Newsletter for mods
So just a thought, as we all know there are a certain types of trolls which keep coming back and there are times that a mod may take a break or just have been too busy so they would not know the regular trolls ,so maybe sending a periodic newsletter uprising the mods about the trolls who have been making the rounds amongst other things so they can stay updated and are ready if they have to encounter any difficulty in any of the rooms .any thoughts ?
Thanks for noticing this thread:)
The newsletter is more to keep updating the mods who may have been too busy or taken a short break as well as providing information to newer mods.
Few aspects which can be included will be the types of trolls being encountered in that period in all the three rooms(WR,DS,SYS).
Any difficult situation faced by any of the mods and how they dealt with the same.
Any uncomfortable situations which have been faced or which may be faced in the future .
Names of the super active mods and around what time are they usually available so as to create a support system .
Different ways to get people to interact or get people to talkwhen there are not so many people who are talking (specially in the wr) like recently we had this game of either or (questions)(everyone was silent) and then people started joining in and it lasted for around 3 hours.
Maybe a welcome article for the newer mods.
Names of mods who have joined in that time period.
Maybe a feature on some mod who has been real active in that time period (to motivate them as well as others to keep up the good work )
then we can go on to include some inspritational quotes or if someone wants to write articles say for the improvement of the site or just things that would be pleasent to read.
It can also include major updates to the site specially if they are concerning mods.
To answeryour second question it can be published every week ,bi monthly or monthly depending on the number of people ready to help.
Just some ideas .
Realistically, a newsletter would have to be short and simple for everyone to want to read it. A lot of what you mentioned can be addressed through current means. For example, acknowledging another listener can be done in shout outs, PMs, or nominating them as a featured listener.
Anyways, we'll see if it's possible to send a newsletter out to keep everyone updated. For now, group mods should keeputilizing this forum and the group mod zone to keep each other in the loop since that's what it's here for. :)
The main idea was something along the lines of publishing regular troll issues ,help regarding certain situations which may be encountered and creating a dedicated network of mods who would update the others as also create a support system for the mods across the rooms , the other things were secondary which could have supplemented the primary aspect of keeping the rest updated .that being said thanks anyways
sorry one point I seem to have forgotten is that if a mod wants to thank or acknowledge another mod or listener(there have been many who have helped me )so that can be included.
And the names of listeners who have been super helpful and who should be considered (consider enrolling )can also be nominated by the mods and can be vetted by the mentors maybe. just some ideas
Just a clarification bi monthly I meant once every two weeks
And not once every two months .
I love it @poeticguy! It is a really good idea.
I like this idea although I am not a super active Mod due to work commitments and having a family I do come in when I can. I think having a newsletter that keeps us up to date with what is happening would really help.
Fantastic idea
Fantastic!! I would love to help!!
@poeticguy..I think the idea presented here is good..you can always count me in...:)
This is a great idea! Because sometimes the same people take advantage of the different mods. But, if we do get a newsletter it should be by a few select people and not everyone, the ones who want something to be said can tell those editors to include it in one post. That way there wont be a cluster of posts.
This will be essential if the site makes the mistake in hiring more group moderators. If we over-saturate the system and hire too many group moderators, it defeats the purpose, causes disorganization, and causes confusion as a smaller, more active group is ideal. We add to the team like I feel the site will do, it's just going tobe all over the place.
@Ej - not totally sure about the adult side, but in the Teen Side, there are few mods who are very active, and then the rest seem like they pop in VERY occasionally... What's the point in them being mod when they never come... I know 10 (tops!) teen group mods who are active there... and to be honest, we cover the 12 hours (we don't do 24/7!)
No doubt, if and when the teens get 24/7 (do the adults?) we will need more, but then we can add mods then...
I always admire your insight.
Too many moderators will appear authoritarian in my opinion. It's already bad enough when too many moderators are on where we outnumber the members. Both teens and regular adults have an active group of members in all chat rooms where they know and appreciate the moderation staff -- have too many, and that feeling will be a disconnect. The purpose of group moderation is to make it our primary focus, not secondary, and if we allow too much of an influx then you'll have the majority of moderation..moderating as second priority.
