Replying to gir bot

Would it be possible to reply to a PM from gir bot/"staff"?

Either gir bot is remarkably sophisticated, or there are actual staff members notifying me of what needs changing when I get a "your post did not meet..." PM.  Just now, I had one where I just totally overlooked a qualifying word in another post, and had to change my own response because of it.

In this case, I'd like to reply to say thanks.  I don't even care to know who, specifically, I'm replying to, I'd just like the option sometimes.  On other occasions, I've felt that a response of mine was perfectly reasonable and in line, and that the staff member who held it up misinterpreted what I was saying (or trying to say).  In those cases, it'd be nice to have the option of a little back-and-forth to help come to a resolution--though I imagine staff members probably don't want to be having those conversations all day.

Anyway, just a thought.  And to the staff members who help keep me in line, thanks.

It sounds like you had a post that was put on probation.  Gir bot does about 20 different things, and the wording you use suggests the probation thing.  

It has been a while since I have seen that text, but I think that gir bot is conveying a message from one of our biological staff made from meaty bits.  So gir bot does not understand the english language faux pas that led to the probation stuff.  gir bot just carries the message.

I did some digging and came up with this early draft of gir bot's programming:

I am gir bot! A rather limited bot buried deep within the bowels of this forum software.  I come to life once in a while to help with interesting chores!

Today, I have been activated because bio-staff have classified a post you wrote as "does not meet our publishing standards".   The provided clue is:


"please don't suggest that anybody on permies.com is anything less than perfect"


It used to be that the bio-staff would just quietly delete a post like this.   But now, sometimes, bio-staff think "this post is really good!  With a little bit of editing we will be able to publish it!"   We call this feature "probation post."

Options:

1.  To view and possibly edit your post, click here.  You also have the ability to copy and paste the best parts of your post to make a whole new reply in that thread.

2.  To view and comment on the publication standards, click here.

3.  To view and comment on the probation post feature, click here.

4.  To start a discussion/complaint/rude-gesture/love-in about this particular incident, click here.  Note that this will be a public thread, so anything you write can be viewed by all.  AND!  Your post will create emails to all of the people that manage these forums.  So if you think somebody on staff is being silly, the top brass will be notified!

5.  To view and comment on how excellent gir bot is, click here.


I like tacos!  

Does this look like what you received?

Yes, it's in reference to a post put on probation.  Since it's a judgment call, sometimes it'd be nice to hash things out a bit.  Not a huge deal, of course, just a thought.

I think I'd rather just remove a post that broke the rules if I thought I was going to have to spend my time 'hashing things out a bit'.  

The staff here are volunteers, with plenty of other things to do rather than get drawn into endless debates about how wrong we are to remove posts that don't meet publication standards.  Most of us have been through it again, and again, and again.  And it wears pretty thin in very short order.  

I'd rather be planing trees, leaving the author of a probated to post to figure it out from the multitude of threads we already have on the subject if they want their posts to be reinstated.  

It wasn't long ago that I was getting probation/gir bot messages, so I went back to my inbox to see if there was a way to respond, and there doesn't seem to be.

When I got one of those messages, it was usually pretty clear what I needed to change, so I'd attempt to change it. If it wasn't good enough, I'd just get another message/moosage from gir bot, telling me to make things a bit better.

Like the gir bot message says, if you want to "hash it out," bring your questions here, to the tinkering forum, like you did! Honestly, the Gardener/Steward who puts a post on probation (and sends gir bot along with a Purple Moosage) isn't always the one to view the edit and take it off probation. None of us are here all day! So as to get the post visible sooner, whichever staff sees the edit first will likely resolve it (either put it back on air, or send out another probation moosage-thingy). We all work together as a team behind the curtains! And, so really, the best place to ask questions about a probation post, is here in the tinkering forum.

Burra Maluca wrote:I think I'd rather just remove a post that broke the rules if I thought I was going to have to spend my time 'hashing things out a bit'.  

The staff here are volunteers, with plenty of other things to do rather than get drawn into endless debates about how wrong we are to remove posts that don't meet publication standards.  Most of us have been through it again, and again, and again.  And it wears pretty thin in very short order.  

