Moderating Arguments

Argument moderation occurs in two phases - as a Pending Argument, and as an Active Argument. In the Pending Argument phase, the Argument Administrator is the only person who can edit the Argument. That editing is primarily of a structural nature, and is based mostly on the comments of those who have voted or will vote on the readiness of the Argument to proceed to Active Arguments.

In the Active Argument phase, any Moderator can add Assertions to the Argument, and the Argument Administrator serves more of an oversight role.

There is no place in Argument Moderation for ego. Honesty, objectivity and a willingness to further one's own understanding are critical to successfully moderating an Argument.

Moderating Pending Arguments

Once the Argument Administrator has finished creating the Argument and released it for public viewing, it enters into the Pending Arguments queue. During this phase, the Argument Administrator grooms the Argument Diagram under coaching from other Moderators.

Also during this phase, registered site members vote in a simple yes/no poll regarding the readiness of the Argument to proceed to general discussion as an Active Argument. After approximately 24-36 hours, votes are tallied for the argument. If the 'Yes' votes outnumber the 'No' votes, the argument is released to General Discussion. Otherwise, the Argument remains in a Pending status until a Site Admin intervenes or the next vote tally in which the 'Yes' votes outnumber the 'No' votes.

Moderating Active Arguments

Once an Argument has been voted through the Pending Arguments queue, it is moved into Active Arguments, and the Argument Administrator is responsible for watching over - moderating - the Argument.

All registered users can add Assertion nodes or comment on an Active Argument. Users can edit Assertion nodes that they have added, but not those of others.

The Argument Administrator can edit, delete or move any Assertion node in their Argument, regardless of who created the node. The Argument Administrator must at all times act reasonably in the exercise of these privileges.

The Argument Administrator is also charged with the following responsibilities:

• Incorporating comments into new or modified Assertions (where appropriate)
• Monitoring comments and nodes for profanity or ad hominen violations

Failure of the Argument Administrator to monitor and police his or her Argument may result in discipline to the Argument Administrator themself and/or Argument Administrator status being assigned to another user.