Moderating Forums
Moderators can delete posts in GENERAL, HORSES and GAME forums.
Feel free to delete anything violating rules, or duplicate posts, etc.  If you want to help keep them tidier.  Do realize that threads which are not replied to within 2 weeks will delete on their own.  Be sure to try and leave posts when you can unless an argument is going on, people are being rude, or it violates the rules in other ways.

If you see something that really deserves a violation then please shoot me an email and I can delete it and give a violation if necessary.


Personal Information
I have seen some mods freaking out about players bringing up where they are from. Please remember that it is all right for players to mention what country they live in and what state/province they live in. No more detailed than that.
It makes it interesting to know what country someone else is from and, at least in the US, it's fun to know what state because then you can compare weather. :) (yes, I'm a dork)


Player Passwords and Account Responsibility
Players should NEVER share their password with others. Not even if they know the person in real life. NEVER give someone the okay to share their password with someone else, even if they are claiming they will take responsibility for what happens on their account. If anything does happen, I still have to deal with it. Also, if others find out that a player let someone else on their account, then not only do we have to handle it (often involving banning) but it also allows the kids to think that account sharing is done all the time and is not against the rules.

So, if anyone approaches you asking if it is okay to share their password with someone else because they are going on a trip, or they want help with quests, tell them it is against the rules and it could possibly get them banned.


Profile Guidelines
If they don't include the year, then birthdays are fine. Saying they're a girl or boy doesn't really matter because it says that further down the stats list.
If something is suggestive, or very obviously trying to attract attention in a dating sense, then go ahead and ask them to change it.  If they won't, then delete it.
Remember begging and asking for donations in descriptions is fine. It is not being forced on anyone and if they want to be known as a beggar, than that's their deal. They just can't bug people in chat about it. 
Religion should not be mentioned. There simply isn't a reason for others to know what religion a player is. Quotes from the bible in a profile are only okay if there is no book and verse listed and if it isn't "relgious sounding". That can be up to interpretation, but use your best judgment.

Always ask the player to change their description first.  If they won't, then delete it.  When you delete a profile, the description shows up in an abuse report and will be given violation points if warranted.   Realize no chat comes in with these reports, so if the player was very rude or combative about it, then it might be a good idea to file an abuse report also.  If you ever have doubts about a profile/description, go ahead and ask each other or email me.

Mod: I don't think this violates the rules unless they are spamming to do it [asking for money/donations]. And as bad as it sounds, what they are doing is very predictive of real life. Learning to say no to players now may save them later on when it is real money in real life. Regardless of that, I just don't see that it is our responsibility to monitor the values, ethics and morals of the players. Do I agree with what they are doing? Absolutely not - but I am a moderator for the SITE, not a babysitter for these kids. The way they play in the sandbox is none of my concern unless, and until, it violates the rules. I may be completely wrong on this but that is the way I interpret the term moderator.
I do agree that it is aggravating though.


'Copyright'
Mod: I had a player approach me this evening. A player copied most of their profile, verbatim.

Some players have disclaimers about "This profile is Copyrighted and you will be reported and arrested in real life if you take it." Crazy, maybe, but I do understand how they all put a lot of thought into their profile to make them unique.

Basically, I just wanted to know what to do when one player 'steals' another player's profile.

Answer: I wouldn't make a fuss about people having copyright notices in their profile. They shouldn't make threats about it though since we can't do anything about it.
Basically, there is no such thing as "copyright" on the game since there is no way for us to know who had it 'first' and what should be considered copyrighted, etc. So, they shouldn't to be nice, but if they do, tell them it's a compliment.


What to do about Controversial Profiles
Mod: Players write controversial things in their profiles, like the horses that died on the filming of 'Flicka', and that eating meat is bad, and then post:
ATTENTION PLEASE read through the start of my profile if you love animals you will want to hear this!
in global, making smaller players read it, and get disturbed with some of the content? its not exactly profanity or anything, its more their opinion, but its somewhat graphic and other players get annoyed with them saying these things. Ive asked them not to advertise it in global, but should we ask them to delete it off their profiles?

