Moderating Leaves Chat

 
 

A Typical Day

Before we get into specifics on how everything works, let’s just walk through a typical session:

  • You arrive early, check in as the Moderator, and read over the Session Reports since the last time you modded.

  • DogBot opens the chat and people start to say hello.

  • About ten minutes in, user MillardFillmore#4098 recommends that everyone microdose shrooms to help with withdrawals.  You delete the message, and DM MillardFillmore#4098 with a friendly reminder of our no drugs or supplements rule. They apologize and promise to re-read the rules.

  • AnotherCatPicture#3063 posts that this is their day one.  You see the the #dogbot channel has become highlighted, and DogBot tells you that they are new. You welcome them on the channel, and set a role that tells the other mods that they’ve been welcomed (and gets DogBot off your back)

  • The chat continues, everyone talking about music and books and trying to keep busy.  Three users start talking about how the new IDLES album has kept them sane, but then others mention that “Ultra Mono” was a departure from the roots they established in “Brutalism.”  This has strayed away from quitting weed, so you post a prewritten mod message about staying on topic. They apologize and you reply with a smile reaction.

  • With fifteen minutes to go, new user ModelTBreak#1019 posts “I can’t wait for this work drug test next week so I can rip cones again.”  You delete the message and remind them via DM that we’re an abstinence group, and while they are welcome to stay and listen in we ask that they not comment.

  • You return to the channel to find a few lurkers who were inspired by ModelTBreak#1019 talking about temporarily quitting too, so you delete those messages and post the same abstinence message to the group.

  • Uh oh, ModelTBreak#1019 has taken exception to your warning and is calling you names, so you acknowledge their frustration and re-explain.  That doesn’t have the impact you hoped, and they try to post complaints back to the main group, but you see it coming and delete them immediately, and show them the door. A rare full ban.

  • With the crisis averted, the friendly, on topic chat and good advice continues until DogBot warns the group that time is running down, and closes the doors.

  • You check out as moderator, write up a brief Session Report, and you’re done!

Now let’s look at how those things happen.