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A Moderator, or Mod, is a member chosen by the Super Moderators to take care of a specific forum. These members are in charge of keeping the forum clear of spam and also trying to promote responsible discussion. They can be identified by the maroon (moderator) or moderator (if the member does not have a Custom Title) tag beneath their user name, and the link(s) to the forum(s) that they moderate underneath that tag.
They use a red icon.
They have inherent powers to do their job effectively. Some of these powers include deleting and editing threads and posts, floating/unfloating threads, closing/opening threads, merging posts to reduce double posting, and banning members from posting in said forum. Posts are also able to be reported or flagged for a moderators attention, and it is their responsibility to deal with these reported posts.
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Editing and Deleting Posts
Moderators tend to edit posts that are generally good or contain a certain part with quality, but contain material that is against the rules. The editing feature is also handy for editing the Thread Indexes or the Forum Rules thread as necessary. This gives each moderator the freedom to implement their "doctrines" in their forum, as opposed to what a previous moderator might have implemented. Moderators are also authorized to delete any post that they deem unnecessary to the discussion for being offensive or irrelevant. When posts are deleted, a member will often receive a PM notifying the occurrence, and the moderators may give an explanation as to why they deleted the post, remind them of the rules, and warn them not to break the rules again at the risk of a ban.
Managing Threads
Moderators are allowed to close any thread that they determine to be unfit for the forum. Thread closure means that the thread may not have anymore posts added to it by a member. The posts in it, however, may be edited. Threads that are lightly inappropriate are typically closed and not deleted, or they are moved to another forum that better suits their topic. The greatly inappropriate threads are deleted. They may be first closed with a deletion date set so that members have a chance to read and see why the thread was closed. Threads that contain the highest offenses are often deleted immediately. Threads may be reopened after being closed, if the moderator is ensured that the thread will receive no more abuse. Some threads hold special information about the forum and are floated. This means that they will remain with all other floated threads at the top of the forum and will not sink below other threads. Some floated threads may be unfloated once they become irrelevant. This usually happens when a change in the forum occurs.
Merging Posts
Sometimes, members make two posts in a row without realizing it. Double posts look sloppy in a thread, so moderators may correct this by merging the two posts into one post. This only happens when the double posts are not exact copies that result from a computer lag with the user; they have to be unique messages.
Reporting Posts and Bans
All moderators strongly encourage members to report posts that violate the rules as quickly and rationally as possible. This allows moderators to find out and react quickly to the offense and deal with the member. Posts may be reported by clicking the grey button in the bottom-right corner of every post. These reported posts are listed in the Moderation Queue. Depending on the offense and the consistency of offenses, a moderator may ban a member. Bans prevent the account from being used to post in a defined forum. The length and harshness of the ban will depend on the extent and amount of offenses. Repeated or extremely vulgar offenders may face a permanent ban from all forums on the site.
Becoming a Moderator
In order to become a moderator, a member must be found suitable, by displaying the following traits:
- Must be active in the particular forum and must understand the topic and purpose of the forum well.
- Must know and understand the sitewide rules, and abide by them.
- Must also show skill in the use of mark-up and general language skills (txt talk is discouraged on Neoseeker, and poor communication would be a problem for a moderator).
Finally, the forum itself must also contain a certain amount of activity. If a member displays the necessary qualities and the forum needs a moderator, a Super Moderator might send an offer for a promotion to moderate that forum. Please note that even if all requirements are met, that is not a guarantee of promotion. Another member may be more qualified or a Section Moderator may be able to take care of the forum.
Current Moderator Listing
The following is a list of all current moderators on the site in alphabetical order as well as the forum(s) they moderate.
