Moderation Guidelines

I am posting this for a couple of reasons.

First, since I am asking for more moderators, you get an idea of what I am asking for.

Second, I thought it might interesting to our members to know what we think a moderator does. In a way the following represents a philosophy of how out members should be treated. I feel that this "Philosophy" has a lot to do with what I hope is the perception of friendly and helpful this site is.

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.

[D L Ames]

Steve, can you make this a sticky for us? This is a great philosophy and provides some very good rules to live by.

Thanks,
D L

[DaveO]

DL consider it stuck. I agree with your thoughts, and I think that these guidelines are one of the things that make this site something special. Frustration with the hostility, animosity, and general bad manners on other ww'ing sites has given this one my top attention...it's a nice, friendly place to be.




Steve, hope you don't mind that I stuck this thread


Dave

[D L Ames]

Dave, you da man Thanks, and I agree 100% with you.

D L