What Can I Expect From A Moderator?
Moderators are volunteers. They are all required to reach a certain level of quality as a Listener before applying for this role and pass through both written and charoom based training before receiving their moderator privileges.
I wanted to outline what you can expect from a moderator to ensure this is very clear to all users.
What can I expect from a moderator?
Professionalism
You can expect a moderator to be professional at all times. A moderator may engage in both supportive and light-hearted chat with the room, but should remain appropriate and follow the rules for all users at all times.
Non-Biased Approach
A moderator should treat each person equally, regardless of what may have happened in the past. You can expect to be treated with kindness and respect. Moderators should not show favoritism or be more lenient or more strict with any particular user of the other.
Warnings
Moderators are asked to give warnings to individuals via the warning system. They are asked not to call individuals out in the room but may give a general verbal warning before using the warning system. Bear in mind, this also means you may not see if a moderator warns anyone else. This helps to ensure your privacy. As a best practice, moderators should give several verbal warnings in the room before using the official warning system. However, using verbal warnings is up to the moderators discretion and they use their best judgment on when to verbally warn vs. using the official warning system.
What should I do if Im unhappy with a moderators conduct?
Were all human, were all messy and we all have bad days. Moderators are just as human as any of us, and while they are held to high expectations, we understand there may be times you are unhappy about a moderators behavior in a chatroom and/or feel that you personally were treated unfairly.
In this situation, please immediately file a Mod Review. These reviews are seen only by admins and Group Support Ambassadors and we will reach out directly to the moderator to provide feedback. Aside from these leaders, nobody can see your reports and your name will not be shared with the moderator.
You can also leave positive reviews in the same Mod Review form. These are much appreciated and will be posted anonymously in the forum to acknowledge the moderator's great work!
Additionally, we ask that you do not bring up issues with moderators in the support rooms, nor engage in hurtful behavior towards specific moderators or moderators as a group. Our moderators are not here to look for reasons to mute you or make your time here unpleasant - they are here to keep the rooms safe and maintain a supportive environment.
As long as we all share this goal, we are all on the same team.
If you disagree with a warning you were given, do not debate with the moderator in the room. Either PM them directly 1-1 or fill out a Mod Review Form. Debating in the room takes the focus away from others who may be engaging in conversation or seeking support.
If you are unclear about a specific chatroom rule or warning, please review this subforum on Chatroom Rule Explanations and post any questions you may in the related rule thread.
*Post Updated by @Kate 1/17/19*
Thank you so much! This was really needed
@Heather Thank you for all you and every Moderator do here to keep the rooms supportive.
That's good
Overdue.
Keep up the good work
Really? Well you know what? I was given a one year mute just for talking about my depression in the depression support chat room.Now was that rule breaking? And guess whats even worse, I PMed an admin asking for the reason behind my mute,and got no reply.
And that day when I was bullied in the group chats,no moderators in sight.They went into hiding I guess.
This has dissapointed me a lot,I've been on 7cups for more than 2 and a half years
I actually de-activated my 7cups account, and actually planned to never come back.Just now I returned cuz I was missing those very few who really cared about me.
ANd I have absolutely no plans to stay.
@barath1999 - I'm really glad to see you're still here. I wanted you to know that I checked your account and see no mutes at all there. These would be recorded on your account, so I'm a little confused about what is going on.
In terms of being muted for talking about your depression, I am horrified to hear you received a year long mute just for this. I'm not sure how or why this happened. As I mentioned, these mutes are not appearing at all on your account, so it's tricky for me to look into who was responsible. A year long mute would typically require at least 9 separate warnings over a period of time, and talking about depression in itself is not muteworthy. That is what the Depression Support rooms are there for!
The only exception to this really would be if someone was in crisis and talking about potentially taking their own life. 7 Cups is not equipped to support those in crisis and we do have rules and guidelines in place regarding this, which all users are asked to agree to when using the site for safety reasons. In these cases, we strongly encourage people to reach out to their local suicide hotline to receive the support they deserve.
