Moderator's Manual

Presented hereunder is the current publication-version of the Vulpine Hollow Moderator's Manual - a collaborative effort between the entirety of the staff, and various outside consultants. Although subject to revision, it should be read and understood by any VH mod. Users interested in how the Mods do their duties are welcome to read as well - the most important section for everyone is the "accountability" section, the tenets of which are stressed throughout.

The Moderator’s Manual

These guidelines - meant to be publically-posted for the perusal of both users and moderators - are as complete a guide as can be prepared for moderators in Vulpine Hollow, both the established and the incoming. They should be understood to supplant previous instructions, where necessary, and provide a simple, single, clean stop for the question of what VH Mods are meant to do - and what they should feel encouraged to do, where possible.

What Is A Mod?

The most important question to answer is - “What is a Mod?” Mods in Vulpine Hollow are both similar and dissimilar to a moderator in any other community. Their duties encompass many things - actions both supportive and disciplinary, situations of discontent, and general community leadership. In an idealistic sense, they are meant to symbolize the best qualities in the community. In a reactionary sense, they are the gate-guards against destructive, aggressively antisocial, or hostile behavior. In an everyday sense, they are there to help make sure folks feel welcome, feel safe, get along, and have fun.

In essence: Moderators provide social lubricant. They keep everything running smoothly, to the best of their individual abilities. They act as firemen, and, where necessary, officers of the peace.

However, it is important to understand that moderators are also users. They are subject to the same rules, the same restrictions, and the same expectations as all other members of the chat. Although it is expected that they will work closely with one another to help defuse conflicts, handle situations, and point help towards users in need of it, they are neither above reproach nor part of a privileged class.

The only true difference between a user and a mod is (and should be) that the mods are empowered with certain abilities to help the chat and its members, flourish, grow, and enjoy themselves. It is important to understand that mods are answerable to their fellow users. There is no rule against ‘arguing with a mod’. Mods should expect to be treated like any other user, and given the same respect (when warranted) and consideration that any other user would receive.

Moderator Behavior

Moderators are expected to behave in a way befitting their position, whenever they are on-duty in the chat, or dealing publically with their fellow users. This includes being respectful, even-tempered and fair, no matter the provocation. Moderators should be aware that they will be disrespected in the course of their duties, and should be able to calmly handle such situations as arise along these lines. Moderators should be aware that they will have to earn the respect of their position - it is not a given, and it should never be invoked in any argument or discussion, the opinion of a moderator, in all aspects save for that moderator’s duty, has exactly the same weight as anyone else’s.

Moderators should be keenly aware that bad mods kill communities. A moderator who is hostile, unwelcoming, or unfair, can quickly create an unpleasant and unfriendly environment within the chat, and this is unacceptable behavior for anyone specially-selected to watch over and protect the experiences of their fellow users. Moderators must understand that while they wield many abilities, their chief-most skill should be responsibility.

Once again, mods are answerable to users. A moderator should be willing to explain and justify any use of moderatorial power, tactfully, politely and promptly, to any user who asks. Because mods are endowed with the dispensation of certain powers (kicks, bans, et al) they can and will be held to a higher standard of behavior, accountability, and responsibility.

Finally, moderators should be aware that their position gives them access to privileged information. Any and all of this information is held in trust, and must be treated carefully. As much as possible, moderators are expected to separate what they know as users from what they know as mods - this includes the ‘secret identities’ of alts, as well as information that they have been provided directly by users in one way or another. On or off the Hollow, people’s privacy is sacrosanct. Guard it well.

And don’t forget - smile! Behind all the big words and circumstance, this is a fun place with some of our favorite people in the world. You are the guardians of our little community, but we are still all just friends.

Moderator Duties

The duties of a moderator can be separated into two distinct groups - Preventative and Disciplinary. All issues arise from somewhere - nothing happens in a vacuum.

Preventative actions, then, should be considered in the context of their ability to ‘stop issues before they become issues’ - to keep people calm, to provide a more positive social experience, to give others the ability to bond more effectively.

Disciplinary actions are actions taken when something has already happened. In this community, ideally, you will not have to take these often - it is hoped that the well-used application of preventative actions will aid in ensuring peace and tranquility, by and large.

Preventative

Moderators should keep an eye on ongoing conversations and be aware of developing trends as they happen. Usually, issues do not become issues until someone gets aggressive, or defensive. It is very possible to redirect a conversation heading in this direction, to provide reasonable answers to inflammatory statements, and to ‘de-fang’ statements likely to cause discontent or wider repercussions. It is extremely possible to have a meaningful discussion even about potentially-contentious topics - we are, after all, all adults here - but if necessary, moderators should be ready to steer potentially-negative or adversarial topics towards more positive interpretations.

