Moderating Guidelines, Consultation.

[#1]

Most of you should be familiar with the Forum Rules, but we also have a set of guidelines that we use when moderating the forums.
As part of the move to the Community site, these have been reviewed and refreshed, to encourage best practice in moderating.
Prompted by recent events we have decided that they should be published for peer review by all of the forum users.

Quote from: Assos

Moderating Guidelines Revised September 2007 The purpose of this post is to outline various offences that can occur at this forum, and the various ways in which these offences can be dealt with by the moderators. Of course, this list isn't exhaustive; there are probably many "other things" that can "go wrong" in a forum. Nevertheless, this should be useful as a basic guide, and remember that this can always be added to, once authorised by the moderators and the administrators of this forum (this ensures everyone agrees with the modification). There are also various other small jobs and things to look out for for moderators. These will also be detailed below. Use of Moderator’s Notes When editing posts, a note should always be left below the post. We use one of three colours for moderator’s notes, red, blue or green. Red is used for a serious transgression of the forum rules. For example Spamming / Cross posting, All caps posts or Titles, Inapropriate material. Blue is used for minor offences such as full quotes, oversize links, and Oversized images. Green is used where corrections have been made to assist posters such as BBtags or removal of accidental double posts. Examples include: Red Arguments. Spamming. Use of inappropriate language. Use of Bump. Personal attacks. Posting inappropriate material. Impoliteness towards other forum users. Discussion of illegal file sharing. Posting of Staff names from Help Assistant Tickets (Questions). Removal of Moderators note by a User. Undermining of people’s opinions. All CAPS titles/posts. Blue Posts/threads in wrong forum (board). Over-sized images. Quoting the previous post in full. Excessive use of emoticons. Problematic titles. Oversized links. Green Accidental double posts. Fixing UBBC tags. Notes should be in the following format- [Moderator's note by <name> (<username>): <Reason the post was edited>] Offences: Actions To Take N.B. – Removal of Posts Note that "remove" or "delete" (or anything synonymous) means "move the thread/post (you'll need to split a post into a new thread first) to the Thread Storage board without leaving a shadow topic". This allows the post or thread to be recalled if ever it needs to be. Posts/threads in a totally wrong place: If it is a thread that doesn't belong in a board, move it to the correct board, with the shadow topic on. If it is a post that doesn't belong in a thread, split the post from the thread, and merge into an appropriate thread, if no appropriate thread exists create a new topic based on the post in the relevant board. Then leave a message in the original thread stating that the rogue post has been moved, along with a link to where the new thread is. In repeat cases send a friendly PM to the offender reminding them of the [Forum Rules]. Undermining of people’s opinions: These need to be dealt with swiftly, for they can all to easily lead to flame wars, which can ultimately degenerate a thread. In this instance, remove the offending post (or edit out the offending comment), and edit out or remove any responses to the post. Then leave a post in the thread explaining what you have done and why. Arguments: The problem with arguments is that they can occur in the middle of a useful thread... in some cases, the actual argument itself can bring useful facts/information to light. Therefore, it is not a good idea to remove a post/thread like this. Just put a heavy hand in (i.e. try and break the argument up; make your presence noticed in the thread). If an argument still continues, lock the thread if it has any useful information (but remember to post in the thread before locking, explaining your actions). Then delete/edit out the argument (this allows the useful information to be viewed by other members in future). However, if the thread has no useful information, remove it. Spamming: If you see a repeated topic, remove it, unless there are some replies which make the thread worth keeping (use your own discretion to determine if this is the case). In a similar manner to if someone posts in the wrong place, send a polite PM to the offender, again remembering that this can (and does) happen totally accidentally. Spamming can also be in the form of advertising. Do not assume that just because someone's posted a useful link with, say, a referral ID, that that is spam. Such links will be allowed, as long as they may be beneficial in the context of the thread. However, outright uncalled-for advertising will not be allowed. In this case, edit/remove the posts/thread and send a friendly PM to the offender reminding them of the [Forum Rules]. Impoliteness toward forum staff: Forum staff can be subject to varying amounts of abuse from the members of that forum. If anyone does approach you in such a way that is defined below, a post should immediately be made to the Senior Lounge, with a short description of what's happening, and a copy of the offending post/PM. This will allow it to be evaluated by other moderators and the administrators. Intentionally provoked arguments: (This is similar to the argument clause, except a bit more serious. This is often the work of trolls: intentional argument-starters in forums.) If you catch the post/thread fresh (without replies), or the only replies are not useful, remove the thread/posts. If, however, the replies to the argument do have some value to them, lock the thread and leave a note explaining your actions. In both instances, send a official warning PM to the offender, explaining that starting arguments will not be tolerated. Use of inappropriate language: Swearing is becoming second nature these days. However, some people do not like it, some even find it offensive to hear. Therefore, for the forums to remain friendly to all, action has to be taken. The swear-word filter installed as part of SMF should take care of most swear words. However, if you find one that hasn't been censored, or if you find one that's been deliberately disguised, edit the post using the quick link "link: censored" (without the space between : and censored) and leave