Yup, yup, yup!  

"hash it out" nearly always turns into an eight hour exchange dominated by discussion of my lack of breeding, lack of education, lack of hygiene, lack of "common sense" and that my mother dresses me funny.  At some point it is universally suggested that I have no idea how to properly run a forum or anything on the internet and that I am an overall awful person.  

On the other hand, if I just delete the post, the author almost never figures it out and we all move along as if nothing happened.   If the author does figure it out, then the author tends to try to be better rather than demanding the "hash it out" stuff.  

The probation post stuff is used pretty rarely.  Just for those folks that seem to be pretty great, but the post needs a tweak.  

paul wheaton wrote:

Burra Maluca wrote:I think I'd rather just remove a post that broke the rules if I thought I was going to have to spend my time 'hashing things out a bit'.  

The staff here are volunteers, with plenty of other things to do rather than get drawn into endless debates about how wrong we are to remove posts that don't meet publication standards.  Most of us have been through it again, and again, and again.  And it wears pretty thin in very short order.  

Yup, yup, yup!  

"hash it out" nearly always turns into an eight hour exchange dominated by discussion of my lack of breeding, lack of education, lack of hygiene, lack of "common sense" and that my mother dresses me funny.  At some point it is universally suggested that I have no idea how to properly run a forum or anything on the internet and that I am an overall awful person.  

On the other hand, if I just delete the post, the author almost never figures it out and we all move along as if nothing happened.   If the author does figure it out, then the author tends to try to be better rather than demanding the "hash it out" stuff.  

The probation post stuff is used pretty rarely.  Just for those folks that seem to be pretty great, but the post needs a tweak.  
I was surprised at that as I have had quite a few posts that needed to be modified. Most of thetime they were just perspective issues that I never thought of. I have never had one yet that I could not modify easily.

Again I have no issues with the way Permies is operated (regarding this thread and another about apples and access to selected topics). I know you get grief from people, bu please know Paul that many of us if we could, would shake your hand in respect and appreciation. Count me as one of them though I am just a struggling, dumb sheep farmer.

Thanks Travis!

I think that staff are risking talking about this stuff because they are far more comfortable with you - so in this thread, they can say their piece and not catch some of the wrath being hinted at.

Of course, if replying to the actual staff member behind the gir bot message was an option, that staff member ought not be required to "hash it out."  But it seems it could be a useful option at times.

Again, though, not a big deal.  In the handful of times I've had to tweak a post, I think I can recall once when I thought the requested change was unwarranted, as I had said essentially the same thing as another member using slightly different language.  I reworded it a bit, and it got published, and that was that.

And now, it's kind of ridiculous that I'm spending more time thinking about and typing up this crap than I ever have to do while tweaking a probated post, so...maybe never mind.  Though sometimes I would like to thank the specific staff member involved, in part because I feel I have somewhat wronged him or her (and others) by my snarkiness or whatever, and I appreciate the gentle reminders and the implication that my contributions are otherwise deemed at least somewhat valuable.

Wes Hunter wrote:sometimes I would like to thank the specific staff member involved, in part because I feel I have somewhat wronged him or her (and others) by my snarkiness or whatever

Oh we develop a dark sense of humour to deal with that - we're quite used to it.

The current winner is the member who PMd me to tell me that he didn't believe I was even a man.

Really don't have an answer to that one, though I still giggle a bit.

Nicole Alderman wrote:It wasn't long ago that I was getting probation/gir bot messages, so I went back to my inbox to see if there was a way to respond, and there doesn't seem to be.

The system works!

Wes Hunter wrote: Of course, if replying to the actual staff member behind the gir bot message was an option, that staff member ought not be required to "hash it out."  But it seems it could be a useful option at times.

Every decision made on permies is done as a team, with the approval of Paul or Burra.  If one wanted to discuss the decisions, then Paul or Burra would be the person to direct that conversation too... however, they are both mega-busy!  You might wait quite a while for a reply.  What you did here, starting a new thread in the tinkering forum, is the best way to 'hash it out'.  

Wes Hunter wrote: I'm spending more time thinking about and typing up this crap than I ever have to do while tweaking a probated post, so...

That's usually what happens.