GUAC News - 6/13/14

Is the cited plagiarism fad over? Nitro378 joins the team, Error being Error, and more!

GUAC Welcomes More Eyes

While I've previously noted some of the buzz being generated by this project, there are a few more topics which have popped up which deal with the blog either directly or indirectly. I'll respond to some more of the comments in upcoming posts.

Critics have asked why spend my time on this blog. Either way, you can't deny it gets attention. At your most cynical, if TaiIs is a big troll who crawled out of the mud one night to whisper planks from the Republican party platform into the ears of innocent children as they slept, this project has been a great way to get reactions alone. But let's be more positive. If you're sticking with me because you agree with at least some of what I've said and want to generate a meaningful discussion on the issue, first, you have my thanks. Second, we have made some progress and have some stuff to report.

Is the Fad Over?

My recent post on cited plagiarism brought about a moderator response on Hellhole. Crazymaori and OTACON120 are both on the record saying that cited plagiarism is no longer a thing, and the higher-ups have decided it's ok to quote from an article as long as you link to it. The fad appears to be over. I say "appears" because it would need to be tested. If someone was still being modded for it, it wouldn't be the first time one mod says something is okay and then another mod takes it down. There could be a certain degree of subjectivity here.

Another remark from OTACON is that this decision not to moderate, like the decision before it to moderate, was made behind the scenes and unannounced. The issue was never really defined in the terms, so all the decisions have been made unofficially. I sortof feel like we've reached the end of a movie but then there's a little twist and the words "To be continued???" pop up. Is it over? If anyone's still being moderated over this, I'd suggest pointing to this Hellhole topic in appeals.

Nitro378 Joins on as Consultant

GUAC welcomes Nitro's input as we continue the project. I approached Nitro because I believed he would provide more balance to this effort. Nitro has more than a few times rubbed someone the wrong way for his forceful liberal convictions, and I believe he will be a valuable addition to the team. It was Nitro who suggested many months ago that I begin a blog, and now that this has become a reality I am pleased to know that I have the continued support of a longtime friend.

If you'd like to be a Friend of GUAC, send your messages in to TaiIs82! I'm thinking about running profiles of notable users, so don't be shy if you're interested.

Error Being Error

With my blog making the rounds on several boards, including moderator social, it wasn't long before moderators began to weigh in. Error's contribution was insightful as always: after finding an active message of mine on a dead board, Error announced his presence with a familiar link that we've been seeing for quite some time (I think it's been three years or so). In the absence of anything else to say, Error dusted off that old relic and dutifully repeated the link like a scripted NPC from a retro era.

Absent a leak, what happens on mod social will stay at mod social, so instead I approached Error for his personal take on the blog. How about an endorsement? After all, good moderators are against censorship, I reasoned. Error's response was short and sweet:

You are insane.

Well, at least it wasn't the same old link.