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 ?
@Ej @Barush
I just wanted to say that I think that it's okay that there's no limit on how many group mods there can be. As Barush said, it's easy to see when there's an active group moderator, so that you can step back and not turn the chat rooms into the moderator chatroomspretty much. I also say there shouldn't be a limit, because not all people have the time to sit in the chat rooms. I'd say I'm a good moderator, but I only really do it probably twice per week, unless someone PMs me saying there's need for someone to delete the messages. That doesn't mean I should be stripped of my badge; due to the plethora of other group mods, I know that in my absence, the rooms will likely be taken care of.
As for the attitudes, we are definitely all on the same side here; we want what's best for themembers. This is why we're here, because we want to make a safe place for members to act and coexist and receive support. The problem isn't that there's too many moderators, it's that sometimes people don't step back and allow the members to talk, and the listeners and moderators end up monopolizing the chat. There's a solution to that, though! You'd be surprised what a nice PM gets accomplished. Saying "Hey ________,you and _______ are taking over the chat a bit. Is there any way I could ask you to direct it to PMs?"
This doesn't have to be a stipulation; we can all love each other. Perhaps try to take out negative opinions of the forums, and try for constructive feedback. Afterall, these new chat rooms are... Well, new. We're still working and growing to make for a better site and community. <3
Thank you for your response, Cadence.
I never stated there had to be a stipulation. Actually, in fact, I am not even overly passionate about this subject matter. I onlysuggested a newsletter would be ideal if the site continues to expand the group moderation teamas it'll be too big to properly organize. We have 34 moderators for 3 rooms. With theno cap logic, we would allow 100+ moderators for three rooms? 200?Then, in itself, moderation becomes useless and simply a title to eventually grab. That was my all I was hinting at.
Hope you're enjoying the holidays.
@Ej
I understand where you're coming from, honestly. I know your heart's in the right place. I hope your holidays are going well, too!
The idea of the newsletter was for this very purpose to create some sort of a cohesion between the mods and open a communication channel between the same which I feel doesn't really esixt i, I personally have seen another mod being discussed in the waiting room in the presence and with the active participation of another mod .according to me there are two reasons for this the first being an influx of new mods (which will increase if group mod is kept as a part of certification requirement coz then obviously it won't be their primary aim ) and the second being the different timezones so if their is a real active mod when it's midnight where am from I will not really know about them nor will I know the reasons why they may have taken a particular decision . The newsletter can be helpful for creating a Support system for mods whom they can fall back on if required so as an example if I take a break for a few weeks and once I am back I feel lost I know whom to talk to. That being said I think we are all mature individuals who are in the them team and I don't see the reason or the need for such a tone , so let's all aim to put forward contradictory viewpoints in a civilized manner thus having a constructive discussion on the forums that I think will be better.
I think the listeners should share a lil responsibility too :) Mods can't do all the work by themselves. Moreover, its a good way to help members (you can choose the one whom you want to help) since not all are good at handling all sorts of issues. I personally find it very helpful instead of picking up general requests. This being said,all the mods are doing a great job! SELF CARE first though! I know you all love this community but please do take care of yourselves.
I'm rather disappointed to see such conflict going on. We are not here to attack each other or behave in such a disrespectful way to each other. Please make sure we use conflict resolution skills if we feel like someone is not properly addressing us. Personal attacks, ganging up on each other, and things like that are not okay.
That said,I am waiting for a response from Heather since I e-mailed her regarding this idea right before the holidays.I will keep all of you posted once I hear back from her.You can all PM me with situations you feel have been occurring in the rooms as well so I can talk to her about how we can improve the group moderation system.
Until we are able to figure out what we can do and put it together, please continue to use the group mod zone and forum to communicatewith each other regarding situations that might occur or have been occurring.
Ahh, nothing like reviewing a 7 Cups forum debate to get my energy excited. I'd like to say on this topic, its okay to debate on a topic. In fact, its quite normal. Diversity of ideas makes the world go round, it makes our community vibrant and thoughtful. We must always do so in a respectful way. And also understand that it's okay if someone does not agree with us. We can agree to disagree, as they say. And that is okay.
