Inclusivity WG as default moderation team

[ashleygwilliams]

hello! as a result of this issue in nodejs/moderation: https://github.com/nodejs/moderation/issues/25

it has been suggested that our working group be a fall back for moderating "out-of-control" issues on nodejs repos.

@jasnell outlines a good workflow here: https://github.com/nodejs/moderation/issues/25

i am writing a straw proposal that will detail the process. PR incoming.

[nebrius]

+1, I like the idea.

For the record, the moderation repo is a private repo. All Node.js collaborators should have access though.

[varjmes]

Is it possible to get an idea of the workflow suggested? I in no way want anyone want to share the private communications of others, but I'd love to offer input but am not part of the Node.js organisation.

No problems if not, thanks!

[juliepagano]

Is the idea here that our team would help do active moderation on other node projects' issues or that we'd provide some suggestions and feedback behind the scenes when projects need help?

[jasnell]

The idea is that if a thread begins to become too heated, a call for a
moderator would be posted to the moderation repo. The role of that
moderator is to steer the conversation into one or more concrete documented
proposals that can be evaluated objectively. It's more of a guided
discussion than moderation, perhaps, to avoid people shouting past one
another. Ideally, any of the collaborators could step up and volunteer for
the role, but if one doesn't, the inclusivity WG would be the fallback --
and would be the backstop should the moderator who does step up need help.
And if necessary, the CTC would serve as the final decision maker between
the documented proposals.
On Jan 16, 2016 2:11 PM, "Julie Pagano" notifications@github.com wrote:

Is the idea here that our team would help do active moderation on other
node projects' issues or that we'd provide some suggestions and feedback
behind the scenes when projects need help?

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Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub
#79 (comment).

[juliepagano]

@ashleygwilliams is this similar/related to #66? If you ping me when you have your strawproposal ready, I'll take a look.

[mikeal]

For the record, the moderation repo is a private repo. All Node.js collaborators should have access though.

It's private but every member of the nodejs org has access, which is over 400 people. I'd call it "semi-public" because so many people have access but it just isn't visible by the general public or new people that show up, including trolls ;)

[jasnell]

... And the moderation policy requires that collaborators keep it
confidential...
On Jan 16, 2016 2:45 PM, "Mikeal Rogers" notifications@github.com wrote:

For the record, the moderation repo is a private repo. All Node.js
collaborators should have access though.

It's private but every member of the nodejs org has access, which is over
400 people. I'd call it "semi-public" because so many people have access
but it just isn't visible by the general public or new people that show up,
including trolls ;)

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Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub
#79 (comment).

[Trott]

Is it worth considering a term like facilitation in addition to (or perhaps instead of) moderation? I like the friendlier, assume-everyone-is-acting-in-good-faith vibe of facilitation but at the same time, there's obviously a need for moderation (that is, something with enforcement powers) when there are malicious participants.

I don't think we're being approached about moderation (at least not yet) even if that's the term being used. The conversations where this has come up seem to involve something closer to facilitation.

If someone's posting maliciously, there are a few TSC members who are pretty good about removing those posts. Those are the easy cases. The hard stuff is how to handle "real" conversations that get too heated but that are about topics that need to be discussed. And the unwelcome stuff is in the same comments as the valid stuff that you don't want to silence. I think that's the hard stuff and where help is most valuable/needed at this time.

[affinity-matrix]

I would like to voice my support for a focus on approaching conflict resolution wherever possible from the perspective of a 'facilitator'. This is something I've been trying to do more of personally in IRC through private messages with those in question, and it has generally seemed to have a positive impact on how often 'moderation' is necessary (as in decreasing the frequency of kicks and bans).

With that said, obviously swift moderation is still necessary when applicable. My anecdotal data suggests that looking toward 'facilitation' may make it easier to discern the difference between a bad actor (troll, abuser, etc.) and someone who just screwed up but is having trouble admitting it in the face of what might be perceived as hostility or undue scrutiny.

tl;dr — 😸 👍