🛡️ Moderator Guidelines
This guide is meant to be a general breakdown of the rules, a listing of what tools are available to moderators to keep the chat in line and instructions for how to handle each situation that a moderator may come across.
If you have any questions or suggestions please raise these either in #staff-chat or DM the Community Manager Jedson on discord.
General Concept for the Server
The server is meant to be a place to hang out and not sweat the small stuff. We’re here to enjoy good conversation, play some games and maybe overanalyze things a little. It’s the sort of place where people can come home from work or school and relax - maybe even escape for a while.
It’s by no means an exclusive club - anyone can participate. Generally what we don’t want is the sort of tired meme culture or flat out abrasive, even abusive behaviour that has plagued some servers and the greater internet as a whole. Just because some people think it’s “cool” to be an asshole, doesn’t mean we want that permeating the server.
About Being a Moderator
Moderators are meant to be a sentry and a representative of the server. They help set the tone and keep things from getting out of hand. The overall goal with moderating the server is to set up an environment and understanding with members where we rarely have to moderate.
Moderators can consult the Community Manager; Jedson, at any time for clarification on any rules or guidelines, by either asking in #staff-chat or sending a DM.
Despite a relatively thorough list of the types of actions to take per infraction, this document is only meant to serve as a basic guide - a baseline for how situations should be handled and a reference document when you’re unsure as to what action (if any) to take. Moderators will need to use their own judgement. There will be many cases where it’s okay to be a bit more lenient, or to step in and clean house if things get out of control.
There will also be cases where this guide doesn’t cover a given situation and you’ll need to improvise a solution. Please let me know when such cases occur.
Moderator Behavior
As a moderator is a representative of the server and (hopefully only occasional) enforcer of its rules, it’s especially important for mods to follow the server rules. Moderators may face harsher penalties for breaking the rules than other members of the server. At the very least, a moderator risks losing their moderation privileges for more than an incidental, accidental rule break, but are more likely to be banned as well.
Two-Step Authentication
We strongly recommend that all moderators have two-step authentication setup on their discord account. This will help prevent trouble caused by a moderator’s account being compromised.
Moderator Communication
Mods should not discuss how to moderate in the main public channels. Instead, the #staff-chat channel should be used.
Repeat Moderation for Same Member across Different Mods
It’s likely that we’ll see some users break rules or at least require warnings across longer periods of time. The original moderator that handled the incident may not be present, and other moderators will need to step in and take action. Please try to coordinate as much as possible - if any moderators have any requests or ideas to make this smoother, please let me know.
Moderator Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes - it’s how we handle them that determines how we’re viewed and how the tone is set going forward. If you accidentally mute or ban a person incorrectly, simply undoing the action and apologising should be fine. Correcting a ban/mute length is similar - just let the member know the updated time as necessary. Be sure to clarify if you warn the wrong member as well - so they don’t feel like an undeserved target.
If you believe that a mistake will have wide/long-term repercussions for the server please let the Community Manager; Jedson know. I’ll be a lot less upset (usually not upset at all) if you let me know sooner than waiting for the situation to explode.
Breaking my own rules
There’s probably going to be at least a few times where I’ll dip into conversations that I shouldn’t, or contract a case of Foot in Mouth Disease and say something stupid. Make sure to let me know (#staff-chat is good for this). Part of my responsibility as a community manager is to set the tone for the server, and I need to avoid doing the kinds of things I don’t want in the chat.
Moderating Subscribers
Subscribers are expected to follow the same rules as anyone else. Subscribing offers no special freedoms from moderation nor do they allow you to bypass or be pardoned from following the rules.
Ban Appeals
Most temporary mutes and bans should be left as-is. They provide time to reset and reevaluate, and allow some breathing room for chat. Reverting a temporary mute should really only occur to resolve moderator error.
The hope is that if someone is permanently banned, it’s only because they’re irredeemable and should remain banned. In the rare event where the banned member is honestly repentant, whether to un-ban is up to the moderator’s discretion - assuming I haven’t requested that they remain banned with no option for appeal.
Ban appeals should be handled only by the moderator who enacted the ban, or the community manager or founder.
I’m generally going to consider the acting moderator as directly responsible for ensuring that the un-banned member behaves.
Changes to Rules and Guidelines
The rules and guidelines for the server may have to be updated from time to time. I’ll make sure to inform moderators as this happens. This will probably happen mostly if an undesired situation happens and isn’t covered by the existing rules, or the type of moderator actions are deemed unsuitable for the type of offence.
Types of Moderator Actions
Here’s a breakdown of the types of actions a moderator may need to take, as well as how to use them and generally where they’ll come into play.
