Aloha, DART!
As many of you will now be aware (and many won't), there is now the option to have "unmoderated" debates. While there is still some question on moderation's end about the technical aspects of this change, it is clear that unmoderated debates do not impact your ELO scores, whether you win those debates or lose them. We are currently working with Mike to understand fully the implications of this feature.
It is unclear to moderation whether, as it stands, we are technically empowered to remove votes on unmoderated debates. If we're not, then we're not. If we are, it will be our policy--until this question can be MEEP'd--to only remove votes on unmoderated debates if those votes (a) violate the site's conduct policy (e.g. by making a personal attack) or (b) are for a debater who fully forfeited the debate. No RFD will be actually required to pass moderation review, either.
Therefore, for those debaters and voters who desire minimal moderation, the unmoderated option is ideal. It provides the least amount of vote moderation available on the site. For those who want all of their debates to be moderated, it is imperative that they read carefully the fine print before accepting the debate. Ideally, these debates could be flagged somehow to prevent unsuspecting users from accepting them accidentally. In the meantime, be cautious and be aware so that you are neither hoodwinked nor, dare I say, bamboozled into accepting any unmoderated debate challenges.
If you have any queries about unmoderated debates, or moderation's stance regarding them, I will attempt to respond. Until I have more information, that might be difficult, but I'll do my best.
- Bsh1, Chief Moderator
