RIME CONFERENCE HOST GUIDE - Revised 09/15/1996 General Rime Conference Host Responsibilities Check the contents of your conference frequently. If you must be out of town or unable to access your conference for more than three days, notify the Conference Administrator so that arrangements can be made in advance to cover the conference during your absence. You may always make your own arrangements for coverage but please make sure that the CA (Conference Administrator) is notified of the name and routing directions for your substitute. Make every effort to see that users of the conference keep to the topics that are the goal of your conference. Help to stimulate conversation to benefit all users of the conference. Encourage others to participate in the conference. Try to insure that over quoting and the use of quote boxes is kept to a minimum. This helps every sysop on the network, and will make your conference easier to be in for the users. Be able to answer general questions about the network and how to make the most of it. Answer questions regarding the privacy of messages on the network and how to route messages. Hosts should also keep a recent copy of the RIME nodelist (RIMEYYMM.ZIP), the RIME users manual (#RIMEMAN.ZIP) and other network documents so that they may answer questions that arise about the availability of RIME nodes. Inform the conference users of the general network rules and whatever rules are specific for your conference on a regular basis. For some conferences, this might be once a month, for others it might be every few weeks. Use your best judgement. If you have many new users in your conference, even in a quiet conference, you might post the rules more often to help newer users get accommodated more quickly. In any posting of the rules, please include the information that users wishing to engage in discussions on the rules of the network or the conference must carry out those discussions R/O and routed in the conference, or in public in Relay Users. Inform the conference users of whom they should contact in the event of a problem in the conference. This includes making yourself visible as the first person to contact in such an event. Conference hosts set the tone of a conference and they provide an example of what behavior is expected in the conference. While conference hosts are free to participate in the conference they moderate, a conference host should always use his/her best judgement when doing so. If a conference host is participating in their own conference, they must distinguish their "user" type messages from their "official" type messages. A different signature on the message is usually all that is needed. Conference host behavior is always under scrutiny by the users in the conference. As such you should always leave extremely courteous messages to the users and never use language that could be construed as attacking or belittling. It is never appropriate for a CH to call a user stupid, childish, immature, disgusting etc. What exactly makes a good conference host. To quote Jud Phillips "When we attorneys evaluate judicial candidates, one of the things we look for is what we refer to as judicial temperament. Judicial temperament is one of those intangible qualities that is difficult to describe. Basically, it's a combination of intelligence, knowledge of the law, diplomatic skills, tact and grace. IMO, there is a good parallel between a judgeship and being CH." Amen! Why Do We Have Rules (stolen from Dennis McCunney) "Did you ever think about *why* various RIME rules exist? Every legal system has some degree of flexibility built into it-- it has to, to work at all. RIME's rules evolved from experience, and have two basic purposes: to provide a framework in which a lot of very different people can mingle and converse with a minimum of friction and conflict, and to keep the burden on the participating Sysops who provide the service as reasonable as possible in the process. Part of the flexibility in RIME's rules comes from the general nature of the rules: they are more a set of guidelines you can use as a basin to make judgements than a detailed set of specifications for exactly what is and is not allowed. The other part of the flexibility comes from the Conference hosts, who can choose how to respond to rules infractions. Jaywalking happens to be illegal in many jurisdictions, for instance, but how many cops on the beat do you suppose ever actually write summonses about it? Few, if any--they have better things to do. So it is with CH's. A user posts a message with a two line signature that includes a BBS name and number. Am I going to moderate him on that basis? No--the signature is legal, and the rule about BBS ads is intended to step on much more glaring offenses, such as full screen ANSI efforts in conferences that have nothing to do with BBSes. As a CH, I'm expected to have the wit to recognize the distinction. Taking a strict "letter of the law" approach, there are all manner of things that could theoretically get a user moderated. Taking a "spirit of the law" approach, things become a lot more reasonable. There is also latitude involved in *how* you enforce rules when you do deem enforcement needed. I've had good success with a low-key approach: I send the user a *polite* and friendly note explaining that a rule was violated, explain why the rule exists, *ask* for compliance, and, if possible, suggest an alternate form of posting that accomplishes the same intended end and is legal. I seldom have to ask twice, and I can count the number of real problems I've had with recalcitrant users since I've been a Host on the fingers of one hand and have fingers left over." With this in mind first who's who and then the rules. The Who's Who of RIME RIME consists of one governing body: the Administrative Council. Chief Administrator - Don Barba - 35 MOONDOG First Administrator - Rex Hankins - 5 IBMNET Conference Administrator - Garry Baker - 1279 BLAKGOLD PR Administrator - Bob Sasso - 35 MOONDOG Statistics Administrator - Roy Wilson - 35 MOONDOG FTP Manager - Sue Moore - 5012 SVIS FTSC Administrator - Rick Cowles - 5690 WRITERSBLOCK You may leave messages in either the COMMON, NetAdmin or the Conference Hosts conference. Coordinating the conferences is a big job, and is currently handled by several people. You should familiarize yourself with who does what: Greg Birosh (MOONDOG #35)is the Scouting Coordinator and is responsible for issuing Scouting Numbers for proposed conferences. He is the man to see if you want to start a new conference. Garry Baker (BLAKGOLD #1279) is the Chief Conference Administrator (CCA), and is the person who handles all intra-conference problems. If you are experiencing some problem in a conference, he is the one to get in touch with. If it has something to do with a conference, Garry is the man to ask. The Official Rules for Conference Problem Solving 1. Steps in Handling Problems in RIME Conference a. If a problem arises, the Conference Host shall approach the user in a courteous fashion and ask the user to review the rules of the conference and/or network and to please abide by them. This initial message should be R/O, routed, if possible, however, the Conference Host may elect to address the problem in a general public message in the conference. Conference Hosts should maintain archival copies of ALL moderation related messages (Both TO and FROM the participant) for possible future review. Depending on the severity of the matter and how quickly the problem develops, it may be appropriate to notify the Conference Administrator of RIME of the impending problem so that he/she may be abreast of the situation and follow the contents of your conference. Keep in mind that some BBS software may not allow the receiving of a private routed message, and that turn-around time of messages may be as long as 3 days. This is not considered a formal warning. (This is a head's up.) b. If the problem continues, the next step is to issue a formal warning to the user or users involved and to contact the SysOp of the board from where the user's messages are originating and respectfully ask for their cooperation and aid in handling the problem. If you are thinking of issuing a final warning, ask for direct intervention by the Chief Conference Administrator to help bring the problem situation to closure if at all possible. No final warning can be issued that is not approved, at least, minimally by the Chief Conference Administrator. c. If your formal warning and the intervention of the Sysop and the CCA has not reversed the situation, the final step is to consult the CCA for permission and guidance on the right to suspend and the length of that suspension. Please include at least one message, if not a few, that demonstrate why you feel there is a need for suspension of the user. In most instances, step 1 is sufficient to handle most user problems. d. Conference Hosts serve at the discretion of the CCA and AC and are subject to the same rules of decorum and conduct as all other users. e. All node Sysops are expected to adhere to the highest standards of decorum and courtesy in their conference usage and participation. Of course, all node Sysops are subject to AC accountability. 2. Disciplinary Action. Any suspensions must be with the approval of the¨ CCA. Removal from the network must have the approval of the CCA and SC.¨ a. First offense. The user may be warned informally or formally. Formal warnings are to be brought to the attention of the CCA. A formal warning requires that you also notify the sysop of the board that the user usually uses to leave messages. b. Continued offense following a formal warning. The user is subject to removal from the conference(s) for a minimum of ten days. If the offense is considered serious enough, the user may be removed from the conference for 30 days. A user who has been removed for 30 days for a first offense is considered on probation upon his/her return to the conference (see below). A user who has been suspended from a conference, for any period of time, and seeks to circumvent that moderation by returning to that conference prematurely, either by using an alias or a different board, will be immediately suspended for 6 months. c. Second offense. The user should be issued a warning that he is continuing to be in violation of the rules despite his previous suspension and that he faces an immediate 30 day suspension for the next rule violation. If the user continues, at the discretion of the CH, the user is subjected to immediate removal from the conference. The CH must then immediately notify the CCA, and the sysop involved, that the user has been suspended for a second time. At the discretion of the AC the user may at that time also be removed from the network, if appropriate, for a minimum of thirty days. After a 30-day suspension, whether for a second offense or a severe first offense, has been served, that user is on probation for 90 additional days. During those 90 days, any further messages which would result in a formal warning is sufficient cause for a 6 month suspension from that conference. A formal warning does not have to be issued prior to a 6 month suspension. However, because of the serious nature of a 6 month suspension, a single minor infraction should be brought to the users attention immediately and the user should be warned that he is on probation and facing a 6 month suspension if he does not alter his message style immediately. However, if the user does not immediately respond in a positive direction, no other warnings will be issued and the user will be suspended for 6 months immediately upon another rule infraction. d. Continuing offenses. The user is subject to removal from the conference(s), or the network, if appropriate, permanently or until the AC declares otherwise. e. Appeals can be made R/O to Garry Baker (#1279) in the COMMON Conference, (see above) or in either public or private in the USERS conference. Suspensions from the network cannot be appealed. Suspensions from the USERS conference cannot be appealed. f. Sysops always have the discretion to remove their own users at any time. 3. Emergency measures: a. A CH in a conference where there has been