What Are The Actual Official Roles/Responsibilities of Moderators?

In a recent discussion here about a completely unrelated matter, it became abundantly clear to me that I couldn't find anywhere where the specific roles and responsibilities of our Moderators were spelled out.

Are Moderators simply here to enforce TOS? Are they supposed to lead forums? Do they establish policy when policy questions have nothing to do with TOS? Who determines if/when that's ok? In other words, how far exactly, do moderator powers extend?

I would have thought this question would be clearly stated somewhere with various forums having addendums and the like to address forum-specific needs. So far, I've found nothing like that. Am I looking in the wrong place? Is this missing guidance not there by design?

Thoughts?

Edit: Grammar error in title!

 

They extend until the owner says, "That's as far as they extend."

Seriously, I'll just say that the truly great moderators provide serious leadership for their forums. Check out the Amphitheatre. Zaz owns that place and the threads that he doesn't run himself, he gets people to run and them PMs them if they let them drop for more than a few days.

Got two PMs from him just this week about Hosted discussions I had let lapse. The mark of a truly great moderator; they set a fire in their forum.

My opinion.

 

And each forum is completely different. The things Zaz does in the Amphitheater may not work in JCC, or the PT forums. The mods may police things in Fan Fic one way and that way may cause anarchy in teh Games forum. Each forum is different, the people that frequent them are different, the attitudes are different and the discussions are different, so the Mods responsibities in different forums are different. At the very heart, most of boils down to simply: "Enforce the TOS." How they run their individual forums varies greatly.

 

There's a post in the "Rules and Announcements" forum called Rules of the Jedi Council Forums. What mods do is enforce all of that stuff, plus conform to the standards set out in the "Moderator Expectations" section of the post.

Unless I'm mistaken, that post came about as a direct result of fan fic focus group II, which addressed the same issue brought up in this thread: what should the role of the moderator be, both on the boards in general and fanfic in particular?

The focus group was an open one, and you can read over its posts if you want. Regular users, mods, and admins participated. It's in the inactive forums section, here. The "Moderator Accountability" and "Issues" threads are the most relevant.

I wouldn't call any of the above a kind of Rosetta Stone that will suddenly make everything clear, but those links do a couple of things. The "Rules and Announcements" post lays out the basic duties of a moderator. If there's a mod who is not enforcing those rules or living up to the standards listed in the "Moderator Expectations" section, there is something wrong, and you need to contact that mod and/or an admin, depending on the situation. The various posts in the focus group thread lay out several different philosophies of moderating, all of which (unless an admin said otherwise) are presumably acceptable. The two taken together ought to give a pretty comprehensive picture of what mods should/can do on the JC forums.

(Edit): After looking over those old focus group threads, the "Issues" thread might be somewhat better as an answer to general questions about moderating. A lot of the stuff in the "Mod Accountability" thread was specific to the situation that brought about the formation of the focus group, although you can find some more generally-applicable things in there.

 

I thought I'd pull out the relevant part you mentioned, Ophelia because that's what prompted me to ask this question. If you notice, there isn't a whole lot about what their responsibilities are, simply what they're not allowed to do, how they are supposed to conduct themselves, etc. What you don't see is something simple and straightforward like:

1. Moderators are expected to frequent their respective forums and ensure that violations of TOS are identified and dealt with. Possibile rectifying actions include, but are not limited to PMing the user in question, editing the offending post, and temporary bans of the user.

2. Moderators are expected to establish policy specific to their forums. Where there are conflicts between moderator-established policy and user(s) expectations, the Moderators should consult with an Admin to resolve the issue.

etc...

I agree that different forums have different cultures and I'm sure a standard "Mod Expectations" post for all Mods might be difficult to draft. I would think, however, that there are some universals (stop trolling, baiting, etc) for all forums. Furthermore, one would expect that if you go into any individual forum, you'd find some specific expecations of the mods there. Expectations are an effective way to deal with a lot of problems. I can't speak for other forums, but I can tell that in the fanfic forums, there is a definite disconnect between what some users think Mods should be doing and what the Mods seem to think they should be doing. To be clear, this isn't a complaint, merely an observation after watching interactions over the last year or so.

