DGN Mission Statement, FAQ and Rules 3.1
"Everything you ever wanted to know about DGN"
The DGN Code Of Conduct
Rule No. 1.
Play Nice. Unlike a lot of boards, we like to try and keep ours jerk-free.
You should feel comfortable to express your opinions freely, even if they might be unpopular opinions - we're not going for a homogenized, dull community here. But when voicing an opinion, always do so with tact and avoid inciting others.
Examples of what we don't want to see:
1A. Blatant Personal Attacks
Name calling, threatening or other attacks directly on another poster or non-poster. "Direct Insults" If someone calls another poster an "asshole" or some such, and its not clear they were teasing, that's a fairly clear, obvious break of the DGN rules and they need to be talked to and/or dealt with in one way or another.
1B. "Outing" of People"
Some people have very controversial ideas they prefer to keep private. If you're privy to knowledge of another person's views, do not make those views public without permission of said person.
1C. Personal Arguments
Heated personal relationship arguments and other very private personal "fighting" between individual posters should be taken off the board into email, IM or otherwise.
1D. Blatantly Disruptive Posts
Many threads change subjects during the course of conversation , but deliberately ruining topics that were intended to be serious discussion, on a regular basis, is a sure sign of a jerk.
1E. No Inflammatory remarks/comments about "The Rules", or Moderators actions on the board or "baiting" remarks/questions of such nature.
DGN is not a soap box to vent your personal grievances about DGNs members, about DGN's hardworking staff or DGN's longstanding code of conduct. Don't post it on the board.
1F. Blatantly Inciting Anger
It's fine to discuss things openly and frankly, and healthy debate is great. But don't incite anger in others purposely.
1G. Blatantly Disruptive Activity
Any activity that slows the service of DGN. Any sort of anti-DGN "hacking" activity, denial of service attacks and the like are obviously not in spirit with the philosophy of DGN.
1H. No Pornography or links to pornography
No pornography is allowed on DGN nor links to pornography. There might be some room for gray area in some cases on this issue, especially within the context of the Sex & Sexuality forum rules. But keep the porn off the board.
1I. The proper way to address an issue you may have with post, DGN Moderators or with the DGN Rules:
If you have problems with DGN moderators, confusion about the DGN rules or an issue with a particular post bring it up with a mod or the mod staff privately. If you don't like the response, you get from a moderator, bring it up with a Sr. Mod. If you still dont like the response, while we try we cant please everyone. DGN is not a soapbox for you to complain about the longstanding DGN rules.
If it is a problem with a particular post use the "report" button or link the post directly in your correspondences.
If you STILL don't like the response you have two options:
1. Drop it and move on.
2. Drop it and perhaps revisit it in a few months.
Other than that its "done". Its a hard job, and requires maturity on both parties especially if your viewpoint is not in agreement with the moderators.
Rule No. 2.
No blatant spam for message boards/groups unless given special permission outside of the General promotion section.
A little goes a long way. After a while it's obvious if you are on DGN to be helpful, or just here to spam. We don't mind a little advertising in the course of a thoughtful post, or in the General Promotion section, but blatant advertising for other boards/groups (this includes "chat rooms") should be avoided.
Blatant advertising for LOCAL GOTHY COMMUNITIES is delete-warn and ban if it doesn't stop fast.
By posting on this board you agree to abide by these rules. These rules are subject change at any time.
The DGN Mission Statement
1. Eventually to be the most active local online Goth / Industrial community in the country. In terms of membership, post activity, event and local scene info.
This includes both ideas and people themselves that have little to do directly with anything “Goth”. It is an open-minded Internet-based community with a focus on SE Michigan, but it certainly is not limited to that location. We welcome open-minded people from all over the world, Goth and non-Goth alike.
2. To have DGN become synonymous with the idea of “The Detroit Goth / Industrial Scene”.
DGN is designed and planned to be a central online location for "The Scene" to communicate and gather information. We are not there yet but with continued effort we will be.
3. Keep DGN as a haven from many of the rude and immature communities on the 'Net.
DGN is a special and friendly place on the net and we want to keep it this way.
Often it can be a difficult task to keep things respectful and easygoing in real life - this is especially the case on the Internet. Very often it requires difficult decisions be made as far as what to post and what not to post, and/or deciding when someone has broken the play nice rule or not. We are all human and sometimes say things we don’t mean or should keep private. DGN should be a place that people feel comfortable posting. DGN strives to keep things as welcoming and friendly as possible without discouraging passionate communication.
The above goals are ambitious and in the case of the first and second aspects may take several years to accomplish if not more, especially with the view that some cities start out with a larger “scene” to begin with. But with the continued help and support of the members and staff of the community, it can be achieved.
If you’d like to help us please do!
DGN FAQ
What is a DGN Moderator?
A DGN moderator is someone that has been selected to help in a more “official” way with DGN and has editing powers (usually in one or two forums). The have consistently over time shown themselves to be active in helping DGN grow.