a note at the foot of the post. If the member is seen swearing often (censored, disguised or not) then send a friendly PM to the offender reminding them of the [Forum Rules]. Use of Bump: Use of "bump" in a thread should be discouraged. Repeated use should have the post removed or thread locked as deemed appropriate by the moderation team. Personal attacks: Personal attacks may need to be dealt with fairly severely, because they can lead to disgruntled members, arguments, and even flame-wars. Therefore, if you see a personal attack in a thread, you must remove the attack, and edit out or delete any responses, before leaving a post yourself to explain what you have done - including a warning to people to not repeat such activities. If there are repeats, lock the thread if it has any useful posts within - if not, just remove it. If a particular member consistently personally attacks people, a official warning should be sent by PM. Posting inappropriate material: This is a serious offence, and depending on the content/references, could be illegal. Therefore, any references/content must immediately be edited out of a post. If an explicit thread has been started, remove the entire thread. Then send an e-mail to the offender, and debate with the other moderators the action that should be taken - depending on the severity of the incident, a temporary suspension could be considered (hence the need to send an e-mail: the offender won't be able to read a PM if he/she is suspended). Posting of Private Messages If a user publishes a private message without permission, they should be sent an official warning. If they have already been sent an official warning, then their posting rights should be suspended for an initial 48hr period. Separate Moderating posts and Personal posts When posting in a thread, there should be a clear distinction between personal options and Moderating posts. ie all moderating comments some be in their own post. Also consideration should be made to posting "Moderators Note" on this first line of a moderating post. Warning and Suspension of Posting Rights Procedure From time to time, a specific user from the community may be consistently in breach of the rules. The following procedure should be taken when dealing with such a user. Step 1 – Informal Rules Reminder: If a moderator feels a user is consistently in breach of the [Forum Rules] the user should be reminded of the [Forum Rules] either by a private message, or in a forum thread in which they have breached the rules. This is to serve as a friendly reminder, to give the user a chance to adjust their behavior so they comply with the [Forum Rules]. It should be recorded in the Moderator’s Private Forum, but not in the warnings and suspensions database. Step 2 – Official Warning. If the user is still consistently breaching the [Forum Rules], then after a consensus is reached with the moderation team an official warning should be sent by private message. This should be recorded in the Moderator’s Private Forum and the warnings and suspensions database. Step 3 – Suspension of Posting Rights If after an official warning, a user is still consistently breaching the rules, then after a consensus is reached within the moderation team, the user should have their posting rights suspended for a initial period of 48hrs and be informed of this by email to the address recorded within the forum software. Step 4 – Discussion of Situation During the 48hr period the moderation team should discuss any further action that may be needed and reach a consensus on whether posting rights should be re-instated after 48hrs or, decide on a date upon which rights should be re-instated, or in extreme cases if posting rights should be re-instated at all. Step 5 – Reinstating of Posting Rights Once the agreed period for the suspension of posting rights has expired, then a moderator should contact the user via email to gain an agreement to the [Forum Rules]. Once the user has agreed to follow the [Forum Rules] their posting rights should be reinstated as quickly as possible. Step 6 – Repeat Offences If after a user has had posting rights restored, if they continue to breach the [Forum Rules] this procedure should be followed again from Step 4. Appeals Against Moderation Decisions If a user has cause to question a moderation action, they should in the first instance contact the moderator who took the action via private message. The moderator should then reply explaining their actions and post both the user’s private message and their reply in the private forum. If the user feels the reply does not deal with their grievance they should then contact another moderator, who will discuss the issue with the moderation team and reply with the outcome of the discussion. If the user is still dissatisfied with the way their grievance has been dealt with, they can raise a ticket (question) for the attention of the comms team. The comms team will then discuss the issue with the moderation team the user will be informed of the outcome of the discussion. Any decision at this stage is final. Forum Records and Privacy When a member comes to the attention of a moderator for repeated breaches of the [Forum Rules], a thread should be started in the moderator’s private forum, to discuss and record any further offences made by the user and appropriate action to take. If a moderator is issues an official warning, or suspension of posting rights this will be recorded by the moderator who issues the warning in a database, and posted in the private forum. Any correspondence between any member of the moderation team and other forum users about forum and rules issues will be recorded in the private forum. Public discussion of action taken against forum users should be avoided where possible for privacy reasons. However at times where knowledge of action taken is already in the public domain it may be more appropriate to make a post outlining the facts of the situation. The decision to make such a posting should not be made by a single moderator, but a consensus of the team as a whole. This is to ensure everyone in the moderation team is aware that the posting is being made and agrees that any postings made represent the situation truthfully and in an unbiased manner. If a user is nominated for a bright spark award, then a posting will be made in the private forum with details of the nomination. If the nomination is approved, then the user will be added to the bright spark database.