This is the list of commands that you have access to as moderator:
/ban - Ban a member from the server.
/infractions - Display a member’s warnings.
/kick - Kick a member from the server.
/mute - Mute a member in the server.
/tempmute - Temporarily mute a member in the server.
/unban - Unban a member from the server.
/unmute - Unmute a member from the server.
/warn - Warn a member.
Clarification
Sometimes you’ll need to step in and clarify the rules in order to avoid/limit how often they’re broken. Other times you’ll need to step in after a mute and explain why the rules exist in the first place. It’s often the case that setting the tone can do a lot more good than any other moderator action, especially as it affects the entire server, rather than the one person or few people who may be causing trouble.
Warning
Sometimes members may be on the edge of breaking a rule or are simply getting somewhat rowdy. It helps to let them know ahead of time so they don’t get carried away. Oftentimes a warning will need to be paired with a clarification for best effect.
Warnings differentiate themselves from clarification in that clarification provides more insight into the rules, where a warning informs the member that a moderator may soon take action.
Temporary Mutes & Bans
Sometimes a broken rule means the member should spend some time elsewhere for a while, either to cool down or to think about what happened. Maybe they’re causing enough of a disruption in the chat that we need some time to clear the air and a temporary mute provides some breathing room to get things under control.
Please list a reason as part of the tempmute command. This will make it much easier to coordinate with other moderators.
Permanent Bans (PermaBan)
Generally the type of action to take only for egregious offences, accounts that exist for the sole purpose of breaking rules, long-term repeat offenders, or those who return from a tempmute/ban to immediately stir up more trouble. If you feel as though a member should be banned then please open a ticket in the #support channel with an explanation as to why and either the community manager or founder will review this and ban the member if they agree.
Un-mute / End of Mutes
Temporary mutes and non-permanent bans expire on their own. Sometimes you’ll need to end a timeout/non-permanent mute early, clear a permanent mute. This can be as a result of a mistake, needing to adjust the duration, or a successful appeal. This can be done with the /unmute command.
Example Situations & How to Handle
Here’s a general breakdown of the types of situations a moderator may encounter along with how to handle them as well as information on why each rule exists.
Joining the Server and Immediately Breaking a Rule
If the first thing someone does when joining the server is break a rule, usually it’s grounds for immediate mute and preferably learning toward permanent bans. Depends on the context, and you’ll need to check other rules/situations for clarification.
It’s common for people to have new / throwaway accounts for this type of thing, and those people should be looked upon much more harshly than people who have older accounts or are long-term members of the server.
Ban Evasion
If someone’s banned, assuming the moderator guidelines were followed and the member stepped out of line, they should remain banned. Sometimes the member will come back under a different account either to contest the ban or to sneak around the rules. There’s also cases where a friend (or “friend”) will appear and want to discuss or contest a ban.
Offence
Action
Member joins on an alternative account to avoid a ban.
Permanent Ban
Member’s friend inquires about a ban.
Clarification
Member’s friend openly contests a ban
Clarification & Warning
Member’s friend continues to argue about a ban.
24-Hour Mute
Member’s friend returns after a mute to contest ban.
1-Week Mute
Member’s friend returns after a second mute to contest ban.
Permanent Mute & Advise that appeals can be written to support@reverbslowed.com
Arguing with Moderators
Moderators are expected to have a clear understanding of the rules they enforce. Most actions should be cut and dry, and the member needs to take the action in stride. After all, this is how we limit disruptions and rude/offensive behaviour, and set the tone for the channel.
Offence
Action
Member confronts moderator publicly after action
Clarification
Confrontation with moderator for action against other member
Clarification
Member continues to argue an action with a moderator
Warning
Member continues to argue after a warning
24-Hour Mute
Continues after a 24-hour mute.
7-Day Mute
Continues after a 7-day mute.
Permanent Mute & Advise that appeals can be written to support@reverbslowed.com
Offensive / Inappropriate Names & Special Cases
Some people have names that get past the filters on Discord. Usually they’re throwaway accounts meant to stir up trouble or disparage others. Always a permanent ban - these people have effectively structured their existence into hating or even hurting others.
Other members named after a product or service hand may simply be spam accounts, and we’ll have to keep an eye on them to ensure that they don’t muck up the chat.
Offence
Action
Name contains homophobia, transphobia, racism, etc.
Permanent Ban & Report to Discord
Name promotes a product or service
No Action, Caution
Name and messages are solely unsolicited advertising
Permanent Ban & Report to Discord
General Moderation Actions
Unless specified separately in this document above, below are the moderation actions which should be taken if any of the rules in our server are broken. Please remind yourself of the server rules which can be found in the #about-server channel.
