Mod Guidelines

Hattrick » Moderators » Mod Guidelines (30/06/2005)

¡Tema CERRADO!
De: Mod-Emma Bañar Multar
Para: Todos 1292450.1
30/05/2004 a las 20:37

This thread has needed tidying up for a while, so I've done so. It is mostly the same as the previous thread - just neater...


Conference Moderator Policies and Notes - May 2004

The role of the moderator is to act as an administrator for the on-site Hattrick conferences. The moderator works with the gamemasters assigned to his/her country to keep order and to administrate Hattrick as fairly and efficiently as possible. The purpose of this document is to develop a consistent set of guidelines between the numerous conferences, as there are hundreds of national and international conferences on Hattrick, and there needs to be a consistent general administration between them.

You are the representative of Hattrick in the conferences. You are the only image of the Hattrick staff that most users will ever see. You should strive to keep the peace at all times and step aside in controversies regarding the game, the engine, the site’s uptime, etc.

Additional information that you now have access to: On every post in the conferences, you have the ability to edit/delete posts (you will be shown as having edited the message). You can also create sticky threads (only when creating a new thread), as well being able to close/delete/move threads - not that threads can only be moved to either global or national conferences (including non-ht national conferences) - threads cannot be moved to federation conferences or series conference. On each message, there are links for you banning or fining users. The fines are set at $10,000 USD (100,000 SEK), the bans can be set by you.

You will be asked many questions about Hattrick - users will think that you can solve all their Hattrick questions and problems. If you cannot help the user, encourage them to email the local GM at the appropriate address. You should be an active and helpful member of the conferences that you are moderating - this reputation will serve you well in rougher times when they come.

Remember that your decision is final in all cases and does not need to be proven to the user. In all cases, delete the offending posts. Also remember that children play Hattrick and that should weigh heavily in what you allow to be posted.

The global conferences have an "English only" policy. In the case of a non-English post, post the language reminder and close the thread.

Sticky threads are to be used only for important hattrick announcements and policy statements. These include the individual conference rules (a standardized template is available by choosing "Rules/Manual" in the conference menu) as well as short term conduct general warnings - those should be short-term sticky threads that emphasize a particular point that has troubled the community. Stickies are not to be used for minor items such as youth pulls, national teams, etc. Nor should they be used in federation conferences, as that gives some federations an unfair over others simply by having a moderator as a member.

Friendly ads and transfer ads have no place on the conferences (with the exception of federation conferences) - all adverts should go in the ads section.



The Pricelist

Transfer / friendly advert
First time: Warning (0 day ban) + 1 fine
Second time: 3 day ban + 3 fines
Third time: 7 day ban + 5 fines
Fourth time: Contact your local GM about the user.

Spamming
First time: 1 day ban
Second time: 3-5 day ban
Third time: 14 day ban
Fourth time: Contact your local GM about the user.

General bad behaviour on the conferences
First time: 3 day ban
Second time: 7 day ban + 1 fine
Third time: Contact your local GM about the user.

Racism or personal attack
First time: 28 day ban + 3 fines + notify your local GM.
Second time: Contact your local GM about the user.



