Just a reminder that there are a few specific things here that make mute workable, in my mind:
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always time bound so you cannot mindlessly mute someone forever; you can reinstate the mute as much as you like, but it is and must be an explicit action. (Also topic scoped or category scoped?)
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less work for mods as people can self medicate and take timeouts from each other rather than invoking mods to ask on their behalf.
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mutes are implicit flags; after enough mutes from enough unique users, automatic warnings and (eventually) automatic timed suspension will ensue. There is a general lack of flagging so having another avenue to get implicit flag signal is hugely important.
I find timeouts conducive to civil discussion, whereas “screw you forever” isn’t. Sometimes people make mistakes or have bad days. It is when those bad days become bad months or bad years that I get concerned.