‘Stepping in’ like this is - by and large - left to the discretion of each individual mod, which is why we prize good judgment in our moderatorial staff. Sometimes a conversation is just a conversation - but sometimes it’s something more, and to keep things from getting too acrimonious, a mod might need to speak up.

The chief tool of a VH mod in resolving any situation, dispute, or problem, should be the application of ‘soft power’. This is, put simply, the application of persuasion and conversation to try and influence events, and individuals, to a reasonable and beneficial outcome. It is important for a moderator to realize that everyone makes mistakes - and in the long-term, helping a user to understand why their attitude, or behavior, is working against their presumptive goal to have fun and fit in with the community, will have a far more empowering and positive effect than simply punishing someone.

Although they are not expected to step in and help resolve every non-rule-related dispute that occurs between two users, moderators can feel encouraged to do so, if they feel that their involvement, and the presence of as-neutral-as-possible a third party, or moving with a dispute to a less-populated area, would help resolve it.

Once someone is made a moderator, they should be aware that their words carry weight. Mods can’t yet turn those italics off, and so it’s important to be aware of how their words and actions might be perceived by others who may or may not be as familiar with them, as a person, as they are with the title of “moderator”. While pretty much anything goes outside of the chat, with a few exceptions, moderators at VH are generally held to a higher standard than their fellow users, behaviorally and otherwise.

Finally, of course, mods should have fun and interact with their fellow chat members! Good attitudes and fun tend to be relatively contagious, and shared jokes, and experiences, and good vibes tend to set the tone for a place far more effectively than any amount of rules-enforcement could.

Disciplinary

Sometimes, the best-laid plans of mice and men go awry. When this occurs, a moderator is left to turn to the more unpleasant aspect of their duties - disciplinary action. Disciplinary action in Vulpine Hollow is always reactive, never pre-emptive - although patterns of bad behavior may lead to a determination of harsher punishment being handed out.

When the time comes to enforce the rules with iron rather than velvet, it is presumed and expected that the use of ‘soft power’ has failed. At this point a situation has become a measurable detriment to other users’ experiences, and whoever is causing it has proved intractable to suggestions and help offered in good will.

In short, the excrement has hit the air conditioning.

The basic situation of user misbehavior is rarely something someone needs to be called out on. There are many levels of ‘infraction’ against the peace and goodwill of Vulpine Hollow, and a public shaming is inappropriate for most of them. Whenever possible, if a moderator judges that the benefit to the individual outweighs any possible benefit to the public, moderator activities should be conducted by whisper or PM, and if a situation is developing in public, a moderator should simply make a clear statement that the issue is being dealt with.

The reasoning for this is that public censure precludes rational discussion. We can all be unreasonable at times, and we are all far more likely to get defensive when called out in front of our peers. This can just create further factionalism and hostility. However, if a user wants a discussion to be public, they have a right to request it of the mod. The moderator must abide by this, but can insist the discussion happen in The Fourth Wall or any other appropriate conflict-resolution space.

While discussing the issue with the party involved (if necessary) or taking action, moderators should remember that it is as important to listen as it is to speak. Listening to someone allows them to air out their grievances in a controlled manner, and see where they’re coming from, which can help you to resolve their issue and the issues of others. Remember - even when a user is misbehaving, we are there to help them, and solve their problems and other users’ problems, first and foremost.

If an issue arises that requires further investigation - something is reported to a mod, privately or otherwise, or a mod sees evidence of something hidden below the surface - the moderator should investigate the matter to the fullest extent practical before taking hard action. Moderators should always endeavor to have all the information and make informed decisions, especially for when they are explaining their actions to other moderators. This goes double for any situation where stark disciplinary actions (kicks, bans) are used - “I didn’t see that part” is never a valid excuse for missing crucial details.

When debriefing or discussing with a user, try to avoid lecturing. If someone doesn’t respect you already, then lecturing them tends to make them shut down just like calling them out would.

In any situation that proceeds beyond a moderator giving warnings or making enforceable requests, moderators may issue directives. Directives simply state - ‘Do this, or this will happen.’ This can be along the lines of cooling down and moving to another room to discuss something, dropping a hostile line of conversation with another user, disengaging from an argument, or any other situation where disentanglement will aid more than further discussion.

The last resort of any moderator is a kick or a ban. A “kick” is a 1-to-24-hour ban. Kicks and bans should only be employed in situations where all other options have failed - a user is demonstrating severe hostility, aggressiveness, disruptiveness, obscene disrespect to another user, or otherwise, and has refused to back down, cool down or de-esalate. Except in extraordinary circumstances, kicks will be given before bans, and warnings will be given before kicks. This is done in hopes that, if all else fails, an enforced absence from the chatroom (or the prospect of such) will allow tempers to cool and issues to be re-examined in a more neutral light.

