Moderator Orientation

Summing up the responsibilities of a Moderator would be the word "guidance". Moderators' primary function is to enforce the rules and attempt to keep a positive environment! They represent our network and make sure that things are going smoothly, as well as having some more input on rule formation and other TripSit activites. Moderators are able to perform moderator actions via TripBot in all channels where tripbot has op, i.e. nbans and quiets will only take effect in rooms where tripbot has the 'o' flag. Whenever you have doubts/need advice/help, do not forget about ~teamtripsit or ask in #moderators! New moderators are asked to watch the process and ask questions for a while to get a feel for how we moderate.

Reports

/msg TripBot ~report <user> <reason>

<reason> should be as descriptive as possible, and may even include a link to a pad of logs.

Moderators will receive notifications of user 'reports' which take place in a certain room. If you're around, please respond to these reports and follow up with some kind of action stating you have dealt with the situation (detailed ~report handling procedure below). For example, doing a ~notify that you verbally talked with someone is considered an action, a ~warn could also be appropriate, depending on the situation. Sometimes, the report function is abused, and when this happens, explain to the issuer that it is not something to abuse; repeat offenders should be ~warn'ed.

Checking a users status

/msg tripbot ~ustatus <user>

/msg tripbot ~sustatus <user>

/msg tripbot ~concerning <user>

The ~ustatus command is great for getting the current status of a user (banned, unbanned, number of quiets, reports and warnings). For a listing of all reports, quiets, and warnings a user has accumulated, the commands ~sustatus is used. ~ustatus will provide a simple count of each, while ~sustatus will print the full reasons for reports, quiets, and warnings a user has been issued. Further, using the ~concering command, you can get a user's history from when they have seeked help in #tripsit. As this is considered sensitive material, ~ustatus and ~sustatus can only be run in #tripsit.me, #tripbot, #moderators or in PM. ~concerning can be used only in #teamtripsit, #tripsitters, #tripsit.me and PM.

Warning

/msg TripBot ~warn <user> <reason> #note

You can also provide an automatic warn when placing a ~quiet by including #warn in the reason.

#note is optional. When used, it will not send the user a PM regarding the warning. This is used often after giving the user a verbal warning, to keep a record of it.

Warnings are counted and permanently stored for staff to view past events. These should be utilised as much as possible, as it provides a good record for us when considering a ban. The user is notified of the warning when it is issued, and is considered a formal warning. However, a warning is not a replacement for actually speaking to the user to explain what they did and why it's not acceptable. People appreciate being talked to by a human, rather than just being notified from an automatic system. Verbal warnings suffice most of the time, but it does not hurt to apply a #note warning (silent, non-formal) so that we can look back on it if needed. Repeat behaviour should usually lead to a formal warning, and sourcing always leads to a warning/quiet.

Quiet

/msg TripBot ~quiet  <#room> <user> <reason> #warn

is optional if you intend to manually remove the quiet when the situation has passed.

<#room> is optional if you are using the command in the target room.

#warn is used to automatically apply a warning with the quiet reason.

As a Moderator, this command will be your secondary mode of recourse against a problem user, after verbal warning have failed, or the infraction is severe enough to merit a 'time out'. This command prevents the user from speaking in the channel or changing their nickname; and also sends a notify to staff in that channel. For example, a ~quiet in #drugs will alert all moderators to the quiet, while a ~quiet in #tripsit will alert all tripsitters to the quiet. It is an excellent tool for trolls and rowdy users who need a small break to cool off. It's usually better to employ a timed quiet rather than a permanent one, since this is difficult to follow up and is more of a 'permanent' solution, which isn't generally the intended use of a quiet.

Often a good method of 'moderation' is simply to attempt to guide a channel into a reasonable conversation. It's almost always better to try and defuse a situation with your words, than to immediately move towards silencing or warning a user. Most people listen to reason, and simply changing the subject is often an effective tactic in ceasing any buffoonery. ~question, ~topic and ~ptopic can be used to try to pull in a random conversation starter.

Should trying to change the topic fail, one quiet is usually enough to change the subject quickly.

Shadow Quiet

/msg TripBot ~quiet <#room> <user> <reason> #warn

/mode <channel> +z

While not used very often, this method has worked against repeat trolls who use free-VPN to get around a kline. After applying the quiet on a user, mode +z allows the messages from the user to still enter the channel, but are only visable by people with the +o flag. In effect, the user still thinks they're talking, but are not inconveniencing anyone by doing so. Changing modes in a channel requires an Operator's approval, so this is not a tactic to jump to right away, but it's possible in the event that it's agreed to be used.

Ban

/msg tripbot ~nban <user> <reason>

<hours> is optional. If a time is not specified the ban will remain in place until manually removed by an operator or a sysop.

<reason> should be a summary of the accumulated offenses. It should not, however, include direct links to any pads, as the reason is stated in any channel the user is kicked from. Please post pad links in #tripsit.me when requesting ban authorization.

This command can be used to remove users that have been causing repeated issues, and are unresponsive to quiets and warnings. Before a ban is issued, it should be discussed in #tripsit.me and should receive the approval of at least one other moderator, operator or sysop. (If another staff member is unavailable, certain cases do not require approval. Examples include: blatant sourcing, spamming/flooding, or extreme cases of trolling).

This command prevents a user from joining any offical TripSit Channel (channel tripbot is opped in). It will also kick the user from any channel the ban is applied in. Note that the user will still be able to access the network, PM people, and join non-TripSit channels. These abilities can be removed by requesting a kline from an operator.

Notify

/msg TripBot ~notify <channel> <event>

Moderators can use the ~notify command to keep records of events on the network. This is used when something happens that doesn't fit elsewhere, and you feel it would be good information to recall later. You can notify different levels of staff by choosing the channel you send the notify to. For example, notifying #moderators will notify all Moderators and above, while notifying #teamtripsit will include TripSitters and above.

Rule Breaking Procedure

As a member

1. ~report the user

As a TripSitter

1. Verbal warning to please chill out or leave the room.

• In the event of serious trolls, this may be skipped.

2. ~quiet <#channel> <username> <reason> to quiet problematic users in #tripsit.

3. ~report <user> and discuss the problem with other staff in #teamtripsit.

4. Join #tripsit.me, say ~teamtripsit, and give detailed information to the staff.

As a Moderator

When you receive a ~report about a user, or witness the activity yourself:

1. Check the rules matrix for a general idea of how certain situations should be dealt with https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AfBh2--ymg6fbyUnb3Lv191cfjyD9ogqMSEhOgmd5og/edit#gid=0 (please note this may be slightly out of date, ask if you are unsure)

2. Verbal warning to please chill out.

• If user is doing a serious infraction, this may be skipped, and you may immediately:

3. ~quiet the user for a specified time limit.

• For minor infractions 10 minutes is a pretty good number.

4. Talk to the user.

• This may be the most important step. A user needs to know what they did wrong and should hear it from a human rather than a robot.

5. ~warn the user (if necessary) providing information about the encounter.

• Warning will be sent via PM on most occasions as to avoid drama in the main channels and a note will be added to their file on Titan pad.

• Occasionally public warnings will be issued to show to others what the rules are, but please don't "make an example" out of anyone.

6. If a ~warn is not necessary, ~notify #tripsit.me of the outcome of the interaction.

7. If the above ~quiet was not timed, remember to undo the quiet.

• You can use ~remindme <reason> to set a reminder for yourself to unquiet.

Remember to keep logs and documentation on tripsitmods.tripsit.me when necessary.

Thanks for reading!