.   From next month, we are require not only to do the moderation [that we have always done] but to be able to prove that we consistently do so.  Which was a bit of a head scratcher when our members are wonderful and give us so little cause to take action.  So we now take a snapshot every few hours looking at how many admins / moderators have been around on the forum.  There are also a couple of things that will trigger an email to me in certain abnormal circumstances, and a couple of running stats on the front page.

Is this now a legal requirement or just something that you as owner are keen to do & demonstrate?

[Chris from Nailsea]

It's a new legal requirement.  Graham will explain. 

[grahame]

It's a new legal requirement.  Graham will explain. 

Gee thanks!   Good case of "RTFM^▸ (Read The Flipping Manual (a more polite definition!))" which is at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer

Now in reality what we are doing is as per following suggestions in the code of practise and guidance that's been issued to go with the act and if we could have found another way in which we we sure we could have complied with the law we would have done so. But we are a public transport forum and it's not in our mandate / constitution desire to test freedom of speech laws and how limitations are require to be enforced, so we have followed the guidance in what was actually quite an easy step and gives me as webmaster ongoing re-assurance that the forum I host is clean.

Edit to add - from the above

Ofcom is now the regulator of online safety and must make sure that platforms are protecting their users. Once the new duties are in effect, following Ofcom’s publication of final codes and guidance, platforms will have to show they have processes in place to meet the requirements set out by the Act. Ofcom will monitor how effective those processes are at protecting internet users from harm. Ofcom will have powers to take action against companies which do not follow their new duties.