Imagine you've been access to the mod forum, and you've been asked to make a thread entitled "Moderator Guidelines" which contains, obviously, guidelines for moderators. What would you write in this thread?
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Moderator Guidelines.
- Thread starter Nihilego
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I would write this: https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/237275
Mr Cat Dog
Frasier says it best
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I'd stress the importance of both impartiality and activity.
A moderator needs to be impartial as - like it or not - they are seen as role models not only in their own sections but across the entirety of PC. That means having to infract friends if they've actually done something wrong, or not stepping their nose into a potential flamefest even if they happen to agree with one of the sides. A moderator is a firefighter, not a fire-fanner, and should act accordingly.
Activity, in this scenario, means not only posting regular in the mod's section, but contributing new ideas to both that section and the forum as a whole. Moderators should not take a backseat in their section's development and should actively promote their section's wellbeing. They shouldn't be invisible (not the forum invisibility... but in general) as they also need to be approachable in case there are concerns or questions members may have.
There's obviously a lot more to being a mod, but those are the two biggest things for me.
A moderator needs to be impartial as - like it or not - they are seen as role models not only in their own sections but across the entirety of PC. That means having to infract friends if they've actually done something wrong, or not stepping their nose into a potential flamefest even if they happen to agree with one of the sides. A moderator is a firefighter, not a fire-fanner, and should act accordingly.
Activity, in this scenario, means not only posting regular in the mod's section, but contributing new ideas to both that section and the forum as a whole. Moderators should not take a backseat in their section's development and should actively promote their section's wellbeing. They shouldn't be invisible (not the forum invisibility... but in general) as they also need to be approachable in case there are concerns or questions members may have.
There's obviously a lot more to being a mod, but those are the two biggest things for me.
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Mods need to be approachable and friendly, impartial as athey can be and fair. They shouldnt jusmp down people's throats for little things and only use infractions and bans when absolutely nessesary. They shouldnt abuse their power or be too intimidating. Mods are role models, they should act like they would like other users to act, be helpful and contribute and be social with other users as well as moderators/admins and help them in any way they can, and make sure the forum and their sections run smoothly. They should also post in the staff forum regularly, but not only there, they should post in the main forum regularly as well, socialise, post everywhere not just in their sections and communicate with regular users. They shouldnt be biased and onlu talk to and be friends with other staff, although its fine for the staff to be friends with each other and they should, they shouldnt restrict themselves to that.
Moderators should be friends with other users, but not get involved with conflicts or drama with other users, this is probably the worst thing you could do, just dont. They should look at all sides of a situation before acting and not be biased, they shouldnt make rash decisions or let anger or other emotions affect their decisions/ability to mod. They should act in a calm rational manner at all times. Sometimes situations can be stressful, but you shouldnt let it get the better of you, mistakes can be made if you are overly angry or upset dealing with problems while modding and the staff as a whole should solve major issues. I think they also shouldnt nessesarily talk in a "mod like" manner all the time. There are times when they should be formal and times to be informal. Also about secrecy, it should be clearly defined what needs to be secret and what is ok to share with users, and how to handle conflicts between users and staff and staff members and other staff.
Moderators should be friends with other users, but not get involved with conflicts or drama with other users, this is probably the worst thing you could do, just dont. They should look at all sides of a situation before acting and not be biased, they shouldnt make rash decisions or let anger or other emotions affect their decisions/ability to mod. They should act in a calm rational manner at all times. Sometimes situations can be stressful, but you shouldnt let it get the better of you, mistakes can be made if you are overly angry or upset dealing with problems while modding and the staff as a whole should solve major issues. I think they also shouldnt nessesarily talk in a "mod like" manner all the time. There are times when they should be formal and times to be informal. Also about secrecy, it should be clearly defined what needs to be secret and what is ok to share with users, and how to handle conflicts between users and staff and staff members and other staff.
Last edited:
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I would first put a link to the forums rules. These rules are meant to be followed by everyone, not just non-moderator users.
I think of a moderator like I do police. To me, the police should be the first ones to follow each and every rule without question. As Mr Cat Dog said, they are role models. They help shape the attitude of a section, and should be the first to follow guidelines, especially their own. Also, being impartial is another thing to look for. It can be your life partner that has broken a rule. They need to either be warned or infracted based on the severity of the broken rule. It should never be ignored. The moment a moderator lets one rule slide on one person, but doesn't let that rule slide on another, all heck can break loose pretty quickly.
Posting. Posting like crazy. I don't mean a post just for a filler, I mean a post that actually carries on a conversation while leaving room for others to reply. If there is lack of activity in a section, it should be the moderator's duty to bring it back to life. That can be done either with a new topic, or making a worth-while post in a current topic. I don't think a moderator should always have to come up with new topics, but most certainly should be able to keep current ones active, as well as fun and interesting, while also posting a new topic when the opportunity presents itself.
This is just my personal opinion, but I think all dead topic should be closed once deemed to be "dead". Now, I don't think everyone should go through hundreds of pages closing thousands of threads, but most certainly the ones that have just recently died. That way we can avoid reporting a dead thread, having to tell people to not do this and that, and then all of that mess can be avoided.
