theropologist

theropologist, 14 hours ago to random

:bc: Attention Beige Party-goers! :bc:

State of The Instance - May 2024

Let's Talk About Policy, Baby!

Yes, everyone's favorite topic: Moderation Policy! But a well-crafted policy can be a thing of beauty. The main idea is to do all the decision-making work ahead of time and document it in a clear and easy to understand way, so that when the time comes to make a moderation decision, you don't have to do any thinking in the moment when tensions and emotions might be running high, you can just apply the policy. As someone who recently had to write a semi-coherent policy at 3 AM while on vacation, I can get behind this idea.

The other benefit is transparency. If everyone is aware of the policy and can read it themselves, then moderation action becomes more predictable, both for the moderator and for the moderated. After a year and half of running this instance I can confidently assert that I still have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just another schmuck figuring it out as I go along. The best way that I can think of to mitigate this is to be as transparent as possible, so that you all are at least aware of WHAT I am doing and WHY, even if I am ultimately just winging it.

So, to that end I would like to start using these monthly updates to develop a written moderation policy covering all of the instance rules. I will explain how I interpret each rule as it relates to moderation policy and then invite your input so that we can craft a clear policy that makes sense to everyone.

My plan is to cover one rule a month, but before we start, we should think about what the heck it is we're doing here in the first place. What is the guiding principle that informs all rule making and moderation decisions? That's right, we're talking about that North Star of corporate gibberish: The Mission Statement

After thinking it over a bit, I think this sums up our mission:

To provide a safe and welcoming environment where people feel valued and respected, and are encouraged to be themselves.

The point I want to drive home here is that my approach to moderation is humanistic. I am more concerned with providing good outcomes for actual individuals than adhering to any specific principles or ideologies. This should not be confused with utilitarianism. The most good for the most people often results in terrible outcomes for the minority. As I've stated before, my other overarching principle is asking who has the power in a given situation, and who is in need of protection. When in doubt, always defer to protecting those in need of protection.

The second part, about encouraging people to be themselves, refers to identity. People should be respected and celebrated for who they ARE, but that doesn't mean we are obligated to accept everything they DO. In fact we might have some fairly heated arguments about what people do, which is why we need moderation policy in the first place.

OK, so now that we've got foundational principles down, let's move on to the first rule. It's a rule so basic that it's actually baked into the reporting interface, regardless of what the actual instance rules are. It is something so noxious to the functioning of the internet that developing strategies against it is a full-time discipline in the field of Computer Science. I am speaking of course, of the dreaded Spam.

Spam is one of those things that you think you can easily identify until you start looking into all of the various edge cases. OK, that's true of most abstract concepts, but even more so for spam. I had previously included an explicit instance rule prohibiting spam, but I have since removed it because I think it mostly caused confusion for people who were worried that they might be unintentionally end up violating the rule. One thing I am fairly certain about is that if you are a spammer, you know you're a spammer. If you are operating in good faith then it's very unlikely that you would accidentally run afoul of the anti-spam rule. However, for the sake of clarity, let's start by defining some things that are not spam:

• Posts about your personal project or business
• Fundraisers and mutual aid requests
• Posts promoting a particular cause or organization

These kinds of posts are not spam in and of themselves but they can become spam if they are sent in the form of unsolicited DMs, randomly @ people who have nothing to do with the content of the post, or if they are posted with such frequency that they disrupt the normal operation of the instance.

So here I think we are circling a pretty solid definition of spam:

Unsolicited and unwanted communication that impairs the legitimate functioning of a communications network

I think that's a pretty decent general rule, but what sort of behaviors would fall under that definition? Let's look at Mastodon's reporting interface. When you report something as spam, it gives three examples:

• malicious links
• fake engagement
• repetitive replies

I think malicious links is pretty clear cut. If you are posting links that are intended to deceive people and potentially send them to unsafe web sites, that is definitely against the rules.

Similarly, repetitive replies are pretty easy to recognize. If someone is posting the same reply to a bunch of different posts just to gain visibility without engaging with the original post at all, then that is pretty clearly spam.

That brings us to fake engagement, which is a little squishier. Fake engagement is not just a reply that you don't like. That might be a case for a personal block, but it's not a rule violation. My definition of fake engagement is posting a reply with the sole purpose of promoting a particular agenda, with no effort to actually engage with the discussion. This is still open to a lot of interpretation, so I will also say that fake engagement is a pattern of behavior. Posting one reply like this is not going to get you flagged for fake engagement, but if you are repetitively posting unwanted replies on many different posts, all pushing the same agenda without engaging in the discussion, then that could be considered fake engagement. It's also just rude and annoying.