Answer: Stuff like that needs to stay out of global. If they are saying 'read my profile' and it has those things in it and players are getting upset over it, then ask the player to get rid of it. If you just see it in a profile (depending on how graphic of course. You'll have to use your best judgment) leave it be.
Basically, the best thing to do is take cues from the other players. If a lot of players are getting upset about something in someone's profile and it's causing problems in global, then maybe the player should remove it.


Clubs/Clans/RP in Profiles
Clubs are allowed.  Including RP clubs.  They may say Warrior Club, or Warrior Camp/Troop, it cannot say it is a clan, herd or gang.  These reference a type of behavior which isn't allowed.  They may list club members and their club names such as "playername is Medicine Cat" or whatever.  They may not say Thunder Clan members.  It needs to be Thunder Club/Camp/Troop.
They also may have mates and kits, but nothing graphic (no dating content.)  Example: they may say Feather Paw mate is Cloud Feather, kits are...  They may not have territories, no fighting, no wars between Clubs, no violence of any kind. 

Ask them to please remove the "problem" parts before deleting if possible.  Be sure to explain why, since they will be more likely to comply.  Something like: "Please remove ____ as it does not conform to the no violence, or no dating, or no territories, or clans... You may read the detailed rules under G for gangs.  If you do not wish to RP according to the rules of this game, then please do not RP on this site. This is a Family Game with young children and their parents playing.  Thanks."  If the player will not remove this from their profile, please delete it. Rules regarding role playing can be found in the detailed rules under R.

The object is to let them have fun and be creative, but not break the rules of this game, or offend or harass others by their actions.


Inappropriate Player Usernames
For names that should be changed, but aren't that bad, mention it to them but also contact me and I'll deal with it.  For a username that is really bad and you feel it should just be off the site, then feel free to find another mod and ban them.

Please remember that we do not allow real names as usernames. If it is an obvious celebrity name, that's fine, but a name like "KatySmith" would not be allowed. Player usernames can be first names though unless they make it clear that the username is, in fact, their real name. If that is the case, please file an abuse report letting us know this so we can ask the player to change their name.


Bad Horse Names
If you see a horse name that would be changed by the filter, or is inappropriate, ask the player to change it.  If they won't then the best way to deal with bad horse names is to send in an abuse report stating that they have a horse with an inappropriate name.

I really feel we are being too strict about horse names. The way we are going now, players with horses that have vampire, witch or magic names should also be changed since many people find those inappropriate subjects.

So, please only make people change a horse's name if it directly breaks the rules. This would mean innuendo, swearing/avoiding the filter, violence, obvious drug references. Remember that we have tons of teenagers playing the game, and they are rarely happy all the time. So long as it is within the rules, let them express themselves. If someone wants to name their horses "war", "tequila" or "famine" let them. As for the alcohol names, they aren't talking about getting drunk, so I don't really see a problem with it.

If you have questions regarding specific names, please contact me directly.  Hopefully this will keep players happier since they won't feel like we are breathing down their necks about every little thing. This should mean some less conflicts between mods and players.


Bad Things in Drawing Room
If you get any complaints about the drawing rooms, you need to get to the room and see what it says as the last person to have drawn. Whether that person actually did the bad thing on the drawing, it doesn't matter. They shouldn't have added to it if they didn't specifically draw it.
Never trust what a players says when it comes to the drawing rooms. I will not give violations for drawing room things unless it is seen by a mod.

If you can take a screen shot and send it to me, that's the best way to go.


"Eating" Players
Players often joke about eating, or biting, others.  Please ask players to refrain from this since it can be disturbing to younger players and their parents.

Mod: I usually just say: "Eating of other players (aka cannibalism) is frowned upon in most modern societies and in this game; therefore, please discontinue." 


Enforcing Ads Chat
Mod: How do you all enforce the use of ads chat? Are people handing out mutes for players that are warned a few times and still use global?

I had one smart... *ahem* Smart kid tonight who, during his mute, told me that I need to read the rules MYSELF... because ads chat is not mentioned in the rules at all. I explained why it's there, yada yada, same old story though. I'm being mean, and it's not in the rules.

What's up?

Mod Answer1: First offense, I put a reminder in global and PM the offending player the same reminder, so that I am sure they see it. The reminder in global is so the mini-mods don't take it upon themselves to tell the person to use ads chat. If I see the same player do it again, I PM them a second warning. On the third offense, they get a 5 minute mute, and I tell them to please not put ads in the global chat because it is bothersome to the other players.

