So far we have the following points:
Really, this just feels like a step backwards. It feels like you're protecting admins who break the CoC - which didn't seem to be the case six months ago. It widens the gap between user - admin trust.
If this has been implemented, and like mentioned before I do not frequent the forums as much anymore so I could be wrong, there should really be a post stating this.
People are going to talk if a previous administrator does wrong by a user or the community, might as well lay it out up front so it doesn’t get blown out of proportion.
During the event of a demotion, information is handed to the Guardians and then published if felt appropriate? Add it as a point of the demotion process so at least it is there for transparency's sake. If it's decided that the information is not in the best interests of users then that's what they decide. In matters such as these the Guardians feel very far removed. As much as they oversee Chatlands, they have an impact on the transparency experienced by a community asking for transparency. That feels wrong and like a step backward for the approach the Wolfhome staff are taking. If anything they should merely be privy to the fact that demotions will be released and informed prior to the release of such information?
There's also the question of how that would impact future promotions. Being transparent about demotions is great but if someone is demoted then ends up on the team again, the communtiy as a whole might not like it/wish that they had more input.
If demotions are made transparent, does that include demotions prior to such transparency agreements? A few demotions spring to mind where the admin "quit" and the demotion was kept private. Often times those admins were felt to be redeemable in their actions. I can think of a couple of examples where someone previously demoted ended up as an admin again.
If it is a demotion and not a stepping down, it should be public, for several reasons, full stop. If you take on a leadership role and you violate the CoC to the point where you are demoted, accountability demands that reason be released. It builds trust with the general public that the admins are held to at least the same standards that they are, if not higher. Beyond that, there are safety concerns that may arise from such demotions. Someone on the admin walks a little too close for comfort to a line (be it sexual or violence related) to hold a leadership position but not clear cut enough to warrant a ban. So they are tossed back into the user pool and an excuse is made as to why they aren't an admin anymore. The excuse that would be used today would be 'We don't disclose reasons for demotion'. In the past it would simply be 'They decided to step down.'. It might not happen now but it HAS happened in the past. And it is going to be pretty awful when someone gets abused by an ex admin that 'stepped down'.
It would be nice to have some transparency regarding demotions especially when it’s because an admin has broken rules that would get a sub user permanently banned on the spot. But again with the rules idk if that’s possible. It bugs tho because then it just looks like favoritism to that specific person simply because they are an admin.
And then for the demotion and quitting of an admin or suchlike; if someone at work has lost their rank (military based) or has to be removed, we are told the reason why. They don’t always go into depth as to why, but it’s mentioned what they’ve broken in terms of their duty or service so we know roughly what has happened. It gives us an insight as to why they were demoted without going into great depths. It doesn’t break conduct or principles either, if we’re just told what guideline or rule they broke without specific details.
