Phantom
11-19-2003, 05:29 AM
Directions to Prospective Mods
Tell me your thoughts on this:
Read the thread titled the history of the watchdesk; it’s in the welcome section. Tell me what you think.
We believe in a less is more approach to moderating; anything that goes in a firehouse kitchen is generally acceptable here. (That doesn't mean that you have to accept it everywhere)
We generally don't react to a post unless someone complains or it is racist.
I prefer we don't use names except when referring to chiefs and persons of authority who have chosen that role and the notoriety that comes with it. (Too bad, not all of them understand that)
As a moderator you police your area, deal with the complaints, and provide a sounding board for ideas and assist in the direction of the site.
There is a hidden forum to discuss these issues and as a moderator you have certain abilities to edit posts and maintain threads. And sometimes ban users.
I sent this in response to a prospective moderators concern about personal attacks.
I understand were you are coming from; personal attacks are a waste of time.
Given the format they sometimes happen, how we deal with them plays a huge role in what happens next.
*If no one complains it is best to leave them alone, following the no one offended no one hurt idea. (We generally remove names regardless).
*If someone complains read the whole thread, many times they threw the first stone and got upset when it was thrown back better, in this case watch out about removing anything because the complainer will come back to you often, all for issues they would have been better off keeping their mouth shut about.
*In other situations by editing or removing a thread you sometimes draw attention to it, many times the thread would otherwise have died out. I have seen removed threads comeback and bite me in the butt worse than before so I generally try to leave well enough alone.
*Sometimes the things said are true, as much as the complaining party doesn't want them to be. In these situations how do you edit the truth?
These are my thoughts, as a moderator you have the latitude to do what you need to in your area; if I think its too much we'll talk about it and go from there
Lastly, I will add some specific instructions that have come as a result of recent experiences.
1. Don’t instigate or continue arguments in your moderator identity unless you have a thick skin and are willing to withstand much criticism. John Mutchler does this very well but many do not.
2. Don’t delete or close threads unless you talk to some of us first. Many times it makes the situation worse. Deleting/Closing threads is against about everything this site stands for. There are other ways to handle problems.
3. There may be more than one moderator for a county or area, that is entirely or discretion and not a reflection on how you are doing as a moderator.
4. The moderators control panel is www.thewatchdesk.com/forum/mod you enter it using your id and password.
5. You are not under any circumstance to release a member’s identity, ISP address or email address, you don't have access to it.
6. I recommend that you register a second screen name to be the moderator. This allows you to post under your regular name while still remain neutral as a moderator. Also it helps to conceal your identity, which will keep people from trying to influence you. (Provided you don’t tell everyone who you are!)
Tell me your thoughts on this:
Read the thread titled the history of the watchdesk; it’s in the welcome section. Tell me what you think.
We believe in a less is more approach to moderating; anything that goes in a firehouse kitchen is generally acceptable here. (That doesn't mean that you have to accept it everywhere)
We generally don't react to a post unless someone complains or it is racist.
I prefer we don't use names except when referring to chiefs and persons of authority who have chosen that role and the notoriety that comes with it. (Too bad, not all of them understand that)
As a moderator you police your area, deal with the complaints, and provide a sounding board for ideas and assist in the direction of the site.
There is a hidden forum to discuss these issues and as a moderator you have certain abilities to edit posts and maintain threads. And sometimes ban users.
I sent this in response to a prospective moderators concern about personal attacks.
I understand were you are coming from; personal attacks are a waste of time.
Given the format they sometimes happen, how we deal with them plays a huge role in what happens next.
*If no one complains it is best to leave them alone, following the no one offended no one hurt idea. (We generally remove names regardless).
*If someone complains read the whole thread, many times they threw the first stone and got upset when it was thrown back better, in this case watch out about removing anything because the complainer will come back to you often, all for issues they would have been better off keeping their mouth shut about.
*In other situations by editing or removing a thread you sometimes draw attention to it, many times the thread would otherwise have died out. I have seen removed threads comeback and bite me in the butt worse than before so I generally try to leave well enough alone.
*Sometimes the things said are true, as much as the complaining party doesn't want them to be. In these situations how do you edit the truth?
These are my thoughts, as a moderator you have the latitude to do what you need to in your area; if I think its too much we'll talk about it and go from there
Lastly, I will add some specific instructions that have come as a result of recent experiences.
1. Don’t instigate or continue arguments in your moderator identity unless you have a thick skin and are willing to withstand much criticism. John Mutchler does this very well but many do not.
2. Don’t delete or close threads unless you talk to some of us first. Many times it makes the situation worse. Deleting/Closing threads is against about everything this site stands for. There are other ways to handle problems.
3. There may be more than one moderator for a county or area, that is entirely or discretion and not a reflection on how you are doing as a moderator.
4. The moderators control panel is www.thewatchdesk.com/forum/mod you enter it using your id and password.
5. You are not under any circumstance to release a member’s identity, ISP address or email address, you don't have access to it.
6. I recommend that you register a second screen name to be the moderator. This allows you to post under your regular name while still remain neutral as a moderator. Also it helps to conceal your identity, which will keep people from trying to influence you. (Provided you don’t tell everyone who you are!)