Scott
12-16-2006, 05:32 PM
I wrote this a while ago for one of the forums I'm an admin at. It mainly describes what is expected of staff and what each of the tools (IPB 2.1.x) do. I've copied it here in the hope it's helpful to someone...might need a bit of tweaking - particularly in the areas I've put in bold italics.
Introduction
The aim of these guidelines is to provide a source of information for forum staff on what is expected of them. It should be considered as an aid to common sense and not a bible on every possible situation.
Moderators are firstly and most importantly members. They are bound by the same rules as members and are expected to know and follow these without prompting. Moderators have the responsibility to maintain these rules, and certain tools are provided in order to aid this. These tools and their use are explained below.
Staff Conduct
Staff are given access to forums which are hidden to members and guests. They contain sensitive future information which should not be visible to the public. As such, staff are trusted never to disclose anything posted in the staff forums, unless under the express permission of an admin. Doing so would likely result in immediate removal of moderator privileges.
As a moderator you will be expected to interact with the members fairly and without insult. You should treat all members equally without discrimination against any known background. If you are unable to treat a member fairly, you should bring this to the attention of an admin or veteran staff member.
Staff should be active members of the community, and as such are expected to make at least 5 posts per week. These do not need to be new topics, but should be meaningful. If you know you will be away for over a week without access, you should make this known to the admins through PM or simply by posting in the staff forum.
Staff are expected to know and follow the forum rules. Any moderator who is found not to be complying with forum rules may be removed from staff.
Moderator Tools
In order to enable staff to carry out their duties on the forum, they have access to many functions which members do not.
Topic Functions
Close/Open Topics – You can close a topic to prevent any further replies. To close a topic, selected close from the Moderator Options menu on topic view, or select a topic(s) in forum view and choose Close Topics from the menu at the bottom. You may also click the topic icon on the left hand side of the forum view to Close/Open a topic. Opening a topic allows posts in a topic which has been closed. You should only open a topic if you're sure that it was closed unnecessarily. If you're unsure, seek advice from a veteran moderator or an admin.
Pin/Unpin Topics – This allows the topic to be pinned to the top of the forum view. It could be used to draw attention to posts which are highly relevant or important in a forum. You can pin a topic in the same method as above. Unpin removes it from the top of the forum view list which might be used if a thread is no longer relevant.
Move Topics – Here you can move a topic to a more suitable part of the forum. Once you select the topic as above you'll be asked to pick the new location of the thread.
Merge Topics – This merges two or more topics into one. In forum view you can select the topics (must be more than 2) using the tick boxes on the right as above. In topic view you will need to enter the URL of the thread you wish to merge with the current one. You'll also be asked for the new topic title and description.
Edit topic title – This allows you to change the title or description of a topic. You can perform this in topic view similar to above or by clicking and holding a topic title in forum view. When you do this a blue box will appear and you can edit as necessary. Clicking outside the blue box to save.
Delete Topic – This removes a topic from the forum. This should be used with the topic is completely unacceptable or offensive. If possible, it is always better to move topics to The Morgue where they can be looked at by other staff, especially when you are unsure if it should be deleted.
Approve/Unapprove Topic – This shows/hides a topic from the public. Topics by members on Moderator Queue (see later) are automatically hidden and need to be approved before they're visible.Post Functions
To carry out any of these functions you must first be viewing a topic. Select the post by clicking the tick on the top right of the post.
Merge Posts – Allows you to merge posts together. Useful if one person has multiple replies which can be condensed into one post.
Move Posts – You can move a post from one thread into another. You'll be asked for the thread ID where you want it moved to. The topic ID can be found from the URL which will include a ?showtopic=<id>.
Delete Posts – This deleted a post from the forum. See Delete Topics for further information.
Split Posts – This splits the selected post(s) from the current thread into another. You'll be asked for the new thread's title, description and location.
Approve/Unapprove Posts – As with Approve/Unapprove Topic, this shows/hides posts from the public.
Edit Posts – This allows you to change the content of the posts. You must use the edit button to carry this out. Once edited, your name and time of edit will appear below the post. This is mainly used to remove any inappropriate content which does not require removal of the entire post. It could also be done to correct image linking.Member Function
The main function for members is to issue them with a warning. Warning's are private and can only be seen by the member they're directed to and other staff. To issue a warning, click on the red button at the end of the warn meter on the left of a post or through profile view. You will then be able to increase/decrease the warn level and include a reason for doing so. If this member's actions are repetitive, you could place the member on Moderation Queue for a period of time. This requires posts/topics to be approved before they'll be publicly visible. If the member is rapidly posting irrelevant/offensive content you may remove that persons posting privileges for a period of time. In doing either Mod Queue or removal of posting it is advised you create a topic about this in the staff forums to explain your reasoning for doing so and request permanent banning if needed. Both removal of privileges and Mod Queue can be reverted by veteran staff and admins.
You cannot warn admins.
Removal of Staff Privileges
While moderating is voluntary, we depend on active and responsible moderators to carry out their duties. The most common reasons for removing a moderator includes:
Inactivity – While you won't automatically be removed if you don't post 5 times per week, it is a requirement of being a moderator. If your activity is below that expected you are likely to be removed as a moderator.
Abuse of privileges – Abuse of the tools available will not be tolerated and likely result in removal of these privileges. Thankfully, this doesn't happen often.If you are removed from staff there will likely be an explanation from an admin. If not, you are entitled to ask for one via PM or email.
If you wish to resign as a moderator at any point, you should contact an admin via email or PM.
