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The Moderator Mission Statement...

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Moderator
Moderator

06-30-2002

Tuesday, July 05, 2005 - 8:59 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Moderator a private message Print Post    
Moderator Mission Statement.


1) Provide a safe fun place to post, free of poster on poster attacks, offensive language and hateful tirades.

2) Keep the Board functioning, free of spam and commercial schemes.

3) Provide specially designated places for fans to talk about a favorite competitor/contestant free of debate and criticism.

4) Attempt to keep spoiler information safely contained for the unspoiled.

5) To protect the board from the rare occasional disruptor whose main or sole purpose on the board is to battle with the moderators, target/bait/stalk a board member(s) or attempt to set a tone that discourages others from posting.

6) Do all the above with as little moderation as possible.

Comments on the mission:

In practice the first five goals are in direct conflict with the last and complicates the life of the moderator. In years of experience and experimentation we have instituted the following practices to maintain order with less direct moderation of posts.

Moderator warnings. When a thread heats up and posters start poking at each other, please adhere to the moderator warning. Refrain from name calling towards celebrities or contestants if that is the topic of conversation, as name calling will likely be moderated after a warning has been issued. Extremely harsh and critical pronouncements of the nature of a contestant's off show character (bashing) are also given intense scrutiny when a moderator is trying to cool down a thread in flames.

Designated Fan Threads. Celebrity/Contestant threads with a happy face icon are moderator protected with respect to criticism of that person in that thread. It is not though, a safe harbor to bash other contestants. Safe haven comes with that price.

Moderator Posted Area Guidelines. Each Topic area of the board has a senior moderator or two that heads that area and posts guidelines in a thread titled "Notices From the Moderators". If you feel like posting an edgy post in an area you are unfamiliar with go to the first post of the Moderator Notices where you can get a feel for the expectations of that areas moderators. For instance News and Views is a volatile area and the moderators there practice an absolute no name calling policy at all times.

Guideline on Celebrity/Contestant name calling. Our rule is that we may remove name calling, even mild name calling when we feel it is necessary to calm hostilities. Whether we remove name calling depends on the volatility of the area or how heated a particular thread is.

Moderator Feedback Areas. We don’t allow discussion of moderation in the topic threads because it tends to derail the threads but we will answer general questions about moderation in the feedback area. We also have an FAQ section that answers most questions about how we try to operate. If you have a question about a specific moderation that happened to you, please write to us at moderator@tvclubhouse.com and we will try to explain our thinking on that post.

Administrator
Board Administrator

08-06-2005

Saturday, August 20, 2005 - 1:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Administrator a private message Print Post    
You've read the Stinkin' Rules for posters, but what about the flip side? What about the moderators? Don't they have some stinkin' rules of their own? Fear not! For there is, indeed, some method to the madness we refer to as moderating around here. Read on and you'll discover the modicum of methodology used in moderating messages! Or, if you will, the Seven Scintillating Standards for Civilized Social Superintendents.

1. Thou shalt not discuss moderating issues with those outside the moderator group.

What's done by moderators stays between moderators. Confidentiality is paramount. This, dear member, protects your privacy as well as that of other members. Unlike in the BB house, we won't turn around and blab all your business to other members.

2. Thou shalt not discuss moderating issues directly with members -- all questions and commentary about moderating issues shall be shared by and with all moderators.

Should a member feel the need to discuss a moderating issue, email should be sent to moderator@tvclubhouse.com. If you write directly to a moderator -- via email or PM -- expect to be directed to said email address. To paraphrase a BB houseguest, it's not personal, it's the process. We keep all moderating discussions within the group, as a way of keeping a check and balance on things.

3. Thou shalt be respectful to all TVCH members at all times, using an even hand in performing your duties and putting aside such things as personal feelings while addressing the issue or issues at hand.

While we may agree that a certain houseguest is acting like a smarmy dog while another seems to resemble an angelic being, such emotions cannot interfere with moderating decisions. If something falls within the Stinkin' Rules (as best we can determine), it stays; if it doesn’t, it goes. Period. If we are in doubt, we ask other mods for their opinions in order to minimize our own biases.

4. Thou shalt be respectful and issue-oriented with TVCH members at all times, dealing with issues, not emotions.

See? We think this is SO important, that we put it in here twice! We really do value all our members and we think you should be treated well.

5. Thou shalt make small decisions on your own, but confer with the moderating team on larger, more complex issues before taking action.

While we strive to keep each other "in the loop" on what is going on, we do not wait for a consensus vote on every moderating decision. Some things are very straightforward (such as name calling and bashing) and some are purely administrative (such as archiving and backups). Other issues require more thoughtful consideration before action can be taken (such as warnings, suspensions, and so forth) and are not done without concurrence by the moderating team.

6. Thou shalt seek guidance from others when there is doubt in the mind over what action to take.

Again, we think this is so important that we are repeating it -- see standard 5 above.

7. Thou shalt not send any messages out as a moderator from any address other than the moderator account.

Dear members, let this be a sign unto you. That if you receive a message from anyone claiming to be a moderator, representing a moderator, or channeling a moderator, do not bow down before him/her! Such a person is a false prophet and speaks with a forked tongue! Any true message from the moderating team will be sent from the moderator@tvclubhouse.com account. Should you receive communication from a false prophet, please forward it immediately to moderator@tvclubhouse.com so that we can smite the demon! (Okay, maybe not smite, but at least try to figure out who's scamming you.)

Thus endeth the Seven Scintillating Standards for Civilized Social Superintendents. If you have read this far, we commend your endurance. You now have a small sense of the process we go through around here.

Now, go ye and populate the board with wildly wonderful witty words!


DISCLAIMER: As with all standards, be they scintillating or simply satirical, there may be, from time to time, exceptions, omissions, and miscalculations. We aren't perfect, but we try.