Owners and Moderators

[OldMan]

The below was developed several years ago and is still online, but can be kind of hard to find so is posted here for your reference.

There has been additional discussion recently concerning just what a moderator should and should not do.  I would like to spend some time exploring that and putting together a guideline document to make it clear to owners and  moderators what their responsibilities are as well as to let the rest of the group know what they can expect from us.  I really dislike being too legalistic about setting up something like this that would be rigidly enforced, but I do believe it is worthwhile to have at least the general guideline so everyone knows what to expect.  This will be a living document that will be updated, frequently at first, as we are better able to define the expectations.

Role of Owners

First of all, let’s look at owners.  In Google Groups, owners are very similar to moderators, except that we cannot be banned or demoted by a moderator and we have the ability to delete the group.  I see our primary responsibility to AvC as holding in trust the keys to the castle.  The existing owners were approved by the AvC membership to replace the original owner after he lost interest.  To me, that means our role is to protect the group as a whole, allowing it to be what it has always been, an open and freewheeling discussion about atheism and theism, Christianity in particular.  We will at times define policy that will protect the interests of the group, and we have the final say on moderators.  However I do not see that we will perform either of those two actions without input from the moderators and the primary AvC users.

Role of Moderators

Moderators primarily function as spam filters.  They will remove spam, generally before you see it, as well as ban spammers.  This is most common done as soon as it is discovered.  Spam, porn and privacy violations will also be dealt with as they are discovered.  Actions in most of these cases will be taken in consultation with the rest of the moderators to ensure that the action is appropriate and not due to a misunderstanding or bias on the part of a single person.

The Purpose of the Moderator Forum

The AvC Moderation forum has been established to allow for discussion about policy and moderation issues, keeping the main forum from getting cluttered up with those things, as well as providing a place for members to easily see the discussion that has occurred concerning policy or moderation decision.  These topics should not be addressed on the main group.  Policy and moderation posts made on the main group will be considered as spam and removed with a notice to the offending member that they should redirect their comment or question to the main forum.  Persistent violations of this policy may result in banning as a spammer.

Objectivity in Performing Duties

Owners and Moderators actually wear two hats.  We are regular members and have our own opinions and views on nearly everything that is expressed on AvC.  And we have the right, just like any other member to express our opinions and views.  But when we are acting as moderators, it is important for us to set aside those opinions and views; explaining and enforcing policy as appropriate.  None of our policy is directed at any specific side of the argument, and it is equally enforceable to all.

[LL]

Looks good, Ed.

Lois

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[lawrey]

      Old man,

       Hello! such a long time, I was beginning to think you had completely lost interest,
        Great to see you on post, Trust you and all those you love are well.
         Take Care.
 
      Lawrey.

[lawrey]

   Just noticed the dates of this posting some 2 years ago so this is a reprint.
    and our dear old wrinkly (OldMan) has not suddenly taken an interest??

[LL]

On Aug 17, 2016, at 11:59 AM, lawrey <lawre...@btinternet.com> wrote:

   Just noticed the dates of this posting some 2 years ago so this is a reprint.
    and our dear old wrinkly (OldMan) has not suddenly taken an interest??

I'm afraid not. 

Lois

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[e_space]

hello ... i am being moderated in the main board and i believe it is LL who is doing so ... from what i have determined, she has blocked recent comments of mine and has offered no explanation ... she will not respond to my questions and i believe she has blocked my comments to her ... i think she did this because i referred to her as a bitch after she repeatedly referred to me as a fool ... seems she can dish it out, but not take it ... she is also currently playing the fool card with richard etc ... i suggest your moderator's learn to accept criticism if they are going to dish it out ... i am involved in several conversations with tex and others that i believe are germane to the purpose of the blog ... LL states unknowns as fact and then bashes those who try to pin her down about it, such as myself ... i would appreciate a resolution to this issue ...