I think of a moderator like I do police. To me, the police should be the first ones to follow each and every rule without question. As Mr Cat Dog said, they are role models. They help shape the attitude of a section, and should be the first to follow guidelines, especially their own. Also, being impartial is another thing to look for. It can be your life partner that has broken a rule. They need to either be warned or infracted based on the severity of the broken rule. It should never be ignored. The moment a moderator lets one rule slide on one person, but doesn't let that rule slide on another, all heck can break loose pretty quickly.
Posting. Posting like crazy. I don't mean a post just for a filler, I mean a post that actually carries on a conversation while leaving room for others to reply. If there is lack of activity in a section, it should be the moderator's duty to bring it back to life. That can be done either with a new topic, or making a worth-while post in a current topic. I don't think a moderator should always have to come up with new topics, but most certainly should be able to keep current ones active, as well as fun and interesting, while also posting a new topic when the opportunity presents itself.
This is just my personal opinion, but I think all dead topic should be closed once deemed to be "dead". Now, I don't think everyone should go through hundreds of pages closing thousands of threads, but most certainly the ones that have just recently died. That way we can avoid reporting a dead thread, having to tell people to not do this and that, and then all of that mess can be avoided.
droomph
weeb
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Mods are people who are chosen as the "role models". So be the guy that you're looking for! Close threads and infract, but let the person know that it's not a life sentence for posting a bad thread! Just let them know what they did wrong, and reassure them that they're not hated.
Also, impartiality. Think about who's right and wrong for real.
Think of good topics. Think of what people want to talk about - make it obvious (but not directly so) that you want them to share their opinion and talk!
Invite the lurkers to join in the conversations! If you can do that, that is. Just drop by a person who seems afraid to post, and say "hey! Why dontcha drop by and chat with us?" I'm saying this because I used to be afraid to post, and a VM like that would have let me ignore my fears and talk about stuff! Obviously not everyone can have that kind of power, to check out who's checking out your forum and stuff, but just, if you ever find one that is, capture that moment and invite them over.
Stuff like that.
Also, impartiality. Think about who's right and wrong for real.
Think of good topics. Think of what people want to talk about - make it obvious (but not directly so) that you want them to share their opinion and talk!
Invite the lurkers to join in the conversations! If you can do that, that is. Just drop by a person who seems afraid to post, and say "hey! Why dontcha drop by and chat with us?" I'm saying this because I used to be afraid to post, and a VM like that would have let me ignore my fears and talk about stuff! Obviously not everyone can have that kind of power, to check out who's checking out your forum and stuff, but just, if you ever find one that is, capture that moment and invite them over.
Stuff like that.
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I would start out with policies.
First - I would reiterate board rules and make sure moderators know they have to follow these just as closely. I would explain why each rule is in place and what enforcement (if any) would be used against someone who breaks these rules. I would explain the policy behind enforcing rules on people, how many verbal warns are allowed before an actual one, where to post about any action taken against an user (if there is such a place here), when to suspend someone and how long. In my opinion, these guidelines should be in place so that every moderator works in a similar way - it shouldn't be easier to get away with something with one person than another.
I would also discuss expected behavior. Staff should be held to a higher standard, and those standards should be defined. Staff should also talk to members in a certain way, post in a certain way (for example, if they've been drinking, maybe they shouldn't post), etc. People, but especially moderators, will be respected if they come across coherently and with good grammar. If a moderator comes into a thread saying "omg you idiot this hasnt been posted in in two months i am closing it k thx bai", I can promise you, members will probably respect that person less. At least, I would.
I would discuss the privacy policies - what is allowed to be discussed with the members, and what isn't. Staff shouldn't be able to tell regular joes that they are being looked at to moderate, that other members are being warned for particular reasons, that the staff are throwing a SUPER SECRET party and that they want to surprise the members. Some things need to stay secret, this should be defined and communicated to moderators, otherwise some will tell people things without even thinking about it.
Of course, general guidelines such as how active one has to be and how they deal with confrontations should be mentioned. Also, how they deal with actions other moderators take. On the boards I've worked at, a lot of teams would fall apart because moderators were tearing each other apart in public. Once we created a policy to get each others back in public, and discuss the issue privately or in the staff forums, things started running a lot more smoothly.
Hmmm... what else. I'm trying to remember things that were covered in my policy thread. ;)
I would probably end with a quick tutorial on how to suspend, warn, sticky, close, etc. Because all moderators should know this, and having it all in one place rather than having them ask people would be handy.
First - I would reiterate board rules and make sure moderators know they have to follow these just as closely. I would explain why each rule is in place and what enforcement (if any) would be used against someone who breaks these rules. I would explain the policy behind enforcing rules on people, how many verbal warns are allowed before an actual one, where to post about any action taken against an user (if there is such a place here), when to suspend someone and how long. In my opinion, these guidelines should be in place so that every moderator works in a similar way - it shouldn't be easier to get away with something with one person than another.
