Moderating Leaves Chat
Situations
On this page we’ll start building a reference of situations that moderators have run into, along with suggested solutions. It’s how we will start building a collective knowledge base to do our jobs better and better.
These situations will be pulled from your notes in the Session Reports, so please, please, please write up anything that comes up in your session reports and flag anything you think may be a good addition!
What if anything happens that doesn’t feel right?
The #911 channel is there so you can call for help. If you enter any message into that channel it will be texted directly to Subduction’s phone, and Subduction will get online as soon as possible to help. Don’t hesitate to use it if you could use a hand.
What if the channel doesn’t open, or doesn’t close?
Let’s face it, DogBot is a dog, and probably shouldn’t be trusted with major responsibilities. It hardly ever happens, but if he is off chasing a squirrel, the channel is open or closed with a permission called Text Channel Permissions>Send Messages. Here’s how you get there:
On desktop, click the small gear next to the channel name, choose “Permissions” from the left side menu. The page will default to the “@everyone” permission, which is the one you need. Scroll down to “Send Messages.” To close the channel click ❌. To open it click ✔.
On mobile, click the hamburger menu in the top left of the screen to slide out the channels menu. Long press on the channel name, and choose “Edit Channel.” Choose “Permissions. ” You will see section called “Roles” — choose “@everyone” Scroll down to “Send Messages.” To close the channel click ❌. To open it click ✔.
Here’s the most important part: message Subduction by entering a message on the #911 channel so he can look into it before the next meeting. It takes a lot to crash DogBot, so if DogBot is down something really needs fixing.
What if DogBot doesn’t check me in or check me out of the moderator role?
Nothing much you can do about that — message Subduction by sending a message on the #911 channel and he’ll get it sorted out.
What if a user complains about another user, or raises a red flag?
Users will occasionally DM you to raise concerns about another user. While we take these reports seriously and investigate them, we don’t talk about our actions or anything regarding other users with anyone outside the mod team.
The proper response is something like: “I really appreciate you speaking up, it’s a big help. I’ve have a look. Thanks!” The only action you should commit to is looking into it. Not “take care of it” or anything that commits you to an action, and you should not talk about the other user in any way, even positively, so no “I don’t think they meant anything by it” or anything similar. Say you’ll look into it, then look into it.
What if a user complains about another user’s actions on reddit or outside the group?
Our understanding about a user as mods arises only from their interactions on our channels. Everyone arrives with a clean slate, and none of their interactions elsewhere have any relevance to us.
It’s understandable to want to ban people expressing clearly abhorrent opinions elsewhere, but that’s not how recovery groups work. Everyone should have a chance to get better, and maybe getting clean will bring them new perspectives. If they are behaving well on the group then that’s enough.
What if a user complains that another user is harassing them via DM?
Interactions between two users in DM, or on another server are outside our authority. Even if a user on our server is harassing another user via DMS, that’s not something we can control. Encourage them to block the problem user and/or report them to the Discord Safety Team.
Always feel free to ask Subduction to have a look. That’s why he’s here.
What if I have more questions, or something comes up that isn’t addressed here?
Never hesitate to reach out to Subduction on Discord or Reddit, reach out to your fellow mods on #mod_chat_discord, or put new ideas or concerns in your Session Reports. They will always be read. And please keep in mind that this should be an evolving document. If there is more you would like to see please bring it up!