flagrant disregard of all rules of common sense to the point of conference disruption, may suspend a participant in the conference immediately for a period of 10 days. b. Upon suspension the CH must immediately notify the sysop of the board that the message originated from and the following person: Garry Baker - Chief Conference Administrator (->1279) c. Immediate suspension is considered a grave event and should not be undertaken lightly. Applying the Rules What to Moderate: HIT AND RUN: (Quick posting of inappropriate or off-topic message, such as a "for sale" message, by a person who does not normally frequent the conference). For a Hit and Run type message consider advising other hosts in HOST Conference. PYRAMID SCHEMES: Since pyramid schemes are always illegal, they should be moderated immediately. Consider advising other hosts in the HOST conference, and notify the AC so they can issue a public retraction in RIMENEWS. INAPPROPRIATE TAGLINES: Moderating taglines can be difficult, as many users have their readers randomly cycle through taglines. If a tagline violates the rules of RIME, such as the use of profanity or a personal attack, do not hesitate to moderate, otherwise ignore taglines. Personalized taglines are therefore not to moderated unless they do not stay within the rules of the network. INAPPROPRIATE SIGNATURES: Signatures that take up too many lines or that are in ANSI should be moderated. Otherwise, ignore signatures. OVERQUOTING: While we recommend quoting of no more than 20%, use your judgement. Sometimes it makes sense to quote more of a message. However, it is extremely rare to need to quote a whole message and even rarer to need to quote the signature and tagline areas. Try to help users bring down the amount they quote by setting an example, and by gentle reminders about the quoting rules. OFF-TOPIC MESSAGES BY A NEW USER: New users may be confused by the title of the conference. Offer new or confused users helpful suggestions and inform them of the real purpose of the conference with encouragement to continue. SIDE CONVERSATIONS: Old hands in a conference may wander off the topic of the conference. Help them get back on track lest the whole conference move off topic along with them. FORSALE AND BBS ADS: If your conference allows forsale ads, let the conference users know this often. Otherwise, moderate any forsale BBS ads left in your conference. ILLEGAL ACTIVITY: Messages that promote illegal activity should ALWAYS be moderated quickly and in public. Promotion of illegal activity may qualify for an immediate suspension under the emergency suspension rules. You must immediately inform the CA and the AC of any message activity in your conference that deals with promotion of illegal activity. BAD LANGUAGE: Message that contain obscene, profane or vulgar language must be moderated. Symbols that replace some of the letters do not change a profane word into an acceptable word. If you are moderating in public, do not quote the bad language back to the user. If a user is quoting a respected source, such as a book or a newspaper, and needs to maintain the integrity of the quote, some leeway may be permitted here and symbols may be used to replace most of the letters of a word that would normally be considered profane. This is not supported for one user simply quoting another user in the same conference! PERSONAL ATTACKS: Always moderate personal attacks. Any person to person attack is considered moderatable on this network. Do not, however, EVER moderate ideas, only personal attacks. What Not to Moderate: THE TRUTH PATROL: Conference hosts are not the keeper of truth and final judge of fact. We ask our CH's to refrain from making judgements or offering official opinions on the ideas expressed in messages. TAGLINES: Do not moderate taglines or signatures unless they specifically break a network rule. In general, ignore them. This includes not encouraging discussions of taglines unless you are in the Taglines conference. ENGLISH AND GRAMMAR: We do not moderate folks on their sentence structure, their spelling or their grammar. Do not correct folks as if you were their personal english teacher. OTHER FOLKS CONFERENCES: Do not moderate in other conferences simply because you are a moderator. If you have discovered an unmoderated conference, let our Chief Conference Administrator know and volunteer to cover the conference temporarily. But don't barge into other folk's territory, carrying your six-shooter. You'd resent it, and so will they. THE HELPFUL USER: Sometimes when a conference gets heated, a user will take it upon himself/herself to tell others, in an obviously friendly spirit, "hey guys...lighten up". Do not stomp down on that user. Send them a friendly, private, routed message, thanking them for their help and pointing out to them that you are on top of the situation and that sometimes users get confused when too many folks try to help get situations cooled down. If someone does this more than once, perhaps you might suggest that they would like to be a conference host themselves and send them to the Conference Administrator. If someone does it chronically, then you might think about moderation messages. The Software and Private, Routed Messages: To send a private, routed message you must know either the site number or the IDCODE of the board you wish to reach. The IDCODE, which is a group of up to 12 letters including some numbers, appears immediately after the words POSTLINK version number in every tagline. The site number then immediately follows the IDCODE and is preceded by the # symbol. The # symbol is NOT part of the site number. You should ignore it, it is just a signal that the site number follows directly. Here is a typical tagline: * Collector's EDITION, Dallas, TX (214)351-9859/9871 14.4 * PostLink(tm) v1.04 EDITION (#79) : RelayNet(tm) /^^^^^^^ ^^ \ / \ / \ This is the IDCODE This is the Site Number EDITION 79 As you can see, the information you need in order to route appears after the word "Postlink(tm) vX.XX in the tagline area. The IDCODE immediately follows the Postlink version number and the