I was actually impressed because this week I mostly took private 1-on-1 messages because we had substantial moderation on for ALL rooms.
More so, it''s important to understand the dynamic and environment of each room. Adding more moderators isn't an ideal solution in my opinion. I'd be in favor of an 8 hour minimum requirement of some sort each week. If you can't dedicate that time, then the position should be available for those able to contribute more time. It shouldn't be a candy hand-out. Needs to be closed and regulated.
Just my opinion of course. I have seen the majority of the moderation staff saying the same, but I have seen no word from the higher-ups.
No, I totally agree - I have heard that to become a group mod, you will need a required number of group chats (instead of just a number of normal chats currently!)
Luckily we don't have over-saturation teen side, but I can see why it's difficult when it is - as you said, it should be our primary concern for mods, and when lots are mods, we can't all be doing what at times is a limited amount of work...
There is actually a group schedule somewhere, but to be honest, I'm not sure how many people use it, and yeh, I think doing a minimum requirement would be a good idea - whether or not people want to be come it for the badge, I don't know - but your ideas there are great, and I feel should definitely be implemented!
@Ejan eight hour minimum per week requirement would be asking way too much from volunteers here. I know you're an intern, but for other great and talented, valuable volunteers with other obligations, dismissing their contributions, actual and potential, because they can't put in eight hours is unwise. This idea also contradictionsyour concern about an over-saturationof mods in the chatrooms; imagine if people were trying to squeeze in eight hours to maintain the badge?
Also, I often check the rooms and findno mods, something that I found lastweek. So I helped then. If there had been mods who had it covered ? as I find crunched at other times ?I would not have interfered and hope others put their time to better use on the site as well.
When I'm working with volunteers, Iassume the best in people:they care, and are looking for opportunities to help. Having a group mod badge, which volunteers have passed a test for and as of this month will already havea minimum number of groupchats per month required to maintain, creates an opportunity to help. No one's getting candy, or hired, they're just getting an ability to assist if there's a reason to (and not necessarily for acertain number of hours a week) ?like finding an unmoderatedand distressedchatroom, as I did on Christmas day. They can then step up. We organize and create guidelines so people won't inadvertently hurt insteadof helping when they do utilize theopportunity, and that's what we need to work on. The schedule we used in the initial weeks of the chatrooms was, in my opinion, a huge help, but unfortunately it's largelyfallenout ofuse.
Anyhow, I don't think limiting thenumber of mods or requiring many hours per week is helpful or healthy ? that would be a path to burnout and cause turnover in group moderating that would be counter to maintainingcoverage for our members (and the strong, communicating group you hope for), and it poses a disregard for those putting in smaller,well-timedcontributions in favor ofunnecessarily elitist requirements to maintain thevolunteer role. Schedule and trainingimprovements could help fix this, as well as some kind of moderator updates, rather than disempowering potential helpers, including new volunteers here who have the potential to become stellar mods.
If there is avolunteer here on 7 Cupswho has the group mod badge for show, who doesn't intend to help, they're likely going to lose it after this month's requirements set in anyway, if not this month then next month, andoverall it doesn't really hurt anythingexcept perhaps our feelings about the status of the badge? those of us who are interested in group moderating can still organizeand improve, regardless.Which is what this thread is supposedto be about, I think.
@Ej First of all, no one is being "hired" to be a group moderator. Last time I checked, we weren't getting paid, since this isn't a job. So any time requirements shouldn't be necessary. Also, I think that the problem you speak about won't be resolved by not adding any more group mods, but rather by working with and educating them. I don't think members/guests are intimidated by mods only, they are intimidated by listeners in general. Therefore, even if there aren't any more moderators, no one is stopping listeners from taking over the member chats.
Also, I imagine you're a human being and need sleep at times. Therefore, you probably don't know that there seems to be a shortage of moderators in, say, the morning hours in my time zone. Not adding anyone else will not solve that problem. Unless you can stay up and moderate 24/7, of course.
For the adult site with 24/7 I can see some TZsbeing undermodded, but in that case maybe add group mods who are in different timezones... Even when we have 3 mods in teen support, if someone does something wrong, often more than 1 message gets deleted causing lost messages, and there are usually 3 warnings issued - i can imagine this being extremely intimidating...
