Community Moderators
Last updated
Last updated
This post is to announce the expansion of Bartenders to include more moderator abilities for Discord and Teamspeak, and a title change to Community Moderators to accompany that change. Bartenders have been helpful in resolving a number of situations in the past, and will be able to help with this even more as Community Moderators going forward. They've already had some measure of moderator ability for some time now, but sitting in a “sort-of-moderator-but-not-really” position has really been confusing and sometimes frustrating, so the shift is being made. The introduction of the Bartender system was met with some pushback but we believe they have been a big help for the group and we believe that expanding their powers to better assist the admin team will help keep things running smoothly for us here at Bourbon Warfare and let all of you focus on the reason you’re here, playing some Arma. Here are a few things that have been accomplished by the Bartenders: -Two new Admins chosen from tried and proven Bartenders -Anonymous Submission System (A.S.S.) -Improved community documentation(still ongoing) -More standardization of Recruit Orientation -Better tracking and dissection of events that break our rules and policies -Updating the front page of the website (almost finished, we swear!) -Community Member Spotlights Why do we need moderators? While new admins have been added to bring the roster back up to 6, many of the admin team are still very busy with real-life issues and life loves to throw surprises at us. There is no specific situation going on right now that requires moderators' attention, but there certainly have been incidents in the past where moderators would have been useful and we can only assume with that history that there will be situations in the future. Waiting for that to happen before putting mods in place is too reactionary, it is better to have them in place ahead of time so they are ready when they are needed. Discord, with its large volume of channels and the fast nature that discussions can move at, can be very hard to keep an eye on. Teamspeak historically has a very low admin presence at any given time. Both of these areas could use more resources to deal with future potential problems. Why is the title being changed from Bartenders to Community Moderators? Bartenders were originally voted in by the group at large as an admin support team that the community could get behind, but they were not moderators. As time went on and admin activity dropped even more, they were slowly given more and more responsibilities to help out, and shifted into a moderation role. There has been confusion from new members about "what's a bartender? What do they do exactly?" The title was not very descriptive. Community Moderator is a well standardized title which will make their responsibilities much more self explanatory. We hope this change will help to avoid any confusion about the role as we move forward. Why didn't we vote for this? Not every single change is going to be the product of a vote. This is a change that the admin team has agreed will be helpful to them on platforms that typically have a low admin presence or are difficult for admins to keep track of. What powers do they not have
the power to hand out strikes
the power to individually or collectively enact policy change without admin approval
the power to make structural changes to discord or teamspeak without admin approval(add/delete/rename channels. etc)
Powers they have in relation to Discord
The power to assign roles(they already had this power)
The power to delete posts that violate BW’s policies on appropriate content (NSFW and/or racist/discriminatory content, they already had this power)
In the event a discussion gets heated, the power to enact slow mode to attempt to cool things down(they already had this power)
In the event that slow mode does not cool things down and individuals remain aggressive, the power to move that individual to a new "time out" role that limits their discord access to only be able to view the announcements channel.
An example of how things may proceed:
Conversation begins to get heated/aggressive, Community Moderator asks people to calm it down
Community Moderator's request is ignored, conversation remains aggressive. Community Moderator again asks for people to calm down and informs them if they don't comply, slow mode will be activated
Community Moderator's request is ignored, slow mode is activated, Community Moderator posts that slow mode has been activated and that if people remain aggressive then individuals will be put in time out. The fact that slow mode is activated does not mean the conversation needs to end. Only that it needs to take place at a calmer pace. Continuing the conversation constructively should not result in further escalation from a Community Moderator. There may be circumstances where a Community Moderator feels a topic of discussion should be shut down entirely, in that situation they may contact the Admin team to review the situation and step in to stop a line of conversation if it’s deemed necessary. A topic of discussion that violates existing BW policy(racist, discriminatory, overtly religious or political) does not need Admin approval before being shut down by a Community Moderator
Individual remains aggressive, Community Moderator removes their discord member group and replaces it with a "timeout" group. This group doesn't have read permission for any discord channel other than Announcements. The length of time of this timeout is up to Community Moderator discretion but cannot exceed 24 hours.
