The Ca-Mustangs Forums Site Moderator Guidelines

Please find below the guidelines with which theses forums are moderated. These are the rules that moderators should adhere to, when doing their job. Of course, like several things in life, this is not final, changes will obviously be made in the future.

Moderator Guidelines

The moderators are the people who make sure that users are following the Forum Rules. They are here to help members and to protect members and the forum itself, from those few, who do not want to act as adults. Their job is not an easy one.

The guidelines below are established in order to make their life and members life easier.

1. The moderator's role is to enforce the Forum Rules among the Forum members. This is an administrative task, not a law enforcement task and should be treated as such, both by the moderators and the members.

2. The moderator acts as a role model for the rest of the members. The moderator's behaviour has to set an example to how other members should behave in the forum.

3. The moderator does not have friends and enemies, all members should be treated the same by every moderator. A moderator should not allow his personal feelings to influence his judgement about the content of this forum, or the behaviour of the members. These are defined by the forum rules and the moderator's personal feelings have nothing to do with them.

4. The moderator has the right to edit or delete members threads or posts, if he thinks that these are not according to the Forum Rules. He is not allowed to edit or delete a thread or a post, simply because he does not agree with its content or the member who submitted it. Typically a thread or a post will be edited or deleted, if it contains politics, vulgar or foul language, nudity or comments which can be insulting for other members of the forum, keeping in mind the international characteristics of the Internet.

5. A moderator has the right to move a thread to another forum if he thinks that this would be a more appropriate area for that thread. A relocation message should be left behind, so that people can follow up the thread. .

6. A moderator does not the right to ban a user from the forum. This will be done only after consultation with the other moderators and the forum's administrator. A moderator should use the Private Messaging System to issue warnings for members offences. These warnings CAN result in a member being banned as this is not considered a violation of this rule. However, a moderator should consult with other moderators and/or the forum administrator, before issueing a 'Permanent Ban' warning.

7. When a moderator participates in a discussion, he should do it in accordance with rules (2) and (3) above. In no case, should a moderator use his administrative role, as a weighting factor in such a discussion. When participating in a discussion, the moderator is treated as just any other member, and is subjected to the same rules that apply for the members, only he is judged more strictly, since he has to set the example for the members.

8. Every member who has a specific and documented complain about a moderator should directly discuss the problem with the moderator himself. If he is not satisfied with the outcome, the member can notify the forum's administrator, with his complaint, while concurrently cc-ing the particular moderator. I expect both members and moderators to act as responsible adults, not as babies.

9. Moderators should always keep in mind that this forum is (and will always remain) a gentlemen's playground, where members come to enjoy themselves. They deserve the utmost respect, and that is what they should get. Your actions should be well justified and the member against whom you are taking actions, should be aware of the reasons which caused your actions. Under no circumstances a moderator can edit/remove a thread or post, without explaining his actions to the offending member.

10. If a moderator faces a severe problem with a member, and he is not sure how to handle it, it is best to bring the problem to the 'Moderators Forum' for discussion.

Practically speaking, if:

1. A moderator notices a new thread which is not in accordance with the forum rules: He moves the thread to a specified forum (Holding Zone), where it remains for dispute reasons. That forum is accessible only to moderators and admin. The moderator will also use Private Messaging to warn the user for his behaviour.

2. A moderator notices a post in an existing thread which is not in accordance with the forum rules. The moderator uses the Private Messaging System to warn the member and copies the post in the specified forum. The post is edited and the reasons for the moderator's actions are stated where the post was, in the thread.

3. A moderator notices a thread which does not fit in the forum it was posted. The thread is moved to the proper forum, leaving a redirection link in the original forum. The moderator has to warn the member, unless the member is very new to the board, in which time a PM should be send explaining the problem.

4. A moderator has a significant problem with one member and wishes that this member be banned from the forum. He posts a message in the appropriate forum (Moderators Forum) explaining the reasons for which he wants the user banned. Other moderators provide their opinions. Decision is reached. If the member is banned a message is send to the offending member explaining the reasons he/she was banned.