I do not mute ads, so I can see who is consistently using them. I occasionally hand out topaz necklaces to people who consistently use the ads chat and don't tend to "slip up."

Mod Answer 2: If I notice a player post an ad in global, and I have seen them use ads chat all the time, I just ignore it. It is usually followed quickly by a "sorry wrong chat".

Mod Answer 3: Just went and read the rules. Ads Chat is in the rules. Under rule #3 it says:
There is an Auto-Sell and auction system to sell horses. Please use that instead of spamming the global chat. There is even an 'Ads Only' channel specifically for selling things. This should be used for any ads instead of global chat.

Mod Answer 4: I do the three warnings also - they get a pm that I have created first - then a *second warning* with the pm - then *last warning* then a 5 minute mute. Once I mute I send a pm explaining they were muted because and that they must use the ads chat. It usually doesn't go past this. However just a couple of times they have gotten unmuted and done it again. Then it's a warning one time and if it happens again an immediate 10 min mute followed by the same explanation. If they argue I just repost the explanation to them - I think they must wonder if it's automated *laughing out loud!*. I won't provide addt'l explanation though or justify it to them. That's where it usually ends I've noticed.

Answer: Please please please be sure when you mute someone that they deserve it. There was a player that started out not using ads chat and was told to. From that point on she consistently used ads chat except for once when it went into global, and she was then muted. Let that stuff go. If you see them mostly using ads chat, then if they do slip up once or twice, who cares. Chances are it was an accident, and if it wasn't, they'll do it more frequently to the point that you should mute them.

Just remember to announce to your fellow mods that you are warning a player. In one instance, a mod warned the player, but another one muted them. So, one assumed the player was getting a warning but the other just straight out muted.  Remember to communicate so you know what's going on and so players don't get bombarded.

Mod: Players are using ads chat to get around the limitations of global chat. One player challenged me about it, saying that's not in the rules.

Can I get a clarification, please?

Answer: If people are constantly using ads chat for regular chat because they are running out of global minutes, then they should be spoken too.  For the most part, don't worry about it though.  I assume a lot more people mute Ads Chat than global, so less people are hearing what they're saying anyway. It's just another thing you guys really don't need to worry about as it just makes things more of a pain for you.


How to Handle Riddles/Passwords/Quiz Questions
Mod: I have a question as to how riddle and password requests are handled. Now in the rules, it says don’t give out passwords and riddle answers in global, but it doesn’t say not to say the riddle. Soo… I have automatically muted people for giving answers because if they have read the rules (which they are supposed to have done) then they should know it is against the rules. But the actual asking is a little bit of grey area… I have recently found that in the Appleton riddle room it says Do Not discuss riddles in global. So those asking these ones in global I have begun to mute also, but the other riddles and password areas do not say anything about not asking. How do we deal with those people.. should we mute them too? Can we have something added to all the quiz and riddle areas to warn people not to discuss them in global?

Answer: We may be able to add something, but if you can catch when someone asks and quick, ask nicely to not ask the riddles in global because it spoils the surprise for others, hopefully people won't answer.  In that case, if you explain it (not just say "no riddles in global") hopefully people will understand and not ask again, or not answer the riddle. I know that's asking a lot.. but... hopefully it helps some.

When it comes to real time riddles, I don't care about discussion regarding the answers to saying what the answer was. Originally we did try to get people to answer it in different chat, but that was pretty much useless, so we gave that up. That being said, feel free to completely ignore anything to do with the real time riddles.

Now, for real time quizzes, we just don't want them discussed in global or island chat. They can PM or even buddy chat the answers and discuss things between themselves. I don't like the answers for that in global because there are a number of people that want to figure it out on their own and saying the answers in global does ruin it for them.  If they really want help with questions, ask them to not directly ask the quiz questions in global.  They can ask for the question number or the general idea of the question.  "What's the one about South Africa? PM me."

Try to keep it light hearted too. "Guys, don't spoil the quiz for others please :( " etc. Directly yelling at players, whether global or PM gets them upset and less likely to comply. If you see the same player asking questions directly/giving answers after you've asked them not to, then mute.

