I’ve been brought on as a moderator recently. This thread is a good place for me to explain my perspective. Recommended background reading: http://www.plausiblydeniable.com/opinion/gsf.html
It’s important for there to be free-for-alls like 4chan on the internet. It is also crucial for there to be other options. This particular Zcash forum is oriented toward signal over noise and productive collaboration, which means that it fundamentally cannot be a free-for-all. (As far as I can tell, the subreddit is more hands-off.)
Active moderation does not mean squashing dissent. But it does mean having high standards for how we talk to each other.
My tendency is to insist on civility and good faith. Being a jerk — and yes, it’s subjective to some extent — is not acceptable. You are welcome to criticize the Zcash Company, the Zcash Foundation, or even the volunteer moderators, but it must be done politely. Question ideas and proposals, but don’t attack people. Here is a well-phrased critical comment, for example: Whats more important to you? Sapling or ASIC Fork - #50 by RamisDag
Our job as moderators is to protect the community and its ability to function healthily. Transparency is good because it helps people decide where they want to be, and that’s something we’ll continue to work on. To that end, I commend @root for creating this discussion.
Thanks for reading this long comment 