SITE number is preceded by the # symbol. Do NOT use the # symbol in your routing information. The symbol for routing is -> This is a hyphen immediately followed by a greater than symbol or arrow pointing to the right. This routing symbol must then be immediately followed by the site number or the IDCODE. You do not need both the IDCODE and the site number. This routing symbol must be placed in the extreme upper left hand corner of the message, on the very first line. Do not start the text of your message immediately after your routing symbol. Skip a line or at least a few spaces before you start the body of your message. If you were trying to reach me, it would look like one of these: Either ->BLAKGOLD or ->1279 You should send all moderation messages with a return receipt so that you will know that the message actually arrived on the BBS and when it arrived. To receive a "return receipt", place a backward routing symbol <- immediately after the site number or the IDCODE. It might look like this: ->1279<- You may route a message to more than one site at the same time by stacking the site number or IDCODE on the routing line, each route separate by a space. This is called MULTICASTING. You may mix site numbers and IDCODES and you may mix upper and lower cases for the IDCODES. The IDCODE does not need to be in upper case. You should also request a return receipts when multicasting, but realize you will receive a return receipt from every system you have on your routing line. Here is an example of a multicasted message asking for a return receipt: ->LOCKSOFT 547 modemzone 1121 687 3 1421 Earthzone<- Network Sysop Messages: A network sysop message is a specialized message. While the message is addressed to NETWORK SYSOP at its point of origin, on import the TO: field is changed to the individual sysop's name. You can not identify a network sysop message versus a message where the individual sysops name was actually entered in the TO: field as they look exactly alike. You should use NETWORK SYSOP messages when you are sending a message to the sysop about some moderation and you do not know the name of that sysop. You MUST route the message to the individual board where you are trying to reach the sysop. For moderation information to the sysop send the network sysop message ROUTED to that particular board and the message will be delivered only to that board. Use the COMMON conference for these messages. ****If a board does NOT have a Postlink site number, messages may not be routed to that board. In this event, contact the CCA for information on the Sysop of the board and instructions on how to proceed.******* When and How to Moderate: Timing: They say timing is everything. That is true for the conference host as well. Do you let a situation go on, hoping it will just go away or do you step in immediately to head it off before it is even clear it is going to get out of hand? Depends on your conference. In a technical conference, off-topic messages might be moderated more slowly than they might be in the debate conference. If you moderate every off topic message you will get a reputation of being inflexible and a bully. If you never moderate anything, particularly in an issues-oriented conference, your conference might degenerate into nothing more than a slugfest. Imagine that all users are interested in cooperating and tend to moderate themselves. There are, of course, exceptions. If you have had problems with a user, you must be extra careful that you do not jump on them immediately simply because the user has caused trouble before. Users do change. Types of Messages: Reminders: A reminder is a gentle message. It reminds users that they are wandering into breaking the rules territory. Like the head's up message it is informational in content. Usually this is most effective for those times when an experienced user has wandered off the topic of the conference, when it is clear that a message destined for another conference has inadvertently ended up in the wrong place, or a routed message has gone unrouted. A reminder is a message that is not meant to make a big deal about an infraction. Do not use reminder type messages for blatant rules violations. OOPS, Bob, your for sale ad for your 286 arrived today in the DEBATE conference. It looks like you got lost when you sent that message! Joe, you're really drifting off here. Let's get back to widgets, okay? Head's Up Messages: A head's up message is still informational in content. It points out to the user that he has broken some rule, advises him of the rule and is meant to help him get back on track. It is intended to advise the user without making a big deal about what is going on. A head's up message differs from a reminder in that it now takes on the air of something official. It assumes that the user is on a path to suspension and is an attempt to push the user off that path. Send the user a friendly, head's up type message, pointing out what the user is doing and invite him /her to join in a more appropriate manner. Make sure the message is sent routed and private. Send the message with a return, receipt requested. Hi Joe, your discussion of widgets is quite interesting however it is off topic for this conference which tries to focus more on wachamacalleys. RIME does has a widget conference and you might think about moving this particular thread over there or perhaps join us in the discussion of wachamacalleys and their uses in snizzling as you made some good points about that topic before and I know I would be interested in hearing more about that. Thanks. Hi Bob, your message advertising your old 286 for sale is considered off-topic in this conference. RIME has a very active for-sale conferences and that would be the best place for you to try and sell your equipment. Thanks. Hi Tom, the discussion of abortion is off-topic in the debate conference now. We have a conference devoted strictly to that topic and if you are interested in continuing the discussion about abortion, why not ask your sysop to pick up the abortion conference where this discussion would be most welcome. It is RIME