So, to my larger question, how does a new Mod know what s/he's supposed be doing? How does a new user know what a Mod's supposed to do for him/her (if anything at all)? Is it guesswork?

 

I agree with Rogue and DDH. Each forum has a different culture and the best mods adapt to what the forum needs. You can look at most of the forums and you'll see an index and, quite often, a rules of the forum. Many of those rules differ from forum to forum and that shows how each forum can differ slightly.

I don't mean this in a condescending way at all, Souderwan...it seems that the majority of your time on the boards in the last year as solely been in Fan Fiction. I believe that Fan Fiction has quite a unique culture from the rest of the forums. Despite that, the Fan Fiction mods are expected to be just as much leaders as the other forum mods. Each set of mods is responsible for the effective running of their forum.

Just as you mentioned in the other thread, you have to be a leader with your sailors. They must know not only the hard and fast rules but the culture of where they serve. In a similar fashion, moderators are here to set the culture of their forum and hold the users to those expectations.

There's so much more to moderating than just editing swear words and adhering to the strictest sense of the TOS. The TOS is not black and white. Just take a look through the Comms forum and you see all sorts of grey areas where moderators have to formulate a policy or take a stance to one side or another in order to move forward.

As for setting policy, yes the moderators do make policy for their individual forums as well as assisting in board wide policy making. Part of the growth of these boards has been the ability of the moderating team to keep up on the needs of the forums and set policy as needed. If you read old Mod Squad Updates, you'll see where new policies are announced, discussions of how those policies will be enforced, etc. There are also quite a few good threads here to read as well on various issues related to board/forum policies.

As an example of how mods set policy that isn't directly laid out in the TOS, look at the JCC Rules. You'll see that many of them aren't even referenced in the TOS, they're issues that have come up over time that we've had to deal with and set policy for as we've gone along.

The leadership of moderators must set the tone for the forum. I think we have one of the best mod teams we've ever had in the JCC. That stems primarily from the fact that not only do we post daily and are members of the community, but we lead where necessary. The users know that we're there to have fun along side them but if things either get out of hand, someone posts inappropriately, etc., we're going to step in fast. We're the fastest moving forum on the boards at this point and while we're pretty laid back, we're also fairly strict on things that we'll allow and won't allow.

New mods are chosen primarily because of their participation and understanding of the forum. Whenever we promote a new JCC mod, we're on the lookout for someone who posts regularly, is helpful to others, understands the forum culture and the expectations of a moderator. We have a forum for the mods to discuss issues and ask questions so that we can receive input on problems (users or policy) that might arise.

So, this was a long post.

 

While it's true that my posts are primarily in fanfiction, I have visited a lot of the other forums and looked around. I happen to agree with you that there is a wide disparity in modding practices. I'm not even suggesting that this is a bad thing. I'm merely asking why the basic expectations of a Mod are not found somewhere on the forums. It's really a simple question. Why does it not say somewhere what mods are supposed to do?

A fair point. But, you see, my sailors come to my command knowing not only what I expect from them (rules) but what they can expect from me. I have responsibilities to my sailors and the most important one is consistency in command. In order for me to do that, they have to understand the rules. While there are tons of unwritten rules in any culture, the basics are always somewhat well known (oftentimes posted for all to see in an easily accessible place).

There's a big difference between culture and policy. You started with the entering argument that Mods are leaders. Does everyone think that? Is that written somewhere or is that tribal knowledge?

Again, the primary question here is two-fold. 1. Is the role of the moderator a clearly defined one (even in a specific forum)? and 2. If so, why is it not written down somewhere (even as an updatable thing as the need arises)?

 

i really wish i could type normally right now.

i'll have to do with saying that the role of a moderator is a highly variable one, both between existing forums and over the JC's many years of existence.

Souderwan, i suspect you would benefit a great deal from learning about JC culture both past and present. Many of the answers you seek could be found that way. Reading through old Communications discussions is your best bet, I'd say.

