MEMBER AND MODERATOR GUIDELINES

The Goal of the Moderator Team in the Hot Topics Forums is to ensure, to the best of our abilities, that these forums are accessible, and enjoyable, to all sides of the spectrum.

With that in mind, please read the following verbiage, which lays out expectations for Members and Moderators.

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Moderators

The Moderators at Mil.Com joined this community for the same reason that the majority of you did; to enjoy stimulating debate, and fellowship with other people of SIMILAR and DIFFERING interests. They have volunteered to use their time to try to make the forums a better place for all.

Moderators will no longer use any screen name other than their Moderator screen name to post to the Hot Topics Forums. There are no more "Stealth Mods", as some here designated them. That was a policy which did not work out, and it has been discontinued.

1. Moderators are, first and foremost, Members just like any of you. As such, they have the same freedom to engage in debates that any member does.

a. Moderators will make it abundantly obvious when they are posting as members.

b. When a Moderator posts in a debate as a Member, he obviously can no longer effectively moderate that thread. If issues arise that need to be addressed, the Moderator will either seek another Mods help, or, if another Moderator is not available, will lock the thread for review by another Moderator, or myself.

c. A Moderator will not try to exact revenge for anything said in a thread in which they are posting as a Member. This does NOT mean, however, that it will be open season on the Moderator. Personal attacks on a Moderator will be dealt with, just as they will be dealt with for any poster.

d. When a Moderator is posting as a Member, the same T.O.S. rules apply to them as to any other member.

2. Moderators will attempt to be fair and unbiased in their dealings with Members. This means that it should not matter if you are Conservative, Liberal, Libertarian, Gay, Straight, or any combination of the above, the goal is the same for all; Consistency in moderator action. I have specifically asked my Moderators to be especially vigilant towards those whom they AGREE with. The danger in moderating is that you will give members who share your viewpoint a pass, letting them get away with behavior that would be unacceptable in a Member whom the Moderator disagrees with.

3. Moderators are accountable to the same T.O.S. that the members are: Indeed, perhaps more accountable, since we are in a position of responsibility. This being true, we welcome any criticism of how we are doing our job. If there is an issue, we want to know about it.

4. Moderators do have the authority, and the power to facilitate discussion in the Hot Topic Forums. Our goal is to be hands off as much as possible, but when we see a need to intervene, we will. I will back any Moderator action when the Moderator acts in good faith to deal with an issue. If, upon review, the action taken is deemed to be excessive, I have no problem with admitting such, and correcting the action, without prejudice towards the Moderator, unless the action is deemed malicious. Any Member can request review of action taken.

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Members

My expectations for members are pretty straightforward. The Hot Topics Forums exist for your enjoyment. There are a few guidelines which will make the use of the Forums more enjoyable for you, and for other members.

1. Obey the T.O.S. to the best of your abilities.

2. Refrain from personal attacks, derogatory nicknames, and slanderous/libelous statements about other Members. These will not be tolerated, regardless of which side of the political spectrum you are arguing.

3. When a Moderator requests that a Member or Members stand down from a debate that the Moderator deems to be getting out of hand, do so. The debate can continue, but the Members involved should be cognizant of the request, and tone down their rhetoric.

4. If a Moderators actions are seen as being erroneous, vindictive, or it is believed that the Moderator has misunderstood what is going on in a thread, do NOT challenge the Moderator in the forums. Take it to email. I receive email at:
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Any complaints will be reviewed with no prejudice towards the person making the report, and if warranted, action will be taken to redress the situation.

5. USE the Member Alert System. The number of Moderators that we have is not sufficient to keep an eye on every thread. Member Alerts help us to police the community. Rest assured, all alerts will be reviewed, and action taken if necessary. Be aware that many of the actions taken by Moderators are transparent. You may never know if any action was taken, but action will be taken as necessary.

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Warning and Suspension Policy

To help ensure consistency in actions taken towards members, we are establishing a policy to delineate appropriate actions. There will be a consistent four (4) step process.

1. A request will be made within the thread to stop the objectionable behavior.

2. If the request is not honored, the member will be emailed to again request that the objectionable behavior is stopped. A reply to the thread will request that the member check their email, and a warning will be put by the Members name. If the member stands down at this point, the warning will be removed either immediately, or at the Moderators discretion for a Member who consistently pushes the envelope.