I can't say for sure that this is what happened in your case, but I'm racking my brain here. For a year long mute, it would most likely have been multiple moderators sending warnings over time to reach that point. I'd be curious to know who the moderator/s responsible were and build up a better picture of what was going on at the time. I can generally check this information, but for some reason it is not showing on your account. I don't want to jump to any assumptions, but I imagine that there is more to this than is mentioned in your post here.
I understand you're planning to leave. However, if you do choose to stay please do reach out to discuss this situation further. I'm happy to help and curious to get to the bottom of this!
@Heather well I once asked Amelia about my mute and got that reply (check out screenshot) and I asked why I got muted but she never replied to it :'(
@barath1999 - Looking into this, but for now can you let me know if you are able to access the group chat rooms? I'm wondering whether Amelia or another admin has removed the mutes from your account. They don't seem to be there right now, so you should have no problem using the group chat rooms.
@Heather I just realized my second account has been muted as well. Really? Is this a joke of some sort?? Or is this a mean game on me???? :(
@barath1999
you are only allowed one member account ...
@HalliwellSister well does that explain why I was muted on my original account in the first place?
@barath1999
I am sorry to hear that.
@Heather
heather i have few questions.
1) you have mentioned "A moderator may engage in both supportive and light-hearted chat with the room, but should remain appropriate and follow the rules for all users at all times" an incident took place where people started to talk about sex, and mod did nothing, and when i asked them isn't it against the rules? They said "nothing is wrong in people talking about their sex lives"(it included stuff like one night stands/friends with benefits/orgasms) is that stuff okay? Cause from what i know, it's not okay.
2)Is there something like a member is below the moderator, and moderator is like some god? And members aren't supposed to tell a moderator to behave if they aren't behaving well? Cause when i told a moderator to behave cause they weren't being professional, they said "sam, i am a moderator, and you are a member be in your limits"
And many might say "did you file a report?" No i didnt file a report, cause im a member since 3years and ive filed complaints against corrupt/bad mods. and instead i saw them roaming free, coming on a new name and still having the mod badge, and few creating new accounts and becoming a mod again, and few being backed up by other moderators and targeting particular members. all this stuff is just affecting members and good moderators. Cause of the bad moderators the members are losing faith in good mods too, and thinking they are bad ones too.
@sam2410 - Hey Sam! I'll try to address each of your points as best I can.
1) You asked if it was permissible for people to talk about sex in the support rooms. It's hard for me to say for sure without seeing the full context, however discussing sex and relationships in itself would not violate any of the chat room rules. These are parts of life that people do find helpful to talk about in a safe and supportive environment. I would say this conversation would cross a line if people the conversation became graphic or flirtatious in some way, e.g. graphic descriptions of sex acts or sexting in the room.
2) It is correct that you should not confront a moderator on their behaviour in a room. If a member has concerns about a moderator they should file a mod review. Likewise, if a moderator feels a member isn't behaving appropriately they should warn via the system. When both parties follow these guidelines we can keep conflict and confrontation out the rooms, leaving them free for the purpose of support.
As I mentioned in my original post, we are all human. Even moderators. Even me! Mod reviews are dealt with in different ways depending on the nature of the report. It could be as simple as a community leader giving the moderator feedback on their behaviour and helping them to make necessary adjustments, or we may require the mod to take a 2 week break from moderating and work with a group quality mentor for coaching. In serious cases, mod badges and privileges are removed longer term. A mod review doesn't equal an instant permanent badge removal, in the same way that a warning doesn't equal an instant permanent mute. I encourage you to continue providing moderator reviews if you see a certain behaviour continue as this helps us to track what is going on and take further action if required.
@Heather
thanks for clearing that heather, but I still think, it's not right for them to say "be in your limits" cause a mod is supposed to be professional, when a mod himself/herself isnt behaving good, then members might not too. and when we file a report they won't know that they are behaving inappropriate right on spot, like a member would get a pop up of warning, and they would stop. But when a mod is being inappropriate members can't mute them, all they can do is, move to another room. i guess we can't do anything about it, but at least the upgrade of which mod has warned is helpful
@Heather
Sorry to say this New moderators are abusive. I found that most of these moderators have Skype sessions going and ganging up with few members. Sometimes they labeled one individual as troll and after ganging up issues warning and often muting up people as a punishment.
