In unmoderated newsgroups, the local news server software normally
    makes messages posted to the newsgroup available for reading soon
    after they are posted, and the messages then spread to other news
    servers over the next few days.

    In a moderated newsgroup, the local news server software
    will automatically e-mail the message to a moderation address,
    where a moderator acts as a gatekeeper, posting to the newsgroup
    only those messages which the moderator allows to be posted.

    The basis of moderation is the consent of the users of the group,
    in Usenet, by the vote on the charter and moderator(s).

    In the 8 Usenet news hierarchies (comp, rec, soc, sci, misc, news,
    talk, & humanities) a moderated newsgroup is created by the same
    RFD/CFV (RFD: Request for Discussion, CFV: Call for Votes)
    process used to create or modify other newsgroups, with the
    difference that the RFD and CFV will include language specifying
    moderator(s) and moderation policy.  (See the Guidelines)

    Non-Usenet news hierarchies (alt.*, <national>.*, <local>.*)
    may have other rules (or no rules) for group creation and change.
    Look in their groups - usually *.config or *.general - for FAQs.

    All moderated groups are generally handled in the same way by
    local news server software, regardless of their news hierarchy.

    Moderation is usually proposed for a newsgroup to:

        decrease the volume of off-topic posts and/or cross-posted threads

        increase the significant on-topic content of posts

    and thus increase the "signal-to-noise" (S/N) ratio for the group.
    For a more detailed discussion of these issues, see:

        Newsgroups: news.lists,news.groups,news.answers
        Subject: List of Moderators for Usenet

    There are 280+ moderated groups in the 8 Usenet hierarchies,
    mostly in comp., soc., sci., and rec.; and about 80+ in alt.*.

    Some parallel models for moderation are:

        a refereed scientific journal

        a publication with a small subscriber base and an unpaid editor

        a restaurant with a polite but determined doorman

    Note that while the moderator controls the day-to-day content
    of a single medium - newsgroup, mailing list, journal, etc. -
    the moderator does not control the entire topic area.

    For instance, the readers could migrate to a related newsgroup
    or mailing list, and discuss the topic area there.

    Also note that when we say the moderator "approves" a message,
    we just mean that the moderator allows the message to be posted
    to the moderated newsgroup, and not that the moderator agrees
    (or disagrees) with the content of the message, or the position
    of the poster on any issue, and so forth.

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