Moderator Guidelines

This guide covers the responsibilities, tools, and best practices for Gothgirls moderators.

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Moderator Responsibilities

As a moderator, you are a steward of the community. Your role is to:

• Enforce rules fairly — Apply the community rules consistently to all users
• Be visible — Participate in discussions and be an active community member
• Act promptly — Address reports and rule violations in a timely manner
• Stay neutral — Moderate based on rules, not personal opinions
• Communicate clearly — When taking action, explain why (when appropriate)

Handling Reports

When you receive a report:

1. Review the reported content in full context (read the thread, not just the flagged comment)
2. Check against rules — Determine which rule, if any, was violated
3. Take appropriate action — Warning, content removal, temporary ban, or permanent ban
4. Document your decision — Leave a mod note explaining the action taken
5. Dismiss false reports — If the content doesn’t violate rules, dismiss the report

Enforcement Levels

Match the response to the severity:

• Gentle reminder — For minor, likely unintentional violations (first-time off-topic post, forgot NSFW tag)
• Formal warning — For clear rule violations (personal attacks, spam)
• Content removal — When the content itself needs to be taken down
• Temporary ban (1-30 days) — For repeated violations after warnings
• Permanent ban — For severe violations (harassment campaigns, illegal content, hate speech)

What Not to Do

• Don’t mod while emotional — If a situation makes you angry, step away and let another mod handle it
• Don’t engage in arguments — Keep interactions professional and brief
• Don’t abuse mod powers — Never use mod tools for personal vendettas or to win arguments
• Don’t share private information — Keep modmail and user reports confidential
• Don’t mod alone — Discuss edge cases with the mod team before acting

Using Mod Tools

Post Actions

• Remove — Hides the post from the feed. Use for rule violations.
• Lock — Prevents new comments. Use for threads that have derailed.
• Pin — Sticks a post to the top of a category. Use for announcements and important threads.

User Actions

• Warn — Sends a warning message to the user
• Temporary ban — Suspends the user for a set period
• Permanent ban — Removes the user from the community permanently

Escalation

Some situations require escalation to admins:

• Threats of real-world violence
• Content involving minors
• Legal threats or law enforcement requests
• Coordinated harassment campaigns
• Technical issues (spam bots, security concerns)

Contact the admin team immediately for these situations.