I have been noticing this change since 2016. I am going to appeal that inexperienced moderator especially those who have less than two years of experience shouldn't have a muting ability.
I am fed up of this gang up behaviour. Please do something about it.
Thank you.
@diplomaticCoconut6613 - I'm alarmed to hear that moderators are co-ordinating on Skype to attack specific members by muting. Please do ensure you report this in the Moderator Review Form, including names of those involved. Thank you!
@Heather
Still occurring this year
@diplomaticCoconut6613
Do you have proof of this or are you just assuming?
@HalliwellSister
I can't prove it anything but this is common observation where during chat individual we're discuss Skype to call moderators and it's not the first time it had happened.
I was hoping that people who are managing websites have more resources to track this down as I am just a user. Although, it appears by asking prove from users, you are simply saying no action is going to be taken against these moderators. What a shame!
@diplomaticCoconut6613
well such a claim needs proof. You can't just assume mods are connecting offsite to target misbehaving members. I am sure there are bad mods but chances are they're not smart enough for that. You need proof before you condemn every new mod. Being new doesn't mean they're inexperienced. If we limited who could mute, whenever we have a troll outbreak we would be vulnerable because face it being a mod sucks, they get hated on, some people don't last as a mod. Maybe instead mutes should all be monitored to make sure it was all justified ?
also I am a member just like you. Just being reasonable.
@HalliwellSister
First of all it's not an assumption. Although if you don't want to conduct an investigation that is perfectly fine. I will keep my mouth shut. I made this complain because many seniors mods request me previously.
Who by themselves observe silently how various mods were ganging up. Also some measure has also been taken that definitely has helped but just simple asking end user for proof is not going to work as end user has very limited access.
I only wanted to report it as I am not the decision making individual. It's upto management to investigate and find out and take appropriate actions.
I have made a suggestion that all those newly acquired mods to be refrain from muting power atleast two years. In this way they will understand and respect the importance of being Mods.
So many senior mods still exist Who mostly handle situations without muting as their approach is very polite and respectful to all of the members.
@diplomaticCoconut6613
I dont know. sometimes the warning and muting is very much needed during certain hour, and senior mods arent always there to help. Sure some of the new mods suck. But if there is proof, if these mods you are talking to have proof, its on them to report it. But you can't just report something based on gossip? Some of the new mods are pretty arrogant sure. But not all of them. It's not good to generalize. Not telling you not to report if you actually have something to report. But saying, can you really name names if you have no proof and it is all just people in general assuming that these mods are doing this? Maybe they just... idk... suck?
@HalliwellSister
That is why I am not targeting any specific Mods cause I understand that these mods are going through a learning processes as well. I just want them to learn psychological methods to establish collaboration.
When mods perform muting it's often has negative impact as it is taken under Authoritative measures. We want to provide support to those who are feeling depress or going through other mental health related stress. In case of chaos I have seen many senior mods referring multiple people to listener immediately.
This method quickly brings the chat room to normal and at the same time individual has opportunity to calm itself down by speaking with listener.
@diplomaticCoconut6613
But then you have the people who refuse to go to listeners, and are outright abusive to other people, being unsupportive to others, listing suicide methods, graphic details, spam bots. It's not just people with good intentions that become members. Maybe have a test period with new mods where any action taken by them is reviewed by an admin. That is how it is on talklife. New mods posts if they delete something that should not have been deleted, an admin contacts them. I could see them getting a message from like, @Heather to be a wake up for them or even a message from @Laura or @Amelia or even the group mod leaders @MissZ @FluffyUnicorns84 @Jenna a message saying something like "hey, i saw you recently deleted XYZ, this is why such and such should have stayed." or, "I saw you warned for x but the post was following the guidelines, " or something. Not letting someone use their mod abilities for two years is a bit outlandish as modding is not something you learn by being in the sidelines, you have to jump feet first into the cold shallow waters! You learn by doing, mistakes happen, but there are ways to reverse mistakes if they should have never happen.
some great suggestions here, but not sure our current systems would enable do this in time efficient manner. Which is why it's important we receive moderator reviews . So it flags up certain moderators that are not being professional or not sure their role just yet and then we can investigate checking information such as amount messages they deleted or amount they warned etc. it's then things such as this that leads to different actions heather discussed above.
