Responsibilities and duties of a Moderator

Do I qualify to be a moderator?

In order to be a volunteer moderator, you need to be a daily visitor to the message board. You should be reliable and willing to provide us with some information about yourself, including your real name, location and e-mail address.

Moderators can close, move, top, split, merge, bump and even delete an entire thread if necessary. Initially this may sound very complex and technical but it is actually quite easy. If in doubt please ask the admin before doing something. A deleted thread cannot be recovered.

• Bump. Put an older thread back to the top of the list. This is different from "top" as the thread will not remain at the top always but will move down over time like all others. (threads are sorted by the time/date of the last post).

• Close. Close a thread. No more posting.

• Delete. It's gone for good.

• Move. Moves a thread to a new/different forum (with or without a redirect)

• Merge. Merges two threads into one.

• Split. Split one or more messages of a thread to form a new thread. Can be moved to a different forum afterwards.

• Top. Also known as "pin". Puts a thread at the top of a forum.

Under what circumstances can I delete a post or thread?

If the post or entire thread is clearly a violation of the rules and Christian sensibilities then the decision is easy - into the trash it goes. However, most of the time it is not that easy. In cases like this is is best to discuss it with the other moderators.

For minor offences - e.g. tone of a thread getting out of hand, argumentative, you may want to simply post a message at the end of the thread stating that members should be more civil to one another and then close the thread. Please also report this in the Moderators forum so the rest know about it.

What if I'm not sure if a post should be removed?

In most cases, the best form of action if you are not 100% sure is to move the post without a redirect, to the Moderators forum and discuss it with the other Moderators first. If the decision is made to delete it good and well. If the decision is made to move it back no harm done.

NB: When moving threads to and from the moderators forum this must always be done without leaving a redirect in the forum from which it came.

What screen name should I use when acting as a moderator?

You can keep your existing screen name or register a new one for when you are wearing your moderators hat. It's up to you.

How many moderators are there per forum?

There is no fixed number. There could be one, there could be more. It all depends on how busy a forum is.
 

• Don't whine :-) Please don't go to the Administrator/s with every little problem. As a moderator you are given free reign in the forum you moderate and are expected to take most decisions on your own. If you need assistance, please speak to another moderator before going to the Admin/s.
• Don't close or delete threads you don't agree with. Rather than censoring a post you don't agree with, reply with your own constructive counter-argument / criticism.
• Don't delete threads. Use the Close Thread function instead. Threads or replies should only be deleted if it blatantly goes against the rules. Use your judgment.
• When moving a thread make sure "Move thread and leave redirect in previous forum" is selected. This allows the original poster to find it.
• Visit the board at least once a day if you can. Try to review all the new topics posted for each day in the forum you moderate.
• If you feel that you can't keep up with this schedule, just let us know and you can be moved to a forum with less traffic, or some more moderators can be assigned to help you out.
• Take part! Just because you are a moderator doesn't mean you can't take part in a discussion. Try to facilitate a discussion.