Conclusion
While this is not an exhaustive list of all the moderator actions you're likely to encounter, it should serve as a good starting point. Feel free to ask any questions regarding anything outlined here.
Introduction
The aim of these guidelines is to provide a source of information for forum staff on what is expected of them. It should be considered as an aid to common sense and not a bible on every possible situation.
Moderators are firstly and most importantly members. They are bound by the same rules as members and are expected to know and follow these without prompting. Moderators have the responsibility to maintain these rules, and certain tools are provided in order to aid this. These tools and their use are explained below.
Staff Conduct
Staff are given access to forums which are hidden to members and guests. They contain sensitive future information which should not be visible to the public. As such, staff are trusted never to disclose anything posted in the staff forums, unless under the express permission of an admin. Doing so would likely result in immediate removal of moderator privileges.
As a moderator you will be expected to interact with the members fairly and without insult. You should treat all members equally without discrimination against any known background. If you are unable to treat a member fairly, you should bring this to the attention of an admin or veteran staff member.
Staff should be active members of the community, and as such are expected to make at least 5 posts per week. These do not need to be new topics, but should be meaningful. If you know you will be away for over a week without access, you should make this known to the admins through PM or simply by posting in the staff forum.
Staff are expected to know and follow the forum rules. Any moderator who is found not to be complying with forum rules may be removed from staff.
Moderator Tools
In order to enable staff to carry out their duties on the forum, they have access to many functions which members do not.
Topic Functions
Close/Open Topics – You can close a topic to prevent any further replies. To close a topic, selected close from the Moderator Options menu on topic view, or select a topic(s) in forum view and choose Close Topics from the menu at the bottom. You may also click the topic icon on the left hand side of the forum view to Close/Open a topic. Opening a topic allows posts in a topic which has been closed. You should only open a topic if you're sure that it was closed unnecessarily. If you're unsure, seek advice from a veteran moderator or an admin.
Pin/Unpin Topics – This allows the topic to be pinned to the top of the forum view. It could be used to draw attention to posts which are highly relevant or important in a forum. You can pin a topic in the same method as above. Unpin removes it from the top of the forum view list which might be used if a thread is no longer relevant.
Move Topics – Here you can move a topic to a more suitable part of the forum. Once you select the topic as above you'll be asked to pick the new location of the thread.
Merge Topics – This merges two or more topics into one. In forum view you can select the topics (must be more than 2) using the tick boxes on the right as above. In topic view you will need to enter the URL of the thread you wish to merge with the current one. You'll also be asked for the new topic title and description.
Edit topic title – This allows you to change the title or description of a topic. You can perform this in topic view similar to above or by clicking and holding a topic title in forum view. When you do this a blue box will appear and you can edit as necessary. Clicking outside the blue box to save.
Delete Topic – This removes a topic from the forum. This should be used with the topic is completely unacceptable or offensive. If possible, it is always better to move topics to The Morgue where they can be looked at by other staff, especially when you are unsure if it should be deleted.
Approve/Unapprove Topic – This shows/hides a topic from the public. Topics by members on Moderator Queue (see later) are automatically hidden and need to be approved before they're visible.Post Functions
To carry out any of these functions you must first be viewing a topic. Select the post by clicking the tick on the top right of the post.
Merge Posts – Allows you to merge posts together. Useful if one person has multiple replies which can be condensed into one post.
Move Posts – You can move a post from one thread into another. You'll be asked for the thread ID where you want it moved to. The topic ID can be found from the URL which will include a ?showtopic=<id>.
Delete Posts – This deleted a post from the forum. See Delete Topics for further information.
Split Posts – This splits the selected post(s) from the current thread into another. You'll be asked for the new thread's title, description and location.
Approve/Unapprove Posts – As with Approve/Unapprove Topic, this shows/hides posts from the public.
Edit Posts – This allows you to change the content of the posts. You must use the edit button to carry this out. Once edited, your name and time of edit will appear below the post. This is mainly used to remove any inappropriate content which does not require removal of the entire post. It could also be done to correct image linking.Member Function
The main function for members is to issue them with a warning. Warning's are private and can only be seen by the member they're directed to and other staff. To issue a warning, click on the red button at the end of the warn meter on the left of a post or through profile view. You will then be able to increase/decrease the warn level and include a reason for doing so. If this member's actions are repetitive, you could place the member on Moderation Queue for a period of time. This requires posts/topics to be approved before they'll be publicly visible. If the member is rapidly posting irrelevant/offensive content you may remove that persons posting privileges for a period of time. In doing either Mod Queue or removal of posting it is advised you create a topic about this in the staff forums to explain your reasoning for doing so and request permanent banning if needed. Both removal of privileges and Mod Queue can be reverted by veteran staff and admins.
You cannot warn admins.
Removal of Staff Privileges
While moderating is voluntary, we depend on active and responsible moderators to carry out their duties. The most common reasons for removing a moderator includes:
Inactivity – While you won't automatically be removed if you don't post 5 times per week, it is a requirement of being a moderator. If your activity is below that expected you are likely to be removed as a moderator.
Abuse of privileges – Abuse of the tools available will not be tolerated and likely result in removal of these privileges. Thankfully, this doesn't happen often.If you are removed from staff there will likely be an explanation from an admin. If not, you are entitled to ask for one via PM or email.
If you wish to resign as a moderator at any point, you should contact an admin via email or PM.
Conclusion
While this is not an exhaustive list of all the moderator actions you're likely to encounter, it should serve as a good starting point. Feel free to ask any questions regarding anything outlined here.