@fluffyUnicorns84
thank you for your response! Yes, I agree for now the mod reviews are the way to bring light. Maybe one day the system itself could alert admin. For now reviews. But I hope theirs a system in place to protect them too from angry reviews that have no truth or proof.
The point of any Mod is to ensure that a room stays supportive and that people follow the rules. Everyone is human and whether they are new or old they might make a mistake and that is why things like mutes can be reviewed. Also if a new Mod didn't have the power to mute what would they be able to do when someone wasn't following the rules? Nothing more than each of us as members. If a new Mod makes a mistake and gives out a warning when it shouldn't have been given, then we can report that and they get coaching. No one is perfect.
@IamOHhh
I feel that 7cup is gradually developing a mod culture of punishing people by muting and deleting them instead of being supportive. Individual are depressed does this mean to mute them?
Common, every one who has studied psychology knows that when people break their silence they become more violent but it seems that cause we can't help them so it's better to mute them.
(edited by HalliwellSister as this was a graphic example ). Seriously, this is getting lame. In last five years I have seen chat rooms with great mods who have bring a traumatic and chaotic chat room in calm and meaningful by just engaging with dialogues.
I suppose those were amazing humans
@diplomaticCoconut6613
you don't get muted for being depressed. You get muted if you break rules.
@hopefulsprings
Well, I suppose it's over. Cause I didn't gave you consent to change my wording. It feels like I am living under Hitler rules where I am forced to speak lie. As my wording is going to be changed against my will.
By doing so you have broken the international law of freedom of speech.
@HopefulSprings
And by the way this is my proof that mod can even contemplate the proof to benefit themselves.
Before asking for proof learned to respect originality of content and wordings. By twisting and changing anyone's words especially where proof is required is a criminal offence in many countries including United State, Canada, England, Germany and many more countries.
This is not a joke it's a serious matter and I am appealing to 7cup management to please do something as it could lead to negative consequences.
@diplomaticCoconut6613
im sorry you feel it nazi. But I don't need to ask permission to change something when it breaks rules. :) also freedom of speech on the internet doesn't exist when it's not a government run site. You still have to follow the rules and guidelines. :) as a forum member leader I edited your graphic example that could be triggering to many and left my signature. If you have issue with my edits PM @Anomalia
@diplomaticCoconut6613 you can't blame 7 cups or mods if you break rules and in return get muted for it. You don't have to like the rules or agree they are fair, however you do have to follow them if you want to be here. We all do. I go into the rooms all the time and I am depressed and I share with the room how I feel. I don't get muted for it. Now if I made a choice to go off and say something like I am suicidal and then not take advice to get help then yes I could be muted but that would be my fault, not the fault of the Mod. If a Mod is out of place then we report them but most times we can't blame Mods, we need to be responsible for ourselves and our Behavior first.
@IamOHhh
I agree with you so much, I wish I could upvote you like 400 times. :)
@IamOHhh
This is ridiculous that 7cup rules are above international and country laws.
Interesting so you can temper the proof by deleting it and expect a proof no wonder why people are leaving this site.
Well, I think it's time to say goodbye this site.
Good Luck!
@diplomaticCoconut6613
7cups is a business. Rules are rules. When you enter the site staying means you agree to follow the rules. I don't know what laws you're talking about but they don't apply to a private business.
Hey everyone.
Hi everyone. I need help with my anxiety. I'm not sure how to work this though. It is my first time doing this.
