Sticky threads management

[Floris]

A few questions regarding the sticky threads feature that forums have:

1. Do you only allow staff sticky threads, or do you recognize good informative content by users and sticky that as well?
2. Do you allow any sticky threads in any non-website forums (such as an offtopic board, rather than the announcement board)
3. Do you allow more than a couple of sticky threads in a board, or do you stick (no pun intended) to just one
4. Can your moderators just create new sticky threads, edit existing ones, or even unsticky them as they like. Or do you have any policies for this?
5. If you do use sticky threads, do you split them from normal threads, give them a different color, or do you (such as xenforo software does) just let it be as it is, so users don't "learn" to just auto-skip them?

Personally I have no problem with the moderators using common sense and sticky/unsticking good informative content, as long as the sticky list doesn't go beyond say .. 3 max, and any legal information obviously has to be run through the site owner. I don't mind splitting them off from the normal threads, beyond the pin on the right, but I agree that a color isn't needed to show the difference.

Looking forward hearing from some community admins and moderators.

Bonus question
If anybody has any guidelines or policies for their moderators, or could suggest some, please feel free to share them, this way everybody benefits. PLeasE?

 

[Vincent_imported]

1. My staff is allowed to do it. If a user posts something useful (e.g. A good tutorial) my mods are allowed to sticky it.
2. Nope, there are not supposed to be any there. Off-Topic Rules maybe, but that's it.
3. Max 2-3
4. They can do whatever they like with it, my Mods know what they're doing.
5. I give them a color, it can be annoying else

 

[Stormraven]

1. I give staff the ability to sticky threads, I also sticky good resources / information that is posted by the community, in my opinion it gives the site a more in-formal feel and gives the members of the community the opportunity to share some valuable information with the rest of the community.

2. I have stickied a few in the off topic forum a few times, mostly fun threads that people enjoy contributing to on a very regular basis, for example a 'what are you currently listening to' thread, yet again it makes the site less formal.

3. If I consider threads important enough to sticky, I will stick them, the number of stickies per thread doesn't bother me, but I don't go over the top

4. I have had moderators turn on me big time in the past, so I am quite careful now, I do allow members the option to create new stickies and stick threads created by others, but since the problems in the past I keep a vigilant eye on what they get up to.

5. I like to split them from normal threads. I'm sure they have both the same outcome of being noticed but in my honest option I just think it looks nicer, and tidier if they are separated.

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With regards to the bonus question, I have staff forums on my site as I'm sure you do too Floris, but I have written some small policies for moderators. Your welcome to use them if you want or adapt them:

These policies are for my 'moderation' forum:

This forum is for threads that contain illegal information, or any other questionable content that needs to be moved out of the public eye. When moving a thread please leave a re-direct to let people know where the message has been moved to, even though they can't access this area. If your not sure whether to move a thread or not, please contact me via PM.

Please only move threads here that are either illegal or contain inappropriate content. If it's simply swearing, please warn the member by PM and close the thread in question.

 

[Floris]

Wow, what a great write out Thanks for sharing.

 

[Stormraven]

Your welcome. if you think thats a good write out you should see my forum rules haha.

 

[Mikey]

my sticky threads on my forum (not xf) have a little marker next to them, "important".

This marker also appears in the new posts search, so if a sticky thread has been updated, it shows the user in the new posts screen..