Some serious issues face during moderation of group support room

@debojyoti012 true enough but the distractions are too many at this point to even give this thread (and others) any attention by anyone unfortunately but this was a good effort and in the end you will know you made the effort along with so many others

An addiction to distraction is the end of your creative production. Robin Sharma

Hey there @debojyoti012

In response to your post I will address your issues and additionally share some simple problem solving ideas for the community.

I appreciate the feedback you have given and wanted to take some time to respond to you. Firstly thank you for voicing your concerns I think it is important we all address things in a polite manner if there is an issue that we need to collaberate as a community to problem solve.

From previous posts I have read 7 cups cannot address anything regarding to the actions taken against another person. This is from a post in the farewell & self-care forum where @7cupscommunity shares this information "Reports are handled by our community management staff. They work together to ensure every suspension is needed. I cannot address account suspensions." while I can for sure see that this relates to the report system I am assuming that a similar system is in place for people who are muted. For sure I can understand it can be hard not knowing what is happening after we have sent a warning against someone but sometimes we have to step back and accept that we have played our role and this happens in every day life situations too for example a paramedic may not find out what happens to a patient after they leave them at the hospital. The same can be applied to 7 cups - a moderator warns someone and this potentially leads to a mute the moderator does not find out any action taken against a repeat offender. Sometimes to maintain confidentiality and to stop any gossip or triangulation the best thing is to not reveal the information.

From my experience someone here on 7 cups to misuse the service will threaten to "take our mod badges" in an attempt to scare us from taking the appropriate action if the person is breaking the rules. Of course I understand that hearing this can be quite emotional for some people but if you are using the warning feature correctly in accordance with the training mods are provided with and the rules I doubt admin would remove your badge since you are correctly carrying out your role.

I hear the pressures and stress you reflect with the role of a mod. Of course it makes sense that holding a role where you are trying to adapt to please everyone is challenging and sometimes this just wont happen. Think of it like being a priminister you can't please everyone but you can take the best action for the largest amount of people.

Remember it is okay to take a step back and to seek support and self-care after a challenging situation. If you are feeling stressed about how a chatroom has made you feel then taking a step back and reaching out to a peer supporter can be great to reflect over the situation and to work a way forwards. Additionally self-care allows you to take a time out and refresh yourself so that when you next enter a chatroom you're feeling a bit better.

I believe I addressed aboved the reason we cannot know what happens when someone is muted though I understand your frustrations of people coming back after being muted, this happens because of a thing called VPN where a person is able to bypass any block on their IP address. To my understanding this is very hard to stop therefore it is difficult for 7 cups to stop someone revisiting the site if they are using these systems.

My ideas for problem solving:

My ideas for problem solving are mainly covering some already existing things that should be happening but sometimes as a community we need to take a pit stop and remind ourselves of certain factors.

- We are mindful of our language when we address people. How useful is the term troll? It is dehumanising, refers to fairytail characters which are associated with being unpleasent and something people don't want to be. Don't get me wrong people do come here with the intention to misuse the platform but there are also people who come here who are genuinely seeking help but can't find it so struggle and reflect their experience in a negative way when all they are looking for is help. Just something to think about.

- As a community we are encouraging and ensuring that mods take regular self-care breaks from a chatroom. Staying in a challenging environment for a long period can be stressing for example if a mod spends an hour in a chatroom they then take a 15 minute break rather than spending 3 hours in a chatroom and taking a break - we don't want to be excessive.

- After a challenging situation in a room moderators are making use of the peer supporters, they are here as their role suggests to support. No one has to struggle alone there is such a wide variety of support available.

- We continuously try to deescalate a situation and try to avoid taking feedback a member shares to heart too much such as "I will take your badge" as long as we are completing our job to the best we can and remember while we might not be pleasing everyone we are doing as our job says. Again if something triggers or upsets us we can reach out to a peer supporter

- Make use of back up! If there is a challenging situation you don't want to face alone see if there is someone that can step into the room to help you. Usually community mods are about so the emergency mod form could be useful.

