These guidelines are intended to help you provide moderation in your organization's forums hosted on SDN.

If at any time you need assistance please send a private message to one of the following individuals:

bananaface (Anna)
All4MyDaughter (Sarah)
zipmedic (Michael)

Or use the report post button (http://img.studentdoctor.net/images/buttons/report.gif) to send a message to the SDN moderation staff.

A listing of moderators/administrators for a specific forum can be seen at the bottom right-hand side at any forum's thread listing, next to the "Currently Active Members" listing.


Special thanks to tinman831 and Blade28 for their assistance in developing this guide.

There are different groups of users who may use moderation tools on SDN: Associates, Assistant Moderators, Moderators, Senior Moderators, and Adminstrators.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1312/assocsy3.gifAssociates represent SDN partner organizations and have the ability to perform moderation functions only in their assigned forum(s).


http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/7370/greenmj3.gifhttp://img158.imageshack.us/img158/7361/modnh1.gifAssistant Moderators (green cross) and Moderators (red cross) have the ability to perform several functions in their assigned forum(s). Most of these functions will be unavailable when viewing other forums.


http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/7182/bluejb4.gif Senior Moderators are able to perform moderation functions in all forums, and have additional functions such as banning and post-holding.


http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/4148/adminew4.gifAdminstrators can perform all site functions.

It is critical that you safeguard these functions by logging out and clearing all cookies after using your account in a public location, and by not allowing other users to access SDN while logged into your account. As always, any non-public information is only to be discussed with other staff at SDN, per our privacy policy.

The first options are available from the “Thread Tools” menu. When you are viewing a thread, this menu is just above the first post of the thread, near the center of your screen. Hold your mouse over the menu and the options will appear.


***BEFORE using any of these options in a co-hosted forum it is important that you hit the REPORT POST icon (http://img.studentdoctor.net/images/buttons/report.gif) so that the moderation staff is aware of your action. It is not necessary to report actions taken in your organization's forums unless assistance is needed.***


Close threads - this should be used when a thread is clearly inappropriate (such as a request for medical advice) or when you want to create a thread that members are not expected to reply to (such as an announcement from your organization).
Move/copy threads - if a thread is misplaced (such as an advertisement anywhere outside of the classifieds) you may use this function to move it to the proper forum.
Stick threads -this function is used to keep an important thread at the top of a forum for visibility.
Edit threads - this function is used to change the name of a thread or modify the thread icon.
Delete threads - used if an entire thread needs to be removed (hidden from view).
Delete posts - used if a single post needs to be removed (hidden from view).
Merge threads - takes 2 (or more) threads and combines them into one thread. Useful if duplicate or related threads exist and combining them makes sense.

Close/Open thread: Select “Close Thread” or “Open Thread” from the thread tools menu as applicable, then click on “perform action”. When you close a thread you will often put a short note at the bottom explaining why. You can post in closed threads as a moderator.
Move/Copy Thread: Select “Move/Copy Thread” from the thread tools menu. Then, click on “perform action”. On the next screen, select the destination forum from the drop down menu. Then, select “Move thread to destination forum”, “Move thread and leave redirect in previous forum”, or “Copy thread to destination forum”. Finally, click on “Move/Copy thread”. Usually, we opt to leave a redirect when we move threads.
Stick Thread: Select “Stick Thread” from the thread tools menu, then click on “perform action”.
Edit Thread: Select “Edit Thread” from the thread tools menu, then click on “Perform Action”. You can change various items in the next screen, including the thread title, Moderator Notes/Thread Summary (visible only to mods), open/close status, sticky status, visible status, and thread icon. At the bottom of this page, you will also see a thread summary, which shows who has performed which actions on the thread and when. Once you have made the desired changed, click on “Save Changes”.
Delete Thread: Select “Delete Thread” from the thread tools menu, then click on “perform action”. Be sure to leave a note as to why the thread was deleted.
Delete Post(s): Select “Delete Posts” from the thread tools menu, then click on “perform action”. All checked threads will be deleted when you click “Delete Posts” at the bottom of the page. At first, all posts will be selected for deletion, you can toggle to all unchecked by unchecking the “Check/Uncheck All” box at the top of the screen. Then, you can handpick which posts to delete.
Merge Threads: Select “Merge Threads” from the thread tools menu, then click on “perform action”. Paste the URL of the thread you are merging into this one into the designated box. Rename the thread if you like. Sometimes putting “(merged threads)” at the end of the thread title can avoid user confusion. Finally, click “Merge Threads”.

