pikine's Journal: Moderation Guideline (you should read this before you mod)

I propose a style of modding that I personally follow, but it's not like I can force this down your throat. This is more of a documentation how I mod. I also mean to write this because apparently some users with mod points have no clue how to use them. If you like to mod by instinct, I'm talking about you.

Moderation Guideline

Posts fall mostly under these categories: opinions, facts, flames, or jokes.

• Opinions are usually modded as redundant, unless the author has shown some care in structuring his/her argument, in which case the post is modded insightful. However, this is to take into account that I read insightful posts -2.

  The reason I'm being so critical on opinions is that many people rush to get their opinions heard, and so many people are doing this. Unfortunately, those 2 cents don't add up to $1.

  I also mod a post overrated if I don't find a post insightful, yet it already has a high insightful score.

• Mentioning of true facts are modded informative; mentioning of false facts are modded overrated even though there has been no rating on the post. Mentioning of personal anecdotes (facts that cannot be checked) are usually modded interesting. If the topic is Ask Slashdot, then personal anecdotes are modded informative.

  Facts are not statements to be agreed or disagreed on; facts are undisputable. Spreading of false facts deserves a negative rating. Also see troll below.

• Flames are not as bad as people think, because the sheer number of Slashdot posts is so galactic that flame posts do not usually gather the momentum to become flame wars. However, some posters are interested in personal attacks directed towards either another poster or at a known person. However, see jokes below before jumping to the conclusion that a post is flame.

  If a poster invokes his/her personal opinion for flaming, the post is modded flame; if he/she uses false facts to back the attack, the post is modded troll. That said, the difference of flame and troll in Slashdot's moderation system is not obvious.

• Jokes are oftentimes confused with flame. Some jokes are meant to be offensive, but not all offenses are jokes. One should not mod a post flame or troll on the ground that it may offend someone. Flame and troll are for posts that obviously offends an identifiable person in that post.

  If not sure whether a post is funny, leave it unmodded. I also read funny posts -1 because I don't like all the jokes that someone finds funny.

  I sometimes mod a post underrated if someone mistakenly modded it flame or troll.

Meta-moderation Guideline

In meta-mederation, I take the inverse of moderation guideline to look for mod label first and see if the post fits the criteria.

• Informative. The mod is fair if the post provides generally checkable facts and the facts are true. I occasionally give a bit leeway in posts that are personal anecdotes.
• Interesting. The mod is fair if the poster is telling a personal story.
• Funny. The mod is unfair if I don't find the joke funny. I leave it un-metamodded if I think the joke may be funny to somebody.
• Flame and troll. The mod is unfair if I cannot identify the party in which the poster means to offend. Furthermore, the mod is unfair if I find the post funny.
• Underrated and overrated. These depend on circumstances.