Moderation

What is Moderation?

If you've just joined a group, or (for some groups) not posted to it for a while, then your posts may be moderated. This means that they don't immediately go out to the group - they go to one of the volunteer Moderators to be checked first.

Who does it?

Groups are run by volunteer moderators. They're not paid - they give up their time to help keep groups running smoothly. See Moderators for more info.

How long does it take?

This depends on the group, and also on what the Moderators are doing. It varies from half an hour up to about a day.

Remember that moderators have lives (some of them, anyway) and so they might not be looking at the group all the time.

Why are posts moderated at all?

Several reasons:

• To stop spam. Often spammers will join groups and then send spam. Moderating posts from new members allows most of this to be stopped.
• To stop inappropriate use of the group. Freecycle is about no-strings-attached gifts of physical items which would otherwise go into landfills. Moderation helps ensure that it stays that way.
• To get the post format right. Particularly on busy groups where people won't read each mail, it's really important to get the post format right. This makes the group more useful to other people, and it also means you'll get a better response to your posts.

Is moderation a punishment?

Absolutely not. You might think that a [moderator] has put you on moderation because they don't like you. But almost always, moderators don't remember individual members because there are hundreds or thousands of individuals. Moderation isn't making a judgement about you. It's purely about what goes in the posts to the group.

Are all posts moderated?

No. The proportion varies from group to group.

When will I come off moderation?

This depends on your local group, but often it's when you've posted at least one well-formatted email.