2. If so, why is it not written down somewhere (even as an updatable thing as the need arises)?

In short, it's because it's not really necessary. Most moderators either instinctively know, or quickly learn (or both). Those that don't tend to stand out (in a bad way).

 

KnightWriter is right, when a mod is chosen, it should be because they know and have contributed positively to their forums and have shown clear leadership capabilities. The TOS is a given, a basic guideline that we all must follow and enforce as mods. If we had a mod that simply just enforced the TOS and didn't participate in their forum, know their users at least in a general sense and contribute to the forum, the administration and the JC as a whole, then they wouldn't really be a great moderator.

Kate, Rogue and DDH make excellent points, but from where Sape, gabe and I sit, we also look at how a moderator contributes to Mod Squad and the administration as a whole. Each moderator has their own style, and how that fits with the forum they mod makes a great deal of difference, also.

Just like we said with the Fan Fic Comms move, we can't put all things into neat little cubes, there will be some areas that are gray. We can't put it all into black and white and expect it to measure every mod in every forum. But I think the team we have now, as well as the administration as a whole over the past two or three years are some of the best we have had since I've been here.

One of the first things I did when chosen as a mod was read through Focus Group II of Fan Fic, old Mod Squad threads, and old Comms threads to see how my "foremods" had done things and how I could learn from them. I've had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest mods ever, and post around some of the former greats in Comms and the JCC. Each one has left their mark in some capacity and these forums have thrived because of it. Take a read through Comms. It's entertaining and very enlightening, as well a commentary on JC History.

 

I would have to concur with Rogue's earlier comments about Zaz.

That's the kind of moderation I like - you don't have to remove yourself from discussion, you don't change who you are, you just lead from the front rather than reacting to problems.

And whilst the actual specifics of what Zaz does wouldn't translate directly into other forums, it's the style of moderation - leadership - that I think is what should be the universal goals of everyone in the ModSquad, if it isn't already.

E_S

 

Many forums have different roles and responsibilities, but a given is that mods should be leaders in the forum they are running. I also remember when I was first promoted I was shown threads to help me in my new role. So new mods aren't just cast into the wind and told "Go mod".

There's a big difference between culture and policy. You started with the entering argument that Mods are leaders. Does everyone think that? Is that written somewhere or is that tribal knowledge?


Mods are leaders. They help make policy, overseer the daily activities of the board, be a part of the community.

 

The main role of mods is to sit in their castle and flirt with Rhonderoo and Kate. I've heard a disturbing rumor that MS has become a den of iniquity in the last few months!

Of course, the other role they have is to manage the forums to which they are assigned, which means implementing the TOS to the best of their ability in a way thats individual to each seperate forums, that comes with its own needs and problems. However, this is really secondery to the primary objective, which is have fun and flirt outrageously.

 

The majority of people responding seem to be Mods or ex-Mods and no one seems to think there should be any guidance written anywhere. Interesting. I?d love to hear what regular users think.

OF course you can't put everything in nice neat little cubes, Rhonderoo. My point is that you have virtually nothing in nice neat little cubes. I mean, we say things like

and

as if they are policy or fact. These seem pretty straightforward and if that?s how the entire MS thinks things are, why wouldn't that be written down somewhere? What possible reason would there be for keeping that as a "culture" thing vice "policy."

Speaking of:

Culture: The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.

Policy: A course of action, guiding principle, or procedure considered expedient, prudent, or advantageous.

Culture is undefined and nebulous (you'll usually get disagreement about just what an organization's "culture" is among its members). Policy is defined, usually written, and usually clear. There is very little confusion on what policy is and if someone violates policy, the violation is easy to define.

as if they are policy or fact. These seem pretty straightforward and if that?s how the entire MS thinks things are, why wouldn't that be written down somewhere? What possible reason would there be for keeping that as a "culture" thing vice "policy."

Speaking of:

Culture: The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.

Policy: A course of action, guiding principle, or procedure considered expedient, prudent, or advantageous.

