Q/A Moderators
I assume that for each Q/A group there are probably a few assigned moderators to moderate that group.
Is that correct?
If we have a post to a specific Q/A Category or Ideas Category and we want to directly message the moderator(s) - is there any way to do that?
Answers
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I would hope that an option to directly communicate with a moderator of a group - would be so obvious and intuitive that I wouldnt need to go looking for a needle in help center haystack.
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The vast najority of my questions to the community - are not so much to find a detailed answer in the help center
but rather to make a point - of how the system can be adjusted/designed to be more effective, more efficient and more intuitive.
how to contact a moderator - is not very evident in the user interface.
(such as for a report of abuse, report an outage, report a bug etc., need for escalation )
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I did find this in a Help Center article:
Group leaders and others have moderator roles in FamilySearch community. The moderator actions help to ensure that community guests get helpful answers. Moderator role options can vary.
was interesting - because I am a group leader in the community - but I am not a moderator
seems like there is a team of community moderators - - as well as team of group leaders
and its sometimes feels like they are each working in a separate silo that that doesnt talk to the other silo.
and the right hand doesnt always know what the left hand is doing.
do these two teams work in sync?? (moderators and group leaders)
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I have not had a problem in doing just what you appear to be wanting to do. Just pick the "moderator of your choice", from the names (labelled "Mod") you regularly see answering questions in the relevant Q and A, then go to the Messages (envelope icon) link, click on the "pencil" icon and send them the private message.
There have been one or two instances where (in spite of being polite!) I have had no response from a moderator, but I have generally received a prompt reply to my message.
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thanks
I just wondered if moderators were indeed assigned to specific groups.
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and just wished we didnt have to go "digging" for a moderator name/link. - noting that missionaries can come and go . . .
(especially for those seeking answers who are new to the community and may not be clear on the process - nor even clear of the term "moderator" - nor clear that many of those answering questions arent even moderators/"official responders')
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In regards to your question "I just wondered if moderators were indeed assigned to specific groups."
Some moderators are Missionaries and are trained in specific areas, those areas will be where they will answer questions. An example, a Missionary is trained in Family History Center Support, they will answer questions in that category. Family Tree Missionaries will answer those questions. Missionaries are not restricted from answering questions in other areas but most will go to their special training first
I hope this answered that part of your comments.
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Thanks for the feedback. 😀
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@Dennis J Yancey As a moderator for Q and A, perhaps I can shed some light on private messaging moderators. If you were to private message most moderators rather than posting your concern in the general Q and A areas, they would ask you to post in Q and A instead. We want our Community to be just that -- a Community forum where all users can see and benefit from questions and answers that others post. And we don't want moderators, who often have multiple roles and plenty to do, to be tied up providing private responses to users. They will sometimes reach out to you privately if they need to gather some sensitive information regarding an issue that needs to be forward to specialists. In those cases, of course, they hope you will reply back to them privately to provide that information.
Hope that helps you understand why we do not encourage you to send private messages to moderators instead of posting in the Q and A areas.
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it depends - certain posts are clearly not appropriate for an open forum.
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and various people have already pointed out that they do indeed, at time, post an item directly to a moderator - when that is the need. and that such selective contact has indeed been succesful.
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Im referring to the type of posts that require moderator action - not posts that are meant for peer involvement.
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I can imagine that missionary moderators come and go as their assignments end . . . . and thus was wondering if there was a way to know the currently active and assigned moderators for a given QA area- - but seems like that feature doesn't exist.
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Only Speaking for myself, I am not assigned a specific area to work in. I was trained in Family History Center Support so I primarily look there for questions. That being said, I can answer questions in any area. As Moderators we can escalate or move cases as needed. And as N Tychonievich stated above If I am contacted privately I will ask for them to post in the community. The only time I can think there would be a need for private contact would for the Moderator to contact the poster for more information.
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The reason I might wish to contact a moderator privately is if I consider they have offered seriously bad advice to a member of Community. This could be due to inexperience or a complete misunderstanding of the poster's issue. (The latter being something I have been guilty of on several occasions!) I would prefer to send a polite, private message rather than being critical in public. I do occasionally contradict a moderator's comments in public, but this is often not at all appropriate, and I have later regretted my publicly made comments - and apologised for my action.
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Yes - there are various scenarios:
1) Privately discuss sensitive issues relative to a response to a given thread for a group/QA
2) Report abuse on the system
3) Discuss items that involve private/confidential information
4) Request specific action of the moderator (that only a moderator can do)
5) Request escalation
6) Discuss questions of appropriateness etc
and the list could go on and on . . .
I just wish there was an icon - maybe not so much in your face so the whole world doesn't click it - but somewhere that the more experienced could use - to generate a message that went to moderators assigned to a specific group.
I realize that this may not now be possible due to system constraints - and just how people have been trained and how policies and procedures and assignments have been developed so far (or not)
but I'm just trying to voice needs for a system/process that we should be able to adjust as we move forward . . .
I realize we are in flux as to operational processes - and we have to be patient
but we also have to think a bit out of the box - and not just point out why we cant do something simply because thats the way it is now . . . or because people havent been assigned to do X.
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. . . .
and you would think that it would only make sense to have SOME people assigned to each category - - so that you aren't allowing for certain groups to go totally un-moderated - just because people's preference is something else.
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No group goes unmoderated. There are hundreds of Missionaries all over the world that are watching and answering questions, or working in the back ground overseeing others work.
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My point is - unless their is coordination and assignment - it would not be a very efficient team effort.
so to say "no one is really assigned" and "we have hundreds of missionaries" - doesnt exactly line up and present itself as an efficient team.
For a team to work effectively there has to be unity, coordination, assignment and communication.
and besides the moderators - it seems there are various other teams also working in the comunity - even more reason that the effort should be coordinated and in sync between teams.
Differing Teams:
a) Full time paid Employees of FS
b) Moderators who are volunteer missionaries
c) Other missionaries who work with and train those moderators
e) Community Group Leaders and volunteers (who are not moderators - and a few who are not even missionaries)
f) Various community "super users" (non official / non missionaries) who have been in the community for years now - and even without official title and assignment - -often work as many hours providing answers and support and often for longer periods of time - than people in any of the other groups - often without recognition. They may often have more experience in genealogical matters than many of the volunteer missionaries.
If we move forward in UNITY of effort and goal - we can make MIRACLES happen - if we dont - then it makes it look like the left and and the right hand are not in unison and are working against each other.
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There is coordination, It may not be seen, but there are a lot of people working each section of the Community. There many different roles and callings and duties. There has been lengthy training that has been going on for months.
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