Handbook:Moderation/Qualities
From The Otherkin Community
| The Otherkin Community Handbook » Moderation » Qualities |
| The Otherkin Community Handbook is a collection of information about The Otherkin Community, Inc. and its services. The Handbook is designed to provide helpful aid to members and visitors of The Otherkin Community, as well as information for staff, employees and volunteers.
Categories: Forums, Moderation |
A safe, welcoming and constructive discussion environment is very important to us. Therefore, we do require that moderators exhibit certain qualities in order fairly and accurately moderate in accordance with our Rules & Regulations, as well as maintain a proper image for the Community.
Contents |
Polite & Respectful
All moderators shall be polite and respectful in their posts and discussions.
The most important rule of The Otherkin Community, enforced to the highest degree, is that of respect. Moderators must always be polite and respectful, to the best of their ability in the given situation, in their posts and discussions, in order to set a positive example for other users within The Otherkin Community Services.
Disrespect vs. Moderation
It is understandable that users may find certain moderators responses disrespectful if the response contains a warning, constructive criticism, or disciplinary action. However, we ask that you please take a moment to step back and evaluate the moderator's response before assuming disrespect. Disagreements or conflicting points of view does not equate to disrespect. For example:
| Example |
| "John Doe, your response in <this thread> has been brought to the attention of the staff due to its disrespectful phrasing. Please take a moment to review our Rules and Regulations to ensure that you understand what responses are allowed within the forums." |
In the above example, the moderator was showing no disrespect toward John Doe - he/she was simply stating a fact. However, John Doe may be offended by the statement and consider it to be disrespectful. In situations such as these, John Doe's interpretation of the moderator's response as disrespectful is due to his being personally offended, even though the response contained no offensive phrasing. If a moderator offends John Doe during moderation due to factual phrasing, then the individual's argument will be deemed invalid, as no rephrasing would satisfy him. It is the circumstance that is the problem.
Neutral & Fair
Moderators have a duty to be neutral and receptive to both sides of the argument. During moderation, a moderator's beliefs and opinions must be kept entirely separate from the facts, and moderation should be done "by the book" in accordance with the qualities of The Otherkin Community. In essence, moderations should always be representative of The Otherkin Community's values, and that should be reflected even more strongly in their moderation.
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| Example |
| Moderator X reviews a thread in which two individuals, Person A and Person B, are arguing over a controversial topic. Moderator X agrees strongly with Person A's beliefs, however sees that Person A is in violation of the Rules & Regulations, while Person B is remaining calm and objective. Moderator X must not express a personal bias to Person A, and must issue Person A a warning for their violation. |
Moderators must also not moderate on their own terms. If the rules does not exist within the Rules & Regulations, the moderator is allowed to moderate to their discretion so long as it pertains to existing rules and the values of The Otherkin Community. However, the moderator is never allowed to moderate in any way that expresses their own personal opinions or beliefs that differ from the values of the organization.
Bias vs. Fair Moderation
Moderators will do their very best to put their personal opinions aside during moderation. If you feel you have been unfairly moderated, please take a moment to step aside and look at the facts. Read over the violations presented - were you in violation of those rules? Was the opposing party or individual in any violations, and if so, did they receive an appropriate warning? While the moderator may agree with the opposing party more than yourself, that doesn't mean that they have moderated unfairly. If you are in violation of the rules, then you will receive a warning. Try not to place blame where it is unmerited.
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| Example |
| Moderator X sees that Person Y and Person Z are fighting over an issue. Moderator X has shown a strong agreement with Person Y's views throughout the entire discussion, and Person Z receives a warning for violating the Rules & Regulations. Person Z claims that he/she has been unjustly warned and that Moderator X shows a clear bias toward Person Y. While this may be true, Moderator X issued the warning to Person Z because Person Z was in violation of the Rules & Regulations, while Person Y was not. If Person Y was also in violation of the Rules & Regulations, but received no warning, then that would be unfair moderation. |
Patience
Moderators must be able to withstand constant/irritating member proposals and arguments without breaking under pressure. For example, a thread is not to be locked simply because the moderator does not feel like dealing with it. Instead, the thread should be monitored and the moderator should provide his/her input as needed.
If a moderator is beginning to be affected negatively by the pressure, he/she is to step back long enough to cool down, or allow another moderator to take over, in order to ensure the members are not wrongfully disciplined.
Furthermore, members are not to take advantage of this quality. If a moderator finds that a member is dragging an argument out for any negative purpose, or if it is found that a discussion/thread is causing more trouble than it is worth (or leading to further, more complicated problems), the thread may be locked.
Equality
Equality is a very important quality with The Otherkin Community. Moderators (and any other staff member), under no circumstances, should place themselves on a higher pedestal than other members due to their privileges as a moderator or other staff member. Moderators should act as a representative of The Otherkin Community, however they should consider themselves to be like any other member (and act it) until moderation is required.
If it is found that the additional moderation powers have gone to the moderator's head, they will be relived of their position if the issues is not resolved.
Reflect Community Qualities
As mentioned throughout this chapter, moderators must always reflect the qualities of The Otherkin Community and set a positive example. Members will look toward the staff to determine what behavior is allowed and acceptable. Therefore, moderators must also follow the Rules & Regulations to the book, and are expected to do so to a much higher degree than members.
Moderators must also reflect the values of The Otherkin Community. For example, the Community has a very objective and scientific mindset, therefore moderators should reflect that mindset rather than a purely faith-based point of view.
