[AMENDMENT]Removal of the Strategos rank

[Garbarsardar]

The Hexagon Council is proposing the following amendment to the constitution. The purpose of the amendment is the removal of the "Strategos" rank, the intermediary rank between the staff of the moderation branch and the Hex council. All duties and responsibilities of the branch are being transfered to the moderation branch directly.

The reason for the proposed change is the desire of Hex to endow the moderation branch with all power and responsibility entailed in its conception. The existing Strategoi are incorporated in the moderation staff and will serve as mentors for the junior moderators.

Article II. The Moderation Branch

The Moderation Branch is responsible for maintaining order within the Site and enforcement of the Terms of Service. Moderators are the only members of Staff invested with general moderating powers.

Moderation Staff

The Moderators form the frontline moderation force on the Forum. They are drawn from the Citizens and appointed and fired by the Hexagon Council, in consultation with the existing Moderators.

Additionally, some Moderators, known as Moderation Mentors, may be selected by the Hexagon Council to mentor moderators and to oversee the training of new Moderators.

ORIGINAL TEXT FOR REFERENCE

Article II. The Moderation Branch

The Moderation Branch is responsible for maintaining order within the Site Forum and enforcement of the Terms of Service. Moderators are the only members of Staff invested with general moderating powers.

Senior Staff - Strategos

The Strategos are Senior Moderators, led by the Chief of Branch, in charge of moderation within the Forum. They will all have Global Moderation powers, and some may have additional administrative powers depending upon their duties.

Senior Moderators are appointed by existing Senior Moderators from among the moderators.

Junior Staff - Tribounos

The Staff Moderators form the front line moderation force on the Forum. They are drawn from the Citizens and appointed and fired by the Senior Moderators.

The total number of Staff Moderators, along with individual assignments and powers are set by the Senior Moderators.

Thank you,
Hexagon Council

[M D]

So I'm confused, you removed the rank but kept the post?

Opposed

[Garbarsardar]

So I'm confused, you removed the rank but kept the post?

Opposed

Yes, the rank was removed and the duties assigned to senior moderators. The existance of those functions as a separate "rank" and "forum" led to compartmentalization and fragmentation of the moderation process. So all duties and responsibilities have passed directly to the moderation branch.

[M D]

But did it not make a target for a junior moderator because realistically very very few will ever ascend to the Hexagon Council so wasn't it an objective for them? And weren't elected moderators disapproved of?

[Garbarsardar]

But did it not make a target for a junior moderator because realistically very very few will ever ascend to the Hexagon Council so wasn't it an objective for them? And weren't elected moderators disapproved of?

Election does not come into this; not in the previous form of the article in question nor in the amendment.

Promotions will be still available (Junior-Global-Mentor) and actually given the current number of staff there will be more chances for promotion.

I tdid made a target for juniors, indeed, but since all Strats could not ascend to Hex, it soon became a "dead end" that led to disappointment. That has changed now.

[M D]

And one more thing, shouldn't this bill come before you did remove it?

[Garbarsardar]

And one more thing, shouldn't this bill come before you did remove it?

The rank has not been removed yet. The holders of the rank have simply joined the moderation staff.

[Astaroth]

But did it not make a target for a junior moderator because realistically very very few will ever ascend to the Hexagon Council so wasn't it an objective for them? And weren't elected moderators disapproved of?

Experienced and active people who do a good job can still be promoted to Global Moderator and Moderation Mentor.

[M D]

Did Asty not ascend only recently? And TFON, And I could be wrong here but didn't Soren have a spell at Senior Mod?

Senior Moderators are appointed by existing moderators.

So how are they appointed?

Also will these new Senior Moderators have any sort of new duties and are they different to these 'Mentors'

The rank has not been removed yet. The holders of the rank have simply joined the moderation staff.

Its not listed as a usergroup in the Forum leaders page or the colour index at the bottom

[Garbarsardar]

Did Asty not ascend only recently? And TFON, And I could be wrong here but didn't Soren have a spell at Senior Mod?

