A Guide to Moderating Current Events

The members here at the Tower have called current Events (CE) many things, from fun and informative to absolutely the worst forum to post in. It has survived as long as some members can remember despite criticism and, at one time, a "permission only" forum. The rules for posting in this forum are kept in a "sticky" at the top and it is the wise poster who reads and truly understands them. However, the Moderator of Current Events needs to be on top of not only the rules but also how to implement them fairly and objectively.

As a CE moderator, it is important to keep on top of current news issues around the world. It is not uncommon for a moderator in this forum to spend 2 to 3 hours a day watching news shows and reading related articles. Liberal and Conservative news articles and news shows are daily homework for a CE moderator. As we have a very diverse group of members from all walks of life and different cultures, a Mod needs to stay as informed as the posters as possible.

On average, a CE moderator may spend up to 3 to 4 hours a night reading posts, checking sources that people site for their "side" of a discussion, and contacting members for different things. It is important for the Mod to get to know their posters. Sometimes the written word gets lost in "intent". This is where it is extremely important for the moderator to know if English is the first language of the poster, whether they are more emotionally invested in the topic than others are, or is the topic directly related to their occupation or religious views? Understanding the diversity of the TV.Net population and a general understanding of how people post can be a huge difference between a moderator contacting a potential problem poster (as in a person who may just be trying to be argumentative) versus a poster who may have just used a wrong word inadvertently or was just misunderstood.

Many times, when a moderator has reached out to what they first thought was a poster potentially breaking a rule, we find out quickly that it was just a miscommunication and the poster quickly edits. Rarely is the time, nowadays that finds a CE thread locked due to members refusing to edit or intentionally trying to evoke a response from another member.

It is the moderators job to keep abreast of current events, read the forums, understand their members, facilitate good discussion, and keep the topic on track. It is also extremely important for the moderator to remain detached and objective when reading the threads. A moderator who may seem to be consistently siding with one person over the other may end up being reprimanded. Therefore, a CE moderator has a harder job sometime than in other forums because they have to keep their objectivity. They have to be able to take themselves outside the topic and not focus on the content of the post as it pertains to how they think about an issue. Neutrality is extremely important.

Occasionally, we do have members who are emotionally wrapped up in a topic. The general rule of thumb is for the moderator is to contact the person, find out if they are okay, what was their intent and possibly suggests that they "walk away" from the thread. Unfortunately, there have been times over the years where moderators have had the hard task of informing their friends on the boards that they are close to a ban from the forum. This is a last resort as a moderator and not to be taken lightly. Members who constantly refuse to follow the rules are brought to the attention of the administration and other CE moderators for formal discussion. If a resolution cannot be met between staff and member, the offending member is often asked to leave the forum for a specified length of time. This is extremely unfortunate, but necessary to keep the integrity of the forum.

Generally, though, the people who have consistently posted in CE have found the forum informative and for some, it has broadened their global knowledge of how others in different culture think about current events. In some instances, a poster may enter a forum thinking one way and leave at the end of the day with a different perspective on a topic. Maybe they started with no knowledge of abortion law, or how the political system works in Great Britain, or a limited knowledge of different religious understanding. Then after spending time getting to know people, reading about their side and finding common ground, they find that their own understanding of diversity has broadened their views on the world.

Current Events can be daunting to some, for others a great forum for understanding more about the world in which we live. At the end of the day, the long hours of the moderator trying to keep a vigilant eye on the threads to make sure that all members have access, fair moderation, and a good time in discussing the things that matter to them is well worth all the volunteer time that they invest. Other forums have disappeared over the years, but Current Events remains active and lively.