Make some magistrate cases private

[Scarlett]

So, Magistrates.

A lot of what is on here is useful stuff, particularly given the different ways a lot of BM's rules can be applied.

Some of it is manifestly not useful. Particularly, if players A and B hate players C and D and harassment goes in one or both directions, it isn't my business and it's just a forum for people to pile on whichever player(s) they don't care for in the exchange.

The resolution is going to be fairly particular and probably of limited if any use to the public.

I get that I can just not read the magistrates forum and that's fine. But it is making some useful information less useful through avoidance.

[Dante Silverfire]

Alternatively, make all of the "private" information hidden, or remove those posts after the case is complete. So that people can't forever search up these threads for private info. Just let them see the verdict and the original case in sensitive situations.

[Geronus]

We have considered some way of permitting people to make complaints or defend themselves anonymously, without anyone being able to see which family or forum user they represent. We didn't come up with any satisfactory ways that this could work.

Part of the problem is that one of the features of the Magistrate system is its public nature. The goal was to avoid the secrecy and lack of transparency inherent to the Titan system in an effort to give the community more of a voice in the resolution of issues and also, as you've pointed out, to give the community a body of precedent to work with.

Still, I feel you have a point worth considering. Part of the problem would be technical though, so the Devs would have to weigh in on this, as would Tom since a change of this significance should get his approval.

[Anaris]

As far as the technical part goes, I believe that would be completely doable.

To give a brief outline, a fully private case could be posted directly to the Backroom, and the players involved given a special BM page where they could interact with it—reading messages that were sent specifically to them, and writing messages that would be posted through the server to the Backroom thread.

If you just want to allow people involved with the case to remain anonymous to the playerbase at large, you can take out the Backroom part of that, and just give each player involved a page where they can post to the thread anonymously (though each would be tagged in the case as something like "complainant", "accused 1", etc, so as to know which was which for the case itself).

[Geronus]

OK, so the technical questions seem to have a satisfactory answer.

The larger question then is, what does the community think about this. Would it be beneficial to have an option to open a private case for mediation of personal disputes? I think that standard IR and rule violations should remain public cases, but Social Contract violations can get pretty sordid, as we've seen recently.

[egamma]

I get pretty sad when I read all the things that people are writing; but some of it from third parties may be relevant to the case. Perhaps if there was a way to "hide" posts by non-Magistrates, so that Magistrates can post requests for information but tempers aren't inflamed?

[Anaris]

I get pretty sad when I read all the things that people are writing; but some of it from third parties may be relevant to the case. Perhaps if there was a way to "hide" posts by non-Magistrates, so that Magistrates can post requests for information but tempers aren't inflamed?

AFAIK, that would require modifications to the forum software that I am not presently comfortable trying to make.

[Eirikr]

AFAIK, that would require modifications to the forum software that I am not presently comfortable trying to make.

One of which would be censoring quoted material as well.

[Geronus]

I get pretty sad when I read all the things that people are writing; but some of it from third parties may be relevant to the case. Perhaps if there was a way to "hide" posts by non-Magistrates, so that Magistrates can post requests for information but tempers aren't inflamed?

Well, we could always have some way to invite or add additional people to the "private case," presumably people identified by either party as having something to contribute. We do lose the input of the community at large though, which is something to weigh. On the other hand, apparently some people are getting discouraged even reading the Courthouse cases, so maybe that that's not such a terrible thing...

[Scarlett]

Really the great majority of cases can and should be public. The 'harassment' cases are pretty rare and don't usually amount to answering big questions. It's you guys going through people's mail until you find out who the bigger jerk is.

If there's any doubt, err on the side of making it public. Or if part of it has public relevance, make a public thread for 'this stuff happened and here's what you should know.' But this being the Internet you don't need to be giving folks reasons to post on a thread entitled 'why Scarlett is a dickhead' pages [1] 2 3 4 5 6

[Indirik]

Well, we could always have some way to invite or add additional people to the "private case," presumably people identified by either party as having something to contribute.

If you mean give them access to specific forum threads or sub-boards, that would be extremely difficult and labor-intensive for each complaint. I don't think it's truly feasible.

[Draco Tanos]

Unfortunately, Simple Machines has never been very...  User-friendly when it comes to easily made control groups.  phpBB was always better in that regard. :/