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Adam Clark Estes

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HuffPost Comments: Addressing Concerns About Our Community Moderator Badge

Posted: 10/04/10 09:20 PM ET

This is part of a series about HuffPost Comments, HuffPost Badges and the HuffPost moderation team.

About six months ago, we launched the HuffPost Badges program as a way to reward our most engaged community members for their activity on the site. In her announcement post, Arianna wrote:

We've always wanted HuffPost to be home to conversations in which people connect, discuss, share ideas, and have lively debates about the issues -- while remaining civil. To this end, we've used a combination of human moderation, tech tools, and the input of our community members to flag inappropriate and objectionable comments.

The Moderator badge allows you to more actively participate in this process.

Since the launch of the badge, a number of readers have expressed some concern about community moderators abusing their deletion powers and scrubbing posts. I'd like to address these concerns by explaining how our staff monitors the behavior of the Community Moderators.

We designed the Badges program to rely on a system of checks and balances. Many of these are tech-driven. For instance, if a Level 1 Community Moderator goes on a flagging spree, she/he will lose their badge. In order to keep their badge, Level 1 Community Moderators must maintain an acceptable ratio of good flags to bad flags. A flag is "good" if the flagged comment is later deleted by our staff moderators.

Level 2 Community Moderators are held to an even higher standard. Using a combination of technology and staff oversight, we watch for unusual behavior from the small group of users who have been given the ability to delete comments from the site. If we notice a number of deletes on a specific post or another user emails us with a complaint about a moderator scrubbing a post, we investigate. If indeed that community moderator is abusing their delete privilege, we revoke their badge. This has happened only a couple of times and the issue was quickly resolved.

If you suspect a community moderator is abusing their badge, let us know: community-support@huffingtonpost.com

Finally, it's worth pointing out that our staff moderators are a different group than our community moderators. Staff moderators are paid HuffPost employees who are trained in HuffPost's comment moderation guidelines. Readers with the Community Moderator Badge earn the badge by having a history of flagging abusive comments. While they are not official representatives of HuffPost, we watch their commenting behavior closely and generally find that they use their flagging and deleting privileges responsibly.

On the HuffPost masthead, you can see the four pillars on which the site has been built: News, Blogs, Video, Community. We're especially proud of that final piece and have tried to make HuffPost a destination not only for people to read about the news but also to talk about the news.

Let us know what else we can do to make our site a better place for these discussions.

 

Follow Adam Clark Estes on Twitter: www.twitter.com/adamclarkestes

 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SilentSolidarity
So what do you need? Besides a miracle.
04:02 AM on 12/05/2010
Xavier Naidoo - Alle Männer müssen kämpfen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoqiOGyO0wc

Beautiful song.
02:49 AM on 12/05/2010
De-Lovely - So in Love - Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd & Others
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqhxzLWRvl4&feature=related
02:47 AM on 12/05/2010
for KsWrangler....here's a cute red head for ya
 
De-Lovely - John Barrowman & Kevin Kline - Night And Day
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njBbT2r6MdU
02:32 AM on 12/05/2010
Chaka Khan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXNK2refwpY

*deep voice .
*' here's to all you Krazzzzzy Katzzzzzz ....taking you thru the night journey of .....smooooooooooooth.''
can you dig it `owww...*little twirl ...fist bump ...white man biting lip ....'

lol enjoy friends ...a most wonderful eve \ morning to you .....ALL.
02:56 AM on 12/05/2010
Sleepy now ................what a great lounge it was tonight - catch you sometime tomorrow ;
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SilentSolidarity
So what do you need? Besides a miracle.
02:28 AM on 12/05/2010
Eva Cassidy - True Colours
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SIX-Qp6v4k
02:59 AM on 12/05/2010
Nice one ; )
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
2garen
01:40 AM on 12/05/2010
In honor of bluejoni.
All of Joni Mithcell's music is the best.
Joni Mitchell
Boho dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMxxTPX_gK8&feature=related
01:47 AM on 12/05/2010
Yesss - her "Blue" album is (imo) her best -

Blue ..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL76nQDfZMs
01:29 AM on 12/05/2010
Drastic measures must be taken ....lol

Purple Rain - Prince
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJfhGL0F6LE&feature=related
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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01:45 AM on 12/05/2010
lol!! Excellent choice.

Here you go! This version works for us on *this* of the pond:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtrQK8Zqj-g

(Best ending of a song; one of my absolute favorites!)
02:14 AM on 12/05/2010
you are always correcting me on my links ..I thank you humbly :) ..and in advance to be sure ..haha
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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Good Googli Moogli
I Pledge Allegiance to the Doobie-puff puff pass
01:58 AM on 12/05/2010
oh my goodness
this is the best song he ever made (IMO)
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
bluejoni2525
and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden
01:16 AM on 12/05/2010
The Byrds ---My Back Pages ---- I love the Huff Po family :)
01:18 AM on 12/05/2010
How good to see you here, blueJ ....& the HPfamily loves you, be sure of that : )
01:22 AM on 12/05/2010
(((smooches)))
01:11 AM on 12/05/2010
From Dewy Dreams

From dewy dreams, my soul, arise,
From love's deep slumber and from death,
For lo! the treees are full of sighs
Whose leaves the morn admonisheth.

Eastward the gradual dawn prevails
Where softly-burning fires appear,
Making to tremble all those veils
Of grey and golden gossamer.

While sweetly, gently, secretly,
The flowery bells of morn are stirred
And the wise choirs of faery
Begin (innumerous!) to be heard.

James Joyce

The Foggy Dew - The Wolfe Tones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0K1qKFRJrA
01:28 AM on 12/05/2010
Matches tonight's relaxed mood in a most apt way ....like a collective sign of relief ;
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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01:09 AM on 12/05/2010
We're In This Love Together -- Al Jarreau

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otVH5cv9z1A&feature=channel
01:20 AM on 12/05/2010
I knew it was only a matter of time before the AL stuff came out :P
01:23 AM on 12/05/2010
Excellent, Tanz - it's right up there with the best of all love songs ....love Al Jarreau !
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
2garen
01:36 AM on 12/05/2010
blueeyed has been taken care of . thank you.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
2garen
01:07 AM on 12/05/2010
Would anyone that is in the know go over to the republican defeat thread and help blueeyebull with info as to how to report to the huff post about someone abusing blueeye?
01:33 AM on 12/05/2010
2g ....tell her to click "report abusive poster", I'd guess - or she could ask a CM2 on that thread to remove the abusive posts ?
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
rf dude
Just an average Man of Bronze
04:16 AM on 12/05/2010
Not to worry CC - stay here and enjoy the show!
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
rf dude
Just an average Man of Bronze
04:15 AM on 12/05/2010
Hi 2g - it got taken care of. Lots of help over there. Not to worry.
01:05 AM on 12/05/2010
Gloria Estefan - Turn the Beat Around (12" Remix)
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyYV83WUw1U&feature=related
01:02 AM on 12/05/2010
Gloria Estefan - Rhythm is Gonna Get You
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A7CVrBFC7M
01:01 AM on 12/05/2010
Bronski Beat - Hit That Perfect Beat
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcRnMfZyYrw
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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12:45 AM on 12/05/2010
Just for fun - Nancy Sinatra...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJKXOdT1pnw
12:54 AM on 12/05/2010
lol - what an era that was .....good pick, X ! ; )
01:10 AM on 12/05/2010
Truly wonderful...