How do you guys check whether a modeator is abusing their powers?

@CrimsonBridge

That's how moderation system is set up. There is no scope to enter into discussion about warnings issued.

There should be a standard explanation though giving you a brief overview as to what the warning relates to.

I though members evacuated the guest room for that very reason.

Since mods are humans, they're going to all interpret and enforce the rules differently. Unfortunately. But that's life.

Also as far as any wrongdoing, this site's unofficial motto is "if we didn't see it, it didn't happen". And I guess the best thing you can do is learn what each particular mod likes and doesn't like and then adapt accordingly. Also if you challenge them directly in the chat then that's like an instant mute.

@CrimsonBridge

Hey there, lovely, thank you so much for creating this thread. I am so sorry for what happened to you, and I understand how incredibly frustrating it is. The Guest Support Rooms are a little tricky, as they're intended for guests and members who support guests, and it's so easy for that line to be blurred. You can read the official rule on Guest Support here. Different mods interpret the rule differently, and as such, a lot of friction can be caused, but you absolutely shouldn't have been muted for wanting to support guests.

To answer your question, it's you, our gorgeous members, who check the moderators' powers! If you see a mod behaving unfairly, file a report on them - you can find it in the chatroom rules, and those reports are incredibly valued. I'm afraid that reporting mods in the forums has little effect, as those who oversee the mods don't read every thread, but make sure you channel your feedback through the proper routes, and it absolutely influences who has their mod badge removed.

If you can't report the moderator, because they were ''lurking'', or you can't remember the name, you can email community@7Cups.com, and they can see who it was that gave the warning and take appropriate action.

To respond to your query about moderator selection, mods actually go through a pretty rigorous programme, with some high requirements and a training session, to ensure that they know what they're doing. However, there is always scope for mods to have a bad day and feel overwhelmed, just like everyone, and some handle the pressure badly, so they absolutely should get a reminder on best practice.

Again, you're absolutely right, the actions of a moderator can have a harmful effect on those in a vulnerable place, and I feel that more mods should be aware of just how awful it is to realise you've been muted. Please don't discount reaching out to the mod and asking for the reasons behind their actions! Sometimes a quick discussion in PMs about the rule can be infinitely more productive than any amount of complaint and reporting :)

Thank you for your feedback and your ideas, love, we need more people like you willing to speak up, that's how real change will happen!

@CrimsonBridge I am really sorry to hear that you feel like you have been treated unfairly by a group support moderator. I know that warnings and mutes can be really distressing, especially if we feel like we haven't done anything to deserve them and do not really understand what has happened. A lot of people have already pointed you in the right directions but let me just summarize what you can do to get heard and to feel like you have made the people who oversee moderators aware of what has happened. If you want to report a moderator for behaving unprofessionally, you can use the moderator review form . All reviews are being read and flagged by the ambassadors and the community manager responsible for the group support track. If you are unsure about who has muted you, you can send an email to community@7cupsoftea.com and the admins can look into it. We can not look into warnings though, only mutes, and a warning only stays on your account for six hours. Three warnings lead to a mute.

If you are unsure about what you have been warned for, please review this thread written by Heather, which explains all our chatroom rules extensively. The Guest Support Room has a special rule stating: "The Guest Support room is a space for guests to receive support. Members may participate in the room if helping to welcome and support guests. If you are not member giving support or a guest receiving support, please move to a member room. Guests may need to create a member account.". If members are casually talking amongst themselves, they might be issued a warning for breaking that rule.

Now let me answer your questions. Our guideline is to send out a general reminder in the room if we see that a room is being unsupportive, in conflict, or someone is breaking our rules. That is not a rule we have, but it is a guideline for all moderators, so we can give people a chance to move on, to follow the rules and to change their behaviour. We do not address someone in specific when they are breaking a rule, because we don't want to pick anyone out, to start a fight or make anyone uncomfortable. So the guideline is: send a general reminder in the room, give people a chance to move on, if someone doesn't move on, issue a warning.

We do not discuss mutes or warnings in the room, and we do not discuss the rules either. The reason is simple: we want the support rooms to be supportive and safe places. Lengthy heated discussions on warnings, mutes, rules and modding, clog the rooms and make the space unsupportive. Newcomers entering the rooms, others in the room looking for support in a calm enviroment, will be put off and feel unsupported. This is especially important in the Guest Support Room, the first place new people coming to 7 Cups experience. So please keep that room free of such discussions, and give people the calm and supportive space they deserve.

If you want to discuss a warning or a mute you have received, you can send a message to the moderator. But keep in mind, they are not obligated to reply to you, and they might not reply if your message is rude or threatening. We advice our moderators to provide members and guests who want to discuss mutes and warnings with the links a lot of people in this thread have provided for you. And to explain why they have warned or muted you. But we do not advice them to have a lengthy discussion about it, because there are more proper channels to discuss those matters (the review form being the most important one). Moderators are also humans, and deserve respect and be treated with kindness. And being human also means making mistakes, and I am sorry if that is what happened in your case.

And let me also shed some light on the training moderators go through and how they are "checked". The requirements to become a group support moderator are very high. Listeners need to apply for the role, do a test and then attend a training session. Then they get assigned an experienced group support moderator to be their buddy and to guide them in the beginning in their new role. We have the review system which helps us understand how everyone is doing in the support rooms, we offer quality coaching and give feedback, also take further actions if needed. So we keep our moderators "in check" but we also give them opportunities to grow and learn.

Again, I am sorry to hear that you feel treated unfairly and I hope that this thread makes you feel a bit safer when it comes to who you can turn to support for, and where you can leave in reports. A mute only lasts 24 hours, so I am looking forward to seeing you around in our group support rooms soon again!

@CrimsonBridge

There is no accountability for the behaviour of mods. I just got muted for being upset for getting unsupportive behaviour. The two mods came had no idea no idea what was going on then gave me 3 warnings for being upset. Another problem is there's no option to mute a mod if you have a problem with them.