But N/A is

 

No? All users who have the forum upgrade can turn N/A on via unchecking "Show last read date of conversation messages" on their privacy settings.

 

Can't all staff do the same, regardless of wether or not they have the upgrade?

If so... That's exactly my point. They shouldn't.

 

-1 do not intervene with the privacy of a certain user. <mod-edit>

 

No

 

More staff transparency = better communication and understanding = better community.

As a staff member I alter my actions and situations for that station all the time because I believe for whatever reason, it's a sacrifice that is worth it. No silly nicks, no private hours in vanish. Because I decided to run for moderator and the duties and sacrifices that come with aren't something I'm gonna gripe about.

I can tell you right now why N/A is of use, can you imagine the amount of stuff that reaches the SA team? And while all of it should be addressed in a timely manner, some stuff is more urgent than others. So a N/A allows them to address everything by order of urgency, problem is everyone will think theirs is most urgent while only one is correct.

Despite my understanding why N/A is used, I think it would be a better tact to show the read date and be prepared to address things swiftly and deal with some cranky people for the good of openness with the rest of the more patient understanding community.

 

Spoiler: reasoning

+1
In all seriousness I do find it annoying when I can't see when an important inbox has been read last.