Moderation Rules and Responsibilities

Overview of community property moderator roles, responsibilities, selection, and best practices.

This page describes the rules and best practices for people chosen to moderate Kubernetes communications channels. This includes Github, Slack, forums, mailing lists, YouTube, Zoom, and any property listed in the SIG Contributor Experience charter.

Selection of Moderators

Each Kubernetes property has a certain set of moderators who are responsible for keeping it safe and a fun place to participate.

Moderators are selected by following the criteria:

Moderators MUST:

  • Be a member of the Kubernetes Organization.
  • Have experience moderating something or some equivalent level of community management.
  • Make themselves available during their primary working hours for their given timezone.
  • Communicate their availability to their peer moderators when appropriate, such as when travelling or becoming unavailable for an extended period of time.
  • Understand that volunteering for this role might mean an occasional personal time commitment or off-hour duty.

The process for applying for moderatorship is as follows:

  • Sponsored by 2 existing moderators Note the following requirements for sponsors:
    • Sponsors MUST have close interactions with the prospective member - example: participating in the appropriate property, coordinating on issues, etc.
    • Sponsors MUST be from multiple member companies to demonstrate integration across community.
    • Sponsors MUST take time zone coverage into account, each property should have global coverage. Ideally no more than two(2) moderators are needed in a given time zone.
    • Sponsors MUST ensure that nominees are familiar with the software they are using to moderate.
  • Open an issue against the kubernetes/community repo
    • Ensure your sponsors are @mentioned on the issue.
    • Complete every item on the checklist
    • Make sure that the list of contributions included is representative of your work on the project.
  • Have your sponsoring reviewers reply confirmation of sponsorship: +1 or similar approval.

Moderators Pro Tempore

Each property will have a list of moderators who cannot commit to full time moderatorship, but are available during special events or circumstances that might call for additional ad-hoc duties.

For example if all moderators are attending a conference, pro tempore moderators may be assigned to monitor a property.

Rotation of Moderators

Content moderation can be personally tiring, so primary Moderators SHOULD rotate on a regular basis.

  • Primary moderators should evaluate their position(s) as a team yearly.
    • Determine whether the moderation situation on the property is working.
    • Rotate teams accordingly.
    • Consider rotating in less experienced person to give them an opportunity to participate.
    • Take into account time zone considerations.
  • Due to less workload Moderators Pro Tempore should be a lightweight role
    • Primary moderators should consider switching to this role for a given amount of time to allow for a healthy rotation.

Roles and Responsibilities

As part of volunteering to become a moderator you are now a representative of the Kubernetes community, and it is your responsibility to remain aware of your contributions in this space. These responsibilities apply to all Kubernetes official channels.

Moderators MUST:

  • Take action as specified by these Kubernetes Moderator Guidelines.
    • You are empowered to take immediate action when there is a violation. You do not need to wait for review or approval if an egregious violation has occurred. Make a judgement call based on our Code of Conduct and Values (see below).
    • Removing a bad actor or content from the medium is required, do NOT let it sit there.
  • Abide by the documented tasks and actions required of moderators.
  • Ensure that the Kubernetes Code of Conduct is in effect on all official Kubernetes communication channels.
  • Make yourself generally available during working hours in your time zone for moderation.
    • This can be handled as a group so that there is enough coverage of people to allow for absences/travel.
    • Ensure you are on #slack-admins during work hours and notifications are set appropriately.
  • Become familiar with the Kubernetes Community Values.
  • Take care of spam as soon as possible, which may mean taking action by removing a member from that resource.
  • Foster a safe and productive environment by being aware of potential multiple cultural differences between Kubernetes community members.
  • Understand that you might be contacted by moderators, community managers, and other users via private email or a direct message.
  • Keep up with software/platform changes on the property they are responsible for. This might include new UI changes, new features, or other software changes. Moderators are encouraged to meet regularly to train themselves how to be proficient with the platform.
  • Report violations of the Code of Conduct to conduct@kubernetes.io.

Moderators SHOULD:

  • Exercise compassion and empathy when communicating and collaborating with other community members.
  • Understand the difference between a user abusing the resource or just having difficulty expressing comments and questions in English.
  • Be an example and role model to others in the community. In many cases, moderators are some of the first people new contributors will interact with.
  • Remember to check and recognize if you need take a break when you become frustrated or find yourself in a heated debate.
  • Help your colleagues if you recognize them in one of the stages of burnout.
  • Be helpful and have fun!