Board Thread:Administrator's Noticeboard/@comment-7697305-20140527012127/@comment-7697305-20140528223739

'''Thanks to Firefox randomly crashing, I had to write the majority of this post over again. It was 4:30AM and the post was nearly done. Extremely unamused. :|''' TerrariamcSwaggins wrote: Very well spoken. Although there is a few things I'd like to comment on.


 * I disagree with the filter mostly affecting the normal users in chat...


 * I agree that people may cause problems concerning the filter but...


 * Very true, the Chat is insanely moderated, but I do think the filter...
 * This script is presumably intended to stay active for quite some time, right? If so, then I think only accounting for the current culture in the chat is a bit of a mistake. People join, leave, and return to the wiki all the time. The current regulars in chat don't casually swear particularly frequently, but I can tell you from experience that this is actually pretty atypical as far as the history of chat on this wiki goes.
 * As for the second part of this point: I believe that what words a troll is using are not as important as the ways in which they are using them. Disruptive users being unable to use profane language is of little comfort when they don't need those words to disrupt the chat. (With this, we're back to the issue of whether this affects regular users in chat; see my first bullet point above).
 * The thing is that this isn't a one or the other scenario. We've already established that trolls are gonna troll, so moderators would still have to deal with regular disruptive users in addition to introducing a slew of other problems. The way I see it, this means that we'd be trading certain users using profanity to disrupt the chat for those same users using slightly different language to disrupt the chat and non-disruptive users upset over why they also have to use slightly different language. This doesn't seem like a particularly good deal to me.
 * I'm not so sure that this filter would help the chatmods out all that much. I mean, think about it: this filter would not kick or ban users automatically (and, as Silver and I alluded to above, allowing it to do so would be a problematic due to potential false positives), nor will it warn users or tell them its own purpose – all of these things still fall to the moderators. What the filter does do is replace certain phrases (which can be customized on the Chat.js MW page) with a blank space. When you compare this function with a chatmod's usual duties in practical terms, it appears that the only thing this would actually do is allow the moderators to send out warnings for excessive profanity slightly less often. As I said, this just doesn't seem like it is particularly helpful.

SilverHexxitFights wrote:
 * You're right. However, a filter will help with younger audiences...
 * Some people definitely would react to this. However, if those are trolls...
 * It is well-moderated - the four chat mods/admins who go on regularly...
 * I agree that not teaching younger users certain words would be ideal. However, the idea that policing what such users are allowed to see online is the responsibility of their parents still holds some water in this debate, particularly given the nature of Wikia in general. To elaborate on this:
 * In order to partake in chat on this wiki, you need to have an account here. Even on wikis where anon editing is allowed, anonymous users cannot join chat.
 * In order to actually sign up for Wikia, you need to be at least 13 years old according to Wikia's Terms of Use. There is a link to the ToU at the bottom of the account creation page.
 * This is the first problem here: unless you are talking about people who are older than 13 when you say "younger audiences" above (in which case I personally disagree with you), then the people you are referring to who are in chat are already breaching of the terms of the site they are on.
 * The above point would be less significant if it were not enforced. However, try going to Special:CreateAccount and enter any birth date which would place you at an age younger than 13 (at the time of this writing, any day after May 28, 2001). You'll notice that Wikia will give you a message which says "Sorry, we're not able to register your account at this time". The only way an underage user can sign up for Wikia is to misrepresent their age.
 * Considering all of these deterrents, I don't think that installing this filter as an additional shield for younger users is particularly necessary.


 * I covered the first part of this point in the alt-text for "non-disruptive" in my second response to Swaggins above. As for the second part, I'm thinking that there is a fundamental difference of opinions here. I just don't agree that users should have to "make do with an uncensored phrase".
 * It is true that many of the active moderators go AFK occasionally, and even sometimes all at the same time. However, don't we all have ChatHacks installed now? If so, then people can just ping one of us if they believe moderator action is required.