VERY important mod note. All stream users and mods, please check comments.

It appears Imgflip has just given stream mods an awesome new feature — to issue comment timers of varying duration or even total stream-bans. (Example in meme above, the first mod action I’ve taken using this feature.)

This is a feature many of us have been asking for, for a long time. I’m glad we finally have it.

With great power comes great responsibility, however. I do NOT want this new power being used willy-nilly by our mods. The abuse of such a feature would be the surest path to having it one day revoked. So, I want to make sure we are all on the same page when taking enhanced action. On that note:

1. I want our stream mods to feel empowered to issue comment timer bans anywhere from 2 hours up to 48 hours, and I won’t second-guess anyone’s decisions in that respect. Start on the low end and work your way up to higher time periods would be my general recommendation, especially for first-time offenders.

2. HOWEVER — before issuing any indefinite stream bans, let’s talk about it together and review the evidence.

3. Finally — I want to extend a “jubilee” to any memers who have been previously “stream-banned” under the old system. For those who were previously stream-banned (and it was not that many memers — enough to count on one hand), this the chance to start over fresh. Be respectful, offer informed commentary, and you should encounter no problems regardless of your political views.

My expectation is that this new feature of Imgflip will result in a MASSIVE improvement in people’s quality of interacting with each other. That’s why I feel no problems offering this jubilee. Now that trolls know any stream mod can comment timer them, they should knock it off.

However: for persistently abusive spammers, harassers, and other TOS-violators whose behavior does not improve, we can and we will use these new tools at our disposal.

immediate stream bans eveyone.

This is a rule written by a former mod of this stream who is no longer on Imgflip — a rule that proved to be somewhat controversial because stream mods banning site mods obviously represents an inversion of the natural order of things.

I had been weighing whether to nuke this rule anyway, because the provocative nature of such a rule outweighed its practical benefits. This new feature of Imgflip furnishes solid reasons for nuking it now.

I want to offer the same jubilee to the mods too. Whatever our past differences, let’s take this chance for a fresh start.