Archive-name: sf/modish-styleguide
Posting-Frequency: fortnightly
Last-modified: 2004/07/9
Version: 0.4
Maintainer: Modish admins <modish-owner@yahoogroups.com>

modish POSTING STYLE GUIDE

This Style Guide will be regularly posted to modish, and can be found on
the Web at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/modish/files

CONTENTS

1. What kinds of posts will not be accepted by the admins?
2. How can I appeal the admins' decisions?
3. How does moderation work?
4. Who are the current admins?
5. How are admins added or removed?

___

1. What kinds of posts will not be accepted by the admins?

The main kinds of posts which are not acceptable are:

1) Flames (postings which, in the judgment of the admins, are meant to
personally insult or attack others, or to make unsupported allegations
about them)
2) Trolls (postings which, in the judgment of the admins, are intended
to provoke angry responses from others)
3) Off-topic posts (postings which, in the judgment of the admins, are
off- topic and/or will probably lead to flames or trolls)
4) Any other posts the admins judge to be offensive, abusive or
threatening

In the event that the admins are unsure of the intent of a post that has
either been complained about or might, in the opinion of the admins, be
considered a troll or flame, evidence of prior behaviour in other
discussion fora can be used to help the admins in deciding the intent of
the poster. Any evidence that is used by the admins in said way must be
posted publicly to modish within 24 hours of a decision.

If a post is rejected, a copy of the post will be sent to the poster
with a brief explanation from the rejecting admin. Posters may rewrite
their posts and resubmit them if they wish.

Admins are subject to the same rules as other posters. If it becomes
necessary, the other admins will hand moderate their posts.

Admins will not make any changes to the content of posts.

___

2. How can I appeal the admins' decisions?

If a poster is unhappy with a single admin's response on any matter,
they can appeal via email to <modish-owner@yahoogroups.com>, OR they may
choose to have the matter discussed on the list instead. However, once
the admins deliver a combined decision on any matter, whether via email
or on list, that decision is final and the matter closed for further
discussion. Any further discussion/debate on closed matters will be
classed as trolling and dealt with accordingly.

If a poster is unhappy with the combined decision of the admins, they
may send a complaint to the radwm moderation panel at
<radwm-moderator@...>. The decision of the moderation panel with
regards to this complaint is final. Any further discussion/debate on
this complaint will be classed as trolling and dealt with accordingly.

___

3. How does moderation work?

When someone posts to the list for the first time, their post will wait
in a queue to be approved or rejected by an admin (this is called hand
moderation). If the post is compliant with the rules (as per section 1
above), it will be assumed that the poster will continue to follow the
rules, the post will be sent on to the list and the poster will be
auto-approved from that point on, as long as they continue to follow the
rules. If their first post does not follow the rules, it will be
returned to them with an explanation for its rejection, as per section 1
above.

If a poster breaks the rules, they may receive a formal warning from the
admins, at their discretion (the admins may try other measures first).
If they continue to break the rules after a formal warning, their status
will be changed at the admins' discretion to a poster whose messages are
hand moderated for a 6-month period.

A poster can be removed from hand moderation at any time, at the admins'
discretion, by sending a message to the admins stating that they will
follow the rules. A poster may remain on hand moderation for longer than
6 months if they continue to break the rules or attempt to circumvent
the moderation mechanism. Their status will be reviewed every month in
this case.

3a. Action may be taken against individual posters who repeatedly engage
in threatening or abusive behaviour towards an admin or another poster.
Similarly, any poster who attempts to interfere with the normal
operation of the list or with any account involved in its administration
or propagation, other than reporting net-abuse, may be prevented from
posting for a limited period, and/or be subject to further action.

The admins must notify the list and call for a vote of approval for any
action taken or proposed in accordance with this clause. The call for
votes must name the poster and state the reason(s) for the action taken.
The purpose of this vote is for the readership of the list to approve
(or overturn) the admins' decision in this matter. This vote will
operate using the Poll feature of YahooGroups.

If, in the opinion of the admins, emergency action needs be taken
against a poster, then they may proceed without approval providing that
they follow the action by issuing a call for votes, which must clearly
state that the vote is to approve (or overturn) action already taken.
Any thus overturned action must be revoked within a reasonable period of
time.

Interference includes, but is not limited to:

- Persistent behaviour at odds with section 1 above;

- Continued pushing of issues with moderators or admins beyond the point
of last recourse (for example, lodging a complaint in one or more
moderators or admins, and that complaint failing to achieve the
"desired" result);

- Attempting to circumvent the hand-moderation process (be that by
switching of email addresses or nom de plumes, or forging headers, or
any other means);

- Any other series of actions that is deemed by the admins to be
interference and upheld by the list membership by way of a vote.

Note 1: a poster who is banned for a time under this clause who sends No
Confidence Motions to <modish-owner@yahoogroups.com> will have them
honoured and forwarded by the admins in accordance with the radwm style
guide.

Note 2: a poster who is banned for a time under this clause will, once
they rejoin the list, serve a 6-month period of hand moderation. They
may be removed from hand moderation earlier, at the admins' discretion.

Note 3: a poster may not unsubscribe from the list and re-subscribe at a
later date in order to bypass a period of hand moderation placed upon
them by the admins. Periods of hand moderation are elapsed days whilst
subscribed, though this may be modified at the admins' discretion.

___

4. Who are the current admins?

Paul Harman
Macfadyan
Andrew McCaffrey

___

5. How are admins added or removed?

Admins are appointed and removed by the radwm moderation panel at their
discretion.