All these are Hex members. Nothing to do with the rank. Soren was Chief of moderation amongst other posts. The problem was the notion that ascension is automatic.

Myself, Aradan, imb39, GED, Sim have never been senior mods.

So how are they appointed?

Mentors in consultation with Hex administer posts and assignments.

Also will these new Senior Moderators have any sort of new duties and are they different to these 'Mentors'

Senir is not a rank. It simply refers to seniority.

Its not listed as a usergroup in the Forum leaders page or the colour index at the bottom

And the purpose of listing an empty usergroup...?

[M D]

I have changed the Moderator colour and removed the Senior Moderator from this block in FORUMHOME, on the request of Garbar... (I have no idea how to spell that from memory).

That sounds like it has been removed, no?

[M D]

Senior Moderators are appointed by existing moderators.

This makes no reference to what you just said,

Mentors in consultation with Hex administer posts and assignments.

The problem was the notion that ascension is automatic.

I don't believe anyone thought it was automatic but several have come from being a strat. If we allow dare I say the word, friendly competition within the rat race of moderation, the best can be picked out.

And the purpose of listing an empty usergroup...?

It leaves people wondering, for instance the Mentor group isnt listed so it can confuse people. It also wasn't announced in the Q&S like the colour change was by Beli.

[Garbarsardar]

I don't believe anyone thought it was automatic but several have come from being a strat. If we allow dare I say the word, friendly competition within the rat race of moderation, the best can be picked out.

See, that was the problem: the "rest" would be permanently feeling not being "the best" which is a misconception about the criteria Hex uses. All the more reason to terminate the rank.

It leaves people wondering, for instance the Mentor group isnt listed so it can confuse people. It also wasn't announced in the Q&S like the colour change was by Beli.

There will be an announcement, soon. The mentors are not a separate group or rank rather an internal subdivision based on assigned duties, so it will not be listed. The names of mentors will be announced in the Q&S.

[Gaius Baltar]

A couple of comments here.

1. This seems little more than a change in the titles, Senior staff are now simply senior staff, losing the designation of Strategos.

They will all have Global Moderation powers, and some may have additional administrative powers depending upon their duties.

So, overall abilities remain the same.

Senior Moderators are appointed by existing moderators

Now this is different, now junior mods have a say in the promotion to Senior rank. It seems to me this has always been the case, albeit informally.

2. Junior staff have lost the designation of Tribounos.

The Staff Moderators form the front line moderation force on the Forum. They are drawn from the Citizens and appointed and fired by the Senior Moderators in consultation with the Hex council.

Ok, here the Hex council has its say, via management of the junior mods. So, in real terms, they are controlling the senior mod position as well.

Overall, a change in titles, which is irrelevant. But the addition of the wording "in consultation with the Hex council" appears to me to be the most striking difference between the current and proposed passages.

As with the role of the junior mods in appointing senior mods, I had thought that Hex involvement was a fairly certain aspect of the process, just informally.

[Garbarsardar]

But the addition of the wording "in consultation with the Hex council" appears to me to be the most striking difference between the current and proposed passages.

As with the role of the junior mods in appointing senior mods, I had thought that Hex involvement was a fairly certain aspect of the process, just informally.

OK, let me explain this. Since the "mentors" is a new group ( actually the former Strategoi with the addition of two moderators with seniority) we felt the need for a Hex presence in the group until they are ready to take over the branch. Hex consultation is nothing new, it existed with the rank under abolishment as well. The phrase could have been omitted but I wanted to be absolutely truthful as to the present situation.

[M D]

Alright, I am satisfied

Support

[Belisarius]

Old Guard Support.

[John Wayne]

Not anymore.

[M D]

Oh and one last thing, are these the last vestiges of Latin names in staff?

[Pontifex Maximus]

Oh and one last thing, are these the last vestiges of Latin names in staff?

*Greek