Culture is undefined and nebulous (you'll usually get disagreement about just what an organization's "culture" is among its members). Policy is defined, usually written, and usually clear. There is very little confusion on what policy is and if someone violates policy, the violation is easy to define.

But then, at worst, you're discussing semantics as opposed to principles. Written policies have the advantage of establishing the boundaries of acceptable behavior for both management and subordinates. The TOS defines the boundaries of acceptable behavior for the subordinates. The list I pulled out above somewhat defines the boundaries of acceptable behavior for Mods. But there

 

I have just one thing to say:

If a new set of rules or guidelines spews forth from this thread, the JC will have failed.

 

Because "policy" can be nebulous, too. Take a read through these Communications threads. We've added stuff to the profanity list, we've taken stuff away. We've changed the VIP policy in Lit. We've changed policy in forums like JCC and Senate. This is the minutest scraping off the top as an administration. Culture change and the fandom has had to with it, as well as the state of the fandom and where we are in the fandom (i.e. are there any new movies coming out?). To try to define "leadership" as or with "policy" is virtually impossible.

The closest you will see is in the Rules and Announcments forum. There also is some "guidelines" for JCC mods in JCC, but it is not mandatory that all forums put up a set "list" of guidelines for moderating that forum, nor should it be, really.

 

But then, at worst, you're discussing semantics as opposed to principles. Written policies have the advantage of establishing the boundaries of acceptable behavior for both management and subordinates. The TOS defines the boundaries of acceptable behavior for the subordinates. The list I pulled out above somewhat defines the boundaries of acceptable behavior for Mods.


Souderwan, with respect I must respectfully disagree with you here. And since you commented on the fact that most of the responses were from ex-mods and moderators, and the title is "Official Responsbilities of Moderators," it seems to me as if a former mod or present one would best to answer your question than a regular user. It seems to me as if you're discussing semantics, not the mods. Kayta_Jade posted a very lengthy explanation of what the moderators were expected to do and I applaud her effort in going to such great lengths to answer your question. I think her post was spot on, however, if you want my opinion as an actual user rather than former mod or present moderator then I would have to say the rules of the moderators are as follows:


I. Enforce the TOS, which would include protecting against flaming, baiting, trolling, locking threads etc.
II. Enforce specific forum policy. For example, it would do little good to follow the JCC policy in Fanfic because we're of such different natures, therefore they do have policy to help them in their ruling.
III. Know the forums they serve and interact with the common folk and do the best job that you can as a leader/enforcer.

There's a great deal more to being a moderator than just knowing which thread to lock. Being helpful to newcomers to the forum, directing people who are lost and dealing with a variety of complaints seems to be the bulk of the moderator's position. I don't think people appreciate how hard it is to be a moderator. A lot of people are interested in being one, but few I think would want to put up with the daily complaints and rarely receiving any thank yous for the hard effort and not getting paid. I've never been a moderator but I have been a Chapter Representative and it's a lot of work and if you make one wrong call, people get upset about it.

Perhaps we should have a Mod Appreciation or Hug-A-Mod Day? Seems to be that we need one around here. Just my two cents.

 

The role of the moderators is to uphold the rules in the Rules of the Jedi Council Forums, to make sure the boards run smoothly and peaceably. When a situation arises where there is conflict, but no precedence for a ruling, the mods can make policy. Whether or not the users have had a say in it or even like it is not protected anywhere under the rules of TFN. The reason why there is no hard and fast list of rules for the moderators anywhere in the JC is because the administration gives the users on this board the benefit of the doubt of having some common sense and the ability to figure out what they can or cannot do. When there is doubt, a moderator can be PM'd. But if a hard and fast list of rules was put in place here, the only end result would be that these forums would be more restrictive than an Iron Curtain country.

Edit: And as far as having mods or ex-mods posting in here, you forget that we're all users, too.

 

Actually, I have read through these communications threads. I don't do anything randomly (you probably know this) and I thought long and hard before deciding to address this issue.