number #411 If a user is engaged in personal attacks, this should be moderated more quickly, before it has the potential to degenerate into a round of name calling on everyone's part. Remember that a user who responds to an attack with an attack should also be moderated. Saying someone else started it is never an excuse for bad conference behavior. Hi Joe, your message to Andrew which told Andrew that he was an idiot is considered a personal attack on this network. We do not allow personal attacks. We try to stick to the contents of messages in this conference and we avoid making personal comments about the writer of the message. Thanks for your cooperation. Hi Andrew, it seems you were upset about Joe's message which called you an idiot, however, it is against the rules of this network to respond to what is perceived as an attack with an attack. Please do not call Joe, or anyone else, a jerk. Thanks for your cooperation. Obscene language must be moderated quickly as well. The question of what is obscene seems to arise more in the issue oriented conferences. Be clear. No four letter words either spelled out directly or with symbols replacing letters. Nothing that you couldn't say to your preacher/teacher or grandmother. No racial, religious or sexual smears. Suggest alternatives to the user but do not quote the offensive word or words. Larry, we do not allow that kind of language on this network, even if you star out some of the letters. Please do not use this kind of language again. How about using the word "junk" instead, it will keep all of us out of trouble, as the laws for obscene language varies in the countries and states that RIME goes to. Thanks. All of the above are what are called head's up messages. They are the first message you might send to a user. They are all examples of messages that you might send if you have time and the conference isn't degenerating around you. They are all polite and direct. They state the offense, they state why it is an offense and they suggest a remedy. None of them are confrontational and they all assume that the user will respond in a positive direction. How Many Head's Up Messages?: If the problem in your conference is minor, respond with simple head's up messages. Don't bring your baseball bat to swat a fly. If the user continues, be sure that the user understood your message. If you think that he might not have, send him another head's up message, don't escalate to a formal warning. Remember mail delay. Perhaps your message to the user arrived after the user sent out his mail. Don't overreact. Your goal is to help the user stay in the conference, not purge the conference of all users. Hi Bob. I see you are real interested in selling that old 286 of yours, but this is the debate conference and we don't allow any for-sale ads in this conference. Please move your ad over to the FOR SALE conference where it is appropriate. It is not appropriate in this conference. If your BBS doesn't carry that conference let me know and I will suggest some other boards in your area. Or perhaps you could ask the sysop to pick it up for you for awhile. Am most happy to help you out here, but we really can't allow ads in this conference. Thanks. Moving to Formal Warnings: A formal warning is a more serious message. It means your initial contact with the user has failed and the user has chosen to ignore you. Do not issue a formal warning the same day that you issue a head's up message. Do not issue a formal warning the next day after you issue a head's up message. Remember that there is a turn around time to your messages. Because you sent your head's up message with a return receipt you know when the message reached the board but that may not coincide with when the user actually read the message. The user may have placed more messages into the conference, at the same time he/she was downloading your head's up message. Always give the user the benefit of the doubt. Who to Notify: Formal warnings require that you notify the CCA (Garry Baker) and the sysop of the board the user is accessing. You may decide to notify the sysop when you send a user a head's up type message. That is fine. But you MUST notify the sysop when you send a formal warning. Consider the sysop your best friend. If a suspension is necessary we will all need the cooperation of the sysop. Most sysops do not want to have their board associated with users who have difficulty following rules. Send the sysop a private, routed message, return receipt, in the COMMON conference. All sysops should be reading the COMMON conference for at least their own mail. The Sysop is Gone: Don't be dismayed if the sysop doesn't respond to you. Perhaps the sysop just nodded his/her head in agreement and stored the information away. Maybe the sysop is on vacation. However, if you receive no response from the sysop, let the CCA know that you have notified the sysop and that you have not yet received a response. This is a head's up message to the CCA. Maybe the sysop disagrees with your assessment of the situation. That is the sysop's prerogative at this point as no suspension has been formally issued yet. Maybe the sysop can provide you with information that would help you make a decision about needing a suspension. Perhaps you and the sysop can discuss your differences in either ADMIN or HOSTS. That would help clarify the situation for both of you. The Formal Warning: A formal warning leaves no doubt that you mean business. Make sure any formal warning you issue advises the user as to which rule was broken, and that failure to comply with the formal warning will result in a suspension. Once you issue a formal warning, you may not go back and issue any more head's up messages. The next message after a formal warning is a suspension - Period. Make sure that the user knows that this is the last step before a suspension. A formal warning requires that you notify the CCA and the AC as well as the sysop. A formal warning is the last dialogue you have with a user, on that infraction, before a suspension is issued. Do not issue several formal warnings to the same user for