DGN moderators are people that are willing to help keep things friendly on the board and help keep conversations going in the forums they moderate. Basic things such as moderators deleting duplicate posts and moving inappropriately placed posts out of their own forums into more appropriate forum areas are duties of a moderator.
They also usually are helpful in welcoming new people and add to the general health of the board consistently and regularly. They are usually very active posters on the board as well as some of our most diligent promoters.
What is a Jr. DGN Moderator?
Jr. Mods are very similar to DGN Moderators except it is what a "Moderator" will be designated when they first become a moderator. Jr. Moderators are sort of "probationary" mods. After you have been a Jr. Mod for a while and it's clear you understand the role of a moderator and are able to remain active and helpful, your title will most likely be changed. It should not be taken personally if we decide not to promote a Jr. Moderator so as fast as they might like.
What is a Sr. Moderator?
A Sr. Moderator is a moderator that has proven to be very helpful and reliable over an extended period of time and is capable of all Moderator duties listed below. In addition, they have the power to edit posts in ALL forums ("global moderator powers") and have admin access to most all of the core "back end" administration functions of DGN. Sr. Moderators generally seen as a consistent moderating influence and tend to be involved with DGN more actively due to their own self-motivation as well as the expectations of their position.
Non-Sr. moderators' input is greatly appreciated, but Sr. Moderators have access to the Sr. Moderator forum in order to bring issues being discussed directly to my attention (if an issue hasn't been already via email or otherwise). I may not always be actively monitoring the Staff Discussion area directly, but trying to focus my energies on promotion, and other aspects of DGN.
They also usually are helpful in welcoming new people and add to the general health of the board consistently and regularly. They are usually some of the most active posters on the board as well as some of our most diligent promoters.
All helpful active members and staff are considered to be "part owner" of DGN , but Sr. Moderators are considered to have a vested interest in DGN and have consistently shown motivation , consideration and active participation in DGN issues.
Sr. Moderators have administration powers virtually the same as the board root admin (Troy) except in a very few instances. Thus they must be considered to be very trustworthy and responsible individuals.
How do I become a DGN Moderator and what is required for existing DGN Moderators?
After reading all of the DGN staff requirements slowly and carefully, preferably twice, if you feel you would make a good moderator, please send an email to one of the DGN Sr. Moderators or myself stating that you have read all of the above and fully understand it, and would like to be a moderator.
troyspiral@comcast.net
Not everyone who asks will be made a moderator, and this isn't to be taken negatively or personally.
How do i make or what exactly is an "Official DGN Event/Gathering"?
Please contact Troy and/or a Sr. Mod privately before approaching this subject publicly in terms of your general idea for a DGN Event. It causes endless headaches and hurt feelings if things arent pitched properly.
If an event does not go off properly, or is badly supported it reflects badly on DGN. "DGN" (read DGN staff) is held repsonsible at least in some sense for what happens at a "DGN event" , if only from a public relations standpoint, as such:
A "DGN Event" that is, one that is backed by DGN staff, (and is promoted by DGN) DGN has worked long and hard to get to where it is, just deciding , out of the blue to have a date/time/event and then picking a date and calling it "A DGN Event" is not someting we want.
Please dont call your Event/Gathering a "DGN Event" (or Idea) or "DGN Gathering" (or Idea) without getting some at least tenative approval from Troy.
A "DGN Event" should have at least one moderator (or troy) that promises to be there for the event no matter what happens once the idea is "finalized". Please get some sort of final approval on the date/time/location before posting the "finalized" event info.
Dont want to do that? No problem. Just dont call it a DGN event. Call it "Lets hang out here on this date" or "Whatever Event". Thats partly what DGN is for, to give people a place to promote their own events.
Why do we have these rules? Simple, we do not want the name of DGN used in a way that is unsanctioned. While most events may be perfectly innocent in nature, it would not take much for someone to misuse the name so that A.) Their event is interferring with another DGN event, or B.) Used in a way that DGN might not want to get behind (for example if a "hate group" decided to make their events "Official DGN events").
DGN STAFF REQUIREMENTS:
These requirements apply to ALL DGN staff
DGN moderators tend to influence all board members activities far more than your average poster. Therefore they should act in such a way that encourages all members to behave the way we would like to see all posters behave. Moderators should try to be "model DGNers".
1. Must be active on the board.
This means checking your board forum(s) that you moderate, as well as the Staff Chat area at least 4-5 times a week on average. This is a bare minimum. Many moderators check the board 4-5 times a day if not more.
Not only should you be active, but its important that you be seen as active. Unless theres some extreem circumstances, it does not benifit DGN for you to be "lurking" (as a guest) nor invisible to the non moderators (anonymous).
We all may have reasons for being away from the board for a few days or even a week or two. If a moderator legitimately needs to take a break, or has job / work / health issues that prevent them from being active, that is fine. We all need a break sometimes, but as a general rule Moderators need to be active.