The Community Moderator must make a casefile post in the Community Moderator forum detailing every event. They must post screenshots of the offenders behavior, as well as screenshots of each warning of escalation given by the Community Moderator. If an individual is placed in timeout, the Community Moderator must PM that individual informing them of this, informing them of the reason why, and when it will expire. A screenshot of this conversation must be placed in the case file. Because there is no way to automate this process, the Community Moderator who placed an individual in timeout is responsible for restoring them to normal membership when that time expires.If there is some reason why they cannot do this then they must clearly communicate this in the casefile thread with as much advance warning as possible. If no one clearly communicates in that thread that they will take over this responsibility, then the Community Moderator who placed the timeout is still on the hook for restoring member permissions when it expires. If there is a margin for error on when exactly the timeout will expire, that margin for error must err on the side of ending early, not ending late.
In the event that a problem is the result of individuals and not a broader discussion, the "slow mode" section can be skipped.
Powers in relation to Teamspeak
Have the power to assign roles(they had this power already)
Have the power to kick spammers
Have the power to kick members who are being overtly disruptive(harassing an individual, using racial/discriminatory language, being overtly aggressive, etc). Example:
An individual is acting hostile/aggressive/etc, a Community Moderator asks them to cool it.
The individual remains hostile/aggressive/etc, the Community Moderator asks them again to stop their behavior and informs them if they continue they will be kicked. Examples of how this might be phrased include but are not limited to: “You need to stop doing __ or you will be kicked from the server." or "I’m warning you as a moderator, you need to stop doing __ or you may be removed from the server"
The individual continues their behavior, they are kicked from the server. The time limit is up to Community Moderator discretion but must not exceed 24 hours.
Like Discord, individuals must be given a reasonable period of time to comply between escalating warnings of action. A Community Moderator saying "calm it down" and then a second one immediately saying "yeah, calm it down or you will be kicked" does not constitute warnings 1 and 2. The individual must re-offend between warnings.
Like Discord, in the case that action needs to be taken and an individual is kicked, this must be documented in a case file. A Community Moderator should provide a detailed description of what happened along with a list of witnesses to the event.
Session
Powers related to Teamspeak as outlined above include during session time. Community Moderators will help with ensuring that BW's rules and policies are being followed during Sessions. This may include unofficial or off-night events that are hosted on BW servers. During Session they may issue reminders or warnings of when rules are being broken or policies ignored. If warnings are ignored and the issue persists, Community Moderators may contact an Admin and the disruptive parties may be removed from the session. As with the previously stated abilities these events will be documented for review by the Admins using the Case File system in the Community Moderator subforum. If a Community Moderator abuses this ability they will be stripped of their role and punished accordingly.
General
The procedure for how situations should be handled follows multiple steps: 1) ask individuals to behave 2) again ask individuals to behave and inform them of the consequences of not behaving 3) enact consequences of not behaving. Community Moderators may issue more warnings than this before acting, at their discretion.They may not issue less. A community moderator will do their best to make sure that the recipient of a warning is aware they have been warned. They should be aware that in a loud or fast moving conversation it can be easy for a warning to be missed, and more warnings may be appropriate, but ultimately it is up to individuals to pay attention. In the end it will be down to admin discretion in reviewing the situation afterwards whether procedure was followed or not.
Community Moderator must create a case file for all actions that result in a member receiving punishment(kicks/Time Outs/etc). These case files must be reasonably detailed. Lazy documentation will be considered unacceptable and may result in the Community Moderator’s dismissal. Case files are a thread on the Community Moderator Forum that details an incident, exactly what happened and when, the parties involved, what steps have been taken or are recommended to be taken, etc
When asking members to behave and issuing warnings in advance of impending disciplinary action, Community Moderator will ensure that the warning can be reasonably understood by the parties it applies to. This may include stating that it is a “Mod Warning”, asking the party to state that they understand that they have been warned, or any other reasonable method that the Community Moderator feels is appropriate. You can always ask for a Community Moderator to explain why, they are here to help you avoid breaking the rules. But be reasonable that a very active situation may mean a delay or lack of a response. You can always ask them again later if you feel it appropriate.
