Community Moderation - The Basics

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What are Community Moderators?

Community Moderators are trusted members of a server that manage discussions and comments from server members, comply with and uphold the server rules, and align with the Terms of Use and Community Guidelines of Guilded.

At Guilded, we believe that community moderators are the backbone of any thriving server. They are the trusted members who manage discussions and comments, ensure server rules are followed, and maintain a safe and friendly environment.

If you're looking to recruit community moderators for your server, there are a few key traits to keep in mind. First and foremost, moderators should have excellent "soft" moderation skills to gently remind someone of the rules without offending them. They should also be prepared to enforce the rules firmly and fairly when necessary while setting a positive example for other users to follow.

Moderators should be available and approachable, with a friendly and flexible demeanor. After all, there's no point in having ten moderators if none are around to resolve issues! A passion for creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for all community members is a must. We've found that moderators prioritizing collaboration and engagement over authoritarian control tend to have the most success building thriving communities.

It's important to note that banning should always be a last resort. A good community moderator should be able to balance controlling conversations to keep "trolls" from dominating while allowing users the freedom to express themselves. A sense of humor and a willingness to contribute to discussions is also a plus!

In short, when it comes to selecting community moderators, it's all about finding the right balance between firmness and fairness. With the right moderators in place, you'll be able to build a thriving community that welcomes new members and keeps them engaged for the long haul.

Rules and Guidelines

Every server should have a clear set of rules to ensure its members can enjoy the community without issues. Rules should be fair and apply to everyone, including the moderators. They should be used as a guide rather than a way to punish community members.

The rules must be easy to find and understand. It would be best if you considered creating a dedicated channel for your rules, and you could use a flow bot to guide new members to it.

Ensure your rules are clear and concise, and avoid making the list too long. Adding a note about moderators' discretion on when to enforce or change the rules can help prevent conflicts.

It's crucial to remember that the Guilded Community Guidelines and Terms of Use still apply, even if you have your own set of rules in place. As the server owner, you must ensure that any content following the Community Guidelines is removed quickly.

When creating the rules and guidelines for your server, it's a good idea to do your research and clearly understand how your server will be managed.

Here's an example of some excellent guidelines from the Official Guilded Server:

You are welcome to use these or create your own.

Some rules:

  1. Be respectful. This includes insults, harassment, or otherwise hateful conduct. If you disagree with somebody, don't be disagreeable about it. 
  2. No NSFW / NSFL content. We all have to sleep at night. You will get the boot if you post content that will get you fired. 
  3. No illicit activity. This includes account trading/selling, piracy, or any illegal or otherwise inappropriate activity discussion. 
  4. No spam. This includes but is not limited to brigading, link-spamming, or general rapid-fire trolling. 
  5. Keep profanity to a minimum. If you wouldn't say it in front of Captain America, you should avoid saying it here. 
  6. Limit self-promotion. Refrain from sharing your Twitch streams or team invites outside applicable conversation or dedicated channels. 
  7. Stay on-topic. We know conversations will take their route, but please keep the discussion to the appropriate channels. 
  8. No politics. This includes hot-button social subjects. While some commentary on politics and society is unavoidable, this is not the platform for those discussions. 
  9. English chat only. Please refrain from continuing non-English conversations in chat to ensure our community is adequately moderated. 
  10. No sharing of private information. Screenshots that include another person's personally identifiable information or private messages should be anonymized, or they may be deleted.
  11. No mudslinging. Constructive criticism and critical discussion are welcome, but personal attacks or defamatory and disparaging statements about individuals or entities are not.

Please note that these rules are not comprehensive. Moderators and staff may remove content, administer reprimands, or warn users for violations not codified here at their discretion. If a moderator or staff member asks you to stop doing something, please respect their request.

 

Moderator Role and Permissions

Granting additional permissions to a moderator is essential for them to carry out their role effectively. It is up to you to determine which permissions they should have.  

Permissions  

Mentionable and Display Separately should be enabled. The moderator role should be visible and easily identifiable as a moderator and should be mentionable by other users on the server. 

General permissions

  • Update Server: This allows you to update all server settings. This permission is required to turn off Open entry and to view the Audit log. This role permission should be given to only your most trusted moderators.
  • Manage Roles: This allows you to update the server's roles and to apply and remove roles.
  • Kick/Ban members: You can kick or ban members from the server. 
  • Manage Webhooks: This allows creating webhooks and editing or deleting existing ones. 
  • Mention @everyone and @here: allows you to use these mentions.
  • Access moderator view: allows access to the moderator view to see all private replies.

Chat Permissions: 

  • Manage messages: Allows the deletion of chat messages by other members or pin any message.
    • This permission also allows the removal of emotes on chat messages.

Customization permissions

  • Manage Emoji: allows the creation and management of server emotes
  • Manage Nicknames: Moderators can change the nicknames of other members, useful if someone joins with a name that isn't appropriate! 

Bot Permissions

  • Manage bots: anyone with this permission can create, edit and delete bot flows. Make sure anyone with this permission knows what they are doing.

XP Permissions

  • Manage server XP: anyone with this permission can manage the XP on a server. 

Moderator tools 

Moderator tools are essential for keeping your server running smoothly. These are some of the tools you can use to manage your server:

  • Create a mute or time-out role that can be added to category permissions to stop a user who may be spamming quickly. Consider adding channel-only moderators, and the user who has been muted can access any discussion regarding the moderator action.

  • Use shift-click to delete messages quickly.

  • When kicking or banning users, the option to delete all message history is given, which is super helpful for spam.

  • Private Replies are an excellent tool for giving gentle reminders to observe the rules.

Using these tools, you can manage your server effectively and ensure it remains a welcoming, safe space for everyone.

Thank you for checking out our Community Moderation guide. We hope you found it useful! 

 

 

 

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