General Warnings while modding.

General reminders are typically a message that you send in the room before you start warning people with the mod button! The wording of the general reminder should not allow for anyone to feel like they have been called out, it should be kind, and it should get the point across. I like to use emojis to make sure that the members know that I understand that it is easy to get carried away. It's important not to sound too harsh when we give the general reminders. We also want to give general reminders as soon as we can when we see a rule being broken because if a lot of minutes pass between a rule being broken, giving the general reminder then might fall on deaf ears as they might have forgotten about a message that has since been lost in chat.

Also as group moderators, when we are in the group rooms, we can be there more than just to moderate. We don't have to give a general reminder when no rules are being broken. This can be confusing and distressing, especially for new members who try to figure out what rule was being broken. Also, the overuse of general reminders can neutralize the power it has on a rule when they are actually breaking rules. It is much better to warn the room when you see a rule broken in action than to tell a calm room to behave. Our priority as moderators should always be to create a safe space for members to share and making them feel like they might be breaking rules when they are not can be troubling and take away from this goal.

Overall, as moderators, we should be careful about what we say in the rooms and how we say things. It's okay to make mistakes as we all make mistake, but it goes a long way to be mindful of what you are doing when you are in the member room.