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Forum Moderation and Administration Policy
#1

Forum Moderation Policy
 
LIVING DOCUMENT
The Forum Moderation Policy is not set in stone. As moderation issues arise, and the community as a whole discusses changes, these policies will be updated. It is your responsibility to stay up to date with policy changes. The Moderation Team will alert users to changes in the Operations Center.

SCOPE
The Forum Moderation Policy covers the official forums of The South Pacific. It does not govern behavior on the Regional Message Board or any IRC channel. Those communities are governed by their own separate rules and administrators.

MODERATION AIMS
The forums are a community hub for the region. Many people of differing opinions, beliefs, ideologies, cultures, and experiences use these forums. People will end up disagreeing, and sometimes having very strong feelings about their disagreements. The purpose of the Forum Moderation Policy is to maximize the quality and quantity of discussion that can take place.

The Moderation Team strives to act with fairness, but no matter what, somebody will have an issue with the Team's decisions. While unfortunate, we cannot please everybody all of the time. Decisions are made based on what is best for the forum overall.

While all members of the Moderation Team are active on these forums, we cannot possibly know everything that is going on. It is the responsibility of all members of these forums to ensure our community is great. That means, first of all, follow the Forum Moderation Policy. If you see somebody violating the policies, report them to the Moderation Team.

HOW TO REPORT VIOLATIONS
To report a violation of the Forum Moderation Policy, either report the offending post using the Report button, or send a Private Message to a member of the Moderation Team. Note that the Moderation Team will exercise their own discretion in addressing all reports. That means not all reports will be acted upon. Please only report a post once.

DON'T AGREE WITH THE FORUM MODERATION POLICY?
That is very unfortunate. However, the Forum Moderation Policy is not optional. If you want to use these forums, you must abide by it. Otherwise, please do not post.

LEAVING THE FORUM
If you decide to leave the forum, the Moderation Team will not delete your account or remove your posts. Assume that every post made on these forums is permanent and public.

THE RULES

1. Always be respectful of other users, moderators, administrators, and the forum itself. This means you should not flame anybody, troll, or bait others. Neither you should call others names. Try to be respectful of others' views and beliefs, even if you don't agree with them.

2. The forums are not the place for regional recruitment, commercial ads or ads that aren't related to NationStates. Posts containing advertising, such as newspapers and other media, should be posted in the designated forums only.

3. Please do not threadjack or post off-topic comments. While discussions will naturally drift from the original topic from time to time, excessive off-topic comments and threadjacking will be addressed by moderators. If you feel a thread is being threadjacked, please report it, rather than arguing about whether or not the thread is being hijacked.

4. This bears repeating. Do not insult other users. If someone insults you, do not insult them back, otherwise you will also be in violation of this rule.

5. Do not incite illegal behavior of any kind. Discussing illegal behavior in the academic sense is fine. This includes, but is not limited to, posts discussing how to pirate illegal content, hack, etc.

6. Do not publish personally identifiable information (“doxing”) about any user without their explicit permission. This information includes, but is not limited to: any portion of their real name; their residence; their educational institution; their occupations; their personal, non-NationStates contact information; personal websites unrelated to NationStates.
 
7. Do not engage in sexual harassment, trading of explicit images (even if consensual), unwanted personal contact, or any behavior of a sexual nature.
 
8. Do not make false accusations in order to tarnish the reputations of other people. If you make an accusation, it is your responsibility to provide sufficient proof.

9. Do not post any obscene images. This explicitly includes pornography, violence, and death. Images that disturb other users will be deleted.

10. Please attempt to keep image sizes on the lower end of the spectrum. Try to not break the forum layout with excessively large images. When possible, use a third-party image hosting website (e.g. Imgur.com), instead of using the forum attachment feature.

11. Try to not post in ALL CAPS, unless you actually want people to think you are screaming at them. Even then, nobody likes a shouter.

