Boy, I would love to avoid having a moderator board, but for some stuff I suppose it's unavoidable.
Seriously, now, it seems to me there are several key facets of moderating.
1. Safety (emotional). Truly offensive posts have to be moderated in no uncertain terms. Emotional abuse, threats, brutality, racism, sexism...they have no place on a board dedicated to healing.
Thing is, I can't remember too many of those over the years. Being a poor dumb Hoosier, I look at it kind of like the difference between Ron Artest and Reggie Miller. Ronnie went into the stands, out of control, and earned banishment. Reggie acted dumb in the heat of the moment and was suspended for a short period.
Merely heated, careless or hurtful posts might be gently corrected at first. We're all hot, careless, and unintentionally hurtful sometimes, but it's not good to make a habit of it. There probably needs to be some "progressive discipline".
2. Privacy. I don't think anyone should reveal anyone else's "real" information on the boards, unless that person voluntarily names him/herself publicly...like Cory has (for instance).
Some people know my real name and telephone number and my spouse's name, and I know theirs. That's private information.
However, if I'm married to or in a LTR ("living together relationship") with someone on the boards, I think that might be a bad secret to keep from everyone else here.
3. Advice. I hate being told "you should" unless I specifically ask "what should I do". I think it's almost always better to say "what I'd do" or "what I did" in your situation. The members who do that tend to be the most respected anyway, and people WANT their opinions.
4. Preaching. I hope never to see "chapter and verse" posted with someone else's directive of what I ought to do based on it. I would remove a post like that, if it were solely up to me.
On the other hand, if the general tone of a discussion starts or becomes spiritual or theological in nature, then explaining what a particular story or passage means TO ME or IN MY LIFE is inbounds for any poster, IMO.
The key distinction is owning your own story vs. telling others to live by your code. The first is what any site like this ought to be promoting: find your own answers. The second needs to be left to sites that hold a specific spiritual orientation: find OUR answers.
This is NOT a "Christian" (or Islamic or Jewish or Hindu or Shinto or Taoist or Sikh or...) site even though many or most of the people who may participate have some understanding, interest, or past or present affiliation with specific religions.
I am not suggesting that the site be free of religious and spiritual content. I am suggesting that the site be free of religious and spiritual judgements made by humans. I may very well burn in Hell for my thoughts and actions, but no one on Earth is entitled to tell me that here. That's a job for God (or Allah, or YHWH, or whomever).
These are my "first thoughts" on moderating.
Chris.
edited for clarification of "LTR"
This message has been edited by chris924 on Jan 9, 2005 10:20 AM
I think Chris is right about anyone getting nasty or pre judging someone, they should be corrected immediately. I personally, don't get offended when someone says "You should...." I know it is just their viewpoint and I have mine and can do what I want with theirs. They do not have to tell me that. I think that is too much tiptoeing around. Just my opinion.
jbean
I seeeeees tha potential for real growth on dis here board.
Say, hallelujah. (non-specific religious reference)
Chris, I like your attitude toward moderating. What I've seen on other boards is that the boundaries are set so close that freedom of expression is surpressed to the point that most of the posts sound alike over and over and over like there is a cookie cutter post making machine or posting model that has to be followed to the letter. I'm not saying those posts don't have valuable information or truthful it's just that they are not always thought provoking. Am I making any sense here? Any way keep up the good thinking.