1b. Reading Expectations:
We don’t always have enough time to check everything on DGN that we would like, every day. But we do expect all moderators to take their moderator status seriously. As such, being a moderator, your posting habits should reflect your moderator status, over your "general poster" status. Obviously there will be exceptions, especially with the ordering of number 1 and 2, but overall we require that you prioritize your DGN reading as such:
DGN Reading Priority for Moderators and Jr. Moderators:
1. Read Staff Chat
2. Check Your Inbox
3. Check your forums
The key here is that if you have a little, or a lot of time to spend on DGN, your moderator activities should come before your general posting. Sr. Moderators are expected to read Sr. Staff chat first.
After this we’d suggest you check the Detroit Gothic. Net for new folks and welcome them before going on the rest of the board. Unlike the above, this is a suggestion not a requirement
1c. Forum Posting Expectations:
Moderators & Jr. Moderators are expected to place at least one post every 72 hours in the forums that they moderate, be it a new post or a reply to an existing post. Hopefully this will never be an issue as this is a BARE minimum requirement.
Due to the nature of the forums the following forums are exempt from the above requirements:
Your Creations, Promotions.
It is still expected that moderators of the exempt forums attempt to post as much as possible.
2. Must understand and agree to abide by the DGN mission Statement, Rules and FAQ document.
Its important that you understand and buy into everything covered in this document, so that there are no surprises or misunderstandings later on. It's taken a lot of work and a lot of help from various people to put this together.
This document may seem a bit much for a board like DGN. But its being put in place now so once the board becomes much larger and a more complex place to run properly, things will already have been in place that will help the board run smoothly.
The mission statement is a basic philosophy that is used to guide board members as well as to make moderator/admin decisions. The mission statement is a framework for coming up with responses to all ideas and issues that affect the board.
The board rules exist to help with the DGN mission statement. If you’ve been a disruptive poster, or haven’t been around for several months, it will be difficult for you to become a moderator as you may have no track record or the one that you do have might be in opposition to the DGN rules and/or mission statement.
3. Agree to make proper use of the Staff Discussion Forum.
This includes understanding that board procedural questions and concerns should be kept within the Moderator staff discussion area, rather than in the open forums, using tact when bringing up issues, and being able to deal with having to back down from a position (agreeing to disagree), and/or being able to deal with criticism maturely (as noted elsewhere).
You should read ALL posts in Staff Chat , regardless if they "interest you" or not.
DGN staff discussions stay within the DGN staff discussion, or Sr. Staff Discussion forum this information is to be treated as "private"
Additionally:
Please comment with some sort of detailed response to moderators questions/ concerns when they make new topics asking for direction/commentary.
Not just an emotional response or flippant comment that does not give any sort of suggestion or direction to what they are asking help with or comments on.
Try to make sure your responding to what is actually being discussed. Often i feel (and know im guilty of it myself at times) that we just skim over the topic post. Then we make various assumptions about what it is asking/talking about and respond to our quick "impression" of the post, rather than the actual word-for-word content of that post.
Comments like : "I dont like it" "Makes me sad" "ha-ha" with no other information are not particularly helpful. Why "dont you like it"? Why does XYZ "make your sad"? This type of commentary gives no suggestion , direction or any real "help" when someone asks for advice about a given post/topic/subject. At least a sentence or two of suggestion and specific commentary is called for.
3a. All staff discussion & Sr. staff discussion posting requirements:
Posts that are of the "Request for Feedback from All moderators" nature should be commented on every time you see them. Even if your response is as simple as "I agree", "I disagree", or "I'll have to think about this one a bit more and get back to you when I have a bit more time".
The use of this posticon:
Within the context of Staff Chat, is to be used only when asking for general feedback from all moderators. Any post that is a "general feedback question" should be posted using this icon, and as such it is required that at least minimal feedback from all moderators and Jr. Moderators be given to all such posts.
Do NOT use this posticon if your question is not meant for "question feedback", such as a question put to a specific moderator or a general question.
4. Make good faith efforts to based decisions and thoughts on what is best for DGN as a whole, in keeping with the DGN mission statement.
Even if, sometimes, that may not necessarily be what you personally might like. Often this type of thinking will lead to action / activity rather than inactivity if thought is given to DGN as a whole rather than the DGN mods own personal wishes. Self explanatory. Easy to explain but hard to put into practice.
5. Have a reasonably recognizable profile photograph of yourself in your avatar.
DGN is a -local scene- board. We do have members from all over the world, but it is primarily for SE Michigan people to chat, discuss, and socialize. If your not particularly social, and have a problem with showing a somewhat public face, you will not want to be a DGN moderator.
Also having actual pictures in people’s profiles makes the board seem more “personal” and lends itself to a friendly atmosphere.
