Moderator guidelines

Note: This page is a work in progress. Please use the page comments or the Moodle community sites forum for any recommendations/suggestions for improvement.

This page provides suggested guidelines for moderators and facilitators on how to apply the forums code of conduct on moodle.org. If in doubt about how to deal with a particular post, moderators and facilitators are encouraged to post in a forum in the Facilitators corner.

Job adverts

Any job adverts posted in the moodle.org forums should be deleted immediately to prevent replies stating expression of interest but no useful content (e.g. "I'll do the job. Email me ..."). The poster should be sent a message explaining why their post was deleted and encouraging them to use the Moodle jobs database.

Sample message:

Hi ....,
Just to let you know, your recent forum post has been deleted because job adverts are not allowed in the forums according to our code of conduct https://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle.org_forums_Code_of_Conduct.
You're welcome though to use the Moodle jobs database http://moodle.org/jobs for advertising your vacancy.

Any forum posts which include the offer of a job (e.g. "I need help with XYZ. I'm so desperate I will pay someone to help. Email me ...") should be edited to remove the job advert.

Sample edited by message:

(Edited by ... to remove job advert, since they are not allowed in the forums according to our code of conduct https://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle.org_forums_Code_of_Conduct - original submission ...)

Unsolicited advertising

Mentioning commercial products or services is fine if it's in the natural context of a discussion such as an answer to a question. Any unsolicited adverts, such as a new discussion post, should be deleted immediately. The poster may, at the discretion of the moderator, be sent a message explaining why their post was deleted.

Sample message:

 Just to let you know, your recent forum post has been deleted because unsolicited advertising is not allowed in the forums according to our advertising policy https://docs.moodle.org/en/Policy_on_Advertising

Spam

Posts which are obviously spam should be reported using the 'Report as spam' link and then deleted.

Posting in the wrong forum

Until the option to subscribe to a thread rather than a forum is implemented on moodle.org, moving a post to another forum can result in the poster not being able to find any replies. Thus, it is recommended that only the most obvious mis-posts are moved to the correct forum and posters sent a message notifying them of the move.

Sample message:

Hi ....,
Just to let you know, your recent forum post has been moved to the ... forum where you're most likely to receive help. Here's a link to it: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=.....
To receive notifications of any replies to your post, you will need to go to it and then click the 'Subscribe to this forum' link in the administration block.

Posting in multiple forums

Duplicate forum posts asking for help should be deleted to leave just one forum post in the most appropriate forum or the post(s) which has been replied to. It is recommended that the poster is sent a message explaining why their duplicate posts were deleted.

Sample message:

Hi ....,
Just to let you know, your recent duplicate forum posts have been deleted, since posting the same question in multiple forums is of no benefit.
It only fragments the support you receive and makes it more difficult for other users to find the correct information in the future when they do a search.
(Source: https://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle.org_forums_Code_of_Conduct )

Note: The above applies only to duplicate posts, and not to posts about a topic which falls in two forums where one post points to another, or which differ slightly in content.

Posting in Using Moodle in a language other than English

Sample reply:

Hi ....,
This forum, and all the others in this course, are in English. If you'd like to participate in a discussion in English, please stay around; if you'd prefer Spanish, please go to Moodle en Español.

amending the language and course as appropriate. See the list of community discussion courses in other languages for links.

Confusing moodle.org with school Moodle site

Sample reply:

Hi,
Just to let you know, your recent forum post on moodle.org has been deleted, as it seems you posted here by mistake. Moodle.org is the place where Moodle software is created and supported.
If you are lost please ask your school to help you find the correct web address for your Moodle site.

Signatures

Posts containing a verbose signature, or a signature containing a link, should be edited to remove the signature.

Sample edited by message:

(Edited by ... to remove signature, since they are not allowed in the forums according to our code of conduct https://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle.org_forums_Code_of_Conduct - original submission ...)