Hi folks,

I would like the board to consider, at their next meeting, the
formation of a team for moderation of XSF discussion venues (at least
MUCs).

"Why?"

Currently the set of people with moderator/admin status in XSF venues
varies from channel to channel, and people are granted permissions on
a rather ad hoc basis. This raises questions of responsibility and
transparency, and moderation varies significantly between channels.

The goal of a moderation team would be to:

- Formally define a set of people to gain moderation rights across all
XSF discussion venues
- Spread the responsibility, accountability and decision-making among members
- Improve communication between moderators (formation of a dedicated
MUC for the team to discuss moderation matters would be sensible)

Currently moderators act primarily as individuals, which leaves them
open to being singled out for retaliation, rather than feeling like
they have the backing of the XSF. This sometimes leads to no
moderation action being taken, when it probably should (if we care
about the health of our community). If moderation decisions can be
agreed with a team, this will help make our moderation actions more
consistent and more fair to both the moderator and the moderated.

"What would be the difference from the conduct team?"

I see the conduct team as a smaller group reserved for tackling only
important cases, mostly reactively, in response to reports and appeals
as described in the CoC. The moderation team would (ideally) consist
of slightly more people. They would be responsible for the day-to-day
moderation duties while following the words of the CoC and the
direction of the conduct team where provided.

Regards,
Matthew