Mod: If with the real time quiz players are encouraged to web search, is there any problem with them discussing the answers afterwards. I see it as a learning process - particularly if the players wants to know why the answer was the answer...

Answer: The problem is, the answers come up again. There are about 400 questions and they do circulate around pretty regularly. The more the answers are discussed in global, the more others find out the answer for next time it comes around, then they don't have to do the looking up.
I love that you guys like to discuss the questions and help them learn and understand, but if you have a group, maybe try and get the group in a general area and use chat near, or try to PM people.

There are bigger things to worry about than this stuff however, so don't stress about it too much.


Player-run Quizzes
Mod: I had a player last night, actually two, doing their own quizzes and handing out prizes. One of them said that the players had to meet them at a certain place, while the other posted the question in global and told players to PM her with the answer. I figured both of these ways, since they had found ways to mostly keep it out of global, was fine.
I don't know how the player you're referring to was doing their quizzes though...  

Answer:  If there aren't many players on and most appear to be participating (no one's objecting) then I wouldn't worry about it.  It is a good idea to ask them to keep it to Ads Chat, so that it does limit them to posting the question once a minute at the most.  But do let them have their fun. If it's the prime time when there are 100 players on, then best to ask them to go to a specific area and use Near or Island Chat (if it's a small, not frequently traveled isle).



Players Asking for Donations
Remind players this is against the rules if they are asking for donations in chat.  The specific rule is found in the Detailed Rules.  Do remember that they can ask for donations via their profile so long as they aren't actively telling people to look at their profile for that reason.

Mod: I also PM players asking for donations with a way to earn money. ie, Minigames, selling items they collect. I also give them a short list of NPC's who pay nicely for common items like dandelions, logs, worms, coconuts, etc.  Once they find out what they can sell, and how much can be earned, it decreases the amount of donation requests.


Players Marrying Horses
Mod: Okay..this is going to sound like a silly question but recently some players on grey server have started holding "weddings" for their horses. Now this kind of thing between players would not be permitted because no dating is allowed...but what about the horses? Would this be considered against the rules?

Answer: That used to be quite common on Pinto. At the time we decided it was fine when it was all in fun. If they do start imposing it on players, then step in. Otherwise, let them have their fun.


Released Horses
Mod1: I have had this happen a lot lately- a player releases a horse for whatever reason- someone else catches it and keeps it. Now- if I understand right- once the horse is released it's fair game to anyone. If someone else catches the horse- they do not have to give it back to whoever released it and we as mods don't get involved in the dispute. If they feel they were wronged they file an abuse report. Am I correct or have I been thinking all wrong? any advice would be much Appreciated.

Mod2: I believe that logic is correct. Also, if a players says "I'm standing on a wild horse" in global, then wants whoever catches it to pay them money, no money is owed, correct?

Answer: Many players claim to release a horse accidentally. You have to push an "are you sure" button before a horse is released, so if they are really that click-happy to not notice they were releasing a horse, than they need to pay more attention.  If they are releasing horses in order to trade with each other, tell them that even if they have full horses and want to trade with another player, so long as both players add a horse to the trade, it can go through. They don't need to release a horse to get down below max horses.

No selling the location of wild or released horses.  If they want to release fine, or announce a wild horse fine, but they may not charge for it.

A horse that is released disappears after 1 hour but a wild horse will stay wild and, if not caught, will disappear on its own after 24 hours. All releasing does is prevent new horses from being randomly put into the game if the number wild is above 30, so if players want to release horses instead of sell to a player or the Pawneer, don't worry about it.  The act of releasing a horse does not remove a wild one from the game.


Companion/Releasing Parties
Mod: A player found a profile that disturbed her, and asked me to look into it. It's below:

COMPANION PARTY REQUIREMENTS- You must have a companion that raises your horses stats +100 that you WILL drop for others- You MUST listen to the orders given at the companion party or you WILL be ordered to leave, and MAY be reported- PM me in the following scriptI will be dropping a [companion type here] and I will listen to your rulesAfter reviewing your PM, I will tell you the location of the companion party and at every party I WILL be dropped at LEAST 5 foals P.S. You WILL be getting a GREAT companion or two if you decide to come to the party. You WILL get a foal if you show up but ONLY if you drop your companion.

