- Dec 18, 2013
- 22,301
- 4,216
- Parrots
- Maya (Female Solomon Island eclectus parrot), Jolly (Male Solomon Island eclectus parrot), Bixby (Male, red-sided eclectus. RIP), Suzie (Male cockatiel. RIP)
We on the Mod-Team cherish the good relationship that we have with the members of this amazing forum. Each of us truly views Parrot Forums as a tight-knit community, and it is our love of this community, as well as our desire to maintain a positive, informative and encouraging atmosphere, that motivates us to be moderators.
Sometimes, our roles as mods takes on a disciplinary aspect. This is an unfortunate necessity, as not a one of us enjoys the prospect of editing/unapproving/deleting someoneās post, sending out a pm of warning, issuing an infraction, temporarily suspending a member or worse, permanently banning one. Some of you might actually be quite surprised by the amount of discussion and debate that often goes into such decisions. We do not take these things lightly.
Which brings me to the reason for this thread. Occasionally, certain misconceptions arise about the modding process, as well as options available to each member if they either disagree with a modās decision or come to feel that a mod has been unfair to them. Traditionally we have addressed these situations as they have occurred, but we have now decided to create a thread as a general reference. Something of a myth-busting/general info thread.
Myth #1: Disagreement with a mod on a thread topic will get you banned.
This one is completely falseā¦ and particularly dismaying. The mere fact of disagreeing with a modās point of view will NOT get you banned. As long as your point is stated civilly and without rancor, you can feel free to disagree with a mod on a thread topic same as you might with any other member. Though this should not be confused with criticizing a modās decision on the open forum, which leads to the next pointā¦
Myth #2: There is no recourse to a mod edit with which you disagree other than to speak against it on the open forum.
This one is also false. If a member disagrees with a moderatorās edit, he or she should contact that moderator - or any other with whom they feel comfortable - and explain (civilly and without rancor) why they feel the edit should be reversed. Make a compelling enough case, and it just might happen. I know that Iāve reversed a decision or two. So have some of my fellow mods. Weāre human, and sometimes there might be an aspect to a particular situation that weāve missed. At the very least, even if we decide not to reverse our edit, weāll give a more detailed explanation of our position. (Just to be clear, said appeal must be made via pm. Appeals made over the open forum will not be considered.)
On the other hand, criticizing a moderatorās decisions on the open forum is actually a violation of forum rules. Why? Because moderators canāt be expected to properly do their jobs if theyāre spending all their time defending every decision that they makeā¦ after all of the time already spent discussing and debating the point behind the scenes in the Mod Sub-forum.
Myth #3: If you feel a mod has been unfair to you, thereās nothing that you can do.
This one is also false. If you truly feel that a particular mod has been treating you unfairly, you can reach out to any of the other moderators via pm and request that the entire situation be reviewed by the entire Mod Team. Outline your reasons and give clear examples of the perceived unfair treatment and we will review the allegations and come to a decision as a group. (But please soul-search before going this route. Simply disagreeing with your point of view is a far cry from treating you unfairly.) If we find merit to your claims, the issue will be addressed with the offending moderator in the Mod Sub-forum, and to the extent possible weāll endeavor to make it right.
Myth #4: A member can be banned for any mistake.
This is also false. Most members are only banned after repeated infractions of the same offense. To be banned for a one-time offense, the infraction has to either be somewhat epic (A blatant example of this from the past was the cursing out of eleven fellow members in one rage-filled post), or an incident of spamming the forum.
Otherwise, we do our best to avoid a banning. We usually start off with a warning via pm. Or an infraction if the mistake is rather out of hand and the member shouldāve known better. Repeating the same mistake could result in an infraction, temporary banning (for a period of anywhere between a few days and several months, depending on the severity of the offense), or a permanent banning if the mistake was bad enough. We always take the individual and the dynamics of the situation into account when deciding on a course of action.
FYI
- A member appears as banned, whether the ban is temporary or permanent, for the duration of the ban.
- Banning decisions always require a consensus of mods, save for situations where the incident is grievous enough to merit immediate and severe action.
- Actions such as edits or unauthorizing of posts/threads can be undertaken under the authority of a single mod, though such actions are usually brought before the rest of the team and discussed. Mods donāt always agree on the decisions of fellow mods, and sometimes a mod will be swayed from a particular decision by the arguments of another. Other times we may agree to disagree, respecting our fellow modās decision. This would hold unless officially appealed and a majority of the other mods vote to overturn said decision.
