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          The People's echo mail Network message exchange, New York

     ͻ
       PetNET(tm) Network - List with Moderators and Principles v1.0 
       (c) Copyright 1994 PetNET(tm) New York.  All rights reserved  
     ͼ



  The P_Mod&SysOp conference
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  It is restricted to the Conference Liaison, Network SysOps their Co-
  SysOps, PetNET Administration AND Moderators only.  Under no circumstances
  should a Hub, Node, or BBS allow a regular user to read, or post on this
  conference.  It is intended only for Network SysOps, Moderators, and
  PetNET(tm) Staff, to discuss conference descriptions, users lockouts,
  conferences activities, moderators policies, etc.  Since not all
  moderators are also SysOps, if your BBS has a PetNET(tm) conference
  Moderator please allow him/her access to this conference.  All new
  conferences added to the Network must have the approval of the Network
  Administration.  Hubs and Nodes may propose the addition or modification
  of conferences by leaving mail in either P_Mod&SysOp or P_ChitChat
  conferences.  Private Messages/Files attachments should, and will be
  supported.
  * All Hubs/Nodes are required to carry this conference *


  P_Mod&User
  ~~~~~~~~~~
  This is the Moderator and User conference. In this conference, users
  and moderators can work out any problems or differences they may have
  regarding Network rules.  This conference is forced private, in order to
  eliminate unwanted side opinions from third parties.  Make sure you
  correctly spell the names of your message's recipients.
  * All Hubs/Nodes are required to carry this conference *


  Moderating principles
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Please try stimulating callers be active, responsible participants.
  Given half a chance, they will all be very cooperative.  You might say
  "hi" to new users, introduce discussion subjects, post messages, ask
  questions, be a "user" yourself in other words.  Keep your conference
  active, in order to prevent its discontinuation.

  As conference moderator, you are given a free hand to run your conference.
  You must be fair and even-handed in the way you resolve problems or decide
  issues.  You are responsible to see that PetNET network's rules are all
  observed within your conference, and that all callers are addressed with
  courtesy, and dignity.  As a moderator, please be aware of the PetNET's
  concerns.  Our concern is to be friendly, easy going, popular, and try to
  understand our users needs.

  If a fellow Moderator disagrees with something you are doing, he/she could
  decide to send you a POLITE message in P_Mod&SysOp conference.  Please be
  open minded, and prepared to consider their concerns, IF they do.  You may
  decide to change your methods, and (or) policy.  Or, you may re-confirm
  that they are the right way to handle things.  That is your choice.  Try
  to keep an open mind, and always reply and acknowledge other's concerns.

  In some cases, it is possible that the PetNET Administrator, the Network
  Supervisor, Conference Liaison, or their designee(s) will ask that policy
  be CHANGED in your conference.  We don't expect this to happen often, but
  you should be prepared for the possibility of OFFICIAL review, and (or)
  advice and suggestions from the PetNET(tm) officials.

  Moderators shall remain the conference leaders until they resign, or until
  the PetNET net Administrator, net SysOps or their designee(s) will ask you
  to step down.  If a moderator wishes to resign, we ask that 1-2 week
  notice be given if at all possible.

  You, as a Moderator have the duty to NOT only inform of problems, or
  violations in your OWN conference(s), but you should kindly inform the
  Administration in P_Mod&SysOp of ANY violations of the PetNET(tm) rules,
  or conflicts in ANY and ALL conferences.  In such case, post a private
  message to the Network Administrator explaining what you've noticed, and
  the conference name.  We request this, since not all of our conferences
  have Moderators at any given time, and not all their Moderators are as
  experienced or courteous as you might be.

  Moderators are required to scan and read, all messages, addressed to all,
  in all required conferences that they have access to, including, but not
  limited to:

  1. P_Chit Chat
  2. P_Mod&User
  3. P_Mod&SysOp

  Moderators are required to immediately answer to all messages originating
  from PetNET officials, or their fellow moderators.

  Moderators should be prepared to diplomatically deal with eventual fights
  between users, brands, product bashing by users, attempts of callers to
  use your conference(s) for selling, advertising their merchandise or other
  networks, profane language, encoded messages, etc.

  If you have a problem PetNET user:
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  The majority of callers are great.  Please let them know this in as many
  ways as possible, and use all means to keep their interest and posts.
  You may answer questions about the nature of the conference, or messages
  containing any subject a regular caller might post in your conference.

  In general, moderation should be done in public.  Keep your moderation
  fair, and try to let the people decide too.  Please do not put the
  administration in an us vs. them situation.  A caller that goes bad mouth
  you, and our net, will influence other maybe 10 callers not to even try
  it.  We do not want our PetNET(tm) participating NetSysOps to have a
  difficult time with their local users.  Think what would happen if we