I think a group email to you all with updates would be helpful. I think Heather already does this, sends emails with updates and information?
I send a weekly mentor emails, we could model it off of this and send a group mod monthly mail? With the goal of making it more consistent on the timing. So every first of the month?
I'm sending internship newsletters starting next Month on the first Monday of every month. I think it's a good amount of time since there usually isn't enough to really send weekly or bi-weekly newsletters unless we repeat the same information over and over again.
Maybe Heather and I can build a table of contents for the moderator manual and then write notes on what is updated for anyone who goes back and read it. I think existing mods might be confused on what changes we make, even though Heather e-mails those changes out.
@Kane That is true. Having them all in a central place will be helpful. :)
@Lauras, that is true. We do receive regular emails from Heather regarding all sorts of updates. The new changes, important links, information about group discussions, link to sign up (so that we know who might be online at what time) and almost everything that has been mentioned here. We have been receiving them since the first day itself. The only point I am against is the issue of trolls, as few listeners have termed even infidelity is an inappropriate topic. What might be trolling for one may not be for other. And even if someone is being abusive, do we need to mention this as an update? It is definitely not okay to talk about what a member or guest were discussing before they were banned.
I've also been day dreaming about building a system that would allow Community Managers to send mass PM's to groups of ppl who have a specific badge. So a news alert message that comes to your conversation box.
I think this would be excellent and allow for an ongoing flow of updates and support to be exchanged.
*-* That feature would be really really helpful!
@LauraS I really like these ideas, especially mass PMs for us, which would be useful for peer support as well. The only reason I'd prefer email would be in case the PM were 'bumped' out of my inbox ? due to an influx over the holidays, I've had quite a few new messages bumped out of view, and when accessing the site viaan app/mobile device (I don't have apersonal computer at the moment) I've noticedit's not simple to relocate thesemessages. A few ways to solve this mightbe automatically 'locking' admin messagesin our inboxes until wemanually hide them, allowing morevisible messages to remainin our inboxes, or creating a separate inbox for these kinds of longer notifications that are not live chats. Either way, I'm glad these communications ideas are moving forward.
@OliviaButlerI can see your point. Having done emails for a while now, I often feel like my messages are missed or not read in full. When someone logs on to 7 Cups, they are in "7 Cups mode" so they are more receptive to messages. I also think maybe people do not read emails/check emails. This is my hypothesis.
But yes, the goal is communication. And we will figure out a way to continue to improve it across the board.
Sending a mass PM to everyone with the peer support badge or everyone with the appreciation badge...with challenges, Ideas, updates...etc would be really cool I think!
I am quite happy with the way the idea has evolved just a few points can there be some volunteers whose inputs are also considered for the same ?so if anyone wants to include something they can do the same or at least it will be considered ? Thank you for looking at the idea
@poeticguy
It will most likely be that group mods that might want to put something in can e-mail or submit a form to have that information included. That's how mentors do it when there is a need or desire to put information in the next newsletter. It's still open ended to us, but without having to deal with too many people giving input in the newsletter that would cause it to be delayed.
As many have agreed to volunteer ,I was thinking more on the lines of a volunteer team comprised of the active mods will suggest the content or the updates (as related to the troll issues ) it will then be edited by the editors or super active mods who will then send it to the higher ups for approval and then they can be sent out .we can make sure that in the volunteer as well as the editor team the 24 hours are adequately represented .this way we will also feel more involved in the publishing of the updates .the power to approve and dissaprove will remain in your hands So it will be two small groups who have been selected to do the same . If someone outside of those have an input they can pass it on to the volunteers or the editors .so in that sense you really don't have to deal with too many people and a sort of system can be created for streaming the process @kane
Streamlining * Pardon the errors my phone is over enthusiastic at times
@poeticguy
I think something similar to that would work, but my main concern is the efficiency. When there are too many people involved and a chain, then it easily gets lost. This even happens with mentors sometimes when too many people are involved in a project because you still have to communicate with each other on what is included, how it's written, etc.It would be a lot easier if there was one central person like Heather who collected the information and organized it with everyone being able to submit information, especially since moderators might not even agree on a base level. Too many hands on each level slows down the process immensely. By doing this, Heather can see what is going on in the rooms, modify protocol as needed, and then update everyone on how to handle these kinds of situations so that we're all on the same page of how to handle what occurs.
