The First Advocate Election (20-30 March 2022)
Mar 20, 2022 8:40:34 GMT
SPECIALEDITION and monad like this
Post by Telos on Mar 20, 2022 8:40:34 GMT
The First Advocate Election!
The First Advocate Election of WriteBrains.net begins!
What are 'Advocates' and how do they work on WriteBrains.net?
On WriteBrains.net, 'Advocates' are special staff members who have two main duties: 1) 'advocacy', and 2) 'auditing'.
1) Advocacy: The Advocate is there to represent members in disputes with Moderators; to speak for them in hearings and mediations and above all to ensure that the correct processes of the Forum Code are being followed. The Advocate is there to ensure that every member is treated fairly and correctly.
2) Auditing: The Advocate is empowered with the ability to view the Security Log and has access to all the areas that Moderators do. It is their duty to observe the Moderators and to ensure that they are fulfilling their duty according to the Forum Code, and that there is no abuse of power behind the scenes. If, on the rare occurrence that they do detect abuses of power, they have the right to recommend the deselection of a Moderator or Moderators to the Owners.
On this forum, Advocates are elected for 6-month terms. Normally, any member with over 6 months' membership may submit their candidacy, and other members with 6 months' membership may vote. All founder members, however, automatically have this right - you'll know if you're a founder member because you'll be reading this! You can also see your membership of the 'Longstanding Member' group in your profile (and you can set this as your display group too, if you wish. Just navigate to the 'Settings' tab after clicking the 'Edit Profile' button).
How do Advocate Elections work on WriteBrains.net?
1. After an Election is triggered, there is one week for submission of candidacy and campaigning, which is conducted in the election thread (this one!).
2. After the one week candidacy/campaigning period, a poll is established of all the candidates, and a three-day voting period begins.
3. After the voting period ends, the election is concluded, and the winners of the poll are duly elected Advocates, depending on how many Advocates are up for election or reelection. For this one, we're electing one Advocate.
Where can I find more detailed information about the election process and Advocate duties?
The election process is codified in The Forum Code (§2.2.D.), as are Advocate duties (§2.3.). You can find the current version of The Forum Code in 'The Rules' subforum of 'The Town Hall' category, though these are subject to change during this beta test of WriteBrains.net, and may be inaccurate at the time of writing. The current (v.8) duties of Advocates at the time of writing are reproduced here:
2.3. ‘Advocates’
2.3.A. ‘Advocates’ are Members elected for the purpose of representing and advising Members in disputes or grievances with Moderators or other staff. ‘Advocates’ have an additional duty to ‘audit’ Moderators by investigating their moderation record.
2.3.A.1. Technical: ‘Advocates’ shall be empowered to view the forum’s ‘Security Log’ and ‘Reported Posts’. They shall also have access to any and all Moderator-restricted areas.
2.3.B. Advocates may, at the request of Members, accompany them into hearings or mediations with Moderators, and speak on their behalf.
2.3.B.1. It would not be considered normal practice for Members to go into hearings or mediations without representation.
2.3.B.2. Moderators may not demand that Members enter into hearings or mediations without representation.
2.3.B.3. Advocates are expected to represent any and all members who request it, even and especially the unpopular and unlikable.
2.3.B.4. Refusal to Represent: Advocates may, in extreme cases, refuse to represent a member on any grounds (be it personal, ethical, or any other), in which case one of the Owners shall be appointed Acting Advocate for the hearing or mediation.
2.3.B.5. If an Advocate exercises the Refusal to Represent for more than three different individuals, they must resign from their post, triggering an election.
2.3.C. Advocating Code of Conduct: While ‘advocating’ on behalf of Members, Advocates are not expected to act as ‘defence attorneys’, using any means at their disposal to release the Member from any charges. Instead, they shall understand their duty, and attempt to fulfil it, in the following manner:
2.3.C.1. The principal role of the Advocate while advocating is to ensure, as much as possible, that due process is being followed in all Moderation Incidents.
2.3.C.2. In cases where Moderator interpretation is required to come to a judgement, it is the Advocate’s role while advocating to present the best-case benefit of the doubt on behalf of the Member.