(Signature size is a minor point, but there are many people that do not like to see big huge signatures under every one of your posts. Less than 100 pixels puts your signature at an X-height at the same size (or smaller) than the DGN banner please try to keep the size of your signature under 100 pixels tall.
Just having no signature at all is fine, but we do want a profile picture. Please no rude pictures such as such as flipping the bird, etc.
6. Have at least some basic info in your profile.
Make sure you have a "real" email account setup with your invision account.
People need a way other than posting directly on the board to contact you. Make sure you have your "real" email address in your profile (applies to Invision only) No one outside of the DGN staff can see your email address unless you purposely enable that feature. People can send messages to your email address via the board, but they cannot see the email address, it is handled by the board itself and they never actually have access to your email address. Board members need to be able to contact DGN staff if needed without you checking the board necessarily.
Have your location listed.
This goes along with the "local community" concept covered in #7. If for some reason you afraid to put your specific city , listing something like "Metro Detroit" is acceptable (not preferred but acceptable) while " In a place" is not.
If your especially touchy about either of the above you might want to rethink your moderator status. Being a moderator on a =local community= board , tends to require at least some minimal personal exposure.
7. Understand that Troy has the final decision on DGN issues.
We value input from posters and moderators highly and always try to get input from the community and mod staff on any drastic changes to DGN. But at some point I have to make a decision based on what I think is best, and goes along with my vision for the board. Not necessarily what the “majority opinion” is. Sometimes this is very hard for me but I need to stay true to my vision for the board. Often I do go with the majority opinion on many issues, unless I feel strongly contrary to a particular point.
After some deliberation, once I make a decision, it’s just the way it is, like it nor not. Feel free to discuss issues, even if I disagree with the premise, but once I make a decision I'll most likely not comment further and stand by that decision, at least for several months.
In case of my extended absence Sr. staff members will reach a decision on an major issues that need to be handled.
8. Must be able to deal with changes.
The population of the board changes nearly every day and can change somewhat rapidly (or at least seems to change rapidly) depending on your perspective. DGN is a living, growing entity. It will change - it has to change. The ability to cope with those changes is needed to be able to have longevity as a moderator.
9. Be able to deal with criticism and conflicting ideas without taking them personally.
Many people are unable to deal with ideas contrary to their own without taking them personally. This is a bad trait for a moderator. Sometimes we all take things too personally but should be able to deal with disagreement as just that - disagreement. If we disagree with your idea, or don’t like your idea, that doesn’t mean we don’t like you.
Also on the other side of this you need to be able to make a point without being overly rude or personal in making that point. If you’re not able to be tactful you’ll probably not make a good moderator. Being tactful is required of moderators both in the “open board” areas and the Staff discussion.
Be able to step back, and put things into perspective when you are angry. Don't "quit the board" based on a few bad days or weeks. We all have them. Just take a deep breath and give yourself some cool-down time.
10. Proactively self policing.
Moderators should be able to keep themselves acting in accordance with the moderator guidelines without constant supervision, regardless of what any other moderator may or may not be doing. They should check the staff guidelines occasionally to keep them fresh in mind , and actively try to conduct their activities in keeping with the moderator guidelines.
What kind of help would DGN like from all Moderators and Posters?
The below are not requirements for becoming a moderator (and certainly not to be a poster) but they will help quite a bit if your serious about being one . We put heavy weight and look very favorably on people that can consistently help with the below issues.
1. Actively promote DGN.
This is the No 1. priority and will go a long way in helping the board grow. This is not always very easy, and like anything worthwhile, can sometimes feel like a “job”. Promotion is greatly appreciated even more so than some other aspects helping DGN. Promotion directly and indirectly helps with virtually every single aspect of DGN. It is the key instrument that brings new resources of content, ideas and activity to DGN. This is by far the key issue we can use the most assistance with. A helpful consistent promoter is worth their proverbial weight in gold.
2. Actively post new content.
Content is king when it comes to retaining the community. Promotion brings them to DGN and content keeps them coming back. Posting new info, comments, ideas, concerns and everything in between is "content". Also specific help keeping the latest event info posted and up to date is immensely helpful.
3. Welcome new people.
This can feel like a bit of a “job” sometimes as well but it goes a long way to keeping the board friendly and making new people feel welcome. Time and time again we hear comments how friendly DGN is to new people versus some other boards/groups. Welcoming people is one very good way of furthering that reputation. Even on a day when we may have 3-4 new posters (rare) it only takes perhaps 2 minutes max to just say "Welcome!".
How do I become a Sr. Moderator and what is required of a Sr. DGN Moderator?
If you've been a moderator for an extended period of time, been very active and helpful with many, if not most (or all) of the above moderator suggestions and requirements - if there is an opening for a Sr. Mod, ask for the job yourself and Troy and the Sr. Mods will discuss it and come to a decision.
Again, it shouldn't be taken personally if you are not given the promotion at that time.