12. Do not post anything that would be illegal to post in the United States of America.
 
MODERATOR ACTIONS
While in the past, we used a “points” system to automatically trigger various consequences, we now use a more holistic approach. Any violations of the rules above may be met with the following consequences, based on the severity of the violation and the history of the violator:
 
1. Suspension of posting permissions, either forum-wide or in specific forums.
2. Suspension or deletions of signatures, avatars, bios, etc.
3. Manual approval of all posted content.
4. Temporary bans.
5. Permanent bans.
 
APPEALS OF MODERATION ACTIONS
Actions taken by moderators may be appealed to the Administration Team. This isn’t a “second opinion” system. Rather, appeals of moderation actions should only be lodged if the moderator wasn’t basing their actions on the rules, or their interpretation of the rules is outside precedent. Actions taken by an administrator may be appealed in the same way to an uninvolved administrator.
 
This process is not a court trial by jury. Appeal decisions are based on how appropriate the moderation action was. Appeals cannot be appealed.

NO EXCEPTIONS
It's also important to mention that moderators and administrators are not above the rules. They are expected to abide by them, and can be given the same punishments as a regular user.
 
JURISDICTION
In general, these rules apply the forums. However, as appropriate, administrators can take action against seriously egregious behavior in the game, the RMB, chat channels, or anywhere else where a person’s behavior harms another player.


Rules of Bantam Harbour (Enacted on 19 January 2014)

Given recent problems among posters due to the separation between IC and OCC and the length and detail of some posts, here are some simple rules that everyone is encouraged to follow, in order to keep Bantam Harbour a friendly and enjoyable place for our roleplaying:
  • Our Forum Moderation Policy is still the main source of moderation, and should always be consulted when posting.
  • It is the right of the original poster to establish rules over their roleplay regarding the following:
  • Use of one-liners
  • OOC posts or establishment of a separate OOC thread
  • Restricting participation to certain users
  • Posts that break thread rules may be removed upon request.

What does this mean?
It means that the person who creates a thread has the right to decide the conditions under which their roleplay is held, without different people arguing over the appropriateness of one-liners or the necessity of separate IC and OOC threads. Forum Moderation will honour the wishes of the OP, removing posts that break the rules they establish for their own threads.

#2

Administration Policy

Purpose
Unlike the Moderation Policy, which outlines our expectations for how users of the forum should behave, the Administration Policy outlines internal administration and moderation policies, such as how administrators and moderators are chosen, the best ways to deal with troublemakers, how to make sure we don’t cross the line between forum administration and regional governance, etc. This is a document more for administrators and moderators than it is for the basic forum user.

Composition of the Administration Team
The Administration Team is composed of two “root administrators” and other highly trusted members of the community. The root administrators are Tsunamy and Sandaoguo, and they handle technical aspects of the forum, such as updating the software, hosting the forums, adding plugins and themes, and other things like that. All other administrators can do some of the more basic stuff, like adding emoticons, editing forums, etc. All administrators are also in charge of masking users.

Composition of the Moderation Team
The Moderation Team is the primary group of users that enforce the Moderation Policy. They do not do anything administrators do, because their purpose is fundamentally different. The Moderation Team is first composed of the elected Cabinet members, who lead moderation in their own areas. For example, the Chair of the Assembly is in charge of moderating Assembly discussions. These moderators last until they no longer hold their elected positions. The other type of moderator is called a “global moderator.” These people are chosen by the administration team to moderate the entire forum, and hold their positions until they leave or they are removed. Administrators are automatically considered "global moderators," but may not necessarily make moderation a large part of their job.

General Expectations of Administrators and Moderators
All forum staff members are expected to act professionally and fairly in undertaking their duties. This means they are patient and reserved, instead of acting rashly and emotionally when taking any action. They are objective in applying the rules, and tolerant of users they may not like very much. All administrators and moderators are responsive to reports and helpful to new players. They are not “the law” and do not wield their authority to intimidate users into submission. Administration and moderating are services given to the region, not positions of high power.

