[DISCUSSION] Discord Staff
After having a very productive thread of feedback, we're hoping to have a second round to refine the feedback and create a firm proposal for immediate and emergent needs as the space continues to see an increase in activity:
- Codification of Rules and Outcomes: Most agree that a rework of the rules would be helpful, particularly when it comes to issues that seem to be enforced outside of scope of current rules (as written, like line-toeing, backseat moderating, etc.) as well as a clear expectation of consequences in cases of violation. This has been requested not only by Discord staff but also wiki Staff and users at large as well. We also need to have consistent, clear ban messages with reasons outlined for users sent by all moderators in case of a ban, as well as porting for record-keeping (see further discussion below.)
- Activity Audit & Staff Recruitment: There needs to be an immediate audit for activity among the Discord staff group, as well as strong recruiting for more staff members to ease burn out of active moderators and support complete moderation and record keeping. There also needs to be a more traditional team structure in place so that activity and behavior of the team can be monitored by captains and vice captains (as is the case with other staff teams).
- Alignment with Staff Wiki Expectations & Structure: There is a current disconnection between the way that the Discord Staff team is structured to function in comparison to other Staff Teams that support the site. This has resulted in unnecessary frustrations for the Discord staff as well as a fundamental issue of a Disciplinary Team (as outlined here by Lord) not being held to the same standards as the general Disciplinary Staff Team. This must be rectified as not only are incomplete and opaque records being kept by the moderators give users the perception of bias, retribution, and unfair bans, but has also resulted in an absence of searchable record on O5 for issues in the future. This ultimately can (and should be) solved by having a sub-team dedicated specifically to porting the information to the forums as well as the above-mentioned codification of rules and outcomes for infractions.
All of these specific points also include the more general encouragement of better professionalism in staff channels, increased transparency for discord moderation decisions, and better coverage over all time zones (although this is certainly difficult to ensure 24hours a day). Any further discussion on these points or other issues for consideration are encouraged before we move forward with a restructure proposal after this thread closes.