All DGN staff should be familiar with this entire document and understand clearly the points being made. If you have any questions regarding the information in this post please contact any of the Sr. Moderators or myself and we will be happy to help. troyspiral@comcast.net
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DGN Mission Statement, FAQ and Rules 3.1 "Everything you ever wanted to know about DGN" The DGN Code Of Conduct Rule No. 1. Play Nice. Unlike a lot of boards, we like to try and keep ours jerk-free. You should feel comfortable to express your opinions freely, even if they might be unpopular opinions - we're not going for a homogenized, dull community here. But when voicing an opinion, always do so with tact and avoid inciting others. Examples of what we don't want to see: 1A. Blatant Personal Attacks Name calling, threatening or other attacks directly on another poster or non-poster. "Direct Insults" If someone calls another poster an "asshole" or some such, and its not clear they were teasing, that's a fairly clear, obvious break of the DGN rules and they need to be talked to and/or dealt with in one way or another. 1B. "Outing" of People" Some people have very controversial ideas they prefer to keep private. If you're privy to knowledge of another person's views, do not make those views public without permission of said person. 1C. Personal Arguments Heated personal relationship arguments and other very private personal "fighting" between individual posters should be taken off the board into email, IM or otherwise. 1D. Blatantly Disruptive Posts Many threads change subjects during the course of conversation , but deliberately ruining topics that were intended to be serious discussion, on a regular basis, is a sure sign of a jerk. 1E. No Inflammatory remarks/comments about "The Rules", or Moderators actions on the board or "baiting" remarks/questions of such nature. DGN is not a soap box to vent your personal grievances about DGNs members, about DGN's hardworking staff or DGN's longstanding code of conduct. Don't post it on the board. 1F. Blatantly Inciting Anger It's fine to discuss things openly and frankly, and healthy debate is great. But don't incite anger in others purposely. 1G. Blatantly Disruptive Activity Any activity that slows the service of DGN. Any sort of anti-DGN "hacking" activity, denial of service attacks and the like are obviously not in spirit with the philosophy of DGN. 1H. No Pornography or links to pornography No pornography is allowed on DGN nor links to pornography. There might be some room for gray area in some cases on this issue, especially within the context of the Sex & Sexuality forum rules. But keep the porn off the board. 1I. The proper way to address an issue you may have with post, DGN Moderators or with the DGN Rules: If you have problems with DGN moderators, confusion about the DGN rules or an issue with a particular post bring it up with a mod or the mod staff privately. If you don't like the response, you get from a moderator, bring it up with a Sr. Mod. If you still dont like the response, while we try we cant please everyone. DGN is not a soapbox for you to complain about the longstanding DGN rules. If it is a problem with a particular post use the "report" button or link the post directly in your correspondences. If you STILL don't like the response you have two options: 1. Drop it and move on. 2. Drop it and perhaps revisit it in a few months. Other than that its "done". Its a hard job, and requires maturity on both parties especially if your viewpoint is not in agreement with the moderators. Rule No. 2. No blatant spam for message boards/groups unless given special permission outside of the General promotion section. A little goes a long way. After a while it's obvious if you are on DGN to be helpful, or just here to spam. We don't mind a little advertising in the course of a thoughtful post, or in the General Promotion section, but blatant advertising for other boards/groups (this includes "chat rooms") should be avoided. Blatant advertising for LOCAL GOTHY COMMUNITIES is delete-warn and ban if it doesn't stop fast. By posting on this board you agree to abide by these rules. These rules are subject change at any time. The DGN Mission Statement 1. Eventually to be the most active local online Goth / Industrial community in the country. In terms of membership, post activity, event and local scene info. This includes both ideas and people themselves that have little to do directly with anything “Goth”. It is an open-minded Internet-based community with a focus on SE Michigan, but it certainly is not limited to that location. We welcome open-minded people from all over the world, Goth and non-Goth alike. 2. To have DGN become synonymous with the idea of “The Detroit Goth / Industrial Scene”. DGN is designed and planned to be a central online location for "The Scene" to communicate and gather information. We are not there yet but with continued effort we will be. 3. Keep DGN as a haven from many of the rude and immature communities on the 'Net. DGN is a special and friendly place on the net and we want to keep it this way. Often it can be a difficult task to keep things respectful and easygoing in real life - this is especially the case on the Internet. Very often it requires difficult decisions be made as far as what to post and what not to post, and/or deciding when someone has broken the play nice rule or not. We are all human and sometimes say things we don’t mean or should keep private. DGN should be a place that people feel comfortable posting. DGN strives to keep things as welcoming and friendly as possible without discouraging passionate communication. The above goals are ambitious and in the case of the first and second aspects may take several years to accomplish if not more, especially with the view that some cities start out with a larger “scene” to begin with. But with the continued help and support of the members and staff of the community, it can be achieved. If you’d like to help us please do! DGN FAQ What is a DGN Moderator? A DGN moderator is someone that has been selected to help in a more “official” way with DGN and has editing powers (usually in one or two forums). The have consistently over time shown