FC Moderators' Guidelines

(Originally posted 29 April 2016)


Hello all you lovely F2pironmanfc regulars!

Some of you who have been with us for a long time, will know that things have come on a long way since the early days. When we first started up, there were only a very few people aware of and using the FC, consequently there were no ‘guidelines’ as such since moderation was largely unnecessary. However, as we have grown and all sorts of new folks are coming and going all the time, it has been necessary to invite a few more players to help out with moderating and also to gradually develop some guidelines to try to make sure that we’re all on the same page.

For the sake of greater transparency, we are posting the guidelines that those who have kindly agreed to help out on the FC moderating team follow, so that all the FC is aware of the approach we take.  Please remember though, these are moderation guidelines, not rules. Each situation encountered in the Friends Chat will be unique, and may need a unique approach.

Treemaid wrote:

Moderating Guidelines

The overall guiding principles are to ensure that those in the chat keep to RuneScape rules, respect the F2P Ironman focus of our chat, and ensure that the FC environment is a welcoming and pleasant environment for all its users, regardless of their culture, religious/political beliefs, race, gender, sexuality, age, style of play, or any other distinguishing characteristic.

Those principles should be the factors you consider when deciding whether or not to take any actions as moderators in the chat. Within that remit, I trust you teammates to use your judgement and discretion in the many varying situations that you may encounter.

Kicking should always be a last resort, and used only after careful consideration!

Some Examples

P2P/non-iron game content chat:

All mention of P2P game content is to be actively discouraged, even one-liners. Non-ironmode content chat (eg GE prices) should also be discouraged. For both of these, inform/warn, and consider a kick on the third offence, depending on severity/frequency of the offence. Bear in mind that most players who mention something P2P or non-iron will be unaware of the policy, so keep it to a friendly, low-key warning in FC the first time.

Crude or otherwise inappropriate topics:

Whether or not the topic has broken any RuneScape rules, crude topics are very likely to adversely affect some people’s enjoyment of the FC and make them feel uncomfortable there, therefore such topics are not welcome. There may be other more borderline topics introduced, for example strong opinions expressed about political or religious beliefs. The principle here should be ‘is it causing disruption or unacceptable controversy in the chat?’ The answer to that question may even be different on some occasions than on others, depending on the degree to which those engaging in the topic are able to be sensitive and respectful towards each other, and/or whether the topic is a particularly sensitive one to another player who is present, due to their own real life experiences. If it is causing disruption, action should be taken according to the moderating procedure.


Strong language:

This is a very grey area. Profanity is not reportable in game, unless it is directed at someone to offend them. We also have the chat filters and ignore features to utilise. However, if use of extreme profanity in chat occurs with great frequency, you may decide to ‘have a word’ with the player using it, on the grounds that it is likely to adversely affect the overall feel of the chat to such an extent that some players may feel uncomfortable using it. Needless to say, if that profanity is directed at another player with the intention to offend, of course action should be taken on that.


Dishonourable behaviour:

For example, a player using the chat to find out where others are in the wildy in order to pk them.
Whilst we recognise that pking is a legitimate part of the game, if the FC is used to gain information about other players’ wildness excursions with a view to using this information to pk them, that is extremely likely to cause major disruption in the FC, and on those grounds, using the FC in that way will result in the player being banned from it.
Advertising other chats in our own is permitted, but only under certain conditions. Refer to the thread 'Promoting Other Chats' in the 'Read Me First' forum section.  
Other instances of ‘dishonourable behaviour’ may come under the same guidelines, depending on the extent to which the offense is likely to cause disruption in the FC. Sometimes a warning will be appropriate, sometimes a kick/ban. Please use your discretion, always bearing in mind the general FC moderation principles when you make your decisions.

Returning alts of kicked/ banned accounts:

If a player is banned on one account, he is not welcome on any other account either, until such a time as the ban may be lifted. Kick and inform the team.  
If a player has been kicked and immediately returns on an alt to continue the actions they have been kicked for, or to argue in friends chat about the kick, another kick would be appropriate. Make sure to inform the team on these forums if they have returned to disrupt the FC further, as a ban may be appropriate at that stage. The intention of a kick is to be a severe warning and an opportunity to cool down and think about what they’re doing.

Further Advice

In addition to these guidelines, it would be helpful to read and take note of Mat Mase’s excellent personal tips on how to conduct ourselves as moderators of our FC in his thread ‘Mats Tips for FC Moderation’.  All the points he makes there are spot on, but particularly bear in mind the importance of disregarding our own likes or dislikes of a player when deciding what moderation action may be necessary. We may even find ourselves in the awkward situation of having to kick a player we like, who is still ranting at player we dislike, after both have been asked to stop arguing. Hopefully that won’t happen very often, but be prepared!