2.3.C.3. In clear cases of guilt, the Advocate shall advise the Member they are representing to simply Accept the ruling of the Moderator.
2.3.C.4. The Advocate, while advocating, must in no way attempt to contravene obvious evidence, or otherwise undermine good moderating.
2.3.C.5. The Advocate shall behave in a friendly and supportive manner to the Member they are representing.
2.3.C.6. The Advocate shall behave respectfully and cooperatively towards Moderators.
2.3.C.7. The Advocate shall understand that their role is also a symbol serving the Forum Ethos: that they are a check against arbitrary Moderator authority intended to provide a sense of security in Members’ minds, as a guarantor of due process and fairness.
2.3.D. There shall always be at least one elected Advocate active on the forum at all times, but never more than the number of active Moderators.
2.3.E. Advocates are elected for six month terms in the same manner as Moderators detailed in (§2.2.D), with the following qualifications:
2.3.E.1. Advocates may serve for consecutive terms.
2.3.E.2. ‘Owners’ are not disqualified from serving as Advocates. Indeed, their familiarity with the Forum Code makes them especially suitable for this position. If an Owner wishes to stand for election as an Advocate, however, they must use their ‘posting account’.
2.3.F. Members may select any other Member of any rank to serve as their representative in hearings or mediations with Moderators, in which case they are referred to as ‘Acting Advocate’, but do not carry any additional staff permissions.
2.3.G. ‘Acting Advocates’ have all the rights of the elected Advocate when involved in mediations, but do not have any additional staff permissions.
2.3.H. In addition to their role of representing members in hearings and mediations with Moderators, ‘Advocates’ have the additional duty of ‘auditing’ the operations of Moderators.
2.3.I. ‘Advocates’ are obliged to stay up to date with Moderation decisions and activity on the forum.
2.3.J. ‘Advocates’ have the duty of informing the Owners when they believe that Moderators are engaging in abuses of power or are otherwise failing to perform the function of Moderator, and are empowered to recommend beginning deselection processes against said Moderators.
2.3.K. ‘Advocates’ are to use the following procedure when recommending the deselection of Moderators:
2.3.K.1. The Advocate shall send a group PM (‘private message’) to all Owners detailing their case for why a Moderator ought to be deselected.
2.3.K.1.a. The Advocate is expected to engage only in high-integrity, unbiased argumentation.
2.3.K.2. The Owners and the Advocate shall engage in deliberations within this group PM, until a unanimous decision is reached.
2.3.K.3. The Owners shall then enact either a ‘Summary Deselection’, whereby the Moderator in question is immediately removed from post, or shall refer the matter to the community for a ‘Democratic Deselection’ (see below).
2.3.K.4. This provision should be considered a last-resort.
Commentary: The ‘Advocate’ role is intended to provide Members with some representation in disputes or grievances with Moderators, analogous to a trade union representing one of its members in a workplace dispute with management. We wish to avoid the scenario of having Members facing such circumstances becoming isolated, instead preferring that all have allies or formally recognised representation.
While Members may select any other Member to be their ‘Acting Advocate’, the formally elected Advocate exists as a guard against scenarios whereby Members may not have a friend available to support them.
2.3.A. ‘Advocates’ are Members elected for the purpose of representing and advising Members in disputes or grievances with Moderators or other staff. ‘Advocates’ have an additional duty to ‘audit’ Moderators by investigating their moderation record.
2.3.A.1. Technical: ‘Advocates’ shall be empowered to view the forum’s ‘Security Log’ and ‘Reported Posts’. They shall also have access to any and all Moderator-restricted areas.
2.3.B. Advocates may, at the request of Members, accompany them into hearings or mediations with Moderators, and speak on their behalf.
2.3.B.1. It would not be considered normal practice for Members to go into hearings or mediations without representation.
2.3.B.2. Moderators may not demand that Members enter into hearings or mediations without representation.
2.3.B.3. Advocates are expected to represent any and all members who request it, even and especially the unpopular and unlikable.