The JCC mods in JCC thread is precisely the sort of thing I was pointing out. Perhaps the boards don't need or want an equivalent board-wide mod policy, but I assure you that you need something like that in at least FanFic. If you really, honestly, want to stop the periodic "drama" that you and the FanFic Mods see crop up every so often, you need to define the roles of FanFic Mods. It doesn't matter where you move the "drama" (Comms, Resource); it doesn't matter if you get rid of the apparent cause (stop or change awards and/or post-awards discussions); and it doesn't matter if you permaban the "troublemakers" or invite them to leave with harsh PMs. None of that will change the fundamental root cause of the problems you see popping up.

I think the FanFic Mods, as a rule, bust their collective butts to do what they think is right--even on the occasions when I've disagreed with their actions. The lack of a cogent policy has constantly put them under fire and made them feel attacked. Policies have a way of establishing accountability, but they also serve to protect decision-makers.

I think that users in FanFic who complain have the best interests of FanFic at heart--even on the occasions when I've disagreed with their actions. The lack of a cogent policy has caused the disonnect between what they think their Mods should be doing for them and what the Mods actually do to grow.

Some specific examples (My apologies for addressing FanFic-specific items here but it's what I'm most familiar with):

1. The Beyond the Saga board has several instances of users skirting the boundaries or crossing TOS and FanFic FAQ issues. I don't frequent Beyond, but I've been pointed in the direction of clearly inappropriate behavior on several occasions. Personally, I'm unaffected because the same kind of stuff shows up in the boards that I read/write in but are usually dealt with rather swiftly. This is likely due to the possibility that not all Mods frequent the Beyond boards regularly. Should the users expect Mods to find this stuff on their own, or should the users expect to have to report violations to the Mods?

2. The semi-annual awards have heavy Mod involvement. Should this be an expectation? Does that mean that all awards will get the same level of Mod involvement? What is the extent of that involement?

3. Periodic policy decisions are made (not related to TOS) that are sometimes at odds with what the users, as a whole desire. How often, if at all, should Mods give users an opportunity to discuss a potential policy shift before they enact it?

I could go on, but the specifics are irrelevant to the larger issue. Like it or not, these periodic disagreements that are classified as "drama" will not go away unless something specific is done to address the root of the conflicts. As users become more and more comfortable visiting Comms to air their disagreements, you'll see more and more threads pop up and consume (waste?)your collective time.

Edit: Layren and LadyPadme posted while I was posting.

For clarity, I am not at all suggesting that Mods are screwing up in any way. I like the fact that common sense is considered and I think that's appropriate for most things. I've seen some very good responses regarding what the responsibilities of Mods are, and I do appreciate it. My point is--and always has been--that it is isn't defined and that will likely lead to conflict. The problem with common sense is that it's not very common.

Also, I'm well aware that Mods are users too and I wasn't suggesting that they shouldn't answer my question (in fact, I'm really glad you all have taken the time to do so). I'm suggesting that this entire community is affected by this question, I think. I allow for the possibility that my assessment that users and Mods have different opinions about what Mod

 

LP is right. I don't think you really want a set policy on moderation. Because to cover everything, it would be too rigid and confining and users would get less say than they do now. Communications is your forum for questioning/suggesting policy and the complaint process is the way to get issues with mods ironed out with admins (unless its broader in scope than just a individual mod's action/decision, or an individual forums mods actions/decision). If used right, it would hopefully never fail. That's not to say that you get what you want every time, but it's heard and it's contemplated and discussed.

We take a lot of care in choosing moderators. Those qualities that you seem to be trying to ascertain should be present in a candidate. If they are not, and we see it, we try to rectify it by discussing with said mod and having them work on things. If not, then sometimes it just doesn't work out. But there is no way to nail it down to a few sentences in the Rules and Announcments forum without limiting the users and mods ability to use common sense.


Our guidelines are posted in Mod Squad but go something like this, and as you can see don't pin down anything we haven't said here:

Guiding principle: To provide a fun, 'clean' environment for Star Wars fans to come together and discuss the various aspects and elements of the Star Wars Universe.