cp:green Quote text enlarged to the same size as body text. mod:end

[#2]

Heh... nice to see that the guidelines I wrote, what, four and a half years ago, are still being used as an (albeit somewhat modified) basis... on which note, I can't believe how long ago it was when I was helping get the forums set up with the other mods at the time.
Anyway, just one thought springs to mind at the moment. That is that I think bumping should be allowed in some cases; namely, to get the attention of PlusNet. For example, if someone posted an advertisement for something in the Classifieds forum, then kept bumping it so it appeared at the top, I think that would be inappropriate. On the other hand, bumping a thread to remind a member of staff to answer is Ok I think, because it's not unusual for staff to say they'll get back to someone then forget to. Admittedly, I've never seen the mods actually tell someone off for doing this, but the guidelines make it sound like you'd be within your rights to, so I thought I'd mention it.

[#3]

Hi Thomas
Yes, just a revised version of your original. Thanks for all your hard work putting them together all those years back.
As for Bumping, that rule is applied with a bit of judgement, it has to be a very blatant case, before we would act.
Chilly

[#4]

A 'typo' and  couple of comment:
1) In 'Separate Moderating posts and personal Posts'
ie all moderating comments some should be in their own post.
2) I'm in agreement with the Be3G comment on 'bumping'
3) Some possible anomoly / ambiguity in the 'Warning and Suspension of Posting Rights Procedure'.
As set out, this is a sequential process starting with step 1 , but in other parts of the document, the recommendation for some 'offences' is to start at step 2 e.g. The posting of Private Messages procedure immediately above this section.
Not a big deal, and some minor changes should make the process a bit more defensible if there is any debate.
Maurice

[#5]

General Point – the font is too small I had to enlarge the fonts on the screen to read it
A few detail comments
Fixing oversize links would be better in green as the usual reasons for this are either not understanding the use of url tags or possibly not seeing the problem. I have the forum width set to full screen on a wide screen monitor so it would look fine to me. (Firefox automatic config setting column width to 100%) and with the new forum templates (if they ever arrive  ;D) this could get worse.
The term “heavy hand” used in the rules should not be taken literally. It is much better to act firmly but politely giving clear reasons so that the Community at large can understand the reasons for the actions. This probably can’t be put directly into the rules but I think the term “Just put a heavy hand in” is inappropriate and should be reconsidered.
The use of a friendly PM to offenders is to be encouraged but I think that there should also be a visible warning in the thread where appropriate indicating that the rules have been transgressed so that the other posters can see that the offending post(s) have met with a reaction from the Mods so as to cut down on reactions.
Suggestion arising from a previous incident.
The Mod or Mods as a group should give one or at the most two warnings in a thread then lock the thread and/or visibly act against the offenders(s). Allowing the thread to continue with even more warnings is counter-productive. Note that multiple warning by several Mods in the same thread can  probably be a significant factor in this.
Nothing much to do with the topic but would there be any merit in having a forum such as "Talk to the Staff" over at TBB so that the average user could have discussions with the moderators without cluttering up the active threads.

[#6]

Quote from: chillypenguin

I think the guidelines are mainly acceptable but would like to see an ammendment as discussed in the thread

The word ammendment needs amending to amendment.

[#7]

In 'Forum Records and Privacy'
If a moderator is issues an official warning, or suspension of posting rights this will be recorded by the moderator who issues the warning in a database, and posted in the private forum.

[#8]

Quote from: barquerole

The word ammendment needs amending to amendment.

barquerole's 1^st amendment accepted. 
Chilly

[#9]

One thing that the Forum Rules don't mention is use of the "Report to moderator" link, nor is what happens then covered in the "Moderating Guidelines".  I think mention in both documents is desirable.
I assume using the "Report" link might be preferred to user comment in the forums since the action taken, or not taken, is then entirely up to the moderators without the apparent pressure from a comment to follow a particular course.
However, as always, discretion is needed; I suggest a comment could be fine if essentially a PS within a response to the topic, particularly when the user has numerous posts in that thread forming a dialogue with the addressee.

[#10]

Quote

The use of a friendly PM to offenders is to be encouraged but I think that there should also be a visible warning in the thread where appropriate indicating that the rules have been transgressed so that the other posters can see that the offending post(s) have met with a reaction from the Mods so as to cut down on reactions.

I think that is a good suggestion from Oldjim. 

Quote

Nothing much to do with the topic but would there be any merit in having a forum such as "Talk to the Staff" over at TBB so that the average user could have discussions with the moderators without cluttering up the active threads.

I think that is a good suggestion from Oldjim as well. 

[#11]

Keep them coming, some great ideas there Guys.
We will collate them over in the Senior Lounge, and post back any proposed changes as a result.
Chilly

[#12]

A 'Talk about the Community Site' forum could encompass both, and make our lives a bit easier I think. I like your thinking chaps!
Ian

[#13]

I'm not a fan of child boards, for some reason I seem to skip over them when viewing a board index. I much prefer everything to be top level. It's maybe a bit more that's displayed, but it's less jumbled and (in my opinion) nicer to look at.

[#14]

How about the user having a switch setting where they can see/not see the original content of moderated postings?
This would allow me to see uncensored postings even if the poster has used some awful four letter word! Gasp!
Obviously a parent could switch appropriately if they think their small child doesn't use any swear words.

[#15]

That wouldn't be possible Jeremy, as the entire post is altered when it is added to the database, so the post exists in the database with "[censored]" instead of the expletive.
Censoring is done by an internal function of SMF, and to allow for this would require a fair bit of code hacking and writing to two different tables = increased page generation time.