SFN Introduces New Moderation Policy

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Over the past few months, we've recognized that there's a need for SFN to have a clear and simple policy for moderators to follow while doing their jobs on the forums. After a bit of discussion, the policy has gone into effect.

 

The key points of our new policy:

 

• Moderators shouldn't moderate in threads in which they are participating unless they're doing something like delete blatant spam. If a moderator is participating in a discussion and thinks there's a rule violation, he or she will simply report the post and ask for feedback from the rest of the staff. Only after discussion will action be taken.
• Reported posts take new importance. We've revamped the way reported posts work, making it easier for mods to see what needs to be checked on. If you report a post, it is almost guaranteed to be checked into by a moderator or two, so remember: if you think someone's breaking the rules, hit the Report button. We will look into it.
• Posts won't be deleted unless they're blatant spam or trolling. It's rather irritating to notice that your posts have vanished when you didn't think you did anything wrong.

 

The goal is to increase fairness by involving more moderators in decisions. When posts are reported, they automatically appear as new threads in our Reported Posts forum, where any mod can weigh in and provide an opinion. We're transitioning to making more decisions through this method, so most infractions and warnings will be made only after several moderators or administrators agree on the appropriate action to take. And the prominence of reports when mods hit Get New Posts means reports should always be dealt with quickly.

 

We hope this will make SFN a friendlier and better place for discussion. As always, if you have feedback on our moderation or any aspect of SFN, find a moderator or administrator and send them a PM.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Cap'n Refsmmat
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