What Moderators Can Do
A moderator can do the following:
•    Delete posts
•    Delete News
•    Expire News
•    Move News
•    Edit posts
•    Post News policy
•    Change title and category
•    Add categories
•    Control file uploading through the IdontAgree.com mechanism
These actions are used to implement moderation policy, which is discussed in the next section. In this section, each of the above actions are explained. Before continuing, it is important to understand the different administration views available to the moderator.
There are two basic ways to access moderation functions.
•    One is through the "Administer" tab that a moderator can see on the home page of a News. This button takes the moderator to a special page with a variety of functions, most aimed at managing the moderation functions on the News and some links to access views of the News.
•    The second method is via individual News. At the bottom of each News is an "Administer" link that takes the moderator to a special version of the page with moderation tasks on it. New moderators should take the time to look at both of these interfaces to gain understanding of the capabilities a moderator has. Most are obvious, but there are some subtleties that make the following explanations important.
Delete posts. A single post on a News can be deleted, or a group of posts on a News can be deleted. In the case of a useful News with a number of useless posts, the best method is to use the bulk delete function. This requires checking the boxes to the right of the posts to be removed and then clicking on the [Delete Marked Messages]button at the bottom of the page. There will be no notifications and no explanations to the posters whose posts are removed.
To delete a single post, clicking on the "Delete" link to the right takes the moderator to a page with a variety of deletion functions. The primary choices here are to delete the post and suspend the poster from the News or to delete the post without suspension and send a message. There is currently no way to both suspend and send a message. When suspending, it is necessary to pick a suspension termination date and a reason. The poster will see the reason every time they try to post in the News. They will also know the date the suspension ends.
To delete without suspension and send a message, enter the message in the box. If you want to change the address from where the message comes, change it in the box.
Delete News. You can delete News by clicking on the [Delete Entire News] link at the top of the administration page for the News. The choices available are the same as when deleting a single post.
Expire News. Expiration is different than deletion and the reasons for expiring are generally different than deletion. Expiration allows a News to live for a certain number of days. At the end of the expiration period, the News will disappear from the News list of posts but lives on as a "zombie" of sorts. It will still be accessible through direct URL, through posting history for people who have posted to the News, and through the New Answers page as long as the News is new.
News can be "un-expired" by changing or removing the number of days. This is useful if a News has turned out to be more relevant than it initially appeared.
Move News. News can be moved to another News by clicking on the [Zap] link at the top of the administration page for a particular News. Moderators can only move News to Newss in which they have moderation privileges. All moderators should be able to move the News to the Casual Conversations News. If a News is valuable and belongs in a different News, it can be flagged in the Moderators' News so that the appropriate moderator can move it, or the moderator can be emailed. The one danger with moving News results from the lack of moderation "history" for a News. As a result, a News can be potentially bounced between Newss, although this is rare.
Suspend posters. This is done through the deletion process explained above.
Edit posts. Posts can be edited by clicking on the [Edit] link to the right of any post on the administration page. This allows editing the text in the post and/or correcting HTML mistakes. In addition to fixing mistakes and removing problematic text or images, the edit function can be used to add moderator comments. At the time this document is being written, it is not possible to remove an image attached to a post via the IdontAgree.com upload mechanism. If the image is offensive, inappropriate, or a copyright violation, the post must be removed. If an image is attached to a post via html, it can be removed by removing the html code.
Editing posts also allows the moderator to insert comments. This is best done using html so that the moderator's comments stand out, with bold or italic. If part of a post violates guidelines and that part is removed, the removal can be explained by the moderator if it helps follow up posts.
Post News policy. On the main administration page for the News, there is a box called [Policy] and a box called [Discouraging Users from Posting]. Both of these are valuable for providing pre-posting moderation. The [Policy] box contains the text that appears on the home page of the News. It lets people know what the purpose of the News is and what is considered appropriate. Even if users ignore it when posting, it is useful when explaining post deletion. The [Discourage] box contains text that appears when a user posts a new News (only.) The text that appears on the user posting confirmation page is fixed across all Newss. To make changes to the Policy and Discourage text, edit the text in the box and make sure to click on the "Update" button near the bottom of the page. In general, moderators should contact one of the administrative staff before changing the News's policy/discourage information.
Change title and category. These functions are at the top on the administration page of a post.
Add categories. To add new categories, on the administration page for a News, use the pulldown on the [Set category] to go to [Define new category] and then push the [Set category] button. You will go to a page that will allow you to re-categorize that question and simultaneously add a new category. Note that currently categories cannot be deleted except by a person with site-wide privileges and that categories cannot be added from the main administration page for the News.
Control file uploading. This is an obvious function on the News administration page but bears highlighting because it cannot be controlled for html posts. In general, moderators should not need to use this function. If you feel a need has come up, please contact a member of the administrative staff.