Does this look like a scam to you? What, if anything, should be done?

Answer: This has been a popular thing lately and all it seems to do is get people upset. Of the few I have checked, the person that claimed they were going to drop a foal never did. So, these "companion parties" are not allowed to be advertised and are highly discouraged.  They are not strictly against the rules, because there is no way to actually enforce that.  The way we have it set up, you, the mod, shouldn't even know that it is happening.

If they do feel the need to have these "companion parties" and you do know about it, just be sure to warn people in general that it's highly unlikely anyone would actually drop a foal at these things and if they participate it's their fault if they lose a companion.

Joe said it's kind of like a person on a playground telling a kid, hey, if you give me your twinkie I'll give you my iPod. :)

All of these statements apply to "releasing parties" also.  We don't want them announcing 'releasing parties' in global, but they can do that with their buddies if they want, though charging for these at all is not allowed. The big thing here is, so many people whine that someone stole their horse, or companion, or whatever their releasing when they have these 'parties'. Again, it's always good to remind them that once an item or horse leaves your possession, it is no longer considered yours and someone else catching it or picking it up is not stealing it.

Mod: I've had times I've stumbled upon a releasing party, grabbed the horse, and took it to the pawneer. Might not be the nicest way to do things, but the reality that they need to face is that it will happen.

Answer: I realize you want to teach the kiddos a lesson, but most will learn it from other players. I would prefer the mods were helpful and nice.. not taking horses that you know were released by a player out of good faith that it would be returned. So, if asked, please return a horse in these types of situations and be sure to let the player know that most players wouldn't return the horse so they would have lost it and to remember that once a horse is released it is no longer considered theirs.


Threatening With the Pawneer
Ignore it if it's worded all right and not causing a raucous, but do say something if they are wording it threateningly or if other players are reacting negatively.  It's better if not mentioned at all, but it also isn't a huge deal and it's also a good idea to not make a bug fuss about it.  Making a big deal out of it yourself, if no one else is, will just make things harder for you.


Unfair Trades and Scamming
Mod: With regard to an unfair trade (or), scams, are players allowed to report at least a name to a mod, should moderators compose a list of those attempting to spoil HI with scams and keep an eye on them (with perhaps a rule where if a player is reported 5 times they get a days mute?)

Just seeking some clarity, normally I would copy and paste my general reminder about unfair trades, but I know from experience that its not always easy to avoid one of these situations.

Mod Answer: Names are fine for them to give to you. As for a list of players to keep an eye on. There's probably certain players that certain mods have had run-ins with time and again. But as I recall Joe and Miranda saying they wanted the mods to treat every player equally. Not playing favorites if one player has been good, or not disliking a player for doing a bad thing. And if a player does enough bad things then Miranda and Joe will probably have noticed them because of the abuse reports.

Answer: If someone comes to you and says they've been scammed, get them to file an abuse report against them. If the scamming is clear, the 'bad' player does get severe violations and could be banned. So we watch for this behavior.
There are times when a player will say they were scammed just to get another player in trouble when they were the scammer. There is no way for you to know this, so be sure to get them to file an abuse report.

Mod: What should we say to warn the kids of potential scams. I know some of the Mods had little sayings they use but I can't remember the gist of it other than Beware of Scams

Mod Answers:

•     I usually say that "If it sounds too good to be true it's probably not a good deal" and encourage folks that if they've been taken advantage of in a trade or deal to report it immediately
•     "Never give someone something you can't afford to lose" is another one.

  
I have a habit of NOT sugar-coating things and the two 'phrases' I use are:

• Please be aware of other players attempting to scam. Do NOT willingly give out your money, horses or items as that will fall under an unfair trade.
• The only services you should pay for are those provided by Horse Isle itself, and not other players.

Sometimes I get players mad at me because they think I am pointing fingers directly at them, but usually after I tell them I am just saying it as a general reminder to everyone, they cool off.


Payment Plans
Players really need to pay for something completely or not at all.  Some set up these "payment plans" and often end up with one of the players being slighted.  Either they gave the horse and don't ever get completely paid for it, or the person making the payments, makes a few, then the player with the horse decides not to sell it anymore, but keeps the payments that have been made up to that point.