Offence
Action
First instance of a rule broken.
Clarification
Continued breaking of the same rule after a clarification.
Warning
Continued breaking of the same rule after a warning.
24-hour Mute
Continued breaking of the same rule after a 24-hour mute.
7-Day Mute
Continued breaking of the same rule after a 7-day mute.
Permanent Mute & Advise that appeals can be written to support@reverbslowed.com
Additional argument in DMs after permanent mute.
Permanent Ban
Remember this document is only meant to serve as a basic guide - a baseline for how situations should be handled and a reference document when you’re unsure as to what action (if any) to take. Moderators will need to use their own judgement. There will be many cases where it’s okay to be a bit more lenient, or to step in and clean house if things get out of control.
Ticket Guidance
Please be professional when responding to tickets. Don’t use the claim function/button, any member of the staff team can take over handing a ticket at any point. Hi is not good enough when starting a ticket, instead say something along the lines of ‘Hey @User Mention how can we help :)’ if the member hasn’t already stated what they are asking for.
Ticket Handling
Here is some guidance on what to do in certain ticket types.
- Playlist Usage - If a member isn’t sure what genre playlist their video should go into and isn’t able to find out from Google they will raise a ticket to ask. Get the song name and artist and listen to the song, if you aren’t sure yourself then leave for Aster to advise. Only say to use the EDM playlist if you are 100% sure that the song doesn’t fall into any of the sub genre playlists. If a member keeps regularly asking for support on this then we need to try to help guide them as to how they can work out the genre’s themselves in future. - Request to join as a network member - Get a link to their YouTube channel and leave for a recruiter to review and respond to.
No other ticket types have specific handling methods at this time, this section will be updated if that changes. Once you feel that a ticket has been resolved ask if there is anything else we can help them with and then once they confirm this you can close the ticket. Don’t ever delete a ticket, please leave them there as closed for the community manager to review and delete once they are happy it’s been dealt with. If a member opens a ticket and doesn’t send any message after 30 minutes then close the ticket. If a member doesn’t respond to a message in a ticket after 24 hours send a follow up message mentioning them, if still no response after 48 hours then close the ticket.
Staff Rules
The following are the rules which are required to be followed as a member of staff along with what action will be taken if these rules are broken.
Warning
A "warning" means an official disapproval or criticism given to a moderator for not following the rules. It's like a serious reminder that they need to do better. If they keep breaking rules, they might lose their role as a moderator.
Breaking these rules could lead to a warning:
Be nice, fair, and understanding to everyone on the server.
Always say why you're warning, kicking, muting, or banning someone.
Make sure everything runs smoothly and stop any problems before they get worse.
Don't stop music bots unless it’s not music or it’s offensive.
Removal from Role or Warning:
If a moderator breaks these rules, they might get a warning or lose their role, depending on what the head moderator, community manager or founder decides.
If asked, moderators have to show proof of why they muted someone.
If a complaint doesn't have enough proof, moderators don't have to punish anyone.
Moderators have to follow the same rules as everyone else. If a staff member breaks a rule, you can't punish them. Instead, tell the head moderator or higher privately.
If a banned member DMs you asking to be unbanned you have to ask the moderator who banned them why they were banned along with asking for proof, then based on the information you get from the moderator then decide if they should be unbanned, if you are unsure what to do then tell the head moderator or higher privately.
Moderators can't share private staff discussions unless it's to prove someone broke the rules. Only staff members can be part of these discussions.
Moderators have to follow orders from higher-ups unless they have a good reason not to.
Removal from Role:
Breaking these rules means losing your role as a moderator.
Moderators must be able to report what they do to other staff members if asked. They can't use their powers for no reason or to help themselves or friends.
Moderators have to be active online. If they're gone for a long time without a good reason, they could lose their role. For example if you are going away on holiday for 3 weeks and don’t say anything in the server then your role could be removed unless you let the community manager know that you’ll be unavailable.
Moderators can't give their account info to anyone.
Summary
The moderator guidelines provide a framework for maintaining a positive server atmosphere. They emphasise the importance of moderators in upholding rules and fostering a relaxed environment.
Key points include moderators adhering to rules, implementing two-step authentication, and coordinating efforts in handling infractions. The document stresses prompt acknowledgment and rectification of moderator mistakes.
Furthermore, it outlines procedures for ban appeals, rule updates, and various moderator actions such as warnings and mutes. Specific scenarios and actions are detailed for consistency.
Lastly, staff rules prioritise accountability and professionalism among moderators, with clear consequences for violations. Overall, these guidelines are crucial for effective moderation and community management.
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