The following moderation system will replace our current warning/infraction procedures.
1. Counseling PM's; Notices (Warnings)
1.1. New members (members with less than 50 posts) will receive Counseling PM's for any violations. Counseling PM's are not recorded in profiles. This is a grace period for new members unfamiliar with CF's rules and guidelines.
1.2. With the exception of the aforementioned protocol, all rule violations (by members with 50 posts or over) will result in a Notice. A notice is a warning (renamed), which is recorded in the member's profile, but carries no points. Notices will not expire. Violations that occur at or around the same time may be combined into a single Notice, provided the rule violating posts are documented in the Notice message.
1.3. Infractions and RFE's (requests for edit) are removed from protocol.
1.4. For members that persistently violate forum rules, or cause significant disruption in the forums, an Administrative Warning may be issued. Administrative Warnings remain in effect for 2 months, during which time the receiving member is on strict probation. Any violations of these rules may result in a permanent ban. If the violation is minor, the administrators may opt for a lighter penalty.
An Administrative Warning may be issued at any time, at the discretion of the administrators.
Should junior staff (moderators and supervisors) feel that a member has become a significant disruption, they should forward any and all relevant information to the administrators for review. Any rule violations while an administrative warning is in effect should also be forwarded to the administrators for review.
2. Temporary Suspensions; Permanent Bans
2.1. Cool-off bans may be issued at any time, for a duration of 24-48 hours. Cool-off bans require the approval of at least one administrator.
2.2. Temporary suspensions, longer than 48 hours but lasting no longer than 30 days, may be issued with the consensus of the administrators.
2.3. Forum-specific bans, lasting no longer than 60 days, may be issued with the consensus of the administrators.
2.4. Permanent bans may be issued with consensus of the administrators. There is no set number of violations required before a permanent ban may be issued.
The Reconciliation Team may overturn any suspensions or bans at their discretion.
3. Unilateral and Consensus Moderation
The first staff member to comment in a report is responsible for taking ownership of that report. If he feels the post is in violation, he should unilaterally edit/delete the post or thread. The report should remain open, so that consensus may then be reached. If consensus finds that the post is in violation, a Notice may be issued, and the report closed without further action or review. If consensus finds that the post was not in violation, the post/thread should be restored.
4. Staff Permissions
4.1. Moderators will only have access to their staff tools in their assigned forums. Outside of their assigned forums, moderators will not have access to any staff tools, and should be regarded as regular members.
4.2. Supervisors will have access to staff tools site-wide, and to the Moderator Control Panel (ModCP).
4.3. Administrators will have access to staff tools site-wide, and the ModCP.
4.4. Superadministrators will be the only staff with access to the Administrator Control Panel (AdminCP).
5. Staff Position Descriptions
5.1. Moderators are responsible for actioning reports, including editing/deleting posts, closing threads, and issuing Counseling PM's and Notices. They may guide discussions, through the use of mod hats or staff notes.
5.2. Supervisors are responsible for oversight of a forum category. They may vote and participate in reports, and overturn moderator actions or consensus, when necessary. Supervisors cannot set forum policy or guidelines, nor discipline or manage staff. Supervisors are appointed by the Reconciliation Team.
All current supermods will be moved to the moderator usergroup within the next few days, and supervisors then chosen by the Reconciliation Team.
5.3. Administrators are responsible for hearing appeals, setting forum guidelines, and managing team staff. Administrators issue Administrative Warnings, temporary suspensions, and bans. Administrators are appointed by the Advisors.
5.4. The Reconciliation Team is responsible for hearing appeals, and conducting staff reviews. The Reconciliation Team may issue disciplinary action, as appropriate, to team staff (moderators, supervisors, and administrators), including forum reassignment, Letters of Counsel, Letters of Reprimand, demotion, and removal from staff.
Recap:
[1] Members with less than 50 posts receive Counseling PM's.
[2] "Warnings" are changed to "Notices."
[3] All violations result in a Notice, with the exception of new members, as noted above.
[4] If a member becomes a significant disruption, or has violated the rules frequently, the administrators collectively discuss the issuance of an Administrative Warning. An Administrative Warning remains in effect for 2 months, and would be a member's last warning, before a ban is applied.
[5] If the member violates the rules while an Administrative Warning is in effect, the member is permanently banned (leaving room for exception, taking into consideration the seriousness of the offense).
[6] The first staff member to comment is expected to take take action unilaterally. E.g, staff member A is the first one to comment in the report, he feels the post is in violation, so he edits the post (the use of deletions is highly discouraged unless the post cannot be salvaged). The report remains open, so that consensus may be attained. If the other forum staff agree with the action taken, a Notice is issued, and the report is closed without further review. If the other forum staff disagree with the action taken, then the post is restored, and the report is closed.