As there seems to be some misunderstanding about moderation in the forums, here are some answers to questions frequency asked of us.
1. I have a problem with something someone posted on the forums. How do I contact a moderator or admin?
Please click on the red flag button bottom left of the post and fill in the box that comes up with an explanation of what the problem is. This will inform the moderation team of the problem. You can do this in PMs, reviews and comments as well.
2. What does it take to get banned?
It would be constructive to go through a few points on civil discourse:
It is fine to disagree with someone. How you disagree, however, makes all the difference. Go ahead and tell someone that they are wrong, missing the point, or whatever. But don't call them names. Leave out the “idiot,” “moron,” etc. and just tell them that they're wrong. Then go into an explanation as to why they are wrong.
Name-calling is something that works into the prohibition of trolling/abuse. Don't do it. This is the kind of thing that gets posts removed.
If someone calls you a name, do not respond in kind. Please report it and the Staff will take care of that poster.
Along the lines of name-calling, we do not permit people to make fun, taunt, or post negative comments about someone's race, ethnicity, geographic location, religion, political party, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or social status. Unkind comments about these will result in your post being removed and a warning given.
Another prohibited speech is any kind of threat. Do not threaten physical harm, computer/Internet attacks, legal action, or make any other kind of threat to an individual and his/her property or interests. We take threats very seriously and, if necessary, fully cooperate with law enforcement. We are also very much inclined to ban anyone who make threats.
We also prohibit swearing (which is automatically censored) and obscenity. George Carlin's “Seven Words” apply here. If you don't know what they are, Google him. Hilarious routine, but we cannot use those words here, so please do not attempt to circumvent the automatic censor. The reason for this is that some web filters look for obscenity and block sites accordingly. This would mean that a number of people who come to Head-Fi through work or school might not be able to visit this site.
While doing any of these things once is unlikely to get you banned, if members are repeatedly reporting your posts and we repeatedly have to give you warnings, then at some point you're going to find your account locked for some period of time, if not permanently.
3 .The removal of posts.
After reading the above, you should have a good idea of what we are looking to keep out of Head-Fi. If you post about one of these things, we will remove the post. We also remove posts that quote or reference offending posts. If you quote someone calling someone else a moron – even if your post is civil – we remove it because it contains or references offensive content.
We apologize for removing well-intentioned posts, but we cannot allow offensive content or references to offensive content to stay.
Deletion isn't permanent, and can be reversed. It is not unusual for posts to be re-instated, sometimes after being edited, after a major thread clean-up upon further review.
3. Why was a person banned?
We DO NOT discuss the terms of individual bans with third parties. They are ONLY discussed among Head-Fi Staff (Moderators and Administrators) and the person being banned. We will not answer questions about why someone was banned. This is a private process and our policy is not to hold up individuals to ridicule and abuse. Nor do we publicly discuss moderation as a topic on the forums. Previous experience has shown that such discussion is unproductive.
Publicizing what someone did would distract from the purpose of Head-Fi, which is to have meaningful discussions about audio gear and other topics that come up in the Member's Lounge. If we discussed the reasons for bans, arguments would break out and it would also necessitate posting material that is against our rules. Not to mention, any posts a person made that resulted in them being banned will likely have been removed.
It's fine to be curious about what happened to someone, but please understand why it is private.
4. I disagree with a moderation decision. Who do I contact?
If you received a PM about a post or thread you have made that was edited or deleted, please reply to it and politely ask for clarification or a review. Quite a bit of moderation is done by us using our iPhones and the like on the go, so we sometimes rush and may not get around to explaining a deletion. While we are usually happy to explain a decision, we wont enter into protracted discussion about it, simply because we'd rather be participating as normal members and not arguing about moderation decisions.
Remember that it is only the internet and if your post is deleted, it wont kill you. However, if you really think it is so important that it needs to be addressed, there is a feedback form available through the Support link at the bottom of every page.
5. Moderator and Administrator Impartiality.
Occasionally someone will suggest that a thread was (or will be) deleted or a person banned for criticising a sponsor. This does not happen. I really mean it -- it doesn't happen.
The Moderators and Administrators have no financial interest in Head-Fi, any sponsor or member of the trade, with two exceptions. Those exceptions are Jude and Joe. Jude owns Head-Fi and has a financial interest in this site. Joe is paid staff. Aside from Jude and Joe, all Moderators and Administrators are unpaid volunteers. There is no financial or other interest in any manufacturer or sponsor whatsoever. There are no payments and no discounts or other deals are given to Moderators and Administrators. Further, Moderators and Administrators do not handle advertising or relations between Head-Fi and other parties. That is handled by the staff at Huddler. When people want to advertise or sponsor, it goes directly to Huddler, who deals with that. Moderators and Administrators play no part at all, other than occasionally directing people to Huddler when they express such an interest.
Otherwise, Moderators and Administrators have no relationship whatsoever with sponsors, advertisers and members of the trade. According to the TOS, libel is not permitted here. If a libelous statement is made regarding a sponsor, advertiser or member of the trade, we will remove the offending post and/or thread. This is not "protection" of sponsors, advertisers or members of the trade. We also remove libelous posts about individuals. Criticism and accurate descriptions of transactions are fine. If you sent someone money for a product that was never delivered or if your product is defective, we will allow discussion of that. However, trashing for the sake of trashing, or trying to run a company down for no good reason will not be tolerated. Often, Moderators and Administrators know sponsors, advertisers and members of the trade personally. It is difficult not to -- when you go to meets, you meet them. However, that friendship does not translate to special privileges at Head-Fi. We do not get free gear or discounts for being on staff. Like every member, if we get anything for free or a discount, we will declare this if we mention or review it. The most Moderators and Administrators receive is the same swag that everyone receives at meets - pens, lanyards and the occasional t-shirt. If a Moderator or Administrator develops a financial or other interest in a company, they will be labeled a Member of the Trade and will abide by the rules set forth in the TOS.
Sometimes people have posted criticism of a company in their sponsored threads. Just like we wouldn't allow such posts in, say, an appreciation thread, we don't allow them in paid threads either. Feel free, if you don't like a company or sponsor, to start your own thread about what you don't like about them, but just as you wouldn't thread crap in any other thread, please show sponsors the same courtesy in their threads.
(By Uncle Erik and Currawong)
