CSF Group moderATION
How To Moderate The CALIFORNIA SURF FISHING (CSF) Facebook Group
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WELCOME TO THE MOD TEAM!
I want to thank you and welcome you to the Moderation Team for our Facebook Group California Surf Fishing (CSF)
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You can find all the resources you need for moderating the group here, so bookmarking this page is a good idea. Feel free to share this link with any of our members to help educate the group and make moderating easier.
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If you would like to become a Moderator, please submit the Volunteer Application. When we are ready to onboard a new Mod, we will consider interviewing you for the volunteer moderator position, by adding you to our CSF Moderator Group Chat. Let's continue growing the Mod Team so the group can cultivate easily. But, let's grow the team slowly, so each member of the Mod Team can learn how to enforce the rules accurately.
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If you need support with Moderation tasks, reach out in the CSF Moderator Group Chat. Or, if the matter is urgent, tag one of the mods in the post/comment so they will receive a FB Notification and see/respond to the issue as soon as possible.
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Helping out on the CSF MOD TEAM is an opportunity to learn and practice useful skills to enhance your life. So I invite you to see your experience on the Mod Team as a learning experience. I will provide some additional educational resources at the bottom of this page.
MODERATOR RESPONSIBILITY
This position is voluntary. So, you are not required to fulfill these responsibilities. Please only engage in Moderation Tasks out of your own free will, if and when you want to. THANK YOU for helping!
As a group moderator, your responsibility is to enforce our group rules, to fulfill our mission statement and values. Please exercise moderation actions as stated on this page. The rules, values, and mission stated on this page will act as a guide for ease, accuracy, and consistency. When possible, please simply Copy & Paste text from this page.
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Our goal is to educate, not punish. We may suspend or remove repeat offenders who hinder our mission, but they're always welcome back if they align with our values. It's about love and acceptance, not judgment. We can explain and ask them to leave until they're ready to contribute. Chronic troublemakers will be banned, but we focus on growth and second chances.
Also, please do not delete group chats, or take any other actions that are not specified on this page, without checking with Admin first.
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Please be aware, if you delete comments or posts, ban members, or take actions not specified on this page, a team member may communicate with you to correct your moderation practices. Repeated offenses may result in the removal of your moderation permissions. So please, slow down and check to ensure all of your moderation actions are congruent with the policies on this page
As you are learning to moderate, spend plenty of time in our CSF Moderator Group Chat reviewing various conflicts in the group so you see how we respond to each. After you have witnessed our moderation style for some time, you'll have a good idea of how to respond in any event. If you don't know what to do, take a screenshot, and share it in the CSF Moderator Group Chat so we can all have a look and provide you with input
If you have suggestions to improve our group rules, please submit them using the suggestion box at the bottom of this page.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to facilitate a comfortable, fun environment, where our members can take refuge from hostility, and have a positive experience as they enjoy pursuing their interest in California Surf Fishing. #keepfishingfun
PRIMARY VALUES
Our Primary Values are Respect, Freedom, and Connection.
#1 Respect - This is our first and foremost value. Let's agree to respect the freedom, dignity, feelings, and needs of each member.
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#2 Freedom - It is important to preserve our members freedom. Our Mods have agreed to enforce our rules to fulfill our mission statement.
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#3 Connection - There's a certain joy in helping someone along the way as they learn and pursue their interest in CA Surf Fishing. When someone asks a question, and I know the answer, I can feel a little energy burst inside and I'm excited to share my comment. It's fun to help each other, and we inevitably become friends.
Now, if there's someone in the group you don't enjoy seeing, that's ok. You don't have to be nice, because that is part of your freedom and respect for yourself. You can scroll on by, or optionally block the person on Facebook so you won't see their posts and comments anymore. Please, keep the group fun for yourself first and foremost.
GROUP RULES
The following group rules are objective guidelines our Mods use to fulfill our mission statement and values. When you remove a post or comment that violates our rules, you'll have the opportunity to provide feedback to the member. You can simply copy and paste excerpts from these rules.
I suggest: 1) Leading with some empathy. 2) Deliver the corrective information. 3) State the positive intention to use this as a learning experience and keep the member in the group so we can enjoy their participation in the future. We'll go over some examples in a few minutes, but first, let's review the group rules.
Keep in mind, that we intend to adapt and refine these rules as we encounter new experiences, so they can guide us in any event. So, if you have any ideas on how we may improve these rules, please use the Mod Suggestion Box at the bottom of this page.
