M1 and M2 are Slashdot shorthand for "moderation" and "metamoderation," respectively. We also use these with suffixes For example, if you see the term "M2ed," it means "metamoderated." Likewise, the term "M1er" means "Moderator."

Answered by:Loon
Last Modified: 6/12/00

What is metamoderation?

Metamoderation is a second layer of moderation. It seeks to address the issue of unfair moderators by letting "metamoderators" (any logged-in Slashdotter) "rate the rating" of ten randomly selected comment posts. The metamoderator decides if the moderator's rating was fair, unfair, or neither.

Answered by: Loon
Last Modified: 6/12/00

Why was metamoderation started?

Metamoderation began as an experiment to see if the primary moderation system (M1) was actually working. Now, it helps us to remove bad moderators from the M1 eligibility pool and reward good moderators with more delicious mod points.

Answered by: Loon
Last Modified: 5/21/03

Who can M2?

In order to be a metamoderator, your account has to be one of the oldest 92.5% of accounts on the system. This means that once you've created your account, you'll have to wait for several months, depending on the rate at which new accounts are being created.

Answered by: Jamie
Last Modified: 6/10/03

How can I metamoderate?

If you're eligible, and you're logged in, you can meta-moderate. You should see a link at the top of the main page that says "Have you Meta Moderated Recently?" Click that link, and you should be taken to the M2 page.

Answered by: Jamie
Last Modified: 5/21/03

How often can I M2?

Several times per day (we adjust this slightly sometimes, to keep M1 and M2 in balance).

Answered by: Jamie
Last Modified: 5/21/03

How does M2 affect the moderator's karma?

(We realize that's not much of an answer. If you're really, really interested, read the code.)

Answered by: Loon
Last Modified: 6/12/00

How often do moderations appear for M2?

Five times when the system is humming smoothly, which it usually is. If we get more M1 or more M2 than normal, which happens rarely, we might temporarily go to three or seven.

Answered by: Jamie
Last Modified: 5/21/03

Why are there duplicate comments?

Remember, M2 rates the moderations, not the comments. If the same comment was moderated more than once, it may appear several times to a meta-moderator in order to rate the different moderations that have been applied to it.

Answered by: Loon
Last Modified: 6/12/00

Why isn't there a link to M2 on my index.pl?

For starters, you have to be logged in, and you have to have spent some time on the site (months) to really get what it's all about, first -- see above. Your karma must be Neutral or better. And if you unchecked the Willing To Moderate checkbox, we also assume you're not willing to M2.

Answered by: Jamie
Last Modified: 5/21/03

How should I M2 if the moderator called it "Insightful" and I think it should be "Informative"?

This comes under the general category of "don't sweat the small stuff." "Interesting" and "Insightful" will have the same effect on the comment, and the difference between the two is basically just a judgment call. Rate the moderation "Fair," and move on.

Answered by: Loon
Last Modified: 6/12/00

Can I post to stories I'm M2ing?

Yes. The posting restriction only applies to M1.

Answered by: CmdrTaco
Last Modified: 6/12/00

Does M2 affect my karma?