Useful tips

1) If unsure, ask!
2) Never tell a user what powers you do/do not have.
3) Always check a user's history before you ban them
4) Bans ARE NOT cumulative - if a user is already serving a ban, don't ban them again - the reason being that if MOD-A bans a player for 5 days and then MOD-B bans the same player for 2 days later on, then the user will only receive a 2-day ban - not 5 and not 7.
5) Offenses ARE cumulative. If you are going to ban a player and you notice that they have previously been punished, add a little to the ban (especially if they have been punished for the same type of offense previously). With each prior ban, add a few days - i.e. first offence for spamming may be a 1 day ban, 2nd offence: 3 days, 3rd offence: 7 days, 4th offense: 14+ days (bans given for spamming should be dependant on the amount they've spammed - if their "latest posts" is filled with the same message, make the ban longer).
6) The above prices should be treated as guidelines - they are not set in stone, so don't be afraid of adding a bit to the punishment if you believe it to be a particularly bad case. Despite this, try and be vaguely consistent. Don't ban Player X for 3 days and player Y for 10 days when they've done the same offence (unless tip 4 applies).
7) "You're not here to be popular - you're here to keep order" - being a MOD is a largely thankless task - I can guarantee that you will not be liked by 100% of the conference - don't back down just because people don't like your judgement. As long as you have stuck to the guidelines, don't worry what users think - they will often feel like they have been harshly punished - this is normal! When you accept a position with the Hattrick staff (i.e. as a MOD, GM, or LA), you are just that - staff. Even if you disagree with a particular rule, you still have to enforce it.
8) "Be firm but fair" - when you start out, set some boundaries and enforce them - don't let users walk all over you just because you are new or they will continue to do so. This doesn't mean punishing everyone for everything - find a point in the middle that you are comfortable with.
9) Don't go out looking for problems, just read all the posts in your conference and if you happen to find a problem, deal with it.
10a) It is possible to gain access to the conferences of Federations that you are not a part of by clicking on a link to a post in that federation. If you do this, do it only for a very good reason and do not under any circumstances make it known you are watching that conference or (as stated in tip 2) that you even have the ability to do so.
10b) The power to read a fed conference is there only to help us investigate users who are already in trouble due to their actions in the public conferences. We do not enter federation conferences and start banning, fining, and deleting. If you enter a fed you are not a member of, do nothing but read. If you are a member of the fed, you should only take action if asked to by the fed owner (and then only if you feel it is necessary - do not take action purely because the fed owner asks you to), or in extreme circumstances after discussion with a GM.
11) Before you close a thread, post a message in which you write why the thread had to be closed.
12) When you ban/fine someone, remember to write in English why the ban/fine was given, as this information might be important to other MODs/GMs if the user breaks the rules again.
13) If a user writes something that involves you (e.g. a personal attack), then always ask another MOD or GM to take care of it instead of dealing with it yourself.
14) Stickies are evil things and should only be used for very important threads (rules, election debates, etc). Under no circumstance must stickies be used in federation conferences.



These are the exeptions to the rules:

Posting youth pull with the mention of them being sold.
- It is only allowed to post the latest youth pull you had, and you may only post it once.
- Use a special "youth pull" thread so that all "adverts" are concentrated in one area.
- You may only post your youth pull in the national conference of the country in which your team plays.

Advertising a federation.
- It is only allowed to advertise a federation in the conference which the federation's owner is based, global (one post), and in conferences to which the federation has relevance. That is, if somone for example founds a Scandinavian federation, the person is allowed to advertise the fed in all the Scandinavian conferences + the global conference.

e.g. If you create a federation and you play in the xxxxx league, then you may advertise the federation on the Global conference and in the national conference for xxxxx, but not in the conference of another country, unless the fed has relevance for this country. If a federation is advertised in multiple unpermitted conferences, then those posts may be closed without notice and treated as spam with the appropriate punishment given.

Advertising for national teams.
National teams are permitted to put out a request for talent in each national conference once per season, or national trainer term. Any subsequent requests in a conference other than that team's national conference or the "Coach Says" section will be treated as spam

Advertising national team players for sale
- only the national coach may advertise a national team player who is for sale and only in the conference of the nation who that national team player plays for.
- a national coach may not advertise a national player for sale if the player is owned by his own team.



An increasinly common occurance in Hattrick is when users wish to leave the game and, before doing so, lists all their players. This is a dangerous situation, as it can lead to user causing large problems by placing crazy bids on lots of players as has happened a few times in the past. Therefore, If you see a team that has listed all their players, please inform a GM as soon as possible (preferably the GM for the relevant country, but any will do - it's more important to let someone know than to wait for the appropriate GM).