Moderator Guidelines

We have yet to get any moderators but I thought I would start this topic now.

If someone violates your rules or guidelines, there are several options at your disposal. It's important to give a sense of due process by starting with the lightest sanction you feel comfortable with, and if necessary, to escalate methodically. Here are some approaches in increasing order of severity.

1. Post a short, two-paragraph response after the comment in question indicating that you would prefer folks to avoid that type of posting, then using the second short paragraph to lead the topic gently back in the right direction with some substantive comment on the subject matter.

2. Notify the person privately via e-mail, instant message, telephone, etc, and explain how the response is not within the guidelines. Request that further responses of that nature not be entered.

3. Temporarily lock or hide the response in question, then send e-mail informing the poster that it has been locked and why it was locked. Locked threads can still be seen so that people can form opinions about whether the action was just or not and a dialogue can be had privately with the poster in question.

4. Permanently remove the response in question. This is a more serious matter. If the poster has not kept a copy, you may be destroying his or her only copy of the words in question. Mailing the words back, with your reason why they were removed, may be a firm but respectful solution to this dilemma. Even if the poster understands your action, you may be the subject of an ensuing debate on censorship and freedom of expression. You are not the government, and you do not have the same burden of not censoring, but it is valuable to confront yourself if you are deleting comments simply because they disagree with you.

On the other hand, clearly hurtful material, such as stolen passwords or credit card numbers, for example, must be deleted, without any concern about causing an uproar.

5. If a user is a chronic problem and you cannot reach an understanding in e-mail, you may exercise the power to ban the user from posting in your area, or even from visiting altogether. Banning, or being locked out, is a last resort, and it should be very clear to the user that he or she is behaving unacceptably and has been formally informed of the terms of continued participation before a banning. Since the guest may feel censored and stifled, the host should be certain that the banning is not undertaken simply to silence dissent with popular views. However, not every argument belongs in every venue, and you may ask that certain subject matter or behavior is taken to a more appropriate area.

Whatever steps you are able to take on your site, remember to give clear warnings, to allow for honest mistakes, and to escalate appropriately.

Remember that the people in your discussions are your guests, and a variety of personalities and opinions enriches the scene you are creating. Treat them with courtesy, make them feel welcome and by and large they will respond in kind towards you and one another.