Moderator Orientation

Summing up the responsibilities of a Moderator would be the word "guidance". Moderators with the power to manage users, their 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. They don't have the responsibility of kicking/banning people and their primary goal is to be helpful and positive. The following powers are granted to all moderators in all channels where TripBot has OP. Note: Just because TripBot has OP does not mean it's an official TripSit room. Whenever you have doubts/need advice/help, do not forget about ~teamtripsit or ask in #tripsit.me!

Notify

/msg TripBot ~notify <channel> <event>

Moderators will make heavy use of the ~notify command to keep records of events on the network, and should be used every time you have to verbally warn a user. This is our primary mode of communication between all staff members. You can notify different levels of staff by choosing either #teamtripsit or #tripsit.me. The former will send a notify to all staff, and the latter to only moderators and above.

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 a ~notify stating you have dealt with the situation (detailed ~report handling procedure below.) This is something that is sometimes abused by people. When a report is filed wrongfully, 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>

For an easy listing of all reports, quiets, and warnings a user has accumulated, the commands ~ustatus and ~sustatus are provided. ~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. As this is considered sensitive material, please only run these commands in #tripsit.me, #tripbot, or in PM.

Warning

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

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

#note/#quiet is optional. When used, it will not send the user a PM regarding the warning. This is useful if you give the user a verbal warning, but would like an official record of it.

You can see a user's previous warnings with ~warnings username or through the tripbot web interface here

Warnings are counted and permanently stored online for staff to view past events. These should be used as much as possible, as it provides a good record for us when considering a ban. The user is not notified of the warning when it is issued; it is only used for internal record keeping. Verbal warnings suffice most of the time, but when there is repeat behavior or serious offenses such as sourcing it is good to make a note of it.

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 primary mode of recourse against a problem user. This command prevents the user from speaking in that channel or changing their nickname; and also sends a notify to staff in that channel. 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 can be used to try to pull in a random conversation topic.

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

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 prevents a user from joining any channel tripbot is opped in. It will also kick the user from any channel the ban is applied in.

As a moderator, 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 operator or sysop. (If an operator or sysop is unavailable, certain cases do not require approval. Examples include: blatant sourcing, spamming/flooding, or extreme cases of trolling.)

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 and say ~teamtripsit

As a Moderator

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

1. Verbal warning to please chill out.

2. 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.

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.

Remember to keep logs and documentation on pad.tripsit.me.

Thanks for reading!