Sometimes, a situation will escalate beyond a single user. A mod may see widespread disagreement with an action they’ve taken, and may have to field multiple questions and deal with a great deal of adversity. They may feel “under attack” or as if others are “ganging up on them.”

Even during these situations, however, VH Mods are expected to maintain lines of clear communication. If a situation is spiraling out of control, a moderator may ask those involved to move outside of the main room, but should endeavor to keep calm, stay professional, and let people know what’s up. Nobody is handed this position to stroke their egos or reward them for good behavior - moderators are civil servants, and must behave appropriately even under adversity. And unless a user is being relentlessly hostile or disrespectful about their disagreement, disagreeing with a mod’s actions is not a disciple-able offense.

In this position, there are no “because I said sos” or “figure it out yourselves.”

Finally, when a user’s kick or ban has expired, and they return to the community, they should be treated like any other user. References to their kicking or banning should not be made in casual conversation, not even in jest, as this can make users feel ostracized or singled-out. The circumstances of past bans is also not an acceptable topic of conversation - once a punishment has elapsed, it is over. Users are not put ‘on parole’ upon their return, and should not be treated any differently simply because they were punished.

Accountability

So, with all of this hooplah over what a mod is or isn’t expected to do, or capable of doing, what happens when a mod oversteps his or her boundaries? Inevitably, there will come situations where users need redress, situations where, by perception or reality, a mod has crossed a line. We do our best to guard against them, select candidates who have the temperament for the job, and give them guidance, advice, training and direction, but it would be ridiculous to assume that, alone, means there will never be waves.

The first thing that mods and their fellow users alike should understand is the mods are accountable to the users, first and foremost. This gets continually stressed, because it is one of the most important tenets. Any action a moderator takes, they should be prepared to stand by and defend, reasonably, calmly, and precisely. However, in the moment, each moderator is also accountable to themselves.

What this means is that moderators can (and, if they feel it’s necessary, should) disagree - in public, if the mod in question feels that’s necessary - but they cannot overrule one another. If there is a disputed mod action, only an administrator can overrule a mod ‘on the spot’ - and unless in the eyes of the administrator there has been a gross miscarriage of justice, doing so is unlikely. A moderator facing resistance for their actions is expected to spend a reasonable amount of time explaining and justifying themselves, if necessary, but is under no obligation to reverse themselves then and there - just as any other moderator is allowed to disagree vehemently with a mod’s actions, but cannot simply ‘undo’ what another mod has done, without due process.

However, any moderatorial action is liable to be pulled up for review afterwards, and will be judged as objectively as possible by the rest of the staff. This process may take hours, or it may take days, depending on schedule, but any grievance will be looked at and discussed, and appropriate censure or actions taken to address it, up to and including the repeal of past moderatorial actions (kicks, bans, et al.)

All of this is a very fancy way of saying that if you disagree with something a mod has done, and could not convince the mod themselves to reverse it when it happened, contact another moderator you trust, or an administrator you trust, and ask them to raise the issue at their earliest opportunity.

As this is a community of friends, it is hoped that among the management there will at least be one staffer that you feel comfortable talking with. If you request anonymity or privacy, that request is absolute - the fact that a report is anonymous will not degrade its validity in the review process.

While we hope to one day implement an optionally-anonymous “Report” function both for issue-escalation and general community watchmanship directly into the chat, at present no such function exists.

Closing Thoughts

If this seems like a lot to take in, it is - but it’s not as overwhelming as it might seem at first. Much of this is simple statements of common-sense codified into our general guidelines, and the day-to-day activities of moderation are rarely as serious or aggrieved as some of the language in the guide might lead you to believe.

As a Moderator, you are generally expected to be frequently active in the chat, on at reasonably-dependable hours, and willing to participate in some form of community activities (whether this be the Townhalls, the games, or other community projects.)

Moderators are not infallible, and should not speak from a position of infallible - nor be seen as such. While they should not be afraid to voice their opinions in conversation, moderators should be aware of the psychological effect that will inevitably occur, despite our best intentions, when “a mod” says something. This should be guarded against and blunted as best as possible.

At present, moderators are not on-or-off duty - we try to work around individual schedules, but if a moderator is present in the chat, they are expected to be available for problem-resolution, user-assistance, or lending aid to fellow staff members.

Outside of VH, moderator communications are not held to the same standard, but moderators should still refrain from publically defaming, bad-mouthing, insulting or otherwise acting hostile towards members of the chat.

In the end, we are all a family, building this community into a home, together. We are all important, we are all volunteers, and we are all accountable to one another. Some of us are simply more accountable than others.

Moderators, you were given this position because it was the best guess of your fellow staffers that you were the best person for the job. We believe in you. Go out there and be fabulous!

And don’t forget to enjoy yourselves!