How Administrators and Moderators Are Chosen
The first step in choosing to add an administrator or a moderator to the team is whether we actually need one. Our community is not very large, so we don’t need half the community to be an administrator or a mod. Additionally, because Cabinet members moderate their own areas, there will be less of a need for global moderators. The Administration Team will announce whenever there’s an opening on the team.

The next step is the application process. The Administration Team handles all personnel matters. Applicants will send their applications to the team, and the team will review all applications and announce their decision.

When making decisions about who to bring on as an administrator or a moderator, we look for the following qualities in an applicant:

1. Trustworthiness. Above all, we must be able to trust the person. Being an administrator comes with a lot of authority over the forum, and that authority can be abused if placed in the wrong hands.
2. Cool, calm, and collected. We don’t want somebody who is prone to emotional outbursts or has a history of flaming, trolling, or baiting.
3. Technical knowledge. While not all administrators need to know what MySQL is or how to install a plugin, we do look for people who have a familiarity with forum software, particularly MyBB.
4. Dedication. We want people who put the region first in their priorities. We won’t pick somebody just because they’re administrators on 10 other forums or they’re generally seen as trustworthy. If your first priority isn’t TSP, we will likely look elsewhere. This also means that citizenship is a requirement for being an administrator.
5. Desire to help. We want people who think being an administrator or a moderator is a service, not an honor or a trophy. People who are helpful to other users without needing a title to do so are at the top of our lists.

How Moderators and Administrators Are Removed
Sadly, sometimes people just aren’t cut out for the job, or they make egregious mistakes that can’t go unaddressed. The Administration Team makes all decisions about personnel. Moderators and administrators can be removed based on a discussion and vote among the administration team, where their career is reviewed in its entirety. The moderators and administrators under review may participate in the discussions, but cannot participate in the voting. If the majority of administrators vote to remove a staff member, that decision will be announced.
Former Delegate of the South Pacific
Posts outside High Court venues should be taken as those of any other legislator.
I do not participate in the regional server, but I am happy to talk through instant messaging or on the forum.

Legal Resources:
THE MATT-DUCK Law Archive | Mavenu Diplomatic Archive | Rules of the High Court | Case Submission System | Online Rulings Consultation System
#3

Guide to Successful Moderation

Moderating is perhaps better termed mediating. We are not controlling when and how people respond to questions. Rather, the purpose of a moderator is to ensure that user-driven discussion does not veer off into fighting and argumentation. A forum full of name-calling, flaming, and trolling won’t be welcome to anybody except those who like to fight. A moderator mediates between users, so that a healthy discussion can take place.

Dealing with New Users
Everybody is new at some point. NationStates is an online umbrella community that attracts people of all ages. Some of us are lawyers, doctors, and stay-at-home parents. Some of us are college students and recent graduates. Some of us are also just beginning to venture into the world of online communities, and aren’t even old enough to go to an R-rated movie.

Such a wide age gap means we should expect different levels of experience and maturity from our users. Younger users might not completely understand forum etiquette, so it is better to teach them with kindness than to scold them and hand out points. We don’t want to drive new people away from our community.

Off-Topic Drifting and Threadjacking
What happens if a discussion starts going off-topic? First, don’t be too strict about what a thread absolutely must be about. Moderators do not dictate what is to be discussed. Users create discussions and keep them going. It’s healthy for threads to drift away from the original topic from time to time.

The only time moderators should get involved is if a minority of users are disrupting the discussion to the detriment of all the other participants. This isn’t for moderators to decide themselves. We should wait until there’s a report made, or it becomes obviously clear that things will start going downhill. If a thread drifts off-topic, but not due to arguing, and users still complain, consider splitting the thread into two different threads, instead of shutting down the off-topic discussion.

Flaming, Trolling, and Baiting
This is where the moderator’s job can be difficult. First, what are we talking about? Flaming is easy enough to recognize.