themselves to be active in helping DGN grow. DGN moderators are people that are willing to help keep things friendly on the board and help keep conversations going in the forums they moderate. Basic things such as moderators deleting duplicate posts and moving inappropriately placed posts out of their own forums into more appropriate forum areas are duties of a moderator. They also usually are helpful in welcoming new people and add to the general health of the board consistently and regularly. They are usually very active posters on the board as well as some of our most diligent promoters. What is a Jr. DGN Moderator? Jr. Mods are very similar to DGN Moderators except it is what a "Moderator" will be designated when they first become a moderator. Jr. Moderators are sort of "probationary" mods. After you have been a Jr. Mod for a while and it's clear you understand the role of a moderator and are able to remain active and helpful, your title will most likely be changed. It should not be taken personally if we decide not to promote a Jr. Moderator so as fast as they might like. What is a Sr. Moderator? A Sr. Moderator is a moderator that has proven to be very helpful and reliable over an extended period of time and is capable of all Moderator duties listed below. In addition, they have the power to edit posts in ALL forums ("global moderator powers") and have admin access to most all of the core "back end" administration functions of DGN. Sr. Moderators generally seen as a consistent moderating influence and tend to be involved with DGN more actively due to their own self-motivation as well as the expectations of their position. Non-Sr. moderators' input is greatly appreciated, but Sr. Moderators have access to the Sr. Moderator forum in order to bring issues being discussed directly to my attention (if an issue hasn't been already via email or otherwise). I may not always be actively monitoring the Staff Discussion area directly, but trying to focus my energies on promotion, and other aspects of DGN. They also usually are helpful in welcoming new people and add to the general health of the board consistently and regularly. They are usually some of the most active posters on the board as well as some of our most diligent promoters. All helpful active members and staff are considered to be "part owner" of DGN , but Sr. Moderators are considered to have a vested interest in DGN and have consistently shown motivation , consideration and active participation in DGN issues. Sr. Moderators have administration powers virtually the same as the board root admin (Troy) except in a very few instances. Thus they must be considered to be very trustworthy and responsible individuals. How do I become a DGN Moderator and what is required for existing DGN Moderators? After reading all of the DGN staff requirements slowly and carefully, preferably twice, if you feel you would make a good moderator, please send an email to one of the DGN Sr. Moderators or myself stating that you have read all of the above and fully understand it, and would like to be a moderator. troyspiral@comcast.net Not everyone who asks will be made a moderator, and this isn't to be taken negatively or personally. How do i make or what exactly is an "Official DGN Event/Gathering"? Please contact Troy and/or a Sr. Mod privately before approaching this subject publicly in terms of your general idea for a DGN Event. It causes endless headaches and hurt feelings if things arent pitched properly. If an event does not go off properly, or is badly supported it reflects badly on DGN. "DGN" (read DGN staff) is held repsonsible at least in some sense for what happens at a "DGN event" , if only from a public relations standpoint, as such: A "DGN Event" that is, one that is backed by DGN staff, (and is promoted by DGN) DGN has worked long and hard to get to where it is, just deciding , out of the blue to have a date/time/event and then picking a date and calling it "A DGN Event" is not someting we want. Please dont call your Event/Gathering a "DGN Event" (or Idea) or "DGN Gathering" (or Idea) without getting some at least tenative approval from Troy. A "DGN Event" should have at least one moderator (or troy) that promises to be there for the event no matter what happens once the idea is "finalized". Please get some sort of final approval on the date/time/location before posting the "finalized" event info. Dont want to do that? No problem. Just dont call it a DGN event. Call it "Lets hang out here on this date" or "Whatever Event". Thats partly what DGN is for, to give people a place to promote their own events. Why do we have these rules? Simple, we do not want the name of DGN used in a way that is unsanctioned. While most events may be perfectly innocent in nature, it would not take much for someone to misuse the name so that A.) Their event is interferring with another DGN event, or B.) Used in a way that DGN might not want to get behind (for example if a "hate group" decided to make their events "Official DGN events"). DGN STAFF REQUIREMENTS: These requirements apply to ALL DGN staff DGN moderators tend to influence all board members activities far more than your average poster. Therefore they should act in such a way that encourages all members to behave the way we would like to see all posters behave. Moderators should try to be "model DGNers". 1. Must be active on the board. This means checking your board forum(s) that you moderate, as well as the Staff Chat area at least 4-5 times a week on average. This is a bare minimum. Many moderators check the board 4-5 times a day if not more. Not only should you be active, but its important that you be seen as active. Unless theres some extreem circumstances, it does not benifit DGN for you to be "lurking" (as a guest) nor invisible to the non moderators (anonymous). We all may have reasons for being away from the board for a few days or even a week or two. If a moderator legitimately needs to take a break, or has job / work / health issues that prevent them from being active, that is fine. We all need a break sometimes, but as a general rule Moderators need to be active. 