Moderator Guidelines

[SteveColes]

Moderator Guidelines

Then following are intended as guidelines not rules. Common sense is the best rule. If you have any questions on what all this means, please post your questions in this forum/thread so we all can see it.


Moderators on this board should consider themselves moderators for the whole board not just their assigned forum.

Each moderator has a forum(s) for which they are responsible. But this is primarily for notification and organization purposes. It is the responsibility of the whole “team” to:

1. Make members feel welcome.
2. Make members feel as is if their contributions are important
3. Make members feel as if we want to help them with almost anything.

There are many forums that do not have a moderator. We should as a group try to cover these forums.


​

The primary function of the moderator is to facilitate, not to censor.

1. Moderators should be seen as on the side of the members. If drastic action is needed, let me do it. I am the official SOB.
2. Never allow a question to go unanswered for more than 24 hours.
3. Never criticize the content of a post in public. Use PM
4. Never tell a person to "search" the forums for an answer. Give the person a pointer to the proper thread or post.

The secondary function is to organize threads and posts

1. Close threads that are dead.
2. Move threads to the proper forum.
3. Stick threads when appropriate
4. Unstick threads when appropriate.
5. Merge or split threads when called for

PMs received asking "how to", should only be answered by asking the sender to post in the proper forum.

Moderate content only when necessary.

 

[cloudancer]

<whinny voice> Do we have to? </whinny voice>


Looks good and I can't think of any additions/changes right now.

 

[DaveO]

"Close threads that are dead" what is meant by that? Dave

 

[SteveColes]

"Close threads that are dead" what is meant by that? Dave

Closing a thread means no one is allowed to post to it. The idea is that once a thread has run it course, is not to allow someone start using it again. Think Joe Lydon on woodnet.

"run its course" what does that mean? Well that's a judgement call. I certainly wouldn't consider a thread dead for AT LEAST 2 weeks after the last post. What will probably be a good example are the threads having to do with this weekend hickiry stuff. When we get back there will probably be a flurry of posts for a week, then it will be done. Then 2 weeks later we might close those threads.

 

[clowman]

Are threads archived?

 

[DaveO]

Thanks, Steve that makes perfect sense. When I first started lurking on WN I spent many nights just reading the old posts and learning from them. So I wouldn't want good informational threads to be closed but ones that are time sensitive, like ones about this weekend events should be ended once they've passed their time of relevance. Thanks for clearing that up for me. Dave

 

[SteveColes]

Are threads archived?

Not yet, since I don't formally age threads. Closed threads are not deleted.

When, I start to age forums, yes they will be archived

 

[cloudancer]

I'd agree with DaveO, a lot of threads are useful (even for new discussion) months or years after they start while others aren't. I'd hate to close something like the heater discussion (assuming it goes somewhere) as it probably will start again next fall and the history will save a lot of typing.

On other boards I spend time on (like reefcentral, spyderchat, reefs.org, etc) threads aren't closed that often really. Mostly just when they get out of control in some way or are seriously out of date and won't go away (also a kind of out of control).

 

[cloudancer]

Looking over my last post I think I should explain "years" On reefcentral there are threads on ongoing expierments that I still read/post on 3-5+ years after they were started. Not saying it will happen here, but I suppose it could happen.

 

[cskipper]

If we do want to close a thread - how do we do it?

 

[clowman]

Cathy..

on each thread, there is a link that says Thread Tools, click on that and you get a drop down menu, at the bottom of that menu are Admin Tools, I think that is what you are looking for.

 

[cskipper]

Thanks - that is what I was looking for/:eusa_clap

 

[D L Ames]

Moderator Guidelines

The primary function of the moderator is to facilitate, not to censor.

1. Moderators should be seen as on the side of the members. If drastic action is needed, let me do it. I am the official SOB.
2. Never allow a question to go unanswered for more than 24 hours.
3. Never criticize the content of a post in public. Use PM
4. Never tell a person to "search" the forums for an answer. Give the person a pointer to the proper thread or post.

The secondary function is to organize threads and posts

1. Close threads that are dead.
2. Move threads to the proper forum.
3. Stick threads when appropriate
4. Unstick threads when appropriate.
5. Merge or split threads when called for

OK, I understand all of the primary functions. I will ask for some help on #2 if I am going to be out of the net for a bit where I can not meet the 24 hr suspense.

As for the secondary functions, I picked up a lot from reading the preceding posts and I found the admin tools on the thread tool bar above ok. I might need a little guidance when it comes to using a few of them (moving, merging, splitting) though, but I'll ask first when the time comes. I am sure once I use them a couple of times I will understand them better.

D L

 

[DaveO]

DL, welcome aboard again. Don't worry about the 24 hr thing...I got it covered:lol: :lol: The thread tools are very easy to use, what is more difficult is determining if a thread is in the wrong place and needs to be moved. If it is time to split or merge one and when one should be closed. If in doubt post a question here and we all will figure it out.
Dave

 

[clowman]

Again, I agree with Dave. Once you move/split/merge/close/delete a thread, it's like falling off a boat, easy. The thing I always worry about is upsetting someone by closing their thread. So far, I've only moved 1 thread, and haven't seen anything on this board that needed deleting due to out of line sort of stuff.

 

[D L Ames]

Thanks guys, once again sound advice from both of you.:icon_thum

D L