10
votes
Why do Internet forums tend to prohibit responding to inactive threads?
reddit is one specific case that operates a bit differently than most other forums. There, threads are ranked by "hotness, which takes into account votes on the post and the time it was posted. As a ...
- 201
8
votes
How bad it is to enforce rules "just because", while refusing to even substantiate them?
Generally it is a bad idea to have "because we said so" rules. Having a rationale for the rule makes it easier to follow and easier to justify. However in this case it's clear why the rule was put in ...
- 6,495
8
votes
Accepted
What are the advantages/disadvantages to requiring users to be logged in to post ads?
Requiring registration/logging in to post ads will add a bit of friction to the process. Adding friction will put some people off posting - it's one of the reasons that (except for posting questions ...
- 6,495
7
votes
Decision by consensus vs deciding by yourself as the leader of a group
For lower-impact decisions, like setting a deadline for something or (for a local community) choosing a restaurant for our informal get-together, I usually announce a plan barring objections:
I'm ...
- 10.7k
7
votes
Accepted
Should I remove a user that broke our guidelines in one thread from being able to comment on it anymore?
You have a user who is commenting inappropriately. If you prevent him from commenting then you solve your problem at the cost of any constructive comments he might have posted. You seem reluctant to ...
- 10.7k
7
votes
Accepted
What should we do with a user who is using powers, solely given for technical tasks, to overreach and enforce rules?
Your expectation of compliance with limits is perfectly reasonable.
You said that the powers were granted on a temporary basis. Therefore, they can be withdrawn.
You can always give them back at a ...
- 195
7
votes
What are some uncommon, but useful, rules for public forums?
I've collected some rules from various discord servers I'm in. I hope this would be helpful to you:
Deciding your policy on external links
Most websites and servers have a policy to prevent ...
6
votes
Why do Internet forums tend to prohibit responding to inactive threads?
We know that StackExchange discourages extensive discussions. This is not the case in some forums.
Sometimes people don't even care too much about solving the problem itself, but only the new things ...
- 259
6
votes
Accepted
Would reporting a violating comment beneficial if it has a rule reminder?
Is 'let it be' beneficial to me? Maybe the reminder can entice others to form a constructive response?
That's something we can't answer for you, nor can we predict the actions and opinions of others.
...
- 331
6
votes
Several communities on one platform. How can moderators adjust the behaviour of a new user from a different community who has just joined my site?
Clarifying the Problem
The core problem appears to be that the user's understanding of the site in question's conduct standards is unclear.
Emphasis here:
The moderator does research and it turns ...
- 519
6
votes
Accepted
Discord guild consequences for member below minimum age
The Discord TOS doesn't explicitly state what happens to servers who happen to have underage users. The TOS says this regarding age requirements:
By accessing our services, you confirm that you’re at ...
- 442
5
votes
I'm trying to build a support community in the real world - What happens in a support group?
The basic idea behind a support group is just to get people with the same issue together and talk about it so that people can learn from the experience of each other. The most important aspect is ...
- 5,943
5
votes
How can you prevent 'rule creep' when moderating a community?
This list of techniques was tested in a huge amount of communities, they all work very well and prevent a lot of moderation workload. I am mainly referring to my experience in communities related to ...
5
votes
Do I need any license if I want to contribute in open source?
I think you are looking for an open-source license. If you would like specific protections for your code you need a license. The Open Source Foundation has a list of licenses here.
How can I ensure ...
- 442
5
votes
Should disability be a mitigating factor or aggravating factor for code of conduct violation consequences?
Disabilities should rather be considered from the start, not separated from the general rules. There are many people in the world who are not officially diagnosed with things such as Autism but still ...
- 221
4
votes
What are the advantages and disadvantages of "no unbans" policy combined with trigger-happy admins, if any?
I've not much experience with communities that don't allowed "unbannings", but I can see some potential advantages. Whether these are real advantages that actually help the community will depend on ...
- 6,495
4
votes
What should we do with a user who is using powers, solely given for technical tasks, to overreach and enforce rules?
As you are using MediaWiki:
In future, you can create a "task name Moderator" group and only grant its members the permissions required for the specific task. In this case, you could have added the ...
- 151
3
votes
Decision by consensus vs deciding by yourself as the leader of a group
For many smaller groups, most people agreeing is essential, but getting this consensus is much easier. It definitely does depend on the impact of a particular change and which details of that change ...
- 1,328
3
votes
Decision by consensus vs deciding by yourself as the leader of a group
Have you looked into Sociocracy?
It may be a bit too heavy and formal for small organizations, but you can pick and choose from its features to suit your community.
Basically, it is a system of "...
- 131
3
votes
How do I ensure that new users read the rules?
There is a way to force people to read rules. It was invented in the education system. Make sure that a user can’t use the site unless the user passed an exam. I suppose that it may have the form of ...
- 161
3
votes
Several communities on one platform. How can moderators adjust the behaviour of a new user from a different community who has just joined my site?
Community rules are hierarchical
Think about the diversity of Internet users. Even such a large group has its own fundamental cultural rules. For example, the Internet does not like censorship and ...
2
votes
How do I ensure that new users read the rules?
You can't force people to read the rules. All you can do is make them as easy as possible to discover and follow without really trying. So you need to simplify your rules where possible, rather than ...
- 6,495
2
votes
Accepted
Controlling who's speaking on a voice conference
If you are limited to voice only, you don't have any external signals that someone wants to speak - no chat, not ability to spot a hand raised.
The only solution is for the moderator to periodically, ...
- 441
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