Thank you for your interest in inclusion on the express post list for misc.kids.moderated. This page will explain that list and provide the rules.
Some of this information in this message may seem elementary to experienced 'net users, but please take the time to read it through. The explanations of newsgroup moderation and the like may be a review for you, but some of the information will be unique to misc.kids.moderated (m.k.m), including the specific ways in which this newsgroup operates and the expectations on you as an express poster.
In order to understand how express posting status affects your day-to-day posting on the newsgroup, it's important to understand a bit about how and why the newsgroup is moderated (more detailed information is in the newsgroup Charter, History and Vision documents).
misc.kids.moderated exists as a moderated forum because experience has shown that an unmoderated forum for parents is particularly vulnerable to spam, net.abuse, flame wars and other unnecessary and unwanted distractions. Because the readership for parenting groups by nature consists of busy parents, and because the topic of parenting is both enormously complicated and intensely personal, misc.kids.moderated was founded as a forum for civil discussions, including lively debate. Our moderation exists to curtail posts that are purely inflammatory or have no bearing on the group's purpose.
As you may know if you have been reading m.k.m for some time, the newsgroup is moderated through a combination of human and robo-moderation.
When a post is sent, the moderation software (i.e. the non-human element) is activated first. It checks the post for certain technical elements that are not allowed in the newsgroup (crossposts to prohibited newsgroups, binaries, etc. -- the Charter lists these elements in detail). Those posts are often returned to the poster with an automatic note indicating the problem, although some may be sent to a human moderator for further review. Newsgroups currently permitted for crossposts (no more than three newsgroups total, including misc.kids.moderated) are:
Next, the software looks for certain "trigger" words which have been pre-programmed to capture posts that may either require a subject tag or which involve topics that have proven to be contentious. Any post with a trigger word (regardless of the express post status of the poster) is sent to a human moderator.
Finally, if the post contains no technical violations and no trigger words, the software looks to see who has sent the post. If that poster is on the express post list, the message is posted to the group immediately. If the poster is not on the express list, the post is sent to a human moderator.
Therefore, express posting is not the same as posting to an unmoderated group. More than likely, some of your posts will be hand moderated. Furthermore, you may choose at any time to have a specific post hand moderated. Simply insert the word handmod anywhere in your post, preferably at the bottom of the body text. (This will allow you to request hand moderation on any post you are unsure of, to avoid jeopardizing your express status by inappropriately posting. It is also a way to avoid the rare possibility of cancels.)
Another thing express posting is not is an elite club. Anyone can sign up for express post list, even before sending a post to the group. After four consecutive approved posts, an automated message invites posters to sign up on the express list. No one decides who receives express status for first-time applicants.
What express posting does mean is that you gain some speed (even with a hard-working and dedicated moderation team, human moderators will take longer than the robomoderator) and autonomy. It may help to think of being an express poster as adding a third type of moderation: self-moderation.
As with any group membership, adding yourself to the express posting list carries with it some additional responsibilities. These break down into two basic categories:
The mission of misc.kids.moderated is to provide a civil environment for the exchange of information, advice and conversation about raising kids. Therefore, as an express poster your primary responsibility will be to uphold and further this mission. We expect that you will read the group's Charter, which has been forwarded to you as part of this message. You are responsible for upholding all of the Charter provisions.
There are two ways in which a poster may be removed from express status:
In addition to reading this message, you may find the following misc.kids.moderated documents helpful as you decide whether to add yourself as an express poster:
If, after reviewing this message and the supporting documents, you wish to continue signing up as an express poster, please use the Express Signup Form. If the form does not work correctly, you can receive information on how to sign up via email from mkm-request-express@misckids.org
modified 4/20/02 by Chris Biow biow@ezmort.com to remove obsolete tagging instructions and add alt.mothers to crosspost list.