We are leaving this thread open for any questions, but please keep in mind that this is not the place for any gripes or appeals about decisions made. The main purpose here is to make everyone in our beloved community aware of all available options, to give a glimpse into how things work behind the scenes, and to ensure that none of our members ever feel as though they have to walk on eggshells around us.
Sometimes, our roles as mods takes on a disciplinary aspect. This is an unfortunate necessity, as not a one of us enjoys the prospect of editing/unapproving/deleting someoneās post, sending out a pm of warning, issuing an infraction, temporarily suspending a member or worse, permanently banning one. Some of you might actually be quite surprised by the amount of discussion and debate that often goes into such decisions. We do not take these things lightly.
Which brings me to the reason for this thread. Occasionally, certain misconceptions arise about the modding process, as well as options available to each member if they either disagree with a modās decision or come to feel that a mod has been unfair to them. Traditionally we have addressed these situations as they have occurred, but we have now decided to create a thread as a general reference. Something of a myth-busting/general info thread.
Myth #1: Disagreement with a mod on a thread topic will get you banned.
This one is completely falseā¦ and particularly dismaying. The mere fact of disagreeing with a modās point of view will NOT get you banned. As long as your point is stated civilly and without rancor, you can feel free to disagree with a mod on a thread topic same as you might with any other member. Though this should not be confused with criticizing a modās decision on the open forum, which leads to the next pointā¦
Myth #2: There is no recourse to a mod edit with which you disagree other than to speak against it on the open forum.
This one is also false. If a member disagrees with a moderatorās edit, he or she should contact that moderator - or any other with whom they feel comfortable - and explain (civilly and without rancor) why they feel the edit should be reversed. Make a compelling enough case, and it just might happen. I know that Iāve reversed a decision or two. So have some of my fellow mods. Weāre human, and sometimes there might be an aspect to a particular situation that weāve missed. At the very least, even if we decide not to reverse our edit, weāll give a more detailed explanation of our position. (Just to be clear, said appeal must be made via pm. Appeals made over the open forum will not be considered.)
On the other hand, criticizing a moderatorās decisions on the open forum is actually a violation of forum rules. Why? Because moderators canāt be expected to properly do their jobs if theyāre spending all their time defending every decision that they makeā¦ after all of the time already spent discussing and debating the point behind the scenes in the Mod Sub-forum.
Myth #3: If you feel a mod has been unfair to you, thereās nothing that you can do.
This one is also false. If you truly feel that a particular mod has been treating you unfairly, you can reach out to any of the other moderators via pm and request that the entire situation be reviewed by the entire Mod Team. Outline your reasons and give clear examples of the perceived unfair treatment and we will review the allegations and come to a decision as a group. (But please soul-search before going this route. Simply disagreeing with your point of view is a far cry from treating you unfairly.) If we find merit to your claims, the issue will be addressed with the offending moderator in the Mod Sub-forum, and to the extent possible weāll endeavor to make it right.
Myth #4: A member can be banned for any mistake.
This is also false. Most members are only banned after repeated infractions of the same offense. To be banned for a one-time offense, the infraction has to either be somewhat epic (A blatant example of this from the past was the cursing out of eleven fellow members in one rage-filled post), or an incident of spamming the forum.
Otherwise, we do our best to avoid a banning. We usually start off with a warning via pm. Or an infraction if the mistake is rather out of hand and the member shouldāve known better. Repeating the same mistake could result in an infraction, temporary banning (for a period of anywhere between a few days and several months, depending on the severity of the offense), or a permanent banning if the mistake was bad enough. We always take the individual and the dynamics of the situation into account when deciding on a course of action.
FYI
- A member appears as banned, whether the ban is temporary or permanent, for the duration of the ban.
- Banning decisions always require a consensus of mods, save for situations where the incident is grievous enough to merit immediate and severe action.
- Actions such as edits or unauthorizing of posts/threads can be undertaken under the authority of a single mod, though such actions are usually brought before the rest of the team and discussed. Mods donāt always agree on the decisions of fellow mods, and sometimes a mod will be swayed from a particular decision by the arguments of another. Other times we may agree to disagree, respecting our fellow modās decision. This would hold unless officially appealed and a majority of the other mods vote to overturn said decision.
We are leaving this thread open for any questions, but please keep in mind that this is not the place for any gripes or appeals about decisions made. The main purpose here is to make everyone in our beloved community aware of all available options, to give a glimpse into how things work behind the scenes, and to ensure that none of our members ever feel as though they have to walk on eggshells around us.
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