It's not a bad idea to have separate sections for topics like ban appeals and the like, and I don't think it would take any extra moderation since there wouldn't necessarily be an increase in the number of threads--it's just organizing them, really. But I doubt the ban-a-thon is going to keep going at the pace it has, and the appeals will die off eventually. It's the same thing that happens when changes are made to the merit system.
I support the suggestion to add new sub-board/ child-board for Ban Appeals.
It's another key point you found, as usual. Having sub-boards, or child-boards for specific things, like Ban Appeals or Account Recovery are good, not bad. However, they have two-sided effects:
- Positive: Help us (normal forum members & staffs & admin) easier to find what we want to see, that in turn help us saving more time. Additionally, it will help to build up cleaner forum. Cleaner means less messy overview on Meta board, like we have now. It is the same way we manage our folders in computers.
- Negative: Requires more sources (moderators) to moderate new sub-/ child-boards, whilst such things will die off over time. During my time in the forum last two years, with short-term effects of Merit system (its birthday, its demotion on Junior Member; Default Trust Change), even dramatical changes do not have long-lasting effects on thread-bursting.
Another thing that might help to keep it clean(er) - lock the "appeal" threads after the outcome has become obvious. For example:
The point should be consider is who should lock solved Ban Appeal threads?
I doubt that Ban Appeal creators mostly lock their threads, so it's better if Moderators lock it whenever proofs shown, and they see such threads by chance. It is not a default responsibility of moderators, but they should do it.