1b. Reading Expectations: We don’t always have enough time to check everything on DGN that we would like, every day. But we do expect all moderators to take their moderator status seriously. As such, being a moderator, your posting habits should reflect your moderator status, over your "general poster" status. Obviously there will be exceptions, especially with the ordering of number 1 and 2, but overall we require that you prioritize your DGN reading as such: DGN Reading Priority for Moderators and Jr. Moderators: 1. Read Staff Chat 2. Check Your Inbox 3. Check your forums The key here is that if you have a little, or a lot of time to spend on DGN, your moderator activities should come before your general posting. Sr. Moderators are expected to read Sr. Staff chat first. After this we’d suggest you check the Detroit Gothic. Net for new folks and welcome them before going on the rest of the board. Unlike the above, this is a suggestion not a requirement 1c. Forum Posting Expectations: Moderators & Jr. Moderators are expected to place at least one post every 72 hours in the forums that they moderate, be it a new post or a reply to an existing post. Hopefully this will never be an issue as this is a BARE minimum requirement. Due to the nature of the forums the following forums are exempt from the above requirements: Your Creations, Promotions. It is still expected that moderators of the exempt forums attempt to post as much as possible. 2. Must understand and agree to abide by the DGN mission Statement, Rules and FAQ document. Its important that you understand and buy into everything covered in this document, so that there are no surprises or misunderstandings later on. It's taken a lot of work and a lot of help from various people to put this together. This document may seem a bit much for a board like DGN. But its being put in place now so once the board becomes much larger and a more complex place to run properly, things will already have been in place that will help the board run smoothly. The mission statement is a basic philosophy that is used to guide board members as well as to make moderator/admin decisions. The mission statement is a framework for coming up with responses to all ideas and issues that affect the board. The board rules exist to help with the DGN mission statement. If you’ve been a disruptive poster, or haven’t been around for several months, it will be difficult for you to become a moderator as you may have no track record or the one that you do have might be in opposition to the DGN rules and/or mission statement. 3. Agree to make proper use of the Staff Discussion Forum. This includes understanding that board procedural questions and concerns should be kept within the Moderator staff discussion area, rather than in the open forums, using tact when bringing up issues, and being able to deal with having to back down from a position (agreeing to disagree), and/or being able to deal with criticism maturely (as noted elsewhere). You should read ALL posts in Staff Chat , regardless if they "interest you" or not. DGN staff discussions stay within the DGN staff discussion, or Sr. Staff Discussion forum this information is to be treated as "private" Additionally: Please comment with some sort of detailed response to moderators questions/ concerns when they make new topics asking for direction/commentary. Not just an emotional response or flippant comment that does not give any sort of suggestion or direction to what they are asking help with or comments on. Try to make sure your responding to what is actually being discussed. Often i feel (and know im guilty of it myself at times) that we just skim over the topic post. Then we make various assumptions about what it is asking/talking about and respond to our quick "impression" of the post, rather than the actual word-for-word content of that post. Comments like : "I dont like it" "Makes me sad" "ha-ha" with no other information are not particularly helpful. Why "dont you like it"? Why does XYZ "make your sad"? This type of commentary gives no suggestion , direction or any real "help" when someone asks for advice about a given post/topic/subject. At least a sentence or two of suggestion and specific commentary is called for. 3a. All staff discussion & Sr. staff discussion posting requirements: Posts that are of the "Request for Feedback from All moderators" nature should be commented on every time you see them. Even if your response is as simple as "I agree", "I disagree", or "I'll have to think about this one a bit more and get back to you when I have a bit more time". The use of this posticon: Within the context of Staff Chat, is to be used only when asking for general feedback from all moderators. Any post that is a "general feedback question" should be posted using this icon, and as such it is required that at least minimal feedback from all moderators and Jr. Moderators be given to all such posts. Do NOT use this posticon if your question is not meant for "question feedback", such as a question put to a specific moderator or a general question. 4. Make good faith efforts to based decisions and thoughts on what is best for DGN as a whole, in keeping with the DGN mission statement. Even if, sometimes, that may not necessarily be what you personally might like. Often this type of thinking will lead to action / activity rather than inactivity if thought is given to DGN as a whole rather than the DGN mods own personal wishes. Self explanatory. Easy to explain but hard to put into practice. 