Not to mention, those who are active may have different relationships with members so tactics and suggestions they use and give will not always be effective for others who do not have similar relationships. There's already a difference between how some members treat active moderators/listeners vs how they treat "outside" moderators/listeners which isn't very conclusive to a healthy environment. Active moderators will be able to give insight on the dynamics, but that doesn't mean that other moderators will necessarily still be able to use that information to moderate the rooms.
I see newsletters as more official ways of updating the groups/explaining new protocol/highlighting discussions in the forums, and the forums/group mod zone as a way for moderators, active or not, to actually communicate with each other. The way mentors do it, the e-mail highlights announcements, updates, discussion threads, feedback threads, etc. It merely facilitates communication rather than acts as the existing communication to allow everyone to have a chance to add input. Problems with cohesion and communication aren't solved through e-mail newsletters, but everyone being willing to discuss it together and brainstorm together through the forums or group mod zones.
@kane I agree that more the number of people involved higher the chance of confusion and derailment .what I am proposing is slightly different,so say the newsletter is a monthly thing and lets assume 10 volunteers have been selected so they are given say 2 weeks to submit what they feel should be included then those submissions will be given to the editors who will then edit the material and include anything else which has been received by say people who arent a part of the team of volunteers.they will also make sure all major aspects have been included .they will then pass it on to heather say after a weekof deliberation .who can change points as she deems fit(she may feel a particular point should be presented in a different way)she can then add something which has been missed and then approve the newsletter and send it to everyone.If someone feels they cannot continue or would like to take a break they can be substituted .I dont think there should be a dearth of volunteers.just to clarify by active mods I meant the mods who are active on the groups(as then only can they be aware of whats going on)and whom you know for a fact have ben doing good work.
I feel this system can work with a bit of dedication but it may so happen that it fails so how about say a trial period and then you can decide if you want to continue with the same ?
@kaneI agree that it wont lead to better cohesion between the mods but it can facilitate some sort of an official communication where they are advised on how to act in certail situations there have been times when a mod has been discussed in the presence and with the active participation of the mod present which i think is dangerous,and also members taking advantage of mods such incidents can be curtailed through such a channel,this can lead to cohesion between the team but not all the mods but it can create a support sytem as also some sort of an input /feedback system in which the mods are actively involved,its true that willingness to communicate will be the major factor in group cohesion which can be brought about by maybe some sort of group activites but again if they we arent enthusiaistic it wont work.
That being said maybe if sucha system is put into place it may just surprise us all:p
Would be awesome to have a similar thing for teens as well (I know we are always not included until it's been 'trialled' on the adult side) but I'd be happy to help co-ordinate a teen group mod newsletter!
Yes, I think this could work for teens as well!
As many have agreed to volunteer ,I was thinking more on the lines of a volunteer team comprised of the active mods will suggest the content or the updates (as related to the troll issues ) it will then be edited by the editors or super active mods who will then send it to the higher ups for approval and then they can be sent out .we can make sure that in the volunteer as well as the editor team the 24 hours are adequately represented .this way we will also feel more involved in the publishing of the updates .the power to approve and dissaprove will remain in your hands . Any thoughts ?
In terms of general ideas (obviously for teen side, we may not do it/may be delayed/slightly different...), but I agree, if it efectively went up the chain with the more and more active mods approving it at each stage so at the final point, it's pretty much ready to go and isn't much effort for Heather or Laura...
@Kane, how about having a google doc and sending the link to everyone?
Any updates made will be stored directly and there is no need to resend it.
Another point is, handling the trolls is a general issue. If someone is sending inappropriate messages you need to mute them. Anyone who is being rude needs to be given one warning and then muted. What sort of updates do we need on that?
Most of the times I have talked to guests who were termed trolls by other participants of the support room. I don't wish to give away their details at all to anyone, as I know their problem is genuine but they are misunderstood most of the time. How will we tackle this issue?
