Distributed Moderation
From Barbelith
"Distributed moderation" is a brand new kind of moderation unique (so far as we know) to Barbelith.
The reasoning behind distributed moderation is that normal kinds of moderation leave too much power concentrated in the hands of too few people. Normally, a moderator can do anything they want within reason - they can delete posts, delete threads or edit posts as they see fit. But this causes huge problems. Sometimes moderators make mistakes and do things that they shouldn't do. Sometimes they do completely appropriate things but people misinterpret why they have been done. And sometimes they are simply resented because they have power while other people don't...
Distributed moderation is a new way of avoiding these things being such a problem, and it works by lessening the power available to any specific individual and giving this new limited power to very many more people.
Now if a moderator wants to make a change they can simply 'suggest' it. They can do no more. It won't automatically happen. Other moderators in the same forum can see the suggestion and vote yes or no. When a certain number of yes's have occurred - or no's - then the action is either passed or abandoned respectively.
There are administrators (like Tom) as well, who can suggest a moderation action in any forum, and vote on any action across the board - but they still don't have absolute power to do anything. Everyone - even Tom - can be over-ruled if the other moderators disagree...
This simple new process of moderation has dramatically lessoned anxieties about abuse on the board and defused a huge range of personality clashes between moderators and members of the community. Users are much more comfortable with the decisions that have been made on the whole while moderators are free to act according to their principles and have to worry less about the personal consequences of making unpopular decisions.
It's also worth pointing out that you, just by joining the board, become your own moderator, at least as far as your own posts go. If you have to change something, click that link next to your post, under your name, that says "moderate post." And please, use that space that says "Reason for request." It makes life easier for the rest of us that approve the edits.
See: What Is a Moderator?
