Hey gang!

I’m really pleased to announce that we’ll be instituting a Community Moderation Program on the Champions Online, and Star Trek Online forums.

Along with this, we’ll also be the first forums to implement the new PWE Community Rules and Policies.

First, let’s talk about the new rules and policies:

Essentially, these are the same rules and policies you’re already used to, with some minor changes to help take into account the differences between PWE and Cryptic games, and an introduction of the rules regarding community moderators. The rules themselves are not changing for Cryptic titles, but how we enforce them will be. I’ll have the new Rules and Policies Document up in the Announcements section shortly, so you can all see exactly what is changing.

Since we don’t want your fellow players to have the ability to ban others from the forums, we’ll be reducing the point value of all infractions to zero. Our community staff will be kept aware of any issues with troublesome posters, and will still be able to issue forum suspensions or bans. We expect that community members will notice a sharp decrease in any suspensions or bans. Instead of having the VBulletin software issue suspensions and bans automatically based on the point values from infractions, we will be assigning them manually, at the Community Managers’ discretion, with the assistance of the community moderators.

Due to this, the first time a Community Manager suspends you, you will receive a 3 day suspension, then a 1 week suspension, followed by a 2 week suspension, and should you garner our attention a 4th time, a permanent ban from the forums. This system will be using the current infraction point system.

Now, let’s talk about the new Community Moderators:

When a need for more moderators is identified by the Community Manager, they’ll post a thread, indicating the need, how many are needed, and the process for applying. For Champs, and STO, we’ll be asking people from the community who are interested to submit a community ticket from our support site, with the subject “Community Moderator Application”.

Right now, we’re looking for 3 moderators for Star Trek Online, and 2 moderators for Champions Online.

The ticket should include your time zone, any relevant experience you may have, and why you would like to join our team of community moderators.

We’ll also include a day when we will stop accepting applications. Since this is our first time out, we’re going to accept applications received by January 13th, 2012. We’ll review the applications, and contact interested parties who we believe would best fit the role to perform a brief online interview.

Using the interview, we will narrow the field further, and select our top candidates. If we have more acceptable candidates than we have positions, then we will be posting a poll, which will allow the community to have the final choice in the matter. The poll will last for one week, and close after that time. Winners of the poll will be contacted, and enter a 30-60 day probationary training period, where they will work with us to learn the ropes.

As this is our first time out, we hope to have new community moderators on the forums by January 20th, 2012.

It is important to understand that community moderators are completely unpaid. Community moderators are in no way required to work any specific hours, meet any quota, and may post as much or as little as they choose to. They are not paid in any way, shape, or form, and do not receive any compensation or perks for the time they choose to spend moderating the forums.

Should you be selected to become a moderator by the community, you may choose to leave the position at any time you choose, and may be removed from the position by the PWE Community Team at any time if deemed necessary.

If you have any questions about this new program (We’re sure you do!) you may ask by replying to this thread. If you have a question regarding the new Rules and Policies Document, please file a Community Ticket.

Thanks,

Stormshade

Loosening the moderation reins after inviting thousand of people who left the game in a torrent of negativity back to the forum doesn't seem like the best plan to me. Just my opinion.

Good idea. I am always pelased to see anything tat gets members of the community more involved.

I hope it works out well.

At the same time, not adding additional moderators right now seems like a horrible thing to me. Q, Branflakes, and myself can only do so much moderation each day, and still do all the other things we're supposed to do.

I wouldn't look at this as "loosening" the reigns at all. I'd look at it as a way for us to tighten the reigns, and increase the amount of moderation on the forums.

Thanks,

Stormshade

Y'know this looks like a perfect time for Cryptic/PWE to hire some people to moderate the forums. A sort of "work(moderate) from home" and pay them for their work. I myself would be willing to do this.

I was just thinking about all of those "i quit" rants and now they are back.. *shivers

As usual I am optimistic of Cryptics forward thinking and am confident that the “people” on the forums will show a great deal of maturity.

um . . . is this your first day on these forums?

Though this may seem to you, or your "higher-ups" as a great cost saving system, to add unpaid CS moderators from the player base..........

...I've seen several game companies, who's games I've played try this, and with some VERY rare exceptions, it has turned out VERY badly in almost every case.

My advice...which is also "free".....Petition Cryptic to "loosen their purse strings", and hire some additional PAID moderators, if that is what you need (which is what most of these other companies I've referred to have done after their "experiment" in getting "free" workers, ran it's course).

Isn't America (and most of the rest of the world, for that matter) looking to increase the workforce at the moment, as a boost to their economies? You could be one of those fancily labeled "Job Creators" we hear so much about, but rarely see..../chuckle. :p