the same offense. It makes you look weak and ineffective. Formal warnings are sent routed, r/o with a return receipt requested whenever possible. Once you are at this stage, you should make sure that you have copies of the messages that have presented a problem in the conference. You may have to present those messages in public in the USERS conference if the user issues a formal protest to the final warning message or a subsequent suspension. Bob, this is a formal warning. You have posted a number of messages over the last 2 week trying to sell your 286 in this conference. I have asked you to move your ad to the FOR SALE conference. You have not done so in spite of my reminders. This is against the rules of this network. The rule clearly states "No for-sale advertisements are permitted in any conference except the For Sale conference." You must immediately stop posting your ad in this conference or face a 10 day suspension. Your sysop, and the CCA have been notified. If you feel that this is not a valid warning, you may discuss that in the USERS conference only. Thank you. Andrew, this is a formal warning. You have now continued your harassment of Joe in spite of my asking you to cease. You cannot attack folks on this network as it is against the rules of this network. The rule clearly states " Do not abuse RIME users in any conference(s) by sending foul or insulting messages. No abuse of other users is allowed on the basis of character, physical characteristics, religion, gender, sexual orientation, intelligence quotient, or ethnicity. Messages that are harassing or bullying are not allowed." You must immediately stop referring to Joe as a first class jerk, or any other derogatory term or you will face a 10 day suspension from this conference. Please be advised that your sysop and the CCA has been advised of this warning notice to you. If you feel that this is not a valid warning, you may discuss that in the USERS conference only. Thank you. User Response to a Warning: Hopefully the formal warning will do the trick, and the user will calm down, or at least cease their messaging that has created the problem. If that happens, that should close the chapter on the incident and no more need be done. In the time that it takes for the message to reach the user and the user to decide his response, you should be in a dialogue with the CCA. He will review the messaging and grant you permission to suspend if that is deemed appropriate. If the infraction is more minor a 10 day suspension will be approved. If the infraction is more major a 30 day suspension will be approved. A 30 days suspension is considered a grave event on this network and results in a period of probation for the user when he returns to the conference. Do not tell any user that they will be suspended for 30 days unless you have approval on a suspension of that duration. Do not needle users who have been formally warned but are trying to stay within the guidelines of the network. When the user responds to a formal warning in a positive direction, consider it an accomplishment of your ability to dialogue and drop the issue. If your formal warning is meet by resistance, and the user goes ballistic on you, you must immediately suspend. Do not delay on this at all. You have been given final approval on a suspension and you should issue it, quickly and decisively. Notify the sysop that the user has been suspended by a routed, r/o, return receipt message in COMMON. Also immediately notify the CCA of your actions and copy the message to him. Suspensions: A suspension is seen as a failure not as a success. It means that the communication has broken down and that the user either cannot or will not abide by the rules of the network. In your suspension message you must inform the user of his appeal rights and how to exercise them. Bob, I am suspending you from the conference for 10 days. You continued to post your ad for your 286 in this conference, even following my formal warning to you. I have notified your sysop to remove your access from this conference until March 27, 1996. If you return to this conference, and post any ads, you will be suspended, without another formal warning, for a period of 30 days. If you feel that this has not been handled correctly, we may continue to talk about it in the USERS conference by public mail, or you may appeal this decision, with the CCA, as a public issue in that conference. Andrew, I am suspending you from this conference for 30 days. Your suspension has been approved for 30 days because you responded to my formal warning about personal attacks by escalating your public attacks, attacking not only John, but now me, in those 22 public messages you left. I have notified your sysop to remove your access to this conference until April 17, 1996. Upon your return to this conference you will be on probation for 90 days. If you break any network rule during those 90 days you will be suspended from this conference, without a formal warning, for 6 months. Please review the guidelines for probation in the RIME Users Manual. If you feel that this has not been handled correctly, we may continue to talk about it in the USERS conference or you may appeal this decision, with the CCA, as a public issue in that conference. Please be advised that the CCA has already given formal approval for this 30 day suspension. All sysops should be aware that a suspension means that the user has lost all access to that conference. When a user is suspended we expect, and demand, total cooperation from the sysop of the board that the user was accessing. We do not wish to have suspended users gathering up messages and responding to them, returning to the conference after the suspension is served, and dropping down many replies to what could then be stale topics. A suspension is a time for the user to cool down and to reflect on his wish to continue to access the conference or not. We cannot imagine that every user wants to be on this network in our conferences. Some users would prefer ruleless networks and that is fine. However, if a user desires to continue in this network, in