2.3.B.4. Refusal to Represent: Advocates may, in extreme cases, refuse to represent a member on any grounds (be it personal, ethical, or any other), in which case one of the Owners shall be appointed Acting Advocate for the hearing or mediation.
2.3.B.5. If an Advocate exercises the Refusal to Represent for more than three different individuals, they must resign from their post, triggering an election.
2.3.C. Advocating Code of Conduct: While ‘advocating’ on behalf of Members, Advocates are not expected to act as ‘defence attorneys’, using any means at their disposal to release the Member from any charges. Instead, they shall understand their duty, and attempt to fulfil it, in the following manner:
2.3.C.1. The principal role of the Advocate while advocating is to ensure, as much as possible, that due process is being followed in all Moderation Incidents.
2.3.C.2. In cases where Moderator interpretation is required to come to a judgement, it is the Advocate’s role while advocating to present the best-case benefit of the doubt on behalf of the Member.
2.3.C.3. In clear cases of guilt, the Advocate shall advise the Member they are representing to simply Accept the ruling of the Moderator.
2.3.C.4. The Advocate, while advocating, must in no way attempt to contravene obvious evidence, or otherwise undermine good moderating.
2.3.C.5. The Advocate shall behave in a friendly and supportive manner to the Member they are representing.
2.3.C.6. The Advocate shall behave respectfully and cooperatively towards Moderators.
2.3.C.7. The Advocate shall understand that their role is also a symbol serving the Forum Ethos: that they are a check against arbitrary Moderator authority intended to provide a sense of security in Members’ minds, as a guarantor of due process and fairness.
2.3.D. There shall always be at least one elected Advocate active on the forum at all times, but never more than the number of active Moderators.
2.3.E. Advocates are elected for six month terms in the same manner as Moderators detailed in (§2.2.D), with the following qualifications:
2.3.E.1. Advocates may serve for consecutive terms.
2.3.E.2. ‘Owners’ are not disqualified from serving as Advocates. Indeed, their familiarity with the Forum Code makes them especially suitable for this position. If an Owner wishes to stand for election as an Advocate, however, they must use their ‘posting account’.
2.3.F. Members may select any other Member of any rank to serve as their representative in hearings or mediations with Moderators, in which case they are referred to as ‘Acting Advocate’, but do not carry any additional staff permissions.
2.3.G. ‘Acting Advocates’ have all the rights of the elected Advocate when involved in mediations, but do not have any additional staff permissions.
2.3.H. In addition to their role of representing members in hearings and mediations with Moderators, ‘Advocates’ have the additional duty of ‘auditing’ the operations of Moderators.
2.3.I. ‘Advocates’ are obliged to stay up to date with Moderation decisions and activity on the forum.
2.3.J. ‘Advocates’ have the duty of informing the Owners when they believe that Moderators are engaging in abuses of power or are otherwise failing to perform the function of Moderator, and are empowered to recommend beginning deselection processes against said Moderators.
2.3.K. ‘Advocates’ are to use the following procedure when recommending the deselection of Moderators:
2.3.K.1. The Advocate shall send a group PM (‘private message’) to all Owners detailing their case for why a Moderator ought to be deselected.
2.3.K.1.a. The Advocate is expected to engage only in high-integrity, unbiased argumentation.
2.3.K.2. The Owners and the Advocate shall engage in deliberations within this group PM, until a unanimous decision is reached.
2.3.K.3. The Owners shall then enact either a ‘Summary Deselection’, whereby the Moderator in question is immediately removed from post, or shall refer the matter to the community for a ‘Democratic Deselection’ (see below).
2.3.K.4. This provision should be considered a last-resort.
Commentary: The ‘Advocate’ role is intended to provide Members with some representation in disputes or grievances with Moderators, analogous to a trade union representing one of its members in a workplace dispute with management. We wish to avoid the scenario of having Members facing such circumstances becoming isolated, instead preferring that all have allies or formally recognised representation.
While Members may select any other Member to be their ‘Acting Advocate’, the formally elected Advocate exists as a guard against scenarios whereby Members may not have a friend available to support them.
How many Advocates are being elected in this Advocate Election?
1.
Okay... good luck! Election begins!