This is trading on a promise, so if you see someone advertising payment plans, please warn them of this problem.


Contests
Players may hold contests, such as Beauty Contests, so long as they do not charge any fee for it.  They should use Ads Chat to advertise it.  This is outlined in the Detailed Rules.


Selling Presents
This is currently in the rules:
6] Do not trade for a present because it could contain anything.

Be sure to quote that if a player is selling presents. If the player selling them seems to be claiming there is a lot of good stuff in the presents then they really need to stop or be more honest because we all know they are mostly filled with cheap stuff. Also, they cannot claim there is money, pawneer orders, companions or horses in there since those cannot be wrapped.

Technically, the presents are not really a raffle because the player is getting something for their money, it just probably won't be worth what they paid. Take it as a good lesson to the kids that decide to buy the present. Just watch how the player selling them is claiming what is in them.


Selling Pawneer Orders
It's better for a player to gift Pawneer Orders instead of having it in their inventory. They just need to follow the policy in the Detailed Rules under "Selling Gift Subscriptions". That is actually safer than doing it via one in their inventory. In that case, they have to make the horse, then hope that the person still wants the horse and will pay for it. Which, if the person decides they don't want the horse anymore, or it's not the right height, then the person with the Pawneer Order is stuck with a horse they don't want.


Chatspeak
The main thing here is to just not over-mod. Most people can't stand it, but it's another thing that isn't that big of a deal and I don't want you guys over fretting about it. Now, if there is a player that is continually chatting in a way that is basically impossible to understand, then, by all means, deal with them. If you have someone saying "Did u want it 2?" Or something like that, where it's really simple and easily understood, don't worry too much. And the more other players get upset about it, the less that player will be able to actually chat using chat speak.

As much as I also can't stand chat speak, I just don't want you guys to make things more difficult for yourselves or the players.


Other Languages
One important thing with the languages (why we require English) is because the filters don't catch foreign languages.  It has nothing to do with discrimination. The game is made in English so they need to speak English. If you try and make the player(s) understand -why- something is a rule, it generally helps.


How to get to Islands
It has come to my attention that maybe we should have a general policy on telling players answers to quests. This includes informing players how to get to islands.
I have no problem with you telling players whatever you want, but this is another thing that should be done in pm so as not to spoil it for others. Feel free to give hints I guess if there are a number of people asking (such as, check out the new available quests, if it's a new isle that just opened), otherwise best to leave answers to things like how to get to islands (at least the smaller ones where you have to talk to someone specific to get there) in pm.

Do not feel the need to police this in global too much. I guess it's similar to passwords and riddles in global, but no need to mute for it, just explain to the players that some people like to find out that stuff on their own.

Some mods and players have directions to isles in their profile.  That is just fine.


Players Threatening Self Harm
Mod: So I'm noticing something of a trend: players claiming they're going to harm themselves, or worse, to mods. This has happened to a fellow Pally mod, and I remember someone awhile back mentioning a similar problem on their server, here in the mod forum.

Now I realize that there is not much we can do as mods, and I realize that alot of this is just to get attention. However, I take suicide threats very seriously. In the past I have given friends the number for the national suicide hotline. Would giving out the number be an appropriate move for a moderator to take, if we had reason to believe a player was serious in their threats? Or is this overstepping the bounds of what a moderator does? I have done no such thing, but I am disturbed at the threats of suicide and/or self-harm.

What would be the best way to handle such threats?

Mod1 Answer: I have to say that with the vast majority who say something like that, my line is this (in PM of course)

"I am assuming that what you have said is a very, very bad joke. If for any reason I thought you were serious, my next action would have to be to give you a prolonged mute on this game and refer you to some suitable help and counseling sites. Am I right in thinking this is a joke?"

To date, every single person has backtracked and said they weren't serious. Most have then claimed it's their little brother/dog/friend/aliens at the keyboard and they didn't say it.

I've also noticed that the word seems to be getting round that this is my response as I rarely seem to see this sort of thing when I'm online.

I have no idea if this is the best way to handle it, it's well outside my experience. It seems to work. That's all I can say.