5. Have a reasonably recognizable profile photograph of yourself in your avatar. DGN is a -local scene- board. We do have members from all over the world, but it is primarily for SE Michigan people to chat, discuss, and socialize. If your not particularly social, and have a problem with showing a somewhat public face, you will not want to be a DGN moderator. Also having actual pictures in people’s profiles makes the board seem more “personal” and lends itself to a friendly atmosphere. (Signature size is a minor point, but there are many people that do not like to see big huge signatures under every one of your posts. Less than 100 pixels puts your signature at an X-height at the same size (or smaller) than the DGN banner please try to keep the size of your signature under 100 pixels tall. Just having no signature at all is fine, but we do want a profile picture. Please no rude pictures such as such as flipping the bird, etc. 6. Have at least some basic info in your profile. Make sure you have a "real" email account setup with your invision account. People need a way other than posting directly on the board to contact you. Make sure you have your "real" email address in your profile (applies to Invision only) No one outside of the DGN staff can see your email address unless you purposely enable that feature. People can send messages to your email address via the board, but they cannot see the email address, it is handled by the board itself and they never actually have access to your email address. Board members need to be able to contact DGN staff if needed without you checking the board necessarily. Have your location listed. This goes along with the "local community" concept covered in #7. If for some reason you afraid to put your specific city , listing something like "Metro Detroit" is acceptable (not preferred but acceptable) while " In a place" is not. If your especially touchy about either of the above you might want to rethink your moderator status. Being a moderator on a =local community= board , tends to require at least some minimal personal exposure. 7. Understand that Troy has the final decision on DGN issues. We value input from posters and moderators highly and always try to get input from the community and mod staff on any drastic changes to DGN. But at some point I have to make a decision based on what I think is best, and goes along with my vision for the board. Not necessarily what the “majority opinion” is. Sometimes this is very hard for me but I need to stay true to my vision for the board. Often I do go with the majority opinion on many issues, unless I feel strongly contrary to a particular point. After some deliberation, once I make a decision, it’s just the way it is, like it nor not. Feel free to discuss issues, even if I disagree with the premise, but once I make a decision I'll most likely not comment further and stand by that decision, at least for several months. In case of my extended absence Sr. staff members will reach a decision on an major issues that need to be handled. 8. Must be able to deal with changes. The population of the board changes nearly every day and can change somewhat rapidly (or at least seems to change rapidly) depending on your perspective. DGN is a living, growing entity. It will change - it has to change. The ability to cope with those changes is needed to be able to have longevity as a moderator. 9. Be able to deal with criticism and conflicting ideas without taking them personally. Many people are unable to deal with ideas contrary to their own without taking them personally. This is a bad trait for a moderator. Sometimes we all take things too personally but should be able to deal with disagreement as just that - disagreement. If we disagree with your idea, or don’t like your idea, that doesn’t mean we don’t like you. Also on the other side of this you need to be able to make a point without being overly rude or personal in making that point. If you’re not able to be tactful you’ll probably not make a good moderator. Being tactful is required of moderators both in the “open board” areas and the Staff discussion. Be able to step back, and put things into perspective when you are angry. Don't "quit the board" based on a few bad days or weeks. We all have them. Just take a deep breath and give yourself some cool-down time. 10. Proactively self policing. Moderators should be able to keep themselves acting in accordance with the moderator guidelines without constant supervision, regardless of what any other moderator may or may not be doing. They should check the staff guidelines occasionally to keep them fresh in mind , and actively try to conduct their activities in keeping with the moderator guidelines. What kind of help would DGN like from all Moderators and Posters? The below are not requirements for becoming a moderator (and certainly not to be a poster) but they will help quite a bit if your serious about being one . We put heavy weight and look very favorably on people that can consistently help with the below issues. 1. Actively promote DGN. This is the No 1. priority and will go a long way in helping the board grow. This is not always very easy, and like anything worthwhile, can sometimes feel like a “job”. Promotion is greatly appreciated even more so than some other aspects helping DGN. Promotion directly and indirectly helps with virtually every single aspect of DGN. It is the key instrument that brings new resources of content, ideas and activity to DGN. This is by far the key issue we can use the most assistance with. A helpful consistent promoter is worth their proverbial weight in gold. 2. Actively post new content. Content is king when it comes to retaining the community. Promotion brings them to DGN and content keeps them coming back. Posting new info, comments, ideas, concerns and everything in between is "content". Also specific help keeping the latest event info posted and up to date is immensely helpful. 3. Welcome new people. This can feel like a bit of a “job” sometimes as well but it goes a long way to keeping the board friendly and making new people feel welcome. Time and time again we hear comments how friendly DGN is to new people versus some other boards/groups. Welcoming people is one very good way of furthering that reputation. Even on a day when we may have 3-4 new posters (rare) it only takes perhaps 2 minutes max to just say "Welcome!". How do I become a Sr. Moderator and what is required of a Sr. DGN Moderator? If you've been a moderator for an extended period of time, been very active and helpful with many, if not most (or all) of the above moderator suggestions and requirements - if there is an opening for a Sr. Mod, ask for the job yourself and Troy and the Sr. Mods will discuss it and come to a decision. Again, it shouldn't be taken personally if you are not given the promotion at that time. All DGN staff should be familiar with this entire document and understand clearly the points being made. If you have any questions regarding the information in this post please contact any of the Sr. Moderators or myself and we will be happy to help. troyspiral@comcast.net