Maybe in the application, add suitable times so you could add mods relevant to under-modded times - and it's just like we have targets for appreciation and welcoming committee, maybe not have required times, but targets - otherwise there are listeners who are group mods, but not doing anything...
@mobbsyThere used to be a timetable for the shifts, but people stopped using it, unfortunately. I feel that that a strict timetable would solve a lot of things. Also, it's about the people. I never go into a member chatroom when I see there is an already active moderator. Taking a step back really is not difficult.
Aye, if you wish to address my concerns, by all means feel free. But, I do not appreciate the condescending tone. I feel no need to address this as the entire tone is inappropriate. PM me if you wish to discuss it politely. :)
@Mobbsy thanks for the input my friend. I am glad to hear it.
@Ej I guess your holier-than-thoutone provoked condescension in me, couldn't help it. My point still stands though; not a good idea, imo.
Holier-than-thou*
All I did was say we do not need a big moderation staff as many moderators voices their opposition of expansion and instead expressed stricter guidelines. This was also discussed with requiring "Group Mod Badge" in the certification process -- not one group moderator, to my knowledge, was in support of it.
I merely speak of the conversations that have taken place on this beloved forum. I am not taking moral high ground when merely suggesting this. Like I said, if you wish to attack my personal character than feel free to inbox. One again, this isn't the place for it. :)
Excuse errrors* Phone
You can raise a counter argument without a confrontational tone. I couldn't see your point because I found your tone immediately abrasive.
This is a discussion between people who want a strong and supportive 7 Cups community. We are all on the same team, so I do not understand why condescending tones would be necessary.
^ was @Barush
Hey barush, can you please stop, you come across as condecending in other places too, not because of ej.
Guys remember this is an online forum we can't see the tone in others through their messages. A 3 to 1 attack against Barush isn't nice guys come on
@Stacie message me
@EmmaV if you have a concern with a listener, please address it with that listener directly ? that's who you messagefirst if you wish to attempt to address things privately. It's one-on-one first rather than involving other listeners and asking them to messageyou around a subject.I'm sure you're aware ofthe conflict resolution protocol. I'd link it if Iweren't on my phone now. But let's notinsert off-topicdisagreementspublicly and unnecessarily.
@EJ, @Honey, @Emmav.
I agree with Olivia. Idon't feel Barush' tone was condescending at all. If you post an opinion you should be ready for criticism. Criticism is a way of expressing a different point of view and also highlighting the points/weaknesses you have overlooked.
And even if someone is disrespectful, you need to be polite in your reply for a simple reason that we all are working in a professional environment. And one of the main rules of this site is to be polite and considerate whether you are replying to listener/Mentor/member.If you feel you have been hurt, there is no need for you to disrespectful at all.
As a mentor, we are more experienced and simply trying to express our point of view. No one is trying to ridicule you or bring you down. Recently I have noticed many Listeners being disrespectful towards Mentors and hence I am addressing this over here.
As for limiting the group Mods, I think there needs to be a limit to number of listeners/mods present in the room at a particular time.
Being a moderator is a huge responsibility and we do need moderators to make sure members are being addressed.
I don't think many people have noticed but most of the time there is a single member in the room asking for support but as we do not have 24X7Mod coverage they are being overlooked.
Not only that, I have seen trolls take over the room even in presence of mods, listeners claiming that topics like infidelity cannot be discussed or members giving away personal details or discussing drugs.
Do you feel we should not allow more mods? Or do you feel it is better to have few listeners in the room at a particular time?
@apple74 you know I have the highest regard for you so dont take this the wrong way ,I mean no disrespect to you or anyone else but I feel that the persons tone /words were quite rude and unwarranted .and the others Emma ,honey were simply standing up for ej .and I feel I speak for all (correct me if I am wrong ) but no one has any problems accepting criticism as to have a peaceful discussion putting forward different points of view .but the critisizer shouldn't be critical or at least refrain from using such language .just my thoughts i am not really experienced in this so I may be wrong so . Going back to the topic on hand I think one of the reason of this chaos which you also talk about (trolls taking over the chatroom despite mods being present et AL )is because of lack of effective communication between mods as well as no real support system for the same for which I had proposed the idea of the newsletter ,which I think you also supported . Just think of the mayhem it would coz if new mods are continuously introduced and there being no cohesion between the same ,different mods acting in vastly different ways ,it would lead to like someone said members taking advantage of different mods .thus I am stressing for some sort of a newsletter for mods so as to reduce this confusion which is bound to increase with an addition in the number of mods ,I feel this discussion reiterates the need for an effective and official communication channel for mods or newsletter if I may .