Moderating Procedure

If players are overstepping the mark in any respect, a general request in fc to change or drop the subject should be the first approach to try to keep it less personal. If it continues, give a direct warning in pm to stop, or if pm is not possible, in FC. Again if it continues after that, a kick would be appropriate. Before pming a player to warn them, permission to pm should be requested in FC, whether or not they have their private chat on, in order for the rest of the FC to be aware that the issue is not being ignored.

When immediately kicking a player for a non-obvious reason, the Friends Chat should be informed in general terms of the reason (eg alt of banned player etc).

In the case of breaking RuneScape rules, you may feel an instant kick is necessary to protect those in the FC. This will be dependent on the nature of the rule breaking, and whether you believe the offender to be aware that they are breaking game rules. For example, any attempts to lure or scam should not be tolerated. In some other situations a warning will be sufficient or you may even feel that no action at all is necessary (eg sharing this website’s location!).

If possible it would be helpful to allow a player that you have kicked to contact you in pm to discuss it. That may help to prevent them returning on an alt to question it in FC, or help them to understand exactly what they did that was unacceptable.

And Mat Mase’s own tips for the personal conduct of FC moderators, referred to above:

Mat Mase wrote:

Hey team!
I hope you are all enjoying your time in the FC as much as I am. I recommend any less experienced ranks to have a little read though this. I hope this will help FC mods to jump into their roles faster with the right kind of attitude to make the chat a safer, and more enjoyable place to be in.

Note that these are my personal tips for FC moderation, these aren't the official rules which Treemaid sets.

Mat's tips:

- Lead by example
Conduct yourself in the way you'd like the FC to. The way you behave in the chat sets an expectation to those who join in and talk to you.

- You are still part of the FC, only entrusted with a useful moderation tool.
"with great power comes great responsibility... and overused quotes" You can read this post because you are trusted by us to be able to hold a position that gives you the ability to remove players from the chat on behalf of the team if needed. It is a great responsibility that you keep this power safe and only used for the right purposes.

- (only) Use executive powers on behalf of the FC
Never kick/ban a player because you don't like them! I know you may feel inclined to do so, but as a moderator, you act in place of an FC executive. Remember this. (just to clarify, this does not mean that you should kick/ban on behalf of any unranked FC members on request)

- Be respectful
Always treat fellow FC members with respect. I personally find that a trouble maker will change if you have allowed them to, rather than targeting them. Listening to what the chat has to say and helping when you can is a great bonus.

- If in doubt, ask!
In your role as a FC caretaker, you may have to take administrative actions to ensure the safety of the FC environment. But remember, if you aren't clear about anything, please do ask a fellow team member; they are here to help.

- A kick should only be used as a last resort
If someone is misbehaving in the FC, give them a warning or two first. If the player ignores your warnings, and continues to be disruptive, consider your options and choose wisely before clicking the button!

Again, these tips are only my personal opinion.
Stay safe!

The following has been added to the FC Moderator guidelines:

Before pming a player to warn them, permission to pm should be requested in FC, whether or not they have their private chat on, in order for the rest of the FC to be aware that the issue is not being ignored.

And…

When immediately kicking a player for a non-obvious reason, the Friends Chat should be informed in general terms of the reason (eg alt of banned player etc).

The following addtions (in red) have been added to the FC Mod guidelines:




The overall guiding principles are to ensure that those in the chat keep to RuneScape rules, respect the F2P Ironman focus of our chat, and ensure that the FC environment is a welcoming and pleasant environment for all its users, regardless of their culture, religious/political beliefs, race, gender, sexuality, age, style of play, or any other distinguishing characteristic.

Those principles should be the factors you consider when deciding whether or not to take any actions as moderators in the chat. Within that remit, I trust you teammates to use your judgement and discretion in the many varying situations that you may encounter.

Kicking should always be a last resort, and used only after careful consideration!




Some Examples

P2P/non-iron game content chat:

P2P chat is limited to announcement of milestone achievements as they happen ( eg major level-ups, skill pet drops or similar). Non-ironmode content chat (eg GE prices) should also be discouraged. For both of these, warn, and consider a kick on the third offence, depending on severity/frequency of the offence. Bear in mind that most players who mention something P2P or non-iron will be unaware of the policy, so keep it to a friendly, low-key warning in FC the first time.