Voluntary Moderators

ArchivedUser

Inspired by comments from a different discussion. I would like to discuss the potential of Voluntary Moderators (VMs). This is just a brainstorm and I welcome all constructive feedback and discussion. If something like this were to be implemented and successful it would increase morale and attitude within and towards the game. Potentially attracting players looking for a good community to play with. I'm not looking to make this game a place where speech is censored and filled with secret police. My aim is a balanced system that allows for the community to govern itself for the most part and grant positive experience for positive members and penalizing negative behavior.

Duties

• Moderate reported toxicity claims for public chats like party/say/trade/general/yell/etc.
• Reports should mostly be egregious behavior (rl threats, encouraging harming themselves or others, bigotry (targeting or attacking people based on orientation, race, etc), doxxing, etc)
• Able to escalate offenses to staff if need be

As to remove the very negative but still allow for people to feel free with BSing this is a teen game so profanity should be allowed and hopefully just a profanity filter will be able to satiate those that are more sensitive.

Details

• Mode activated can not be during activities to ensure focus (save for gathering or crafting).
• Must learn company rules and policies that pertain to duties.
  
• Learn when to review, when to escalate, when to dismiss.
  

they only review submissions. penalization is the job of the staff unless they want to add an automated system utilizing this program

Rewards
Rewards should be based off of tickets reviewed. Instead of being based off of time in VM mode since players might be able to exploit log-in time by logging in just to go afk or craft. This ensures that people are contributing and rewarded thusly. Invest in members investing in the community. They can balance this however they want to but this would be a great reward system.

• credit for cash shop
• free playtime (days/weeks)
• exclusive VM outfit/zone
  

Potential problems and potential fixes

• Corrupt VMs

To combat bored jerks and saboteurs, multiple mods per report to ensure accuracy. Mods with low accuracy will be reviewed. If it is discovered that they are not able to fulfill their duties they will be removed from this program.

• Negative players

Those that have proven to be serious infractors are disallowed from the program temporarily until infractions dissipate or permanently based on Intrepid's policies.

• False flags

Fraudulent reporting after a certain amount of claims (e.g., 10) if your reports fall below an accuracy rating (e.g., 20%) you are temporarily disallowed from reporting and are just allowed reporting hacking, bots, or other staff reviewed tickets.

• Conflicts of interest

To combat this reviews are anonymous to all but staff. Reporter, target, and reviewers are censored. To prevent potential recognition mods can not review people from their guild or friends' list. Perhaps not allowing them to review submissions from the same zone they were in. If they want to make absolutely sure there are no conflicts they can review submission from different servers. Can not be submitted to members that were on each others friends list or guild to ensure group trolling.

• Spam characters

To combat people continually making new characters just to mess with this system, add a milestone that has to be reached before they can partake in this system. Either add a character level requirement to unlock this feature or a minimum time played. Of course this would be an account wide unlock and once unlocked it can be accessed by any character at any level on the server.


So those are some of my rough thoughts and I would love to hear everyone's feedback. Maybe a mod would grace this thread with their feedback. I'm sure none of these features are original but, in my opinion, it seems like a nice and fair system. In the end a VM would be like a homicide cop, something that may be needed but in a perfect world or an ideal scenario, completely unneeded. Much love to @Megs for inspiring this. I share a lot of views and thoughts on it.

ArchivedUser

I like the idea about reviewing reports from other servers, but the servers would eventually merge in the future as the playerbase decreases. What would be done in that case?

ArchivedUser

I think it could work, as long as there were also an easy way to challenge any decision and it made things easier rather than harder for the main, full time mod. 

You'd also need to be able review reports that weren't upheld /acted upon.

I like i I've been planning to amend the other post for days now to collate all of the ideas together, when I do so I'll make sure to include a link!

ArchivedUser

The idea is on point, as I have previously stated in the linked topic as well as in the topic the linked topic originated from.

As I have been a Community Volunteer for a publisher before, I certainly see the pros and cons.

