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Principles of moderation - The how and when of moderator intervention



Madhava - Fri, 24 Jun 2005 19:40:37 +0530
There is a need to clarify the principles according to which Gaudiya Discussions is being moderated. Though not a clairvoyant, I am hoping to cover most situations that arise in the course of routine moderation.


THE BOARD RULES

First of all, there are the board rules and guidelines the members are expected to follow. The section under the heading "Board Rules" covers the general rules for being a good member, whether at Gaudiya Discussions or in any other forum, that should be observed.

The section under the heading "May I participate at Gaudiya Discussions?" specifies the audience for which Gaudiya Discussions is aimed for. If it becomes overtly evident that a member is not in the target audience and his presence disrupts the three primary aims of Gaudiya Discussions listed under the heading "The Aims of Gaudiya Discussions", the moderators generally encourage the member to cease from participating.


ON UNBEFITTING BEHAVIOR

If a member verbally assaults another by name-calling or ad hominem, or otherwise employs harsh language or treats a member or a third party in an impolite or provoking manner or slanders them, the moderators may:WHEN DISCUSSIONS GO OFF TOPIC

Sometimes posts sway aside from the original topic of the thread to such an extent that the original topic is forgotten. In such cases, the moderators may:WHEN DISCUSSIONS DON'T GO ANYWHERE

Sometimes discussions become exhausted and only keep repeating the same points on and on ad nauseam. Such topics are generally closed. Examples:ON MISPLACED CONTENT

Sometimes content is misplaced. In such cases, a moderator will generally move the content into a befitting section. Examples of misplaced content:ON REDUNDANT CONTENT

Sometimes topics become cluttered by comments and posts that do not contribute to the topic in any noteworthy way. Examples of redundant content that is generally removed:IN KEEPING THE CONTENT READABLE

Sometimes posts may be formatted in such a way that they are practically unreadable. Examples of content that should have been worked on by the poster instead of leaving the cleaning up to a moderator:IN CONCLUDING

The above should cover most of the situations the moderators will face. It goes without saying that the moderators are not to excercise their moderator abilities as a medium of censorship in furthering their own views in a discussion. However, the moderators do have every right to use their moderator abilities in preserving the clearly expressed purpose of Gaudiya Discussions, ensuring that content stays within the parameters outlined above.

If you are dissatisfied with a moderator decision, please don't start ranting about it in public. Public complaints are what you'll want to do after trying to resolve it over PMs. Contact the moderator in question, or otherwise other moderators, to resolve the issue. Exercise some patience when faced with a situation in which you have been the object of a moderator action. The moderators do not moderate as a full time job, they are unpaid volunteers with heaps of other responsibilities in life and may not be able to get back to you immediately. Situations that arise are frequently discussed to reach a consensus on how to proceed.

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