our conferences, that user must agree to abide by our rules. A suspension allows the user the time to contemplate his/her options. It also allows the conference time to recover from whatever effects the rule-breaking user caused in the conference. The only way to accomplish those two objectives is for the user to lose both reading and writing access to the conference. No suspended user may leave mail in a conference they have been suspended from. If a sysop does not cooperate with a suspension, the conference host has no further responsibility for the continued presence of the suspended user. The conference host should immediately notify the Chief Conference Administrator that a sysop has not removed the user from the conference as per the suspension. The administration will take the matter from there. Probation: When a user is on probation, special rules apply. If a user returns from a 30 day suspension and continues along the same destructive pathway, you do not have to issue a formal warning. You may immediately issue a 6 month suspension from that conference. Andrew, you are currently on probation following a 30 days suspension, and in spite of that you have left 3 messages today calling Joe a stupid idiot and an uninformed geek. As such you are hereby suspended from this conference for 6 months. I have notified your sysop to remove your access to this conference until September 28, 1996. Upon your return to this conference you will be on probation again for 90 days. If you break any network rule during those 90 days you will be suspended from this conference, and possibly this network, permanently and no formal warning will be issued. This is a very serious matter and I wish it had turned out differently. However, we cannot tolerate personal attacks in this conference. If you feel that this has not been handled correctly, we may continue to talk about it in the USERS conference or you may appeal this decision with the CCA, as an issue in that conference. Because this is so serious, try to ignore very minor rule infractions. Think of sending a friendly head's up message about something that is very minor. Remind the user he is on probation and that you are trying to work with him. However, do not send message after message to the user. One minor infraction is all you should tolerate. After that, think 6 month suspension. The Raging Bull: Some users like to argue. They don't mind being moderated, warned or suspended. In fact they rather like it. If you have followed the guidelines presented above, the user returns and is in fact, worse than before, you next step is to let the CCA know, for a possible network suspension. A network suspension is not appealable. It is done by the CCA only. Never threaten any user with a network wide suspension. The Emergency Suspension: If there has been flagrant disregard of all rules of common sense to the point of conference disruption, you may suspend a participant for a period of 10 days. This is considered a grave event and should not be undertaken lightly. Don't claim an emergency suspension for a user who is simply arguing with you or being a general pain in the neck. Reserve this for the user who is so off the wall that there is no time for discussion, head's up messages, warnings and the usual delays. If you issue an emergency suspension you must also notify the CCA and the sysop immediately. Due Process: We do not guarantee due process, however, we do offer to discuss all decisions that CH's have made. While the CCA must approve all suspensions, usually that is done with just a cursory investigation. If a user appeals the suspension, the CCA will attempt a more thorough investigation. If the CCA discovers during that investigation, that the suspension was uncalled for, or handled improperly, the CCA will reverse the suspension and "wipe it off the books." If in the middle of a moderation cycle you realize that you have made an error, correct it. Consider apologizing to the user for your error. Never be afraid to admit an error. This is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of humanness! How to Be a Great Conference Host The most important attributes of a good conference host are to be open, warm, friendly and interested. You don't have to be an expert to moderate a conference, you just need a passing knowledge of the conference topic, some goals in place for how you would like it to run and a willingness to get it to that place. Set a good example: In moderating a conference, you are the example that all others will follow. You cannot moderate someone on something you yourself are doing. If you try to moderate someone for something you have done, the users will not respect you. Be Fair: If you don't like a particular user that is fine. Just don't let it show. If your opinion on an issue is different than another user, don't moderate that user for his/her opinion. We don't moderate on ideas, we moderate on rule violations. Be extra sure in your own mind that a user has broken a rule if you don't like that user. Admit faults: If you don't' know something, say so. No one knows everything. If you have made an error, admit it in a friendly manner. If you want a user to back down graciously, you must be able to back down graciously as well. Be helpful: You are the person everyone looks to for help whether it on the network rules, how to effectively use the software, or what is allowed in the conference. Make your presence known and make it known that you are there, not as a police person, but as a guide and a leader. Don't pick out favorite users and ignore everyone else. Act quickly and decisively: If your conference begins to take a turn for the worse, don't let it continue. Perhaps this is the time for public moderation. Or simple restating of the rules. Or trying to get a new discussion going. There are many techniques available but once you start, follow through. If you need to moderate in public, do it but don't waffle. Be clear when you are acting as the Conference host: If you are participating in your own conference, find a way to separate your participatory messages