Something I would also like to add is that there is a lot of jealousy involved, especially due to the rewards. Obviously, volunteers work for free, but it is also nice to reward good and hard work.
People will mostly want to apply for a volunteer position for those rewards, free money as they say.
There are still nice people that care about a healthy community over anything else and rewards are just a bonus.

Something else to note is that as a volunteer, you will be stalked, criticized, flamed and also be a target from many players that do not appreciate your work or as stated previously, are jealous due to the "benefits" you have.

Being a volunteer is much more than "being a nice guy". You will have to know and follow the rules and terms of service in and out, you will have knowledge about most aspects of the game as well as being able to handle random people from insulting and criticizing you.
If you're passionate about what you're doing, the last part might be very hard on you.

Volunteers wouldn't just be "chat monitorers", volunteers can also organize and host events previously approved by GMs with rewards that are either paid out of their own pockets or supplied by GMs.


Regardless, I do believe this is a nice system to go for, as public chats need monitoring.

ArchivedUser

HeckinBamboozled said:

I like the idea about reviewing reports from other servers, but the servers would eventually merge in the future as the playerbase decreases. What would be done in that case?

I'd imagine it'd fall under the other conflict of interest counters. Review chats from other zones. The only problem would be if there is a trade chat that links to other cities. If that is not a thing than it'd work.

ArchivedUser

FliP said:

The idea is on point, as I have previously stated in the linked topic as well as in the topic the linked topic originated from.

As I have been a Community Volunteer for a publisher before, I certainly see the pros and cons.

Something I would also like to add is that there is a lot of jealousy involved, especially due to the rewards. Obviously, volunteers work for free, but it is also nice to reward good and hard work.
People will mostly want to apply for a volunteer position for those rewards, free money as they say.
There are still nice people that care about a healthy community over anything else and rewards are just a bonus.

Something else to note is that as a volunteer, you will be stalked, criticized, flamed and also be a target from many players that do not appreciate your work or as stated previously, are jealous due to the "benefits" you have.

Being a volunteer is much more than "being a nice guy". You will have to know and follow the rules and terms of service in and out, you will have knowledge about most aspects of the game as well as being able to handle random people from insulting and criticizing you.
If you're passionate about what you're doing, the last part might be very hard on you.

Volunteers wouldn't just be "chat monitorers", volunteers can also organize and host events previously approved by GMs with rewards that are either paid out of their own pockets or supplied by GMs.


Regardless, I do believe this is a nice system to go for, as public chats need monitoring.

If there is no title or garb/weapon that signifies your moderator status then you'd largely be safe. Outside of saying it, there shouldn't be anyway to tell.

Rewards should be a thing and if people think they can just spam through tickets just to get something they'd quickly be discovered with my corrupt VM counters and most likely removed from this system and receive nothing.

Even an awful person that reviews correctly would be contributing to the community. So their motivation or attitude wouldn't affect the system.

If it came to hosting events, mods could be disguised or have a mod character they could log into for them. This way you couldn't tell who was who.

I really hope we can get some kind of system that will help sift out the harmful degenerates.

ArchivedUser

Megs said:

I think it could work, as long as there were also an easy way to challenge any decision and it made things easier rather than harder for the main, full time mod. 

You'd also need to be able review reports that weren't upheld /acted upon.

I like i I've been planning to amend the other post for days now to collate all of the ideas together, when I do so I'll make sure to include a link!

Well I'd like to have multiple people review each ticket so that it shows accuracy and filters out those that are being detrimental. This also helps with people going afk with a ticket in review.

ArchivedUser

I personally only want someone who is actually hired/paid by IS to officially moderate, with no vested interest in the game, to have any measure of control over me.

Now if you want to "volunteer", all you need to do is report flagrant violations to the actual mods and let them do their jobs. It's called being a good samaratin and supporting your forum/ game out of a sense of pride with no demand of payment in any way for your good deeds.