Running Weblogs with Slash

Comment Moderation

The Slash moderation system exists to raise the quality of discussion as perceived by the userbase at large. It uses positive feedback to encourage constructive participation and negative feedback to discourage noise and flames. The system is designed to distribute power widely throughout the userbase, while tending to concentrate this power in the hands of those who use it in a socially desirable fashion.

Evaluative power exists in the form of moderation points. A user can spend points to raise or lower the moderation scores of individual comments. Any logged-in Slash user may become eligible to moderate and may find herself awarded points at any time. (See the sidebar Mommy, Where Do Moderation Points Come From?). These points will decay over time to encourage active use of the moderation system and discourage point hoarding.

A special moderation Slashbox will appear on Story pages when a user has moderation points (see Figure 6-6). A pop-up menu will also follow each posted comment, accompanied by a Moderate button at the very end of the page. To moderate a comment, choose an evaluation from the pop-up menu following the Moderate button.

Figure 6-6. A special Slashbox showing available moderation points

Types of Comment Moderations

The moderation system predefines 11 different ways of evaluating a comment. Normal (the default) leaves the comment’s moderation ...