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• Respect For All
Respect our members. Anyone is welcome here, as long as they help facilitate an environment where everyone feels comfortable. Please remember this or you may be muted or banned from the group. At California Surf Fishing (CSF), we respect you and your inherent freedoms. Post any relevant link, video, photo, or comment you want, as long as it doesn’t bum our members out. We’re here to have fun interacting, learning, and celebrating, in a comfortable environment. Please help #keepfishingfun
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• No Hate Speech or Bullying
Help everyone to feel comfortable in the group. Bullying of any kind is not allowed. Degrading comments will not be tolerated. You are welcome to be honest about how you feel and express yourself. Just don’t attempt to shame, humiliate, or punish any of our members. Avoid labels/names like "narcissist, loser, snowflake, troll, idiot, dumbass, ignorant" etc. Remember our first rule, Respect For All.
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• Share Your Fishing Videos
YouTuber? Welcome to CSF! For the best response, engage with the group. Make friends with members. Ask questions & provide tips. Grow with us. Build relationships and your friends will be more inclined to check out your vids and support you. LIMIT YOUR YOUTUBE LINKS to 1 per week.
• CA Surf/Shore Fishing Only
This group focuses on CA Surf/Shore fishing only. That includes Jetty and Pier fishing. Please do not share boat/kayak, or non-CA SURF fishing-related posts. Exception: If you’re a regular member and you do a side trip and you want to share it with your buddies here in the CSF group, then go ahead. Or an ADMIN APPROVED goodwill post of any kind. As long as you think some of your friends here in the group will appreciate it.
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• No Politics, No Religion, No Sexual Stuff
No politics, no religion, no sexual stuff. We want to keep this group a family-friendly group, safe in any home, and accessible for surf fishermen of all ages and orientations. We want to keep this experience fun for everyone, so let's keep the content focused on California Surf Fishing, and leave the hyper-sensitive topics alone. Thanks for understanding. #KeepFishingFun
• Fish Legal
It’s an honor to be a member of the California Surf Fishing (CSF) group. Please fish with pride. Respect the wildlife, and all regulations. Do not advise others to do anything illegal. It is your responsibility to read and know the Current California Ocean Recreational Fishing Regulations. Learn at wildlife.ca.gov and download the FISH LEGAL APP. Please consider reporting Poachers and Polluters to CalTIP (800) 541-4591
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• USA Residents Only
Members must reside in USA, Canada, or Baja CA. We will not approve requests to join the Facebook group from anyone outside these territories. This is to keep the group relevant to the subject matter of Surf Fishing in California.
• Talk Spots All You Want
Sometimes, when fishing spots are revealed, some members feel upset, which doesn’t serve our mission statement. Then a Moderator may delete the post or comment. To preserve your freedom, please do so with consideration and respect for all members. Use your best judgment. Naming a general region is often better than a specific location. To discuss specific locations that may be sensitive, PLEASE USE PRIVATE MESSAGES. Discuss this off the forum. That way the whole group doesn’t see it.
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Hey guys! If you’d like to help our members find some awesome local spots, that’s generous, and kind, and I appreciate where you’re coming from. In that case, please PM the member to discuss specific spots so we don’t bum out a bunch of our other members who don’t want to see those spots advertised here in this group of 20k+ members. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation!
• Advertising & Promotions
CSF is a hub for all things related to Surf Fishing in CA. We want everyone to benefit from the community, including your brand, business, or 3rd party surf fishing community. Post any CA Surf Fishing relevant link, product, or promo you want, as long as our members may find it interesting and useful. LIMIT YOUR ADVERTISING/PROMOS to 1 time every 2 weeks. If we see ads posted more frequently, we will turn on Post Approval and decline any ads over this limit.
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MORE COPY & PASTE
Here are some useful bits of text you can use to copy & paste in comments, feedback, or messages.
Great catch! Thank you for NOT revealing the exact location. Would you like to share some more details? What county? Conditions? Bait? Technique? Thanks!