Flaming is when a user posts a hostile and/or insulting message directed at another user. Flamers don’t intend to be constructive, so they’re the bane of all forum communities.

Trolling is a little more subtle. Trolls intend to incite confrontation, using witty and sarcastic remarks they know will draw the ire of others in the thread. Where the flamer will outright insult another user, the troll will insult a general idea or belief, like making fun of a certain religion, political position, etc.

Baiting is more difficult to determine. The baiter creates an environment that will draw another user into violating the rules and start flaming and trolling the baiter. It’s similar to trolling, but is targeted at specific users, rather than the community as a whole.

When dealing with flaming, trolling, and baiting, it’s best to nip these in the bud as soon as you see them. Flame wars catch quick and spread fast, so it’s important to get there early and put a stop to it. If, by the time you get there, the original flamer, troll, or baiter has successfully gotten other users to start fighting and violating the rules themselves, everybody is guilty. Part of being consistent and fair is dispensing punishments to all rule-breakers, not merely the person who started it.

Trolling and baiting are sometimes difficult to see when they first start. Moderators will inevitably have to use their judgment and subjectivity when dealing with trolling and baiting. It’s hard to provide a detailed guide to telling the trolls and baiters from the merely emotional debaters. Chances are, though, we will know it when we see it.

When handing out warnings and punishments, it’s important to be calm and collected. Do not excessively admonish users. Do not write a wall of text. Absolutely do not participate in the discussion while moderating. That doesn't mean you can’t participate in a thread and also moderate it. Rather, it means that when you are handing out warning and punishments, you shouldn't use your pedestal to participate in the argument in a position of authority at the same time. Simply hand out warnings and punishments with a proper explanation, and go on about your day.

The points system allows moderators to hand out a range of points for these offenses. How many points to give is based on how severe you think the problem is. If it's a first time offense, and it's just petty name-calling, you should probably give a low amount of points. If it's an all-out flame war, the maximum amount of points is likely warranted.

Closing Threads
Sometimes, discussions get so unruly that they simply can’t be allowed to continue. There’s just no easy way to get things back on track. However, that rarely happens in reality. Many moderators will be quick to press the “Close Thread” button. Rather than putting a fire out, this just leaves it to smolder, until one day is grows back even bigger and hotter. Threads should be closed sparingly. It’s better to deal with troublemakers individually than to punish the entire forum because of a few bad apples.

Avoiding Politics
It's incredibly important to ensure that moderation doesn't disrupt the political system, although "politics" is no excuse for breaking the rules. There is no best way to prevent disruption, but there a few things we can consider. If a moderator action would cut-off debate on a hot political issue, we should approach the situation more carefully. Issue more warnings before taking more serious action, for instance. Moderators shouldn't appear to be looming over a thread. Instead, moderators should try to guide discussion away from trouble by, for example, pointing out that arguing won't move the process forward.

It's admittedly a very difficult line to balance. The simplest thing to do is adopt a hands-off approach, and let the Chair of the Assembly take the more forceful measures. The Chair is democratically accountable in an election, while moderators are not.

Different Styles
Moderators are human beings. We all have our own personalities, and thus our own ideas about the best way to moderate a forum. Although all moderators are expected to uphold all the forum rules, some moderators are more hands-off, while some walk around in combat boots. It’s important to realize this, and allow moderators to handle things the way they prefer. Do not step in and take over if you haven’t been invited, even if you think a moderator is handling the situation poorly. Take your concerns to the private moderators-only forum.
Former Delegate of the South Pacific
Posts outside High Court venues should be taken as those of any other legislator.
I do not participate in the regional server, but I am happy to talk through instant messaging or on the forum.

Legal Resources:
THE MATT-DUCK Law Archive | Mavenu Diplomatic Archive | Rules of the High Court | Case Submission System | Online Rulings Consultation System




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