DISCLAIMER: This question is not a response to cleanup activity of old content. It is about current content, that is blocked soon after posting.
I am aware, that I am not the first one to address this issue. All the more I think it should be resolved. I have made an effort to read all related questions and their answers and I really can't conclude it's resolved just yet.
So here's the thing (in case this is the first time you hear of someone unhappy with actions taken by the moderators): Some recent moderator activity has left me quite displeased. Specifically, there has been a number of cases, where questions/answers have been closed/deleted without prior notice, proper explanation and suggestions for improvement.
In the last weeks, the problem has become intolerable and I feel that the current moderator team fails to pursue their mission - which AFAIU consists in guidance as well as gentle and exceptional intervention.
This makes being an active and caring part of this community a frustrating experience. Which leaves me with a simple question:
As a mere community member, what can I do in this situation?
The argument has been made, that the current moderators are elected and therefore what they do is right. Which suggests I'll just have to live with it. However:
- Only 3 of the 4 moderators have really been elected.
- Only 11.8% of those entitled to vote have actually done so.
- Just because you're elected, doesn't mean everything you do is right.
- If you really are elected, then you have a responsibility towards those who elected you, which encompasses acting as promised prior to elections. This is precisely not what's happening IMHO.
- Voting doesn't mean to give up power, but only to delegate it.
In any case, I don't see trying to ignore this as an option. Since I just don't know how to respond to this, I thought meta might be the right platform for that. I am not looking to blow off steam or to attack anybody. I am looking for solutions to this problem.
Therefore I would propose the following:
For all content, that is not clearly off-topic or entirely substandard or causes immediate damage to the community (i.e. spam, declaration of religious wars):
- Content should no longer be blocked without prior warning.
- Content should no longer be blocked without leaving a proper explanation after doing so and pointers as to how to improve the content.
I've seen quite a number of things blocked, that arguably weren't conforming to the rules in place for programmers.SE, but that definitely contained quite some value. Yet no effort has been made to provide guidance.
Any thoughts on that?