3. If Member has not stood down, a Final Warning will be given via email, with a request in the thread that the member check their email.

4. Last resort, if a member will not heed, posting privileges will be removed.
First Offense: Ten (10) day suspension.
Second Offense: Twenty (20) day suspension.
Third Offense: Forty five (45) day suspension
Any further offenses will receive indefinite suspension.

An exception: If a member consistently pushes to the point of Final Warning before standing down, I will review that members posting history for further action.

***Any or all of the above steps may be skipped in the event of a flagrant violation such as threats, extreme obscenities, or returning trolls. In the case of the above, Moderators can immediately suspend the member, awaiting further review.***

I will personally review any disciplinary action which was deemed to need escalation past the designated steps.


You are encouraged to offer feedback, suggestions, or complaints. Any constructive Member input will be reviewed and considered without prejudice towards the member. Do not fear that vindictive action will be taken if you complain. You have my word that this will not happen.

Again, I can be reached at:


If any Member wishes to escalate a complaint to Site Admin, and does not know how to do this, I will help direct them to the proper channels.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Silent_Surface,

Sounds fair enough to me.

Good job.

so when a member gets a formal warning by e-mail from a mod how long is that in effect????

copy

quote:

Originally posted by outlaws93:
so when a member gets a formal warning by e-mail from a mod how long is that in effect????

Outlaws,

from above:

quote:

If the member stands down at this point, the warning will be removed either immediately, or at the Moderators discretion for a Member who consistently pushes the envelope.

SS
I've seen complaints about mods and favorite-ism or unfair or inconsistant treatment by the mods against members. I have never, personally, noticed this or been, in any way, impacted. I admire the mods for the thankless service they render. I say thanks to the mods, keep on keepin on.

As for anybody posting under more than one name, I guess some people want to and justify their reasons. It all seams petty to me, but I really don't care. I trust military.com to set whatever rules or TOS they wish. I'm a free guest here. "It's not my circus, I'm just one of the clowns". To military.com I also say thanks for everything the site offers and maintains.
Al

quote:

Originally posted by Silent_Surface:

quote:

Originally posted by outlaws93:
so when a member gets a formal warning by e-mail from a mod how long is that in effect????

Outlaws,

from above:

quote:

If the member stands down at this point, the warning will be removed either immediately, or at the Moderators discretion for a Member who consistently pushes the envelope.

so what does that mean??? is said member informed when it is removed??? what kind of time frame are we talking???

outlaws93

Email Inbound.

received and understood....

Well Outlaws, they do put a warning under your name..... Watch that and see if it is removed..... LOL

Silent Surface:

Thank you.

A lot. P/CP needed this. I'm very glad that you have the vision to post this. You've also responded to a lot that we wanted in the "Make Military.com Better" thread.

Kudos. I think I might call you Hammurabi from now on.

One more item. Since we've got this listed, would it be alright to bring everyone back who's suspended right now? Sorta wipe the slate clean? Ensure they read this then let em loose.

quote:

Originally posted by Fighterpilotmafia:
Silent Surface:

Thank you.

A lot. P/CP needed this. I'm very glad that you have the vision to post this. You've also responded to a lot that we wanted in the "Make Military.com Better" thread.

Kudos. I think I might call you Hammurabi from now on.

One more item. Since we've got this listed, would it be alright to bring everyone back who's suspended right now? Sorta wipe the slate clean? Ensure they read this then let em loose.

I have already removed some warnings. If a suspended Member wishes to be restored and given another chance, then they need to contact me and make their case.

I am a reasonable man, and will consider any such request on a case by case basis.

The onus, however, is on them. They need to contact me and argue their case.

WILCO SS

OK

Very much needed SS

SS, incoming mail

1. Bout freakin time. Thanks!

Aye, aye, mate.

wilco

So who will be the first to step on his Dick?

What about a moderator who has another screen name lurking to suck people into their agruements and then give a vacation because they didn't like the poster's comment. Something needs to be done to mod's who doe this. And pleas tell PhonixDark about this or are we talking about Memphis Raine?

What about derogatory nicknames used as terms of endearment?