The Moderation System

The IC and OOC guidelines specified in the Rules & Guidelines ensures that Model Hogwarts as a community is open to and welcomes all people. As such, a moderation system is in place to effectively handle any broken rules, and will be overlooked by the server's modmin team. The modmin team consists of all admins and moderators, and their responsibilities may be found on the Authority Positions page. To obtain lists of the server's current admins and moderators, use the `**+admins**` and `**+mods**` commands, respectively.

## Punishments

If it has been determined that there has a breach of the rules or server ratings outlined in the Rules & Guidelines, or that a player has acted inappropriately in a manner not covered by these rules, then the modmin team will discuss and decide on a punishment, and communicate this to the offender through DM. The punishment will be determined based on the severity of the offence, and on the offender's past history, as is detailed below.

There are four levels of punishment in Model Hogwarts, which are listed below in order of increasing severity.

### Poke

For minor or unintentional breaches, the modmins will send an informal message to the offender explaining that their actions were inappropriate/against the rules, and why. This message is referred to as a **poke**. Pokes remain on an offender's record and, depending on context, may or may not be taken into consideration when considering later offences.

### Formal Warning

If a more severe or intentional breach occurs, or if there is a repeat of a prior minor offence, the modmins will issue the offender with a **formal warning**. If a formal warning is issued, this will be explicitly stated in the DM. After a first minor offence has resulted in a poke, a second minor offence of the same nature may result in either a poke or formal warning depending on its severity and the time since the first offence. A third or subsequent occasion will always result in a formal warning. Additionally, on any user's third or subsequent offence of **any** nature, the modmin team will determine whether the current offence continues a concerning pattern of behaviour. If it does, a formal warning will be issued regardless of the severity of the offence.

### Final Warning

If a player has received two prior formal warnings, their third formal warning will be deemed the player's **final warning**. Players may also receive a final warning if they have a prior warning for a similar offence, or without a prior warning if the breach is very severe. If a player receives a final warning, they will be notified that their next formal warning offence will result in being banned from the server.

### Ban

If a player continues to offend following their final warning, or commits an extreme offence, they will receive a **ban** from the server. Deliberate spamming, and advertising without permission from the server owner, will result in an immediate ban. Bans from Model Hogwarts are permanent, unless it can be proven beyond doubt that the ban was unmerited. All alt accounts of banned users will also be banned, and banned users are not allowed to rejoin the server on another account.

## Other Information

### Reporting Rule-Breaking

Users are encouraged to report any breaches of the rules, or any other case of misconduct, that they become aware of. Any server member may be reported, including admins and mods, who are held to higher standards of behaviour due to their position of authority and influence. Reports can be made by pinging @Moderator in the #private-discussion-queue, or by directly messaging a modmin (again, lists may be obtained using `**+admins**` and `**+mods**`), or by making a submission on the Suggestions and Criticism Form, which is linked here.

When you make a report, provide all information possible in as clear and objective a manner as practicable. Links to channels and search terms (e.g. the first sentence of an offending post or scene), or screenshots, are preferred. You are allowed to request anonymity at any time, and this will be honoured.

### Communication of Moderator Information and Punishments

Modmins may inform anyone who asks if an incident has been reported and discussed, and whether a decision has been made on whether to take action or not. However, all information regarding the content of moderator discussions and and the decisions made are kept strictly private. Some bans are an exception to this: if the banned user has a sufficiently high profile on the server, or if their particular offence warrants it, the modmins will post an announcement explaining the reasons for the ban. Other than this, revealing moderator information is not allowed and users are requested not to ask for it.

### Detention

If urgent moderator action is required to defuse a heated or escalating situation, or prevent a user's continual rule-breaking, a modmin may mute user(s) as required by giving them the Detention role. Any muted user will then be able to view the #detention channel, and will not be able to post anywhere else. The modmins will inform the user of the reason why they have been muted, and the length of time before they will be unmuted. During this time, the modmins will also confer on whether and what official punishment is merited, as listed above.

### General Conduct

Model Hogwarts is intended to be a friendly and welcoming community. The rules, guidelines and moderation system are designed to deter from and punish inappropriate behaviour, but the ideal is for these systems to be required as little as possible. As such, users are required to police themselves and to maintain not only the letter of the rules but their intention and spirit as well. In short, do to others as you would have them do to you.

In a community as large as Model Hogwarts, complete harmony is of course impossible to maintain, and as such it is important that each server member is prepared to deal with conflict appropriately. As such, if a user has broken the rules, insulted you or made you uncomfortable, **do not cause a scene**. By reacting, you yourself may make others uncomfortable, and may get into equal or worse trouble. The correct response is not to lash out or continue the cycle of aggression, but to either withdraw from the conversation or use the model's safe-word, **dirigible plums**. Afterwards, if warranted, make a report using one of the methods listed above. This is the best way to ensure that all players feel comfortable, and that the model remains the friendly community it is supposed to be.