- No matter how tough it can be we remember our role is to keep the chatrooms safe we should be unbias and friendly to all users. This means if members are friends and ganging up on you to not warn someone if the person needs the warning for continuously breaking the rules we ensure we are carrying out our role and are not refraining from warning someone when they deserve it because of something another member or listener has said

- "treat others how you wish to be treated" Kindness courtect and etiqutte across the board is heavily appreciated and restores the trust in our members. When we moderate we are not strict but are open to helping others improve we are afterall a second chance community!

- We remind ourselves why we have our role and our purpose. Sometimes it is easy to love the badge and forget why we wanted it in the first place so it can be helpful to step back and truely appreciate it

- If there are 2 mods in the room collaberate. Try to pm each other, we need to work as a team and so if we have a moment to pm during the issue work together to find a good way to deescalate the situation.

I recognise that this response has been quite long so let's just touch base for a minute. I want to share that while my response may not reflect everything you are feeling I 100% appreciate everything that you have shared and the way it has left you feeling. I agree there seems to be an issue with people misusing the platform so if you have any other ideas to improve further I am open to hearing them. It is important that we work as a community to build a safe supportive environment and sometimes that involves reminding the entire community of small factors of their role.

I am tagging @7cupscommunity to view this as that is the account we are encouraged to tag when we would like a response from a member of the admin team.

@debojyoti012

Hi debo! It is good to see you. I'll do my best to answer your questions:

1) How a troller can able to threat us with take our badge?
As @bear228 pointed out, threatening to get you in trouble is a scare tactic used by people everywhere who are breaking rules. While every user has the ability to speak out and report if they see someone breaking the rules, there is a much smaller group of people (primarily admins and some volunteers) who can actually take away your badge. Just because someone says you're going to get into trouble, doesn't mean you actually will. You won't get in trouble, for example, if you have been following the rules.

2) Is they more important for 7cups than a MOD?
Everyone on 7 cups is important. If a mod is abusing their power or breaking rules, they face the same consequences as other users. There is no "more" or "less" important in that respect.

3) Is anyone think what kind of mental pressure we handled during the moderation at rooms? is any idea how we reduce this stress of everyone's expection to be a good mod?
We are aware that it is stressful to be a moderator, many of us are moderators ourselves. We encourage everyone to know themselves and their limits, and to take breaks when they need to. If you have ideas on how to reduce the stress of a moderator, I would love to hear about it!

4) After block. ban how a member comeback again and again from diffrent account? is not it a failure for 7cups security?
We are aware of users coming back. I don't know the full details but my understanding is it involves using proxies. This is why we have an "auto-mute" warning called "circumventing a previous mute" that we can use to remove someone quickly in the event they are a banned user coming back.

5) And why we are not able to get the information about what action will take against a troller ? If they able to comebackthen they become more furious and nonchalant . They makes others members like them. then all the situation is need to solve by mod. if one mistake our badges will gone. Now tell us who is the responsible for this situation?
All reports are confidential. If you'd like to give input on that you can check out @Laura's discussion on this policy here.

6) There are many mod leaders present in the 7cups. Most of them even did not show in diffrent rooms. but during rule making their input is more important than any MOD, The question is if they do not have ground level experiences or dont face real problems than during rule making or decision making then why our (community mods) valid points do not taken into consideration?
I'm sure you are not meaning to, but this is kind of offensive. @Lorraine234 @MrJacob @kindsoul10 @Tazzie @brilliantTurtle89 and myself are all mods who are on the "ground level." I've been a group mod as long as there have been group mods on this site. Now, I am not as active in the group support rooms as other areas on the site, but that is also why I don't make decisions regarding group support. If you have feedback that you want the group mod leaders to take into account, then you are more than welcome to give it to them.

If you have any follow up questions please let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.

