Moderation Guide

Running a group is a real responsibility. Here is what that looks like.

What Moderators Do

Moderators are trusted community members. You become eligible at Contributor level (level 3) and then get assigned to a group.

You are not a cop. You are the person hosting the room. Set tone, de-escalate early, and make it easy for new people to stay.

Day to day: remove posts or comments, issue warnings, restrict posting in-group, and escalate severe behavior for review.

Moderation here is not one person making every call. Community voting does real work.

Any Regular (level 2+) can vote content off-topic. At 5 votes, it is auto-de-emphasized. Moderators can override when context requires it.

Reports enter a queue. Group-local issues are reviewed by group moderators. Escalations go to trust-and-safety.

Eligibility starts at Contributor level (level 3). That means sustained participation and trust, not a quick application.

Moderators are assigned, not self-appointed. If you want to help, raise your hand in your group or in Base Camp.

New groups are often co-moderated with circlefinder admins until local governance stabilizes.

Start with the Community Guidelines. They apply to everyone.

Groups can add context-specific rules when needed. If you add rules, write them clearly in the group description so nobody is guessing.

Group moderators can restrict behavior inside their group, but permanent account bans escalate to trust-and-safety.

You do not have to moderate alone. Base Camp exists so moderators can compare notes before making hard calls.

Decisions are reviewed. Good-faith action is supported. Harassment tied to moderation duties should be escalated immediately.

If it feels bigger than one moderator, it is. Pull in help early.

We are not trying to run a tight ship. We are trying to run a welcoming one.

People should feel ownership of the group, not fear of the moderators.

Good moderation is mostly invisible, and that is a compliment.