Sheikh

FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE



Moderator Rules

The moderators are the people who make sure that members are following the Forum Rules. They are here to help members and to protect members and the forum itself, from those few, who do not want to act as adults. Their job is not an easy one, so I have to thank them all for volunteering their time and talents to help me run this site. There isn't any prerequisite amount of time a moderator is asked to be on our boards, but the reason why we pick one person to be a moderator over another person is that we know this person tends to post a lot on the board. They have shown that they will be here and that certainly is required.

The main job of a moderator is to make sure that the boards stays lively and informative, but also that the Forum Rules are followed. And this all must be done while maintaining peace and harmony amongst our members, which requires patience, stamina, and above all, tolerance.

The rules below are established in order to make their life and the life of our members easier.

1. The moderator's role is to enforce the Forum Rules among the Forum members. This is an administrative task, not a law enforcement task and should be treated as such, both by the moderators and the members.

2. The moderator acts as a role model for the rest of the members. The moderator's behavior has to set an example to how other members should behave in the forum.

3. The moderator does not have friends and enemies, all members should be treated the same by every moderator. A moderator should not allow his or her personal feelings to influence their judgment about the content of this forum, or the behavior of the members. These are defined by the forum rules and the moderator's personal feelings have nothing to do with them.

4. The moderator has the right to delete and/or edit members' threads or posts, if he/she thinks that these are not according to the Forum Rules. He/she is not allowed to delete or edit a thread or a post, simply because he/she does not agree with its content or the member who submitted it. Typically a thread or a post will be edited or deleted, if it contains material or comments that violate the Forum Rules.

5. A moderator has the right to move a thread to another forum if he/she thinks that this would be a more appropriate area for that thread. A shadow of the original thread may be left behind by the moderator if they so choose.

6. A moderator has not the right to ban a user from the forum. This will be done only after consultation with the other moderators and the forum's administrator. There is a special forum just for moderators. Should any problems arise, they will be discussed there and not on the open boards.

7. When a moderator participates in a discussion, he/she should do it in accordance with rules (2) and (3) above. In no case, should a moderator use his/her administrative role, as a weighting factor in such a discussion. When participating in a discussion, the moderator is treated as just any other member, and is subjected to the same rules that apply for the members, only he/she is judged more strictly, since he /she has to set the example for the members.

8. Every member who has a specific and documented complaint about a moderator should directly discuss the problem with the moderator himself/herself. If he/she is not satisfied with the outcome, the member can notify Sheikh Zubeer, with his/her complaint, while concurrently cc-ing the particular moderator. I expect both members and moderators to act as responsible adults and to work problems out between each other. Sometimes this may not be possible and then I will need to be involved.

9. Moderators should always keep in mind that this forum is (and will always remain) a family oriented playground, where members come to discuss common interests and enjoy themselves. They deserve the utmost respect, and that is what they should get. Your actions should be well justified and the member against whom you are taking actions, should be aware of the reasons which caused your actions. Under no circumstances can a moderator remove a thread or post, without explaining his actions to the offending member. Remember to be polite when you are asking someone to tone down their posts -- and be sure to mention that you have had requests from others to take action, when applicable. This makes it sound a lot less like you are acting like the bully you may be seen as. Also, such incidents should be reported to the forum administration, so that, in the event of escalation in a situation, the history is already known.

10. If a moderator faces a severe problem with a member, and he/she is not sure how to handle it, it is best to bring the problem to the Moderators Forum for discussion.

Practically speaking, if:

1. A moderator notices a new thread or a new post which is not in accordance with the forum rules: He/she moves the thread or post to a specified forum, where it remains for dispute reasons. That forum is accessible only to moderators and admin. He/she also has to warn the member who posted the offended thread about his/her actions, either by e-mail or PM and notify me.

2. A moderator notices a thread which does not fit in the forum it was posted. The thread is moved to the proper forum, leaving a redirection link in the original forum.

3. A moderator notices a posting that contains a small amount of objectionable material under the Forum Rules but the rest of the post is acceptable. The post is edited for only that content that is objectionable and the rest stays as posted. The moderator places bold text in parenthesis where the offending word or phrase was removed to indicate the point at which the edit was made. Something like (Moderator edit), (Edited by moderator) or (Content removed by moderator), etc. is fine.

4. A moderator has a significant problem with one member and wishes that this member be banned from the forum. He/she posts a message in the Moderators Forum explaining the reasons for which he wants the user banned. Other moderators provide their opinions. Decision is reached. If the member is banned a message is sent to the offending member explaining the reasons he/she was banned. Personally I hope this never happens, but unfortunately it is a part of forum life.

__________________
Bongtokes ...

"The Apostate Turk"