@debojyoti012

1) How a troller can able to threat us with take our badge?
Someone who threatens is simply using that tactic as a defense mechanism. As @Monbon pointed out, only admins and a group of other volunteers are able to do that for valid reasons.

2) Is they more important for 7cups than a MOD?
I have always believed that each person on here is important and equal, from admins to members to all listener volunteers.

3) Is anyone think what kind of mental pressure we handled during the moderation at rooms? is any idea how we reduce this stress of everyone's expection to be a good mod?
I completely understand how stressful it is to be a group moderator. I appreciate all the group mods who do their best to keep our rooms and community safe. When stress hits you, the best available option is to practice self-care, as we wouldn't want our volunteers to feel overwhelmed. A volunteer is only expected to work in line with the rules and put their best foot forward. It's impossible to please everyone.

4) After block. ban how a member comeback again and again from diffrent account? is not it a failure for 7cups security?
We know that sometimes people return and as a moderator, the appropriate warning can be used through the official warning system "Circumventing previous mute."

5) And why we are not able to get the information about what action will take against a troller ? If they able to comebackthen they become more furious and nonchalant . They makes others members like them. then all the situation is need to solve by mod. if one mistake our badges will gone. Now tell us who is the responsible for this situation?
All reports are kept confidential as we value anonymity and privacy of every single person who uses the site. If it is a challenging situation in the room, a mod can ask for help from another moderator and/or fill out the emergency form so our community mods can step in to offer support.

6) There are many mod leaders present in the 7cups. Most of them even did not show in diffrent rooms. but during rule making their input is more important than any MOD, The question is if they do not have ground level experiences or dont face real problems than during rule making or decision making then why our (community mods) valid points do not taken into consideration?
I agree that there are many moderators on site, including myself. I personally think group support rooms are not my area of expertise. Therefore, I do not contribute towards the feedback. Let's please be careful and avoid assumptions. I am more active in Sub-Communities as I am a Sub-Community Ambassador and unfortunately, there is not enough time for me to be present in rooms. I participate in discussions occasionally. Group Support Mentor Leaders and Group Support Ambassadors will be able to hear you out and offer support.

Thank you for reading and listening.

Hello there, debojyoti! I want to appreciate your time and effort in making this post. I think @bear228, @Monbon, and @Tazzie have addressed some of your concerns with their responses and I also want to thank them in explaining things to you and replying to your thread.

I understand the struggles of being a mod. It's really sad when we receive threats and harassing messages from the members we warned or muted. We're volunteers and we want to devote our precious time to something that's worthwhile. I tried to answer your questions but this doesn't necessarily reflect the views and opinions of others, especially the higher ups.

1) How a troller can able to threat us with take our badge?

Please know that we have mod log where we can fill out the group support issues we encounter in the rooms. This way, the group support ambassadors and group support CM can be informed what's going on in the rooms during your time of moderating. We encourage the usage of this for the group support ambassadors and CM to hear your side of story.

A user who's trolling can only make you believe that they can take away your badge if you, yourself, think that you're not doing a good job as a mod. You know yourself the best and this shouldn't deceive you because you're doing the right thing and have good intentions when moderating the room.

2) Is they more important for 7cups than a MOD?

Every user on 7cups is important. Nobody is above the others. We're all equal here. Users who are trolling often times need attention because they want to feel wanted and important. They use their time to troll because it's the only thing that they have control over. But this doesn't mean that their behavior is acceptable. Admins do take actions and investigate group support issues. They ensure that every member in the group support rooms find the rooms safe and supportive for them to vent.

Our precious time shouldn't be spent on identifying the users that are trolling. This can make things a lot stressful for you. If you think that someone's trolling, moderate the room, use your mod tools accordingly and then fill out the mod log. If you need help, you can PM the community mod/paid mod present to help you out and you can inform them about the situation. Here's their schedule.