It's no problem, these things happen sometimes. Let's use this as a learning experience. We want to keep you in the group, so you can continue participating. Please review the rules, and even consider becoming a moderator. Visit casurffishing.com/mod
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Thanks for requesting to join our FB group California Surf Fishing (CSF). Sadly we must decline your request because you did not answer all the questions, or agree to the group rules. Please come back and request to join our group with these requirements fulfilled. We will be happy to have you as a new member! https://www.facebook.com/groups/californiasurffishing
Your request to join California Surf Fishing (CSF) was declined due to incomplete information or missing agreement to group rules. Please resubmit your request with all requirements fulfilled to join the group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/californiasurffishing
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MODERATION TASKS
APPROVING NEW GROUP MEMBER REQUESTS
We want to avoid adding spammers and bots. We only want to add people who live in the USA, Canada, or Baja CA, who are genuinely interested in fishing. The worst mistake we can make is to accidentally reject someone who is legitimately interested and not here for spamming. So if you are uncertain, just add them, and we can always turn on post-approval or ban them later if necessary.
They DO NOT need to answer all the questions or agree to the rules. As long as they look like a real person in USA, Canada, or Baja CA who is interested in fishing, that’s all that matters. Let’s get them in the group so they can start learning about fishing, and also about our group culture and rules.
If you are uncertain about a specific request, just skip it until you feel confident, or let someone else take a look.
DELETING POSTS & COMMENTS
If a conflict arises, use this page as a reference to find the proper procedure for resolution. Read the group rules. Copy and paste the applicable rules when removing a comment or post, to help educate the member. If the answer is not in the rules, then read our Values and Misson Statement.
The bottom line is "Does this bring us closer to fulfilling our mission statement, or further away?" If you ask yourself that question you will probably find the right answer.
If you encounter a thread that seems misaligned with our rules, mission, or values, go ahead and delete the necessary comments so our group remains a "comfortable, fun environment."
If you find a thread of comments that are clearly an argument between two or more people trying to punish each other, go ahead and remove that whole thread. Don't be afraid to clean the comments up to help maintain a "comfortable, fun environment" for all.
If the comments are particularly nasty, derogatory, hurtful, then you may suspend the member for as long as you deem appropriate. 3-7 days is plenty. Hopefully, a period of disability will give the member time to learn our rules so they know how to abide by them in the future. But please, do not suspend members for any comments that were not intended to hurt another member. Rather than taking the approach of punishing members for breaking the rules, let's instead use these opportunities to educate the member. Usually you can simply copy and paste our rules in Private Messages to the member, and then delete the comment or post without suspending the member. Let's do this whenever possible. If the member seems CONSISTENTLY belligerent or unwilling to abide by our rules, then you may suspend them for as long as you think is best. 3 days is a long time to be suspended in a group that you enjoy participating in. Let's get back to #keepfishingfun as soon as possible.
Please preserve any comments that do not grossly violate our rules because we also want to honor our members' freedom whenever possible. When you delete a post, it will probably piss that person off, and that is no fun for them, and no good for our group. Let's focus on educating our members about the rules and mission statement. Use these incidents as an opportunity to learn, grow, and connect.
If you are uncertain what to do, tag some more mods on the post so we can all take a look.
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3 STEP MODERATION PROCESS (EMPATHY, EDUCATION, INTENTION)
Previously I stated a 1, 2, 3 format for providing members with feedback. I will now provide some more information and examples on how to do this.
1) LEAD WITH EMPATHY
Begin by validating the members' experience. Feedback any feelings and needs you can identify in the post or comment so they can see that you understand where they are coming from.
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2) EDUCATE THE MEMBER
Copy and paste excerpts from the rules, values, or mission statement, so the member can understand why their post or comment was removed.
3) STATE OUR POSITIVE INTENTION
Let the member know that they are welcome in the CSF group. The following is a script you can copy and paste for convenience: It's no problem, these things happen sometimes. Let's use this as a learning experience. We want to keep you in the group, so you can continue participating. Please review the rules, and even consider becoming a moderator. Visit casurffishing.com/mod
Here are some examples of how I've responded to members in the past
EXAMPLE 1
EXAMPLE 2
EXAMPLE 3
SUGGESTIONS/CORRECTIONS
If you have any suggestions to improve our rules or moderation procedure, then please submit your suggestions by using this form so I can organize and process them one at a time.
MORE LEARNING RESOURCES
Here are some more resources to help you learn these skills.
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1) This is a list of universal human feelings and needs. Use this list to easily identify the feelings and needs that may be driving any human behavior.
2) Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg. Transform potential conflicts into compassionate dialogues, speak your mind without creating resistance or hostility, and motivate with compassion rather than with fear, guilt, or shame.
3) Join my other Facebook Group "Empathy Education" for a daily dose of empathy education.