So, bringing this all together, this is my definition of spam as it applies to moderation policy:

1. Repetitive unsolicited DMs
2. Randomly tagging users with an @ in posts that have nothing to do with them
3. Scam posts that are intended to deceive people and/or exploit them financially
4. Repetitive posts that disrupt the normal operation of the instance
5. Posting malicious links with the intent to deceive people or direct them to harmful websites
6. Hijacking the replies of a post solely to promote something unrelated to the post
7. Repeatedly replying to posts with the sole purpose of pushing a particular agenda and with no good faith effort to engage in the discussion

Just a reminder, there is no longer a dedicated anti-spam rule listed under the instance rules, but you can always select spam as an option in the Mastodon reporting interface.

OK, I think that's enough policy for one month. I invite you all to share your thoughts. This is what I came up with, but please let me know if I got something wrong or missed something that should be added. I want to put together a policy that we can all understand and agree on. My plan is to start going over the enumerated instance rules, one rule per month, starting next month. At the end of this process I will compile everything into a policy document and post a link to it in the about section of the site.

On to the numbers!

My billing cycle for Hetzner has gone back to normal, but the date that the invoice is generated has changed from the 1st of the month to the 15th, so you can expect these updates within a couple days after that. Despite the change of the billing date, the invoice still covers only the previous month, so for example all of the numbers I post in May will apply to April, and then the May numbers will be in my June update. Since I can't post these until the middle of the month, the numbers are going to reflect a point in time from the first of the month. Previously, when I was posting closer to the first of the month, I would include additional users and donations from the first few days of the current month in addition to the numbers from the previous month. Since it doesn't make sense to include an additional 15 days of the current month, all the numbers I report will apply only to the previous month.

New sign-ups:

In the month of April we gained 31 new party-goers, for a grand total of 411 big-time beige business-doers. Of those, 264 accounts have been active in the last month.

Welcome new party-goers! if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

Finances:

For the month of April we received $335.00 in donations. After PayPal fees, that comes out to $297.30. We had $1,579.67 left over from March, so our total available funds for paying the April hosting fees was $1,876.97.

The hosting fees for April break down as follows:

VPS Hosting: $98.88
Foreign Transaction Fee: $2.66
S3 Storage: $9.30
SMTP Relay: $15.00

Total: $125.84

After paying the hosting bills for April, we have $1,751.13 left in donation funds. That's enough to keep us running for over a year, so we are in good shape. Thank you to all who donated! If anyone would like to donate, here is the link:

https://ko-fi.com/drinky

It can also be found in my profile header and in the about section of the site.

And once again a big thanks to all you beautiful Beige Party-goers. You all are what makes this place great!

Beige-bless :bb:

A spreadsheet breaking down the donations for the month of April: Date Amount Fees Net 4/1/2024 $10.00 $1.34 $8.66 4/2/2024 $5.00 $0.91 $4.09 4/2/2024 $50.00 $4.74 $45.26 4/3/2024 $10.00 $1.34 $8.66 4/4/2024 $10.00 $0.84 $9.16 4/6/2024 $10.00 $1.34 $8.66 4/6/2024 $10.00 $1.49 $8.51 4/7/2024 $10.00 $0.84 $9.16 4/9/2024 $5.00 $0.91 $4.09 4/9/2024 $50.00 $2.24 $47.76 4/11/2024 $5.00 $0.64 $4.36 4/11/2024 $10.00 $0.99 $9.01 4/14/2024 $10.00 $1.34 $8.66 4/14/2024 $10.00 $1.49 $8.51 4/17/2024 $5.00 $0.91 $4.09 4/17/2024 $5.00 $0.91 $4.09 4/18/2024 $5.00 $0.74 $4.26 4/18/2024 $10.00 $0.84 $9.16 4/18/2024 $5.00 $0.66 $4.34 4/20/2024 $5.00 $0.91 $4.09 4/21/2024 $5.00 $0.91 $4.09 4/21/2024 $10.00 $1.34 $8.66 4/21/2024 $5.00 $0.91 $4.09 4/21/2024 $5.00 $0.99 $4.01 4/22/2024 $5.00 $0.91 $4.09 4/25/2024 $5.00 $0.91 $4.09 4/27/2024 $50.00 $4.74 $45.26 4/29/2024 $5.00 $0.91 $4.09 4/30/2024 $5.00 $0.66 $4.34 Total $335.00 $37.70 $297.30

theropologist, 13 days ago to random

Nothing like that first fart in a rental car

theropologist, 13 days ago to random

At least it's a wet cold

theropologist, 15 days ago to random

:bc: Attention Beige Party-goers! :bc:

A word about antisemitism, the state of Israel, and the war in Gaza

The war in Gaza has brought a lot of issues to a head and for the most part I have remained silent about specifics because my personal opinions should not be relevant to my job as a moderator. However, things at Beige Party have recently crossed a line where I felt I had to take action, and I feel it is my duty to explain what is informing my decisions on this matter.

