Figrin D'an
May 28th, 2004, 04:35:55 PM
While looking at our little GJO Notepad thread, it came to my attention that one of the first things we ever put on it was never discussed.
Discuss Mod/Admin policies on deletion of posts/topics and all around administration policies so that all staff members are on the same page and can explain and understand why or how other staffers took the actions they did or chose not to take an action, without wondering why.
So, because it's probably a good idea to do this, and because it would be nice to put a little [Completed] notation next to another item, let discuss general mod policy and board rules.
To be honest, I'm not big on having huge lists of documentation on rules and policies (despite all of the rule/FAQ writing I've done around here. :p ) The stuff we have written was necessary, cause it covers RP-related questions, and info on banning. Beyond that, I feel that our little group of staffers here are among the smartest, best educated and most level-headed people on the boards, and as such, I feel perfectly comfortable letting everyone operate on their own good judgement. We all seem to be honest with one another, and can communicate well, so pooling our thoughts on issues or problems doesn't seem to be a problem.
It is good, however, simply to ensure some consistency, that we make sure everyone agrees on certain key points of board moderation. So, I guess I'll kick things of with my perceptions.
Thread Closure: In most cases, everyone can use their better judgement on this. Advertisment spam is a no brainer, as well as things like Outwar or whatever the latest incarnate of it might be. Close and delete, and said person may be subject to banning if we feel it's necessary.
Even threads like "Weeeeeee," that were done by well-known members of the board, aren't allowed anymore. It's such a ridiculous strain on the database when something gets that big, and it's nothing but postcount++ behavior. So, if a thread degenerates into that kind of thing, warn people to get back on topic, then give it about another 10-15 posts. If things don't improve, close it.
Flaming is another obvious one. People dumb enough to do it get minimum of temp-bans, and if it drags a thread down the tubes, just close it before it gets any worse, bringing down lots of wrath upon those guilty of inciting it.
Our latest problem of the moron newbies, whom have floated from the main board to TSO to here, should be addressed too. I don't have a problem working with people who have potential to become good RPers. Heck, I don't even mind working with someone who may not have great skills, but at least tries hard and is greatful for the help. These latest imbeciles have none of these qualities. Quite frankly, they're not worth the server space that their posts take up. In the case of something like our current situation (and such future situations will end up being discussed in this forum in detail, I'm sure), we need to just tell them "No, you can't RP here", explain why, and leave it at that. If they continue to push the issue, ban 'em. Remove the cancer before takes root and spreads.
Thread Moving:
Common sense on this one. If a thread doesn't fit the description of the forum it's in, move it to where it needs to be. The only OOC forums are Avalon OOC, Arcan IV, the Roleplay Helpdesk, and of course the Staff forum. Everything else in IC, except for things like Council Election threads being posted in Avalon and general annoucements from the staff. Make sure when you do move a thread, that you leave the "Moved" link in the original forum, just so those posting to it don't think it's been deleted.
IC Issues:
God-moding - If it's blatant, tell the person what they did, and make them correct it. Tell those involved in said thread that posting is suspended until changes are made. If it's borderline and you just aren't sure, post a link in the staff forum so we all can take a look and help arrive at a decision. In either case, GM incidents should be reported in the staff forum, along with the action taken (just for documentation purposes so we know who might have a problem with doing it again).
Council Threads - I just posted our new rules on them, and if someone doesn't follow them, don't hesitate to enforce the law on the matter. I feel that the Council is generally treated rather rudely, like a disposable accessory, and that's going to stop.
General Arguing - If it's in an IC thread, tell those involved to take it to an OOC area. Feel free to spin any such posts in from the IC thread into a new OOC one, just to clean things up. If the topic of argument isn't relevent to RP or other board business, tell them to take it up through PM or IM, and delete the offending posts.
Banning:
Our rules are pretty well stated in the FAQ. Just make sure they are followed, and enforce them when necessary. As a general rule, bannings should be discussed here before they actually take place, unless it's a situation in which we're under attack by a spammer who's posting porn or other inappropriate items/links. If that kind of immediate threat-type of situation should happen, just do what needs to be done, and post an explanation of what happened and what was done here in the staff forum.