Community Moderator must follow the outlined procedures that have been created and defined for them. Failure to do so is grounds for their behavior coming under review and possibly dismissal from their role as a Community Moderator. Community Moderators should not "gang up" on a situation, and must allow it to only be handled by one or two at a time unless abnormal circumstances require otherwise. Community Moderators should be fully aware of the difference between an individual being passionate about their point of view, versus an individual being openly or passively hostile. Community Moderators must never use their power to silence a conversation because they personally disagree or are uncomfortable with the topic being discussed; they should be acting for compliance with Bourbon Warfare’s rules and policies and not their own personal interests. Community Moderators must be able to differentiate between their own personal feelings and their “professional” actions when performing their roles. Personal disagreements are not valid reasons for issuing a disciplinary action, and Community Moderators will not treat any members as anything less than equals when they are acting in accordance with their role.
Community Moderator disciplinary powers are intended for dealing with disruptive behavior in the moment, not drawn out long-term behavior issues. A pattern of repeat offenses, or a history of individuals being disruptive but stopping just short of receiving disciplinary action from a Community Moderator, should be reported to admins and a case file opened for investigation into more formal punishment. It should not be taken as grounds for skipping procedure and punishing the individual themselves.
If you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the systems we provide for reporting disruptive behavior, seeking clarification on our rules and policies, or have an issue that needs the attention of Bourbon Warfare’s staff team and don’t know how to approach it; Community Moderators are there to serve as an additional point of contact. You can ask them for anonymity if you feel the need to and they will respect that request.
All Community Moderator’s action may be given a veto or otherwise changed by the Admin Team. The Admin Team’s say on all matters is final. This does not mean that you should challenge a Community Moderator’s action(s) as soon as they are taken; but the documentation that they use will help to streamline any disputes on whether the action was appropriate or not. If you feel that a Community Moderator’s action was inappropriate or too extreme you can submit an appeal using the Anonymous Submission System or by contacting an admin directly. There will never be any repercussions for asking for an appeal. Due to the nature of appeals, they may not be requested anonymously.
The ultimate goal of this system is not to find more ways to punish people, but to make sure that BW rules and policies are being followed. Any issues that can be resolved without resorting to punishment is preferred. This is why in this system there are multiple warnings before action takes place. It is designed so that an individual is made clearly aware that they are breaking a rule and is deciding to continue doing so anyways before punishment is handed out by a Community Moderator. You are free to discuss this as long as it is in a calm and constructive manner, but be aware that this decision is not going to be reversed at this time. Updates per 5th August 2019 In the past few months, discussion has been had about increasing the Moderator powerset. This included a slow roll out of giving out more responsibilities to allow them to assist in more day-to-day runnings of the group. Some examples:
Selecting the mission list for session nights, and posting the AARs
Streamlining and assisting in the Recruitment and Recruit Phase process
Running session when an Admin is unable
Handing out Official Warnings to Members
Leading and assisting in enacting documentation and process changes within the group (Mission Making Rework and Flight Qual)
Adding a Tech Mod (Brandon) to assist in the back end server and modset upkeep
The intent is solidify Staff as an overall. There is still a distinction between the two roles but bettering communication, trust and transparency has been the aim these past few months. This might not be the only update to the Moderator powerset but it is the result of the first steps forward. Moderators can now (and have recently) hand(ed) out Official Warnings. Currently we cannot display the Case Files in the Staff Forum due to the logistics involved in providing anonymity in various cases, but Staff are diligent in documenting ASS submissions and complaints carefully, and there is (and has been for a while) a push to provide fair defences from members before punishments are finalised. To quote Animander from this very post:
The ultimate goal of this system is not to find more ways to punish people, but to make sure that BW rules and policies are being followed. Any issues that can be resolved without resorting to punishment is preferred. This is why in this system there are multiple warnings before action takes place. It is designed so that an individual is made clearly aware that they are breaking a rule and is deciding to continue doing so anyways before punishment is handed out by [STAFF]
I thank the group as a whole for sticking around and being patient with BW. Arma 4 isn't around the corner so it is a group effort to keep this ship sailing in the meantime, and providing fun nights for all. -Smith