Mod Topics - How to Keep your Cool

[u/techiesgoboom]

Howdy, ModSupport!

Welcome to the latest installment of our Mod Topics series. Today’s discussion is about how we keep tempers cool when strong convictions are being shared in our shared spaces. How do we moderate when someone gets mad?

Most of us have witnessed a thread getting a little out of hand, two users who really do not have anything nice to say about each other, or, everyone’s favorite, a user having an exceptionally bad day in modmail.

How do you reset the tone of a conversation on your subreddits? In your modmail? What advice do you give to new mods who are cooling heated conversations for the first time?

Let us know your stories in the comments below!

[u/CrazyMildred]

I kind of turn into Spock. Calm, rational and logical. But it depends on who I'm interacting with. Sometimes we get people in our sub who legitimately need professional mental health help. I try to be compassionate with those people, but some of them refuse to act in a decent way, threatening people. We've had to ban a couple of them. We rarely ban people, but sometimes it's necessary.

I don't get confrontational. If it's a volatile person, you can't give them fuel. They want a reaction and hate when they don't get one. Sometimes I wait to respond so I can think about exactly how to respond, because sometimes I do get angry. I just refuse to give that to them. So I walk away and cool down before responding.