Co-hosted forums are regular SDN forums that are co-hosted by one of our partner organizations. For example:

Spouses & Partners - co-hosted by AMA-Alliance
International Rotations - co-hosted by IFMSA-USA
Podiatric Medicine forums - co-hosted by APMSA and APMAThese forums are moderated according to the Forum Usage Policies (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/faq.php?faq=vb_faq#faq_sdn_tos) and the Terms of Service (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/faq.php?faq=about_sdn#faq_sdn_terms_of_service). We do not censor or control content in these forums outside of these guidelines.

Organization forums are forums that have been set up for the use of SDN partner organizations. They may be configured in several ways:

Open access, open posting - anyone may view the forum and post in it.
Open access, restricted posting - anyone may view the forum but only members may post in it.
Closed access - only members may view the forum and post in it.Your organization will have more latitude (within the guidelines of the Terms of Services) to moderate and manage content in your organization's forum.

Try to avoid closing or deleting threads.
Gentle reminders work better.
Excessive closing or deleting of threads is a recipe for forum revolt.

If a post violates TOS, it should typically be reported to the moderator staff for adjudication. Only posts that contain spam, vulgar language, graphic images, or inappropriate sexual content should be removed by Associates. In most cases, the best thing to do is to alert the moderator staff using the report post button (IMAGE) which is located to the left of each post (except your own). We ask that Associates help keep the forums user friendly by reporting TOS violations such as trolling, advertising outside of specified areas, harassment, flaming, facing off with another user, or using inappropriate language. You can also use the button to let a moderator know when a topic has been mis-placed, such as a MCAT question being placed outside of the MCAT forum or a question about admissions being in Pharmacy rather than Pre-Pharmacy.


Medical advice threads – Close the thread right away and leave a note referring the OP to their personal healthcare provider.

Spam or Pornography – Close the thread and report it. You may delete the post afterwards if it is clearly spam or porn.

Obviously misplaced threads – Please move these threads to the correct forum or report them. This could be another academic area, All-Students, the Lounge, or the Sociopolitical forum, as appropriate. If you are at all unsure about the thread being misplaced or what the proper destination forum would be, simply report the thread.

***Use the REPORT POST button (http://img.studentdoctor.net/images/buttons/report.gif) to report inappropriate posts.***

Copyright Violation - user posts copyrighted material (e.g. test questions and answers; sample study material, etc.)

Cross-Posting on Forums - user creates the same thread in more than one forum

Inappropriate Language - reserved for blatant profanity or that aimed at other users; incidental or context-related swearwords are often permitted

Insulted Other Member(s) - personal attacks by one user against another

Misplaced Advertisement - user posts an advertisement (personal website, company website, eBay listing, Craigslist listing, etc.) in any location except the forums in the "Free Classifieds" section (i.e. For Sale and Advertisements, Wanted, Housing (Temporary and Long-term), Jobs and Help Wanted Board)

Prohibited Content Posted - refers to pornographic, obscene, inflammatory or otherwise inappropriate content posted by a user (includes text, graphics and video content)

Signature Rule Violation - user's signature may not contain any of the above prohibited items, except a single line promoting a personal/company website is allowed

Trolling/Intent to Inflame - a "troll" is a user who intentionally posts inflammatory/derogatory/condescending remarks in order to incite a heated argument, debate or "flamewar"

Unauthorized Advertising - refers to spam posts by users (note difference between this infraction and the above mentioned Misplaced Advertisement)




***Use the REPORT POST button (http://img.studentdoctor.net/images/buttons/report.gif) to report inappropriate posts.***