  would actually require moderators to bring a new caller for each one they
  push out. Some nets do require this.  Before acting on an impulse, perhaps
  count how many users you brought to PetNET(tm).  If they weren't too many,
  try and don't break their posting moods, making them to feel bad in your
  "home".

  In the event there is a problem with a caller, we ask you to first inform
  them in as friendly a fashion as possible of the problem.  This is an
  INFORMAL, (friendly, informative, humorous), message.  A good number of
  problems can be cleared up if your approach doesn't escalate the problem.
  Give her/him an advice.  Might be a new user, that didn't realize of the
  requirements, conference purpose, etc.

  Remember to leave sufficient time for your messages to reach the caller,
  and be reflected in their messages.  Messages may cross in the mail, and
  we shouldn't punish someone for (any) e-mail delays.

  If the offender RECEIVED your friendly, informal message and, on purpose
  ignored it, continuing their improper behavior, issue formal warning(s).
  Now is the time to quote from your previously well designed conference
  descriptions, PetNET(tm) rules, etc.  Something like this should do:



 "Dear conference participant,
  This is the SECOND/THIRD/FOURTH, etc. time you are breaking the net's,
  or this conference rule(s) that states: ______________________________
  If you shall not, immediately, correct, or stop this problem, you will
  risk losing access to this conference or Net, for a period of ? day(s).
  You are hereby expected to respond to this message, stating that you
  will take measures to correct the (specified) problem(s).  If you shall
  require extended discussions about this, please follow me in the
  P_Mod&User conference.
  Thank you,
  Your Name,
  P_xyz conference Moderator. "



  Do not respond to users (other than the offender) while you are
  moderating, and mark your messages PRIVATE while in the the P_Mod&User
  conference.

  Suspension, is a serious tool in the moderation process: when needed, it
  should be used without hesitation.  It should NOT be needed often though,
  since most problems are resolved at the informal warning stage.

  In the event that you are absolutely SURE that this caller received your
  previous messages, and is continuing to ignore you, keeping to violate the
  rules:  SUSPEND  them OUT of your conference.
  To do this, leave them a message that reads something like:



 "You have been hereby given a ? day(s) suspension from this
  conference, for ignoring my previous warning(s), and breaking
  the following:
  __________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________

  At the end of this suspension, please post a message in the
  P_Mod&User to both me, and your local SysOp reminding us to re-allow
  you access.  You will be again, welcome, to participate in this
  conference, provided you are willing to abide by rules."



  Then, send a message to the caller's sysop, (in the P_Mod&SysOp),
  informing of the suspension, and requesting for the user to be denied
  access to this particular conference, in which the violation occurred,
  for ? day(s), together with the reason, and forward proof messages of
  all your preventive attempts to peacefully moderate this caller.

  When a caller returns from a suspension, they should be welcome back.
  Please have a friendly attitude towards them.  You are representing
  our Network, and many NetSysOps that are sometimes spending long
  distance phone charges for their PAID users.  This user have already paid
  for the consequences of his/her action.

  If they persist in the behavior that got them suspended, or KNOWINGLY,
  again, break rules, give them a FORMAL warning, and notify their local
  sysop, and the PetNET(tm) Network Supervisor, in the P_Mod&Sysop conf.

  We have a good TWIT program at the National Hub, and we can help, in case
  you temporarily don't seem to be able to stop a particular caller from
  "bombing" the net, etc.  In that case, just inform us of the violation,
  the user's name, and the board he calls from.   We'll make sure his
  messages will stop dead at the Hub, without being echoed anywhere...
  You shouldn't have to though.  His/her NetSysOp should timely cooperate,
  enforcing your Moderation decisions/lockouts!

  Conference Descriptions
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Moderators are required to propose their own conference descriptions,
  if they aren't already available at the time of their appointment.
  For the conference description, what the Network Administration requires
  from moderators, is to write approximately 3-7 lines, describing the
  conference purpose, and (where applicable), what is allowed to be
  discussed in the conference and what is not.  To give you an example, if I
  was going to write a conference description for the AIDS conference, I
  would suggest that bashing of people that admit to have the virus wouldn't
  be tolerated, so that MY conference will be "problem free", and I will be
  able to moderate out potential flames, based on my conference description.
  Remember that rules can *only* be enforced if they exist.  Some moderators
  are bolder than others, and we're ready to hear all kind of proposals and
  flavors for their conferences descriptions and policies, one thing all of
  you must have in mind is LEGAL LIABILITY.  If a lawyer gives legal advice
  in the Law conference, and then the caller looses his or her case, we have
  a potential problem.  Why?  because people often sue to try and make a
  buck, and we wouldn't want to be in that situation, having callers
