Moderation
General
- The goal of the Moderation Team is to create a safe environment for everyone in the openSUSE Community on all platforms, to ensure that the Guiding Principals are upheld, and to take action in case of violations of those. The means we're aiming at are regular communications between mods and admins on various platforms.
Tools for moderators
Please view the the Moderation Tools wiki.
Training for moderators
Introduction to Community Moderation Training
Welcome to our Community Moderation Training program. In this training, we will cover the essential aspects of community moderation and provide guidance on how to effectively manage an online community. Community moderation plays an important role in creating a safe, respectful and positive environment for all openSUSE members. Below, you'll find answers to frequently asked questions about community moderation, along with practical examples, how to handle various situations and contact information for other moderators. Familiarize yourself with these examples, FAQs and steps to be better able to fulfill a roll as a moderator for the project.
Existing documents
https://en.opensuse.org/Code_of_Conduct
Contacts
mods-team@lists.opensuse.org; https://code.opensuse.org/project/mod-team
Social Media Contacts
https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Social_media_contacts
FAQs:
1. What is community moderation? Community moderation is the process of managing an online community to create a safe and supportive environment. It involves overseeing discussions, ensuring respectful behavior, and fostering a positive atmosphere for all members.
2. Why is community moderation important? Community moderation is crucial for maintaining a thriving online community. It helps protect members from harm, preserves the community's value, and ensures everyone has an equal opportunity to be heard. Moderation also provides valuable feedback to improve the community experience.
3. What is the role of a community moderator? Community moderators are the eyes, ears, and voices of a community. They support new and existing members, encourage engagement, and maintain a safe environment. They also act as a brand's representative and enforce community guidelines. In some cases, community members may take on limited moderation responsibilities. Here are some common roles and responsibilities for community members who assist with moderation:
- Reporting Issues: Community members can act as the eyes and ears of the community by reporting any content or behavior that violates community guidelines. This helps alert the official moderators to potential issues.
- Encouraging Positive Behavior: Members can set a positive example by engaging in respectful and constructive discussions. Their positive behavior can influence others to do the same.
- Helping New Members: Assisting new members in getting acclimated to the community, answering questions, and providing guidance can create a welcoming atmosphere.
- Flagging Spam and Inappropriate Content: Members can help reduce spam and inappropriate content by flagging such posts or comments for review by official moderators.
- Answering Frequently Asked Questions: If the community has common questions or recurring topics, knowledgeable members can help by providing answers and resources to these inquiries.
- Promoting Engaging Discussions: Encouraging meaningful and on-topic discussions within the community can contribute to its vibrancy.
- Moderating Comments: In some cases, community members may have the authority to moderate comments, which could involve removing offensive or off-topic remarks.
- Contributing to Community Guidelines: Members may have the opportunity to provide input on and refine the community's guidelines and policies.
4. How can I become a more effective community moderator? To be a more effective community moderator, review and establish clear community guidelines, embrace feedback from members, avoid taking things personally, drive engagement by promoting discussions, and be prepared with answers to common questions.
5. What should I do if I receive negative feedback as a community moderator? When receiving negative feedback, stay open-minded and open-hearted. Listen to the feedback without becoming defensive. Remember that different perspectives exist, and feedback can help improve the community.
6. How can I handle frequently asked questions as a community moderator? To handle common questions, consider creating a FAQ or list of answers. Organize resources to provide quick and accurate responses. You can also save relevant discussions or posts for easy reference within your community platform.
7. Why is it important for community moderators not to take things personally? Community moderators should remain neutral and professional, even in conflict situations. Taking things personally can hinder effective moderation. It's essential to handle issues objectively and resolve conflicts for the benefit of the community.
8. Who are current members of the community moderation team? https://code.opensuse.org/project/mod-team
Examples:
1. Addressing Inappropriate Content: If a community member posts content that violates community guidelines (e.g., offensive language, harassment, spam, etc), take prompt action. Remove the content and send a private message to the member explaining the violation and the reason for removal. Encourage them to adhere to the guidelines to maintain a positive environment.
2. Resolving Conflicts Between Members: When conflicts arise between community members, intervene to mediate and facilitate resolution. Encourage open and respectful communication. If necessary, use private messages to discuss issues individually and find common ground.