3) Is anyone think what kind of mental pressure we handled during the moderation at rooms? is any idea how we reduce this stress of everyone's expection to be a good mod?

Being a mod can be exhausting. It can also take a toll on your mental health if you don't set boundaries and you react to every single thing that's happening to you. Mods are expected to be thick-skinned and maintain professionalism because they should be able to deal with issues and de-escalate the conflicts. However, we all have our limits. We should know when to step back and when to take care of ourselves. We don't want any volunteer mods to feel obligated that they need to monitor the rooms the whole time just to get rid of users who are behaving inappropriately. Burn out is also real so please don't sacrifice your health.

4) After block. ban how a member comeback again and again from diffrent account? is not it a failure for 7cups security?

The admins are trying to brainstorm ideas on how to deal with multiple accounts. In the mean time, we encourage you to gather up the usernames of the users you think have multiple accounts or trolling then use the red flag warning: circumventing mute. Email community@7cups.com these usernames so they can be banned. You may also message a community mod/paid mod about this so they can be aware of who's using multiple accounts/trolling.

5) And why we are not able to get the information about what action will take against a troller ? If they able to comebackthen they become more furious and nonchalant . They makes others members like them. then all the situation is need to solve by mod. if one mistake our badges will gone. Now tell us who is the responsible for this situation?

All reports/suspensions/bans are kept confidential. I personally don't think there's a need to publicize such things because it'll just cause more issues than to solve problems. But rest assured, admins do take actions behind the scenes. Please don't fear that with one mistake, it will make your mod badge be taken away. Group support ambassadors and CMs do discuss things before doing this.

6) There are many mod leaders present in the 7cups. Most of them even did not show in diffrent rooms. but during rule making their input is more important than any MOD, The question is if they do not have ground level experiences or dont face real problems than during rule making or decision making then why our (community mods) valid points do not taken into consideration?

Every input and feedback is taken into consideration before moving forward with implementing a rule or making changes with any rules. Please don't be afraid to share your suggestions and ideas. Just because they're not implemented the way you want them to be doesn't mean it's not taken into account. Admins decide what's best for the community.

Group support leaders and other community leaders also have more responsibilities than just staying in the rooms. I hear you that you want them to be more present so they can witness things firsthand but I assure you that they're aware of group support rooms situations and they have also dealt with such things in the past. They're not supposed to make you feel that you're inferior to them just because you're a mod and they have a higher leadership position than you. They're here to make things easier for you and they shouldn't be seen as enemies by the mods.

These are just my insights on this matter. I hope that this helps and it answers your questions. I'm afraid that @7cupsCommunity won't see this because they're not listed in any subcommunity. Since this subcom leader bubble is badge-locked to those who are listed in a subcommunity's leaderboard but hopefully, they can address this soon.

I'm retagging @Lorraine234 and other group support ambassadors: @Aly @fluffyunicorns84

@debojyoti012

@MonBon @ Tazzie @Erato @ bear228

thank you all for this great reply. This is really healthy conversation and such great points come. We should work on this area where we are able to ask questions and some answers are satisfy our minds.

@debojyoti012 thanks for tagging.

Since moderators are hold accountable for their actions I understand how threats can happen by people who want to get rid of a mod or mods in general.

It looks like there is no sufficient feedback or communication and mods start feeling helpless with unjustified accusations, threats and bans. Maybe a poll with those who experienced this would be beneficial to find out how to improve the feedback system.

I understand you feel like mods have no voice in decision making. Maybe there can be a mod meeting to solve this issue.

@laura

I don't have any thoughts for you other than agreeing and am disappointing to see more posts of this nature (this is not a criticism of you or your post in any way--while I know this is not a scientific measure, I really do think it's a sign that it's getting worse, it's happening more often or people are speaking up more about it or some sort of combo of these factors).

Also wanted to bump this up so people could see.

Thanks for taking the time to make this post.

@debojyoti012

Thank you for the feedback! We are currently working on ways to improve our security and safety systems