Moderation of ALA Connect
The Code of Conduct is a living document that is meant to be updated iteratively and reflect new developments concerning all platforms. Moderation of ALA Connect is member-led. ALA has a standing committee of moderators in charge of resolving violations of the Code of Conduct. Committee members are themselves subject to the Code of Conduct.
The Code of Conduct Committee categorizes Code of Conduct violations to streamline how the ALA Connect space is moderated. Categorizing violations assists with expediting and refining the process for resolving Code of Conduct incidents. As such, the Committee has developed Moderation Types to outline the levels of moderation that occur within ALA Connect. A Moderation Type is defined by the following elements: (a) attributed online behavior that falls within the Moderation type, (b) the level of involvement by different parties to resolve a Code of Conduct incident, and (c) actions taken to resolve the incident.
During the moderation process, the committee votes to decide if an incident requires a resolution. A resolution to an incident is defined as an action taken to mediate an incident that has occurred in ALA Connect.
You can review current ALA Connect Moderation Policies and Procedures here.
Transparency on the moderation of ALA Connect is provided annually by the Code of Conduct Committee in a Transparency report. Transparency reports can be found here.
Moderation Type A: This level of moderation refers to individual self-moderation. Members adhere to the Code of Conduct without incident.
Moderation Type B: This level of moderation involves members moderating with each other. Members of the community respond to posts that are borderline aggressive or inappropriate. For instance, a member may tell another member that they are spamming the discussion board with posts with language that might be offensive or self-promoting (i.e., job posts, paid events). Persistent behavior is flagged by members or ALA Staff.
Moderation Type C: This level of moderation requires immediate action for incidents involving discouraged content, such as but not limited to political speech or antitrust violations.
Moderation Type D: This level of moderation is for harmful infractions that require review by the Code of Conduct Committee and appropriate ALA staff. The severity of Moderation Type D infractions also requires that resolutions are evaluated by ALA. Resolutions for Moderation Type D infractions are shared with the Executive Director to evaluate the appropriateness of Code of Conduct Committee’s resolution. During this review, the Executive Director may involve the ALA stakeholders and/or legal counsel to make this determination. Examples of these infractions may include repeated Level 2 and level 3 flags and incidents that include, but are not limited to, harassing members and engaging in hate speech.