3. Welcoming New Members: Greet new members with a warm and welcoming message or comment when they join the community. Provide them with information about community guidelines, introduce them to ongoing discussions, and offer assistance if they have questions or need guidance.
4. Promoting Engaging Discussions: Actively participate in discussions by asking thought-provoking questions, sharing insights, or providing relevant resources. Encourage others to join the conversation, ensuring that discussions remain lively and engaging.
5. Handling Feedback and Suggestions: Embrace member feedback and suggestions for improving the community. Create a designated channel or thread for feedback, and acknowledge members' input. Implement changes or improvements when feasible and communicate these updates to the community.
6. Enforcing Community Guidelines: Consistently enforce community guidelines to maintain a respectful environment. If a member repeatedly violates guidelines, consider issuing warnings or temporary suspensions, depending on the severity of the infractions. Always communicate actions taken transparently.
These examples showcase how community moderators can actively manage and nurture online communities while ensuring a positive and supportive atmosphere for all members.
Recommended steps to take if a situation occurs with proper steps for escalation
Moderators play an important role in maintaining a positive and respectful environment. Here are some steps moderator could consider:
Assess the Situation: Begin by assessing the situation. To the best of your ability, understand the context, read the relevant posts or comments, and identify the nature and severity of the issue. This helps you make an informed decision.
Be patient when the situation allows for it Situations some times need timely responses. Some channels are also crossing multiple bridged channels, which can make it hard to identify what platform the poster is on. When situations allow for it, be patient as conversations may overlap and be confusing for all involved.
Refer to Community Guidelines: Review the community's guidelines and policies to determine whether the behavior or content in question violates any rules.
Collect Evidence: If necessary, gather evidence related to the issue. This may include screenshots, timestamps, or quotes that clearly demonstrate the problem. Documentation is essential, especially if further action is required. (Be mindful of the information collected and sharing with regard to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)). Be mindful that circumstances and cultural senstivies might be misunderstood even by the moderator; do you research. Seek Input from Other Moderators: If you have any doubt at all, seek input from the moderation team, consult with other moderators to gather input and ensure consistency in decision-making.
Private Communication: If the issue involves a specific community member, consider sending a private message to them. Express your concerns, share the specific violation (if applicable), and request their perspective. Encourage in open and respectful dialog.
Educate and Mediate: In some cases, it may be appropriate to educate community members about the guidelines and mediate discussions to prevent further conflicts.
Issue a Warning: Depending on the severity of the violation and the community's policies, you may issue a warning to the member involved. Clearly explain the violation and the consequences of repeated infractions.
Provide an Opportunity for Apology or Clarification Sometimes, discussions may arise from misunderstandings, and providing an opportunity for explanation can help diffuse the situation.
Edit or Remove Content: If the issue involves inappropriate or rule-breaking content, take action to edit or remove it. Clearly communicate the reason for the edit or removal.
Temporarily Mute or Ban: In more severe cases, such as repeated violations or harassment, you may need to temporarily mute or ban the member responsible. Be sure to follow the community's guidelines for such actions and communicate the duration and reason for the mute or ban.
Communicate Decisions Transparently to other moderators: Transparency is key. Ensure that you communicate your decisions and actions to the involved parties and, to other moderators in the community. Transparency helps maintain trust and understanding.
Monitor for Escalation: Keep an eye on the situation to ensure it doesn't escalate further. Address any additional issues or concerns promptly. Elevate to the openSUSE Board should other actions become necessary.
Document the Incident: Record user names and maintain a record of the incident to help other moderators. This documentation can be useful if the issue resurfaces or if you need to justify your actions later.
Follow Up: After taking initial actions, follow up with the involved parties to ensure that the issue has been resolved satisfactorily. Encourage positive behavior moving forward.
Platforms
- Twitter / X [1]
- Facebook [1] [2]
- Telegram
- Discord
- Mailing lists
- forums-o-o
- IRC
- Bugzilla
- build-o-o
We seek to unify moderation practices across all platform meaning that every platform will share the same rules. The following violations are resulting in immediate bans from the platforms:
- spamming,
- sharing pornography or sexual content,
- Nazi propaganda, hate speech etc,
- phishing and other malicious activities etc.
[1] Although can't be moderated, it can be monitored for bad behavior and ensure that openSUSE members are well behaved under openSUSE topics.
[2] We only have control over the official openSUSE group.