@poeticguy, I completely understand your concern. But I truly feel that no one should jump to conclusions based on a perspective.
I am not sure if you have noticed but many times the guests/members are trying to seek support but their questions are not being answered. Which means, in case members are not able to provide the support, the moderator should be there to answer questions. We do need 24X7mod coverage to INSUREthat members feel safe in thechatrooms.
If we cannot have the same with 100 mods then we do need more.
I am not sure if you have noticed but most of the times mods/listeners like being in the waiting room and there is no mod in the SYS or DR.
We can have a limit to number of listeners in a room during a particular time period. But putting a limit to number of mods is not a solution.
We also have a page on TIPS for Group Mods and I guess you wish to put those tips in a newsletter which is okay.
May be we can have a criteria that a listener should have 50 group chat before becoming a mod etc to insure the responsibility is in safe hands.
I always welcome constructive feedback. However I am definitely against disrespect being shown to anyone in the communityirrespective of their role. I can have a point ofview and I feel Barush was not condescending at all. And i agree you can have a different view point and I respect that too.
We already have a Group Mod room to have more co-operation between the Mods, but I don't feel it is being used either.
I agree with you that there are things on which we will not agree and it is important that we respect anothers view point ,but sometimes it so happens in a virtual environment such as this that many a times there is a significant difference between what one wishes to say and what the other understands,it being no ones fault,but when the reader very politely goes on to say that I dont appreciate your tone even though you didnt mean anything like that isnt it better if not to apologize atleast to clarify instead of further igniting or provoking someone by blaming them (holier than thou attitude ),I do not feel there was any need or reason for such a reaction.
Going back to the topic I dont know if you have read my post to as what would be the primary objective of the newsletter as also what it would include,so I will repeat that its primary objective would be to keep the mods updated to what is happening by the super active mods in regards to the troll issues which are currently prevalant and also any other things which have been encountered in that time period,so it is not to include tips per se ,It would also include the names of super active mods in each of the rooms in different time zones so if I am online at night when am usually asleep thus I am not aware of who is active at that time or what normally happens at that time I can see that ok this senior(experienced) mod is usually active around this time so if Ineed help I have someone to fall back on ,again this is just an aspect which can be looked at but the primary objective will remain to update mods as regards troll and other such issues (as you know that all the three rooms are poles apart so if I am regular in the waiting room I wouldnt really be aware of any specific problems faced in the other rooms).
As you rightly pointed out the forums and the chat room for mods are a useful resource but sadly they arent used and even if they are it is not an official timely and regular updates from select few mods who are super active (experienced) which the newsletter can be .It can also be used to pass on such information that during say this time period at this time there arent many/any mods on so and so chat rooms,so the mods who may have been on break or are relatively new are updated as well as they know the current scenario.Many times if a mod does take a break they may miss out on important things which can be communicated through the newsletter .
and many times it so happens that guests /members message mods complaining about something done by another mod ,obviously the mod gets the benefit of doubt but sometimes the complaints are such that you have to give some thoughts to the same,so if I was already updated that so and so is a clear troll then it would be easier.
I agree that as the site expands there will be an obvious requirement of mods ,some mods will also be replaced as time comes I dont think anyone is opposed to that but a huge influx of mods without any sort of communication would lead to utter chaos(pardon the pessimist in me)which is for me a really scary thought.
Most of the time guest come in as trolls. how can we keep a track of that?
And I am stating it again, the rooms run without Mods.Members, keep talking to themselves or are arguing in the rooms as ther eis NO MOD in the room. Do you feel we do not need Mods?
I don't think I opposed the idea of newsletter at all. Barush was called condescending before she made that comment you are referring to, and after that many listeners joined to support another listener against her.