Make a News  Top Story  News can be maintained at the top of the News listings by clicking on the [Mark News as urgent] button on the News administration page. This is not used much at IdontAgree.com, but it can be good for getting administration messages across. In general, sticky News are intended for temporary use. Please talk to the admin staff if you feel a need for a permanent sticky News.
There are several other little-used functions on the News administration page that are not discussed here. If one of them seems to answer a News need for you, please contact the admin staff for help.
Basic Moderation Problem Policy
IdontAgree.com moderation requires keeping tabs on and removing spam, profanity, incorrect News policy, off-topic postings, and a number of similar issues. Some of these, e.g., cross-posting, result from new users' lack of understanding of News rules. Others result from deliberate attempts to antagonize or act out some private joke. These are activities popularly known as flaming and trolling.
•    Spam. IdontAgree.com has a very high Google rank and therefore a commercial Web publisher could derive a lot of benefit from adding a link to his or her site from IdontAgree.com. Spam can be an obvious ad for discount Nokia cell phones, a recently registered Expressioner posting an ad for his workshop, or even a valuable member adding a "signature" line to every posting containing the URL of his or her Web site. Only site-wide administrators can delete a user's account or institute a site-wide ban, so it is best to flag spam postings in the Moderators' News. You can remove a spammer's posting and save a copy, then post a message in the Moderators' News with the contents of the spam post and a link to the community member page so that the account can be removed.
•    Profanity. The New Yorker magazine runs articles that contain the word "fuck", so profanity can be appropriately expressive. But remember that New Yorker publishes less than 1 percent of submitted content. Only about 1 percent of the time on IdontAgree.com will a posting containing profanity be worthy of retention. The other 99 percent of the time, delete the posting and send an email explanation asking them to choose their words more carefully.
•    Racism, sexism, etc. Racist and sexist comments incite argument and detract from the education mission of the site. We are not here to teach people about racism or sexism, good or bad. Our mission is to teach Expression.
•    Personal Attacks. Watch for the inclusion of a community member's name in a posting. Often the name will be followed by a compliment (technically a violation of our Terms of Use if not educational) or a personal attack (definitely a violation of our Terms of Use and almost never educational). The most valuable content is an alternative perspective. Response #3 says "always use a UV filter". A useful Response #4 would be "here are example images with and without UV filters; I never use them myself." A direct attack on an idea is typically less useful. When the attack extends to the author of the idea, it is almost always best to delete the posting. After more than one or two personal attacks are deleted, we suggest banning the poster from the News for a few weeks.
•    Trolling. The way to identify a trolling post on IdontAgree.com is to ask yourself "Is this person sincerely curious for an answer?" Examples of standard trolling posts would be "Why is Nikon so much better than Canon?" or "Why are serious pople sticking with film and not going digital?" Delete the entire News and all 50 angry responses. People will stop trolling and stop taking the bait if they know that their postings will be short-lived.
•    Off-topic Posts. Delete the News with an email explanation suggesting a review of the Terms of Use or the News policy. If it is a good question that fits another News on IdontAgree.com, move the News to the proper News.
•    Misinformation. Most misinformation is provided sincerely. Fortunately, most misinformation is contradicted by a more knowledgeable follow-up posting. The moderator's job is to keep News sufficiently uncluttered that a reader is likely to read the entire News. A reader may actually learn more from reading a common misunderstanding and then a clear explanation of the truth, so a misguided posting that is corrected below should not necessarily be deleted.
•    Copyright violations. We are required by law to remove copyrighted material if the copyright holder complains. Do request some sort of convincing evidence from the complainer if emailed directly, e.g., the URL of the original photo on another Web site. Our Terms of Use allow Reader B to download Reader A's photo, edit it, and post it back to a discussion News on our server. If a reader wants to discuss a famous photo by a commercial Photographer, it is best for that person to include a link to the photo on the original Photographer's Web site rather than attaching the photo so that it is served from IdontAgree.com.
High Cost Posters
Some posters become maintenance nightmares for moderators. They are constantly at or just over the line, or they regularly email moderators to complain about moderation decisions. At some point, it becomes too difficult to deal with the poster, and at this point, it's best to raise the issue in the Moderator's News. Other moderators may have the same experience, or the poster may behave differently on other News. Regardless of the outcome, sharing the information can help moderators and administrators make better decisions regarding any actions that need to be taken.
If someone is a high cost poster in a particular News, it makes sense to suspend them if dealing with them becomes too time consuming. Remove the poster, explain, and hope that they change on their return. If the poster returns and immediately posts without regard for News guidelines, they probably should be removed permanently.
Further help and advice
Remember that you're not alone. If in doubt emai , admin@idontagree.com.