As some of may be aware John has created a team of Moderators for this forum. So you all know the score I reproduce here the guidelines for forum moderating as it stands at the moment.
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The biggest goal of the moderator is facilitating civil discussion. This is achieved in several ways:
limiting trolling. trolling can be anything from posting incendiary comments to just making one-line quips in a thread without contributing to the discussion at hand. Or rambling on at length about nothing, re posting the same thoughts without regard for actually having a conversation. Post deletion and temporary bannings are good for dealing with this.
removing offensive comments or hate speech. you want your community to be inclusive for all. Mod options: delete all offensive comments, drop a note to the offender and tell them to clean up their mouths. If they continue, ban them.
No flames or personal attacks. Also, no use of offensive language. posts are deleted and users are given a time out.
Be an example. Mods and admins should not be flouting rules just because they can. That goes for avatars, .sig files, posting etiquette, the works. Also, be fair in all our dealings with friend and foe alike.
If you are unsure about a thread or post, lock it until the situation has been reviewed by at least one other mod.
If a Mod feels a post needs editing for language or offencive/inflammatory text, if possible request the poster to edit the post him/herself. If it needs immediate action then add a note to the post explaining it has been edited by a Moderator and PM the poster with an explanation
If a thread is moved into a new topic use the "leave a ghost" option and let the ghost remain for a few days so people using it can find it.
In light of recent events, anyone winding up a member in such a way as to try to elicit or provoke a negative response, will be liable to a time out of one week, rising to one month for a repeat offense and finally account deletion.
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I hope we can all work together, and make this Forum a happy and informative place to be.
Paul.