More than once listeners have shown disrespect to one another and I am referring to that issue as well here.
If a particular listener sees a problem in the chatroom, I think the first place they go to is the Listener community room right now. Do you feel it is easier to look up a Newsletter when you need to make a quick decision?
I agree it is important to have an experienced mod, but in case a particular mod is not available due to a personal issue then again the listener will opt for the chatroom. The Group Mod room was created to increase co-ordination. We also have a guide for Group mods. I can PM you the link too. This guide has all the information regarding how to handle trolls and different type of situations.
As we have agreed as regards the first issue we will agree to disagree and we have agreed on newsletter or updated guide as you call it we end the discussion here . Peace
I apologize, but I handled this responsbily. Whether it is a member, listener, ormentor,if the tone is out of line, I will say as such and politely instruct them to message me privately. Since a few others noticed the tone, and since the person in question admitted the tone was condescending, the suggestion wasn't out of line. If you consider someone calling me self-righteous (holier-than-thou), blantantly, as an okay thing to say, yeah, I will not tolerate that and simply request a PM. If you also do not believe that is the appropriate actionthen I will also disagree with you.
My inbox is open for anyone who feels otherwise. As I have instructed since the third message, this isn't the place for it. I am not going to sit here reading messages on how we all need to conduct ourselves when Isimply statedmy opinion about a newsletter. ^_^
I will be avoiding this topic as it has become a courtroom of lawyers. I stick to my responses and feel no need to explain them further. They're quite self-explanatory. Thanks everyone for showing you care; that's one good thing I got from this.
Y'all beautiful.
@Ej if someone expresses that they are stunned by an ideaandconstructively criticizeit, I know that doesn't feel good if it was your idea, but distracting from that person's argument by labeling them condescending isn't productive or helpful. We are not here to police assumed 'tone,' but rather content,andit is not inherentlyinappropriate toexpress disbelief or outrage.Following your own advice here,if this isn't a place for 'attacks on character,' thenyou should have PM'dorasked to be PM'd directly about the topic beforepublicly calling someone else (who didoffer constructive criticism) condescending and making it a public issue by default ? too late for PMs. That is what derailed this thread, and I disagree that it was appropriate of yourather than simply addressing thecontent at hand (and you are equally free to express yourself as you wish within our content guidelines)or going directly to PMsas you mentionif youfelt there was a problem or disrespect you wantedto behandledprivately,whichcould have been easily accomplished to keep this thread ontrack.
As numoerous moderators have mentioned here, the attitude was sensed and I addressed it as inapprorpiate. Once again, when someone admits to their own communication method as condescending, as well as when someone refers to me as self-righteous blantantly, I will politely defend myself. I do not care for schematics. As I said, I do not understand why we are still lawyering.
As I have said, my PM box is open and I appreciate your time. I feel we are now beating a dead horse.
@Ejit is not 'polite' to call someone condescending, and the response you received is moreindicative of thatthan it is an 'admission' as I read it.Regardless of your feelings about perceived tone, looking at content,labeling someone publiclyand then askingto move theconversation into privateis clearly ineffective conflict resolution, which I am pointing outhere for the record where thissituationoccurred and was escalated.
If you would like to discuss thisprivately with me, you may reach out to me.
It escalated when a mere suggestion was attacked. No need for PM's since we all continued this conversation here. :) Thanks for the input.
@Ej disagreement or dissension is not inherently an 'attack,' especially not when it is constructive and on-topic ? how you perceive andrespond to it could however be escalating.Looking at this as a moderator, the response could have remained on topic and not devolved into accusation. But I'd agree there's no longer need for PMs here since this is long public, unless you feel it would be helpful for you. I hope OP continues to move forward with organizing their idea to improve moderator communication.
I apologize, but we are entirely in disagreement. Seems others agree with me, so I do not feel my rhetoric is off (goes for your points as well, as Apple sees them, etc). Really not a big deal; she doesn't deserve this being stretched out the manner it has which weALLhave now done. I respect everyone just as much as I did before this thread and will continue as such after it. The odds everyone agrees with everything in a community with thousands of members is..well, very minimal. Hence me not seeing this as really that big of a deal.
I admire your passion.