Tutorials - General > PlusNet Forums, Moderation and Other Ranks FAQ

Who moderates the Community Site forums?
The forums are moderated by customers, namely James (James_G), Daniel (Assos), Bill (billbo), Jonathan (chillypenguin) and Roger (Rogerloxton).


Why don't PlusNet look after the forums themselves?
Using customers for the day to day management of the forums frees up PlusNet staff for dealing with support issues and other business related activities.

Identifying posters on the forum by their ranks
How can I distinguish the difference between moderators, PlusNet staff and other users?
If a user has a special rank, it will appear under their name on the left side of any posts they make. Their name will appear in a different colour in the Online Now list at the foot of the forum overview page. These colours and ranks are identified as follows;

Bright Sparks
This is an award from your peers. Its designed to recognise those who frequently go the extra mile to make this resource useful.
It's not necessarily intended to go to the most knowledgeable folks here, although it generally does.

If you've spotted somebody you think is worthy of the rank, let one of the moderating team know via PM (Personal Message) and your recommendation will be considered.

Further detail on Bright Sparks is available here

Legend
This is similar to the Bright Spark rank, but is used to recognise the huge amount of time and effort a user has devoted to making these forums a place to be proud to be a part of.

Currently there is only one contributor with this rank - keep your eye out for any more that may be added in the future!


UserGroup Member
The PlusNet UserGroup (PUG) is an independent group of users from PlusNet, Free-Online, MetroNet and Force9 using the whole range of products and services with a diverse and varied degree of knowledge and expertise.

The group was conceived in April 2004 with the aim of being an officially recognised group of individuals working with each other and with PlusNet to ensure that the products, services, support and facilities are the best we could ask for.

Members are currently selected following a nomination and public vote process periodically - not being a member doesn't prevent you from taking a part in shaping the direction of PN products and services, on a day-to-day basis though.
We have active forums over there too, for contribution and discussion of a wide range of topics.

The UserGroup rank doesn't confer any priveledges here either - its just a recognition of the hard work put in by the holder in shaping the future of PN's ISP brands.

Administrator
These are rarely seen creatures - many staff at PN have admin priveledges, but their staff rank overrides the administrator rank, thus they appear in blue.

PlusNet Staff
The only people who are paid to be here - they can see lots about your account that nobody else can see, and they have all the resources and responsibilities you'd expect from a support agent, and more.

Each has their own speciality, and they display their job title in their rank.

Some are just special, and some are extra special - take some time to say hi to them, they really do know their stuff!

Forum Moderator
The role of the moderators is primarily to ensure the forums provide an enjoyable and informative experience for everyone. They are also here to ensure that everyone follows the Forum Guidelines, posts their messages in the right place and keep threads on topic. The moderators have the right to edit, censor, delete or otherwise modify any posted message. forum guidelines

Who chose the moderators?
All current moderators have been chosen by a public vote based on candidates nominated by their peers.

How much do they get paid?
The moderators are not paid by PlusNet and volunteer their time freely. They do not get any special insight into what PlusNet are doing or when your ticket is going to be answered.

Why hasn't a moderator answered my forum post?
The forum moderators, like all other customers are free to answer or help with any questions. If they do not answer your post then they do not know the answer. Remember the moderators are just customers like you. If you have a support query for PlusNet only you should raise it in the Contact Us system or by phone.

Why has a moderator altered / deleted my post?
Any change a moderator makes will be to keep a post inline with the forum guidelines, or to fix a coding problem with a post. Any change should be identified by either a note on the post or by private message. See the link:forum guidelines for more information.

What do I do if I have a complaint about a moderator or one of their posts?
You should first raise this with the moderator in question via a PM (personal message). If the moderator is unable to dresolve the issue, you should contact another moderator, or one of the Comms team. The Comms team can be contacted by PM on the forums, or but raising a ticket via link:Contact Us to PlusNet for the attention of the "Comms Team". Do not raise issues like this directly in the forums, this can be considered a personal attack and may result in actions against you.

What if I've got a query about a moderator's actions?
Send a PM to the moderator in the first instance. Do not post in an existing thread as it may take it off topic and distract from the original poster's intent.

What do I do if I've got a complaint about another forum user or a post by another user?
Raise it by Private Message to one of the moderators who will look into it for you. Do not raise issues like this directly in the forums, this can be considered a personal attack and may result in actions against you.


What is Usertools?
UserTools (usertools.plus.net) is a repository for utilities and applications developed by customers, for customers. If you would like to be involved or find out more visit the usertools site for more information.


Original article written by Chris (fa55dsl), with advice and assistance from the Tutorial Team and Forum Moderators.
updated by MauriceB to update moderators names March 2007
Re-Written by James (James_H) to reference Community Site - August 2007

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Original Article by: fa55 - Edited by: MauriceB