Mod2 Answer: I think that muting the player right away and chatting with them privately could help the situation. Then they can't keep talking about it in global and continue making the new trend popular.
If they really want someone to talk to, they can talk with you instead of scaring younger players in global. I think after a few minutes, if even that long, you'll be able to tell if the player is depressed or just attention seeking. If they are depressed, you can encourage them to seek help or talk to a parent or trusted teacher/counselor- if they are attention seeking you can explain the severity of these "threats" and keep them muted as a punishment for not taking it seriously and worrying other players needlessly. But I really liked [Mod1's] response a lot. I'll use that phrase myself if I run across it.


Weird Typing Glitch
Mod1: Is there a glitch turning a random word you type to individual posts? for example

help into
h
e
l
p

There have been several players claim this on chestnut, is it true or are they just trying to pull wool over my eyes?

Mod2: Some computers glitch I think... This also happens occasionally on Dun. And with some good players who don't spam or break the rules.

Answer: I've actually had this happen to me once, and some of you will remember when [Mod] was having this problem severely. So, for the most part, the players are probably not lying. Especially if they are saying some sentence and stop partway through a word. This probably means they just looked up and were like "oh shoot!".  Apparently a shortcut program can cause this problem for some.


Off Game Chat
I have gotten some complaints about mods being too hard on players chatting in global. Not letting them chat about anything other than the game.
If they want to mention stuff outside the game, just watch it. If there are other players getting annoyed or a fight is starting to break out because of a disagreement, then stop it. No reason to really stop it if they are civilly talking about something.


Mini Mods
Mod1: I know this has been briefly mentioned before, but I know I can speak for most of the frequent Roan mods, we've been having problems with a few 'mini mods' in global. It's gone beyond just trying to be helpful. One player in particular even goes as far as saying 'I think I speak for the mods...', and jumps in when we're trying to do our job, clearly, in global already. I think its beyond these players being helpful, and them truly being a pest, because it continues even after we ask them to let us do our job.

There was also a complaint today that if we reprimand these mini mods, its eliminating peoples chances of getting noticed to be a mod... That's not the case... I just feel that some of these players are doing it outright to annoy us...what should we do?

Answer: What players don't realize is that being an over assertive 'mini mod' can actually hurt their chances of being a mod. Even if another mod recommends them and I see them actually tending to cause problems because of trying to act 'modly' I won't make them a mod.

I don't look at players that act like mods. I look at players that are helpful in the sense of being willing to answer questions when asked, always answering things politely, often with a smile, deal with hard situations without getting upset, etc.

In the case where you are having problems with players acting like mods, be sure to pm them and explain that you are handling it and what they are doing is actually causing more problems. If they get rude or continue, then go ahead and mute for 5 like [Mod2] mentioned and try to explain to them again. If you are consistently having problems with the same player(s) let me know and I can try looking into them and maybe talking to them.

Here is [Mod2]'s post for reference:
I would give the player(s) a talking to first, then, if that didn't help the situation, I'd do a short mute, maybe 5-10 min. I'd explain that it's good to be helpful, but to not step in and try to take charge of a mod's duties, especially when there are mods present. Also, make sure they know mods pm players if issues arise, not mention them in global. .

I had a similar discussion with a few players a while back. One just couldn't wrap her mind around why it was bad. I borrowed a page from my hubby, who's a cop. I told the players to think about it this way: If you're standing next to a police officer, and the officer is telling a person who is misbehaving not to do something, and then you, a regular person, also fuss at the misbehaving person, then you're just making the situation worse, because there is someone there whose actual job is to take care of things, and he (or she) is doing it. I could almost hear the light bulbs going on over the players' heads. :) Worked great. Feel free to steal if it works for you guys.

I'm seeing mods jump on some people for something that seems pretty petty... Let me try to clarify what I see as 'mini-modding'. If any of you want to add to it, feel free, say why, or what harm it causes and we'll see.

When a player is constantly correcting people:
"Use ads chat ________"
"Stop spamming!!"
"Stop talking about that ____" <- the player should PM a mod and ask them to get the person to stop
"Don't use caps like that."
"Don't share riddles!!"
etc. I think you get the point

What I consider to NOT be mini-modding but simply helping:
"Use the library to find characters in the game."
"Using ads chat will probably increase the chance of you being able to sell your horse!"
"Ads chat is used by either selecting it in the drop down box or typin /$"
"You can find the password by talking to the residents."
etc.