Just a warning, this is going to be an extremely long post, so if you just want to know about the moderation policy you can skip to the end. It actually turns out to be quite simple.

First of all, I think it's important to explain where I'm coming from because this is a deeply personal issue for me. As a cis-hetero white male cloaked in all the undeserved privilege that entails I don't feel like it is my place to comment on most matters of identity, other than to recofnize bigotry where it occurs and enforce the site rules when something crosses the line. When I am unsure, I will seek out a trusted member of the affected community to get their perspective before I make a decision. In this case, however, I am a member of the community in question, and the issues of antisemitism, fascism, and genocide have informed my personhood basically since I have been a self-aware, thinking, feeling being, and have played a foundational role in forming my core morality and code of ethics.

I hate presenting this as if it were a set of qualifications, but I think it's important for you to know where I come from so you can understand my nuanced views on a very fraught and complicated subject.

I am part Jewish. I was not raised culturally or religiously Jewish, so I've never felt completely comfortable claiming that identity. However, I am Jewish enough for Hitler to have murdered two of my direct ancestors, and to have inherited the generational trauma of genocide. I am also part German, so I also understand the insidiousness of ethno-fascism and its inevitable consequences. There are a lot of words for it but ultimately, on a human level, it comes down to the murder of innocent people.

None of this is theoretical to me, or distant memories handed down to me over generations. I have a grandmother who is a living link to what it was like to grow up as a half Jewish girl in Hitler's Germany and to have a parent and a grandparent sent to a concentration camp to be murdered, and another parent jailed for trying to get their family out of a fascist country. This is all very real and present for me, and has been my whole life. It is in my bones.

Having said all that, let me go over some core principles that I have used to guide my moderation decisions when it comes to antisemitism and the actions of the government of the state of Israel:

Antisemitism is real and insidious and it has been for thousands of years. My definition of antisemitism is targeting Jewish people on the basis of their ethnic and/or religious identity. Like any form of bigotry it's targeting people based on who they are.

The state of Israel is a sovereign nation with all the rights and responsibilities of any sovereign nation that wishes to remain in good standing with the current world order. Disagreeing with the actions of the state of Israel or any members of its government is not antisemitism. Despite what the government of Israel claims it does not represent all Jews everywhere, and the very claim of ownership of an entire ethno-cultural group by a sovereign state is a mark of fascism. It's the very thing Hitler did to justify his crimes in Europe.

Zionism is a nationalist political ideology. It does claim religion as a justification but many political ideologies do. Nations rarly go to war over religion, but governments often use religion as a way to justify their wars. Being against zionism as a political ideology is not antisemitic, just as all Jews are not obligated to be zionists. Zionism as a political ideology dates to the 19th century. The first historical mention of the Jewish people dates back to 1220 BCE. Jewish people are quite capable of existing independently of zionism. They have for thousands of years.

Israel is an apartheid state. I think many will disagree with this statement, but there is no other way to describe the facts on the ground. They have kept the occupied territories in limbo for nearly 60 years specifically to disenfranchise the Arab population. The reality is that if you are born an Arab in Gaza or the West Bank you do not enjoy the full rights of a citizen of Israel, based solely on your ethnicity. That is apartheid. Acknowledging that fact is not antisemitism. The Jewish people are not responsible for this situation, the government of Israel is.

The state of Israel has, and continues to commit genocide. This is also going to be controversial, but I just can't see it any other way. International law is pretty clear on this. Even if an adversary is not abiding by international law, a state engaging in a military conflict has a responsibility to protect civilians. Collective punishment of the Palestinian people for the crimes of Hamas is a war crime, and it cannot be justified. Genocide was also committed in the initial wars of independence, where entire Arab villages were wiped off the map. This is not the same as saying Israel has no right to exist. I am an American of European ancestry, and as such, my very existence on this continent is the result of genocide. We can not hold people responsible for the crimes of past generations, but when we see genocide happening it is our responsibility as human beings to call it out. Doing so is not antisemitism. Again, these are crimes being carried out by the government of Israel, and despite what it claims, the government of Israel does not represent all Jewish people.

The government of Israel is sliding increasingly towards facism. It is ruled by a far-right nationalist coalition that is bent on consolidating power and dismantling democratic rule. Not only does the government of Israel not represent all Jews, it doesn't even represent all Israelis, as we have seen with protests against the legislation to weaken the supreme court. Again, as an American, I can relate. There are many things my government does that I don't agree with and there's very little I can do about it directly. Directing hatred against Israeli citizens for the actions of their government is wrong, as is holding the Jewish people as a whole responsible for those actions. However, being against the actions of an increasingly fascist state is not antisemitism.