from your official messages. Perhaps a signature line that designates an official message from an unofficial message, or start an official message with an announcement that this is an official message from the CH. Watch your own taglines: When you are sending official messages to a user, make sure that your own tagline does not offend that user in any way. As CH you are held to a higher standard and what might be an innocent tagline, could be seen by the user as if you were waving a red flag in front of a bull. Conference hosts should take special care to insure that their taglines are not personal and not abusive; either directly or when taken in the context of the message. Periodically post the rules of your conference: One way to let users know you are there, is to periodically post the rules of your conference. You don't need to post all the rules of the network, over and over. Gentle reminders of more important rules coupled with telling users where they can obtain a complete set of rules and goals of the network usually suffice. An example of a one message set of rules might be: Periodic Posting of RIME BBS Issues Conference Information (Last Updated: 1 March 1996) ----------------------------------------------------------- - Welcome to the BBS Issues Conference, a RIME conference echoed worldwide. Our RIME channel number is #242. Here's our "charter", the conference description as you'll find it in RIMECONF.ZIP, the official RIME conference list: DESCRIPTION: Discussion of issues and opinions relevant to the operation of Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), designed specifically to allow BBS callers and sysops to discuss issues of common interest. Any thread relating to the operation of a BBS or to how callers interact with a BBS is open in this conference. The conference is NOT limited to RIME-related issues. - The first "rule" is to have fun talking about BBS Issues... this should be the easiest rule to follow. - This conference follows all rules specified in the RIME Bylaws and RIME Conference Rules, both of which should be available at the RIME node where you're reading this. Ask your sysop for more information, and for copies of those files. - There is one "rule of reason" which is insisted upon here. Put simply, it is "DEBATE IDEAS, DON'T ATTACK PEOPLE". You're welcome to call an idea stupid, as long as you take care not to call the person advocating the idea stupid. The former may get you an argument from other conference members, while the latter will certainly earn you a "moderation" message. - If all is going well, you'll see no public "moderation" messages from me. RIME has a wonderful routed mail facility, which I prefer to use to send "moderation" messages. Public "moderation" will only be used when a topic has gone out of control, when group moderation is needed, or in even more unusual cases. - Please DON'T compound someone else's mistake by replying to it, publicly re-quoting it, publicly asking what I'm doing about it, or taking moderation into your own hands. It's likely that I'll have already handled the problem privately. - If you wish to discuss a moderation message, you have two options under RIME rules. You can write me back in this conference -- but it must be ROUTED to site CLIPHEAVEN2 (#896) -- or you can write a public or routed message in the RIME Users conference to me and/or to COUNCIL. Please consult the RIME conference rules for more information on the latter option. - This message will be posted as needed... at least once a month. Have fun, and thanks for joining us! When You Need to Resign: When you are burned out, or you have other commitments, please let us know, don't just stop appearing in the conference. Give us some warning if you can. Notify the Conference Administrator that you will no longer be able to host your conference. If you have noticed some users who you think might make good replacements, let the Conference Administrator know their names. Consider talking with the users of your conference about your departure and perhaps explain to them why you are leaving. Nothing stops rumors as quickly as the truth! How To Revive a Dead Conference: Sometimes, no matter how interesting the topic, a conference goes through a slow period. The truth of the matter is that messages beget messages. If your conference begins to slow down and it looks like it will die on the vine, that is the time that your ingenuity will be put most to the test. Start an interesting discussion and encourage discussion: Either pick out a few users who you think you can engage and talk with them. Or introduce a new topic. Don't complain about lack of participation, simply increase your own activity. In a technical conference, search out some new information on your product and "announce" it. Discuss some obscure features or bugs. Enlist a friendly soul to get into a discussion with you and keep it going. Advertise your conference: COMMON is a good place to watch the messages and if you see something that pertains to your conference respond to that user and invite him into your conference. Invite sysops to pick up your conference. Mention topics that are currently being discussed in your conference. Broaden your topic: Be careful here. Do not intrude on topics that are usually discussed in other conferences. However if you are in a widget conference, you can discuss not only the manufacture of widgets but perhaps the use of widgets, the evolution of widgets through the years, why widgets are so expensive, and then, how thingamabobs work with widgets (after noticing there is no thingamabob conference). The Last Word: How well your conference runs will depend on many factors, some of which you can control and some of which you have no control over. While your conference is in part a reflection of your abilities as a conference host, it is also a reflection of the community of users who access this network. Don't feel responsible for everything. The most important thing to achieve from moderating a conference is pleasure, for yourself and for the participants of the conference. So most of all - enjoy!