I would also discuss expected behavior. Staff should be held to a higher standard, and those standards should be defined. Staff should also talk to members in a certain way, post in a certain way (for example, if they've been drinking, maybe they shouldn't post), etc. People, but especially moderators, will be respected if they come across coherently and with good grammar. If a moderator comes into a thread saying "omg you idiot this hasnt been posted in in two months i am closing it k thx bai", I can promise you, members will probably respect that person less. At least, I would.
I would discuss the privacy policies - what is allowed to be discussed with the members, and what isn't. Staff shouldn't be able to tell regular joes that they are being looked at to moderate, that other members are being warned for particular reasons, that the staff are throwing a SUPER SECRET party and that they want to surprise the members. Some things need to stay secret, this should be defined and communicated to moderators, otherwise some will tell people things without even thinking about it.
Of course, general guidelines such as how active one has to be and how they deal with confrontations should be mentioned. Also, how they deal with actions other moderators take. On the boards I've worked at, a lot of teams would fall apart because moderators were tearing each other apart in public. Once we created a policy to get each others back in public, and discuss the issue privately or in the staff forums, things started running a lot more smoothly.
Hmmm... what else. I'm trying to remember things that were covered in my policy thread. ;)
I would probably end with a quick tutorial on how to suspend, warn, sticky, close, etc. Because all moderators should know this, and having it all in one place rather than having them ask people would be handy.
Honest
Hi!
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Mainly:
A mod needs to be an unbiased person, capable of making fair desisions
A mod needs to be active
A mod needs to enjoy being a mod!
Those are a few, although I stress the first one.
A mod needs to be an unbiased person, capable of making fair desisions
A mod needs to be active
A mod needs to enjoy being a mod!
Those are a few, although I stress the first one.
antemortem
rest after tomorrow
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Impartiality has already been stated on multiple occasions here, but it is a very good, solid point. Even if the Moderator in the situation is friends with the offender, if a punishment was dealt to someone else for the same rule breaking, equal punishment should be given to both offenders. This isn't to say that some things can't be altered on a case-by-case basis, such as a situation where circumstance matters, as in for the reasons this person did this or that.
Being positive isn't something that you can enforce upon someone, as everyone has different personality traits and characteristics, but if I was an Administrator, I wouldn't want Moderators running around negatively influencing the community. At least pretend to be in a happy mood when posting on threads, on Visitor Messages or even via Private Message, because how Moderators act influences the rest of the community since members, for the most part, look up to these people as role models.
Another interesting point for me is that a Moderator should be most active in their section. The whole draw of being apart of a board should be to post and have fun with others through intelligent or playful conversations anywhere on the forum. After you are promoted to a Moderator, that role should be slightly shifted so that the forum(s) you moderate are your focal points so they don't become inactive and are spam/flame free and whatnot. This isn't to say that a Moderator can't be active in other sections, but they should know where they should focus their attention to.
That's all I have to say right now, I think.
Being positive isn't something that you can enforce upon someone, as everyone has different personality traits and characteristics, but if I was an Administrator, I wouldn't want Moderators running around negatively influencing the community. At least pretend to be in a happy mood when posting on threads, on Visitor Messages or even via Private Message, because how Moderators act influences the rest of the community since members, for the most part, look up to these people as role models.
Another interesting point for me is that a Moderator should be most active in their section. The whole draw of being apart of a board should be to post and have fun with others through intelligent or playful conversations anywhere on the forum. After you are promoted to a Moderator, that role should be slightly shifted so that the forum(s) you moderate are your focal points so they don't become inactive and are spam/flame free and whatnot. This isn't to say that a Moderator can't be active in other sections, but they should know where they should focus their attention to.
That's all I have to say right now, I think.
Tetrakeet
Lilligant's Caretaker
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Most of the important points have already been made, but these all help to make a strong forum, especially the aforementioned points of being fair and impartial, not showing favoritism,
I could probably go on and on with this, but since a lot of it was already mentioned in the previous posts, I'll draw the line here. ^^;
I could probably go on and on with this, but since a lot of it was already mentioned in the previous posts, I'll draw the line here. ^^;
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Ravenfreak
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Seeing how this is an older topic, i'm sure what i'm about to say has already been stated before. I'm a admin of 2 sites, so a step above Mod but still the same concept applies for any staff member on a site. Of course the staff member needs to be active, if they aren't active then who's there to keep an eye out on the forum? Sure there are other staff members but they need to keep up on the forum they moderate. Things would definitely get chaotic in a matter of minutes, especially if the site is very active. Another guideline for a mod should be to enforce the rules, even if it means hurting a friend. If they've done something wrong, then they should be addressed. Sometimes it's difficult to give out a warning to a close friend, or even out right ban them. But if a rule is broken, they must take action. When the moderator gives the member a warning, I think they should explain in detail exactly why they gave them the warning. That way, they'll have a greater chance of not breaking anymore rules. And the moderator must obey the rules, and "attend" any staff meetings the admin(s) might address. If the rules are changing the staff members should be first to know then they need to tell the members. That's my take on Moderator guidelines.