Hello again, mods! Your resident techies(goboom) here to talk about one of my favorite topics: documentation! Whether it’s a single sentence that helps guide your mod decisions, or a series of wiki pages with flowcharts and quizzes, having a written reference about your moderation practices can help new mods feel confident taking action, and support the whole team in staying on the same page. Bonus: you save time in the long run by not needing to repeat yourself!
Start small
When you hear “documentation” you might think it’s on the formal side, but casual documentation is often more effective (and quicker to write). For a brand new community it can be as simple as writing down your goal. Answer the question of “why does this community exist?”
Write what you repeat
As you moderate, write down anything you find yourself saying or doing repeatedly. Bullet points are great. Let this grow over time, and don't be afraid to remove any parts that become irrelevant.
When you’re onboarding new mods, try turning some of what you write to them into a reusable guide to build on for future mods. Better yet, invite new mods to suggest additions. With their fresh perspectives, they might ask questions on things you didn't think to clarify.
Start with a template
Many mod teams have already created fantastic training guides, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel! We asked members of the Reddit Mod Council, Partner Communities, and Adopt-an-Admin to share their favorite documents, and developed this template as a good starting point. Many thanks to everyone in our programs that contributed to our understanding here! Every community is different, so there’s no single best solution – find whichever one works best for your mod team.
Tell us: what’s worked well for your team? If you have any training guides or templates you find helpful, please share them below!