  attempting to sue our BBS's.  Not all conference descriptions are perfect
  on our net, but if you want to get an idea, look at the other conference
  descriptions contained in the RULES.ZIP file, and there's some examples of
  common adjustments that we've worked on, in the P_Mod&SysOp conference.
  Read all posts there.  This task is often our first contact with a "will
  be" moderator of a conference, and while we wouldn't consider it
  challenging, at least it shows if the candidate has basic writing skills
  that would enable him/her to to act in an official capability while
  moderating some of our (sometimes) sophisticated users.  Keep away from
  the "one line - over simplified" descriptions.  If it is too small, it is
  probably too vague, and has the potential for future interpretation and
  arguments by callers.  You might save some time now, but in the long run
  will have problems with the occasional drop-ins which "didn't know that
  this was suppose to be . . . and not . . ."
  Example of a too simple, vague description:

  "  P_African/Americans = Conference for americans talking about Africa "

  One common mistake is when you put more than 70 characters on one line.
  When you have a rough ready, spell check it, and put in next to the other
  ones, to see how it looks, in this format, double underline the title:

..3............16....................................................70

  P_Software   This conference is for discussions on any kind of
     software.  Don't know what's the best program to get
               the job done?  Is a program not doing what you think
               it should do?  Post a message here and perhaps someone
               will be able to help you.  Also a spot for the
               programmers and software developers to meet and share
               small software code that can be read by all callers.
               It must contain an explanation of what it means, and
               its purpose, so that those unfamiliar with its nature
               will be able to comprehend.

..3............16....................................................70

  Some might be wondering why us, here, at the ADM don't just impose these
  conference descriptions for all of our Moderators to just follow.
  That is to allow our hosts to bring their personality and flavor to their
  own conferences.  Let's say you'll be the photo moderator, and you have a
  rather large following of callers that will discuss about antique cameras.
  In that case, you would want to include a few words to announce that
  "Show and Antique Cameras will be something fun to talk about", in your
  conference, as well.

  All conference description proposals/modifications are to be posted in
  the P_Mod&Sysop conference and NOT anywhere else, and are subject for
  Review, Modification, and Approval by the Documentation & Legal Advisor,
  Conference Liaison AND also by the PetNET(tm) Administration and their
  designee(s).

  In order to reduce confusion, add a header before posting your actual
  conference description, something like:


"Hello,

  Thank you for your future participation in the discussions here.
  While being your conference Host, I am routinely re-posting the
  conference description and guidelines for this P_XYZ conference,
  as a reminder, and for your enjoyment:

  P_xyzyxya:   Here goes that 70 character per line description. _____
     _______________________________________________________
               _______________________________________________________
               _______________________________________________________
               _______________________________________________________


For a more complete PetNET(tm) guidelines, please see the rules,
posted at your local BBS.

Happy Modem-ing,


Your P_xyzgugu conference Host,
Your Name, ____________________ "






  When it comes to re-posting your conference guidelines:
  Every month or so should do, depending on each of your conference(s)
  particular traffic amount, and if they've been recent off-topic
  messages, or violations in your conference(s).
  Use your own judgement, but do not over do it.



  Current PetNET(tm) List of Conference Moderators:
  ================================================

Cindi Linton:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
P_NetSysOps
P_Mod&SysOps
P_Mod&User
P_Monkees

Dimitri Vasiliev:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P_CLHumour

Darren Klein:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
P_Chit Chat
P_For Sale
P_BBS Ads
P_Cellular
P_Law
P_Manage Weight

Sharon Moore:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
P_Dogs
P_Cats
P_Fish

Andrew Borrs
~~~~~~~~~~~~
P_SmallAnimals
P_Reptiles&Snakes
P_Hardware
P_Fire/EMS

Elliot Lehman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P_Audio
P_Electronics
P_Madonna
P_Teens

Bob Zuckerman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P_Photo/Video
P_Birds
P_Exotics

Rick Norton
~~~~~~~~~~~
P_Wildlife
P_Automobiles
P_Aviation
P_BBSing
P_Crimes
P_Cuisine
P_Drinking
P_Ham Radio
P_Hobbies
P_Job Seeking
P_Jobs Available
P_Laptop Computers
P_Modem Addicts
P_Movies
P_Mystery
P_New Users
P_Security
P_Scanners/SWL
P_Smoking
P_Taglines
P_Television

Jon Arendt
~~~~~~~~~~
P_Windows
P_Visual Basic

Ian Stern:
~~~~~~~~~
P_Biking
P_Skiing
P_Entertainment
P_Music

Miguel Olivares
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P_Psychology


COPYRIGHT
=========
The presented text is a collective work, which is (c) Copyright 1994
PetNET(tm) New York.  Any reproduction, modification or usage is expressly
prohibited.  All rights reserved WORLD WIDE.