There are other things, but I'll let someone else take the reigns for a bit and add their comments.
Discuss Mod/Admin policies on deletion of posts/topics and all around administration policies so that all staff members are on the same page and can explain and understand why or how other staffers took the actions they did or chose not to take an action, without wondering why.
So, because it's probably a good idea to do this, and because it would be nice to put a little [Completed] notation next to another item, let discuss general mod policy and board rules.
To be honest, I'm not big on having huge lists of documentation on rules and policies (despite all of the rule/FAQ writing I've done around here. :p ) The stuff we have written was necessary, cause it covers RP-related questions, and info on banning. Beyond that, I feel that our little group of staffers here are among the smartest, best educated and most level-headed people on the boards, and as such, I feel perfectly comfortable letting everyone operate on their own good judgement. We all seem to be honest with one another, and can communicate well, so pooling our thoughts on issues or problems doesn't seem to be a problem.
It is good, however, simply to ensure some consistency, that we make sure everyone agrees on certain key points of board moderation. So, I guess I'll kick things of with my perceptions.
Thread Closure: In most cases, everyone can use their better judgement on this. Advertisment spam is a no brainer, as well as things like Outwar or whatever the latest incarnate of it might be. Close and delete, and said person may be subject to banning if we feel it's necessary.
Even threads like "Weeeeeee," that were done by well-known members of the board, aren't allowed anymore. It's such a ridiculous strain on the database when something gets that big, and it's nothing but postcount++ behavior. So, if a thread degenerates into that kind of thing, warn people to get back on topic, then give it about another 10-15 posts. If things don't improve, close it.
Flaming is another obvious one. People dumb enough to do it get minimum of temp-bans, and if it drags a thread down the tubes, just close it before it gets any worse, bringing down lots of wrath upon those guilty of inciting it.
Our latest problem of the moron newbies, whom have floated from the main board to TSO to here, should be addressed too. I don't have a problem working with people who have potential to become good RPers. Heck, I don't even mind working with someone who may not have great skills, but at least tries hard and is greatful for the help. These latest imbeciles have none of these qualities. Quite frankly, they're not worth the server space that their posts take up. In the case of something like our current situation (and such future situations will end up being discussed in this forum in detail, I'm sure), we need to just tell them "No, you can't RP here", explain why, and leave it at that. If they continue to push the issue, ban 'em. Remove the cancer before takes root and spreads.
Thread Moving:
Common sense on this one. If a thread doesn't fit the description of the forum it's in, move it to where it needs to be. The only OOC forums are Avalon OOC, Arcan IV, the Roleplay Helpdesk, and of course the Staff forum. Everything else in IC, except for things like Council Election threads being posted in Avalon and general annoucements from the staff. Make sure when you do move a thread, that you leave the "Moved" link in the original forum, just so those posting to it don't think it's been deleted.
IC Issues:
God-moding - If it's blatant, tell the person what they did, and make them correct it. Tell those involved in said thread that posting is suspended until changes are made. If it's borderline and you just aren't sure, post a link in the staff forum so we all can take a look and help arrive at a decision. In either case, GM incidents should be reported in the staff forum, along with the action taken (just for documentation purposes so we know who might have a problem with doing it again).
Council Threads - I just posted our new rules on them, and if someone doesn't follow them, don't hesitate to enforce the law on the matter. I feel that the Council is generally treated rather rudely, like a disposable accessory, and that's going to stop.
General Arguing - If it's in an IC thread, tell those involved to take it to an OOC area. Feel free to spin any such posts in from the IC thread into a new OOC one, just to clean things up. If the topic of argument isn't relevent to RP or other board business, tell them to take it up through PM or IM, and delete the offending posts.
Banning:
Our rules are pretty well stated in the FAQ. Just make sure they are followed, and enforce them when necessary. As a general rule, bannings should be discussed here before they actually take place, unless it's a situation in which we're under attack by a spammer who's posting porn or other inappropriate items/links. If that kind of immediate threat-type of situation should happen, just do what needs to be done, and post an explanation of what happened and what was done here in the staff forum.
There are other things, but I'll let someone else take the reigns for a bit and add their comments.