Hamas is a terrorist organization that murders civilians to achieve its goals. It claims to represent the Palestinian people but it has no problem with putting them in harm's way to achieve their ends. The events of October 7th were reprehensible and should not be celebrated by anyone. Hamas saw their increasing irrelevance on the world stage so they committed genocide so that they could not be ignored. Part of their calculation was that the response by the government of Israel would be so severe that Hamas's crimes would quickly fade from the public discourse. They were right, and in doing so they offered up the lives of the people they claim to represent as an acceptable loss for their larger goal, which is the destruction of the state of Israel. Acknowledging Hamas's crimes does not negate the crimes of the state of Israel, both are responsible for their actions and there is no moral high ground here, only death, destruction, and the perpetuation of human misery.

That said, the facts on the ground are what they are. Israel exists and so does Palestine. Both have a right to exist because the people exist. Normal, everyday people, who want the same thing that anyone wants: Safety, security, the chance to just make it through the day and maybe the opportunity to improve their lives a little bit. Any government, organization, or ideology that simply wishes one of these groups of people out of existence is not operating in reality and is morally bankrupt. Furthermore, they are doing a disservice to the people they claim to represent by further perpetuating conflict, death, and human misery.

So that's a lot of words, and plenty for many different people to have problems with at least some of them. As a moderator I try to keep my personal beliefs and opinions out of moderation decisions and just stick to the rules as written. So much about the situation in Gaza has warped the discourse into a tangled mess, but ultimately I think the rules as written are sufficient to handle it.

Really, it's very simple:

1. Targeting people based on who they ARE is against the rules

2. Disagreeing with what people, organizations, or governments DO is not

3. Advocating for violence against anyone for ANY reason is against the rules

In any cases where the rules seem to come in conflict with one another, my overarching principal is asking who has power in this situation, and who is in need of protection. When in doubt I always defer to those in need of protection.

I invite your thoughts on this subject, but please keep it civil and respectful. I am never one to claim that I have all the answers. Like most people, I am just trying to make sense out of a terrible situation so that I can hopefully do the right thing, or at the very least not cause more harm.

Thank you, and Beige-bless :bb:

theropologist, 16 days ago to random

THE FLOOR IS LAVA

theropologist, 20 days ago to random

So cool how my water heater has two exposed electrical terminals about a knuckle's width apart right under the tiny little temperature dial that I have to wedge my whole hand inside to adjust

theropologist, 20 days ago to random

I'm going to Hawaii tomorrow and after a decade of living in Oregon, in which I have fastidiously conditioned myself to pronounce "aloha" as "a-low-a," I am absolutely terrified.

theropologist, 20 days ago to random

What they don't tell you about being a pilot is that they let you eat all the candy you want. In fact, most of the controls are made of candy. Go ahead, eat 'em! Don't worry, you don't need them to fly the plane. Hell, they don't even need us! So really, you're just getting paid to eat candy. Enjoy!

theropologist, 20 days ago to random

:bc: Attention Beige Party-goers! :bc:

I need to do some server maintenance tonight. I'm going to take the servers down to take snapshots first so the site will be down for about half an hour.

The maintenance window will begin at 3 AM UTC on the 28th and extend until 5 AM. If you're in the Western Hemisphere that's 11 PM EDT on the 27th to 1 AM on the 28th.

Thanks, and Beige-bless :bb:

theropologist, 20 days ago to random

Look man, the kids are listening to Steely Dan and plotting crimes against Capitalism. I think they're gonna be just fine.

Alice, 21 days ago to random

A/S/L?

I'll go first.
45/tomato bisque/California

theropologist, 21 days ago to random

The moon is in plantigrade this evening. This has angered the worms. Look at them writhe! See how they flail their tiny pink noses in their fearsome wrath! Don't worry, buddy, they're just worms. They can't do anything to you. Go ahead, stomp them with your big flat feet! Feel that hot pink spaghetti wriggling through your toes! This is what you were made for.

theropologist, 21 days ago to random

Life hack: always keep a banana on hand to secure your mouse when transporting your laptop.

theropologist, 22 days ago to random

Two sheds, perchance just one.

theropologist, 22 days ago to random

The second law of thermodynamics seems to apply to everything in the universe except my shred pile

theropologist, 22 days ago to random

Welp it appears that I have reached the age where I understand the need for perching reading glasses upon the tip of one's nose

theropologist, 22 days ago to random

Wait, you're telling me Space Jam isn't a Grateful Dead documentary??

theropologist, 24 days ago to random

The law of information entropy states that users will come up with increasingly baroque ways to break your software the closer you get to your vacation

RickiTarr, 27 days ago to random

If you could have one new skill starting right now, what would it be?

the_etrain, 27 days ago to random

It's a Snoop Doggwood cause it's 4/20.

theropologist, 1 month ago to random

After having to figure out how to do some minor plumbing repairs around the house I have come to appreciate the humble gasket as the only thing separating civilized society from utter chaos