Alter Aeon Rules of Conduct

Rules Section 16 - Extra Rules For Global Channel Moderators

Rule 16.1  - Informational - Moderation Guiding Principles

The intent of the moderation system is to provide quick, minor correction
and feedback to channel users.  In order for this to happen without causing
undue personal affront or starting a tribal war, the moderation system is
based on a few fundamental principles:

 - moderation is a minor event that is temporary and has a short timer

Moderation isn't meant to be a ban hammer to get rid of undesirables.  Rather
it's a tool that can help teach new players what is and isn't acceptable,
and help them become part of the Alter Aeon community.

 - moderators are anonymous

It's far too easy to point a finger at a moderator and start a fight if you
know who it is.  The point is not to give moderators power over channel
users and let them win battles.  The point is for the moderation system as
a whole to provide guidance on what is or isn't acceptable.

 - moderators get feedback on their actions

Moderator actions are pretty minor, but it's important for moderators to
know if they're doing the right thing.  The moderator channel and voting
system is intended to help moderators learn and discuss what may or may
not be appropriate.

 - moderators cannot moderate if they're personally involved

In order to limit conflicts of interest, moderators cannot moderate on a
channel that they have recently used.  While this may limit the number of
moderators that are available to deal with a problem, it helps reduce the
odds that a bad moderation will occur during a heated debate.

Rule 16.2  - Moderators Should Not Moderate If Involved

Moderators by default cannot moderate channels that they have recently
used.  This is to limit conflicts of interest, and to prevent a moderator
from "winning" a discussion by silencing an opponent.  It helps prevent
power abuse, and perceptions of power abuse.

While this covers the majority of cases, if a moderator has other conflicts
of interest that would prevent them from making an unbiased moderation,
they should bow out and refuse to moderate.

Rule 16.3  - Moderators Should Be Invisible

Moderators should not announce that they are moderators or tell other
players that they are moderators.  Given that moderators cannot actually
take action on channels that they've recently used, announcing that they
are a moderator actually prevents them from doing their job.

Keeping moderators anonymous also reduces accusations of unfairness and
helps players view moderations as "something the system does" as opposed
to "something player X did because they hate me".  This is dumb, but
necessary.  It doesn't have to make sense.

Rule 16.4  - Moderators Should Consider Being Invisible To Other Moderators

It is entirely possible for a moderator to be completely unknown to all
other moderators.  This is probably a good idea, and if a moderator
decides to do this, other moderators should support them and not
intentionally break anonymity.

Invisible moderators will still get feedback from the voting system, and
will still be able to see commentary on the avatar channel.  However,
they won't be able to comment on the avatar channel without becoming
known.

Rule 16.5  - Moderators Should Vote, Not Argue

Moderators are people, and players, just like everyone else.  The same
complaints about power abuse hold between moderators as normal players -
one moderator challenging the actions of another results in the same
bullshit arguments that can be found on normal channels.

Because of this, moderation actions do not show on the avatar channel who
performed the moderation.  All you'll see is that an action was taken,
and an ID number of that action.

If you're the person that made the moderation:

 - Your name was hidden for a reason.  Don't announce that you were the
   one who did it.

 - If you get positive or negative votes, try to understand why and learn
   from it.  This is how new moderators should learn.

 - Don't be afraid of getting negative votes.  Moderation is a minor, quick
   thing that wears off automatically.  It's ok to make mistakes.

If you see a moderation happen and you feel strongly about it:

 - If you disagree with an action, or if you agree with and support an
   action, you should vote on the action.

 - If you have extra things to say about why, try to say it in an unbaised
   way:  eg. "I don't think that really qualified as spam"

 - If necessary, ask a question on the avatar channel if you really don't
   understand why something is being up or down voted.

Rule 16.6  - Informational - Dentin Is Arbiter And Has Logs

If there's an unresolvable issue, you can ask Dentin to make a decision.

If you suspect an anonymous moderator is abusing the system or making
consistently bad decisions, you can ask Dentin to review logs and step in.
He'll be able to review voting records and take action if necessary.