The moderator's role in this principle:

1) General Presence - As a moderator, you are expected to not only enforce the rules, but to also follow them, and be 'role models' of good forum etiquette and behavior. Moderators should be polite, helpful, and considerate of Jedi Council Members. Whether participating in the forums or acting in an administrative capacity, moderators should always remain professional and polite in their actions and comments.

You were invited to be a member of the Moderating Team because you have demonstrated an excellent grasp of and respect for the forum's rules, have sufficient experience with the ins and outs of the forums, spend an above average amount of time in the forums, and have shown the personal qualities that are desired in JC Moderators - friendliness, approachability, and a desire to help the members of the forums enjoy their time here. You should strive to keep these qualities as a Moderator.

2) Policy discussion - Moderators should regularly participate in discussion of board policy, whether it's ironing out a new policy, or revisiting and old one. Your experience on the boards is invaluable in these discussions, and is relied upon (this applies to all relevent forums - Communications, Mod Squad, Advisory Council ... ).

Discussions in the Mod Squad forum are held in confidence (meaning, it's a private forum, so discussions and things said within the confines of the Mod Squad should remain within the circle of the moderating team), and moderators are expected to respect that confidence. This is not, however, an open invitation to say things you couldn't/wouldn't say in a public forum. While the security of this forum is important, moderators should always present their thoughts and opinions respectfully, with regards to each other and to members of the forums, as though the forums were open for viewing.

Bottom line: Your actions here (and on other public SW sites) reflect on the site, and, as such, they should always be made with the best interests of TFN and the JC forums in mind. Keep the forums clean, keep the forums fun, and be good 'role models' of behavior and respect for all of the members and their opinions.

Also, due to the competitive nature of a news and information site, work on competing websites and forums cannot be allowed without prior agreement from either Josh or Philip.


Edited for spelling and formatting.

 

As users become more and more comfortable visiting Comms to air their disagreements, you'll see more and more threads pop up and consume (waste?)your collective time.

if you have in fact read through the dozens of old Communications pages and discussions, you already know that that's hardly new or noteworthy.

 

1. The Beyond the Saga board has several instances of users skirting the boundaries or crossing TOS and FanFic FAQ issues. I don't frequent Beyond, but I've been pointed in the direction of clearly inappropriate behavior on several occasions. Personally, I'm unaffected because the same kind of stuff shows up in the boards that I read/write in but are usually dealt with rather swiftly. This is likely due to the possibility that not all Mods frequent the Beyond boards regularly. Should the users expect Mods to find this stuff on their own, or should the users expect to have to report violations to the Mods?

Honestly, this is a pretty simple one, and is solved with relative ease. PM a mod if it crosses the TOS line and they haven't caught it. If it borders it and they discuss it, you may or may not get agreement.

 

?Regular user? here. I have been here for almost seven years, participated in many different communities, and I can honestly say that I have never thought about what the moderators are ?supposed to do.?

From what I can tell, they enforce the TOS, participate in their communities, facilitate discussions, help new users to find their way around, and assist in conflict resolution.

It?s not a paying job. The mods are real people with real lives, real jobs, real families, real DRL issues. This is their hobby as much as it is ours and I don?t think they or we need to break it down into a formal list of Job Expectations. This is, after all, an internet message board.

 

Roo, that's a great list! Where is that? Can readers read that other than here? It's the first I've seen it.

Guiding principles is exactly what I'm talking about.

 

I'm suggesting that this entire community is affected by this question, I think. I allow for the possibility that my assessment that users and Mods have different opinions about what Mods should be doing. If I am, I'll shut up and go away.

But you must remember that only a small percentage of members care enough or want to get involved even to the extent you're talking about. Those that do are predominantly moderators, former moderators and regular members whose personality traits and views often dovetail the aforementioned pair.

The average community member either just lurks or is fine with how things are.


Roo, that's a great list! Where is that? Can readers read that other than here? It's the first I've seen it.

It's what new moderators receive.