It's really important to distinguish between people that are just helping and answering questions, and those that are actually causing problems because they are telling people what to do. If you see someone as a mini-mod, but other players don't seem to have a problem, then leave it alone. The only time you should talk to someone that is acting like a mini-mod is if they are actually causing more fighting in global.

Mod3 Answer: A mini mod is someone who decides to reprimand players after every little infraction and not allowing the mods time to even respond or still post it after we say something.

Lastly, please do not tell other players they are being 'mini-mods' or they are 'mini-modding'. The best thing to do if someone keeps correcting others in global is to PM them and say something like "I know you are trying to help, but please let the mods handle it. We do so in PM and we don't want a(the) player feeling bombarded". Or something like that.

Calling a player a 'mini-mod' or saying that they are 'mini-modding' is basically name calling and many take offense to it. If you let them know that we handle things in PM and talk with each other to be sure a player isn't bombarded then maybe they will be less prone to attempt to get players to follow the rules in the future.


Harassment of Mods
Mod1: This evening [actually, it's still going on as I post this] a few of the known "troublemakers" on Bay server were harassing and being extremely disrespectful towards 2 of the 3 mods [both of us being new]. It was asked repeatedly that players drop this and keep their comments to themselves, but they refused, and continued saying rude/hurtful things. I do not know what is to be done about this. If I do something to reprimand them, I don't think it will help the situation, but I do not feel it should go unpunished. I considered muting for 15 minutes in regards to teasing, but wasn't sure if this was the proper thing to do. Please help!
    I know most of these players are children. It almost sickens me to see the actions of some players. It's amazing what the internet can do for a person. Leaves them safe to be rude and hurtful, even if they wouldn't do it in everyday life. Provides them with something to hide behind - leaves them anonymous. It's sad, and I actually feel bad for them. I try not to take it too personally, but it's hard not to. There's someone openly saying to 80 other players that they HATE you. Not dislike, but HATE. I actually don't think I've ever said that to anyone in my LIFE. Ugh.

Answer: For these types of things they need to be muted. Especially if they are doing it in global and not stopping after being asked to. By not muting them, they think they can get away with it. They probably would start harassing you after you mute them, but you can always personally mute them.

Just remember that the anonymity applies to you also. They don't know who you are or what you're really like, so what they say doesn't really have any bearing on you. It's really important to ignore these types of hurtful things and not take it personally, though I know that can be tough.

Mod2 Answer: When I first started dispatching my trainer told me the best piece of advice I have ever heard. As it is highly applicable here I want to share it :)
She said " It's never personal! Unless someone says to you - Hey! You - so and so (insert name) I know you! I know where you live and how you live your life! I know how you treat your family and your kids and I just want you to know that I hate you and I think you suck at the way you live your life! - Unless a caller, or an officer (or a PLAYER), can say that to you - it's never personal.

Mod1: Okay so here's the deal. On Roan during more than one instance I've noticed different moderators trying to remind a player of certain rules and instead of the usual 'my bad' they get backtalk from the players. It seems to me that more and more players are viewing certain mods as being "power hungry" and that mods "discretely lord their power over us [players] by boosting their egos with mutes" when they're only trying to do their job.

Answer: Telling the player to file an abuse report if they feel they've been treated unfairly is probably the best thing you can do. You should also let them know that starting disputes in global is against the rules.
However, if they don't take that hint and continue to make a dispute in global then I'd say muting is definitely in order.

Mod3 Answer: This is going to sound dumb. But I definitely up the amount of smiley faces I use when asking players to follow rules through PM's. If they argue about it I will remind them that the rules are there for a reason, also with a smiley face.

Example: A player keeps using global chat instead of ads chat for their selling ads.
Me: Please remember to keep that in Ads Chat Please :)
Player: But I can only post once per minute with ads chat!
Me: That's true, but ads chat is there to keep the global clutter down and it is a rule to keep all advertisements in that chat. Thanks :)

The player will usually just say "okay" after that point and use ads chat. If not, I mute for 5 mins.