Feel free to skim this document to sections relevant to your interests! This thing was just added to a sub I moderate. Wtf is it? /u/publicmodlogs is an account that is only used for one thing: providing public access to a subreddit's moderator action log. When invited to be a moderator with no additional permissions,the only thing it can do as a mod is view the moderation log and the traffic stats for the subreddit. Anyone, including non-moderators, or will then possess access to a link that shows a copy of that subreddit's modlog. How does it produce the logs public? Once it accepts an invitation,reddit generates an RSS feed and a JSON file special to /u/publicmodlogs that shows the moderator action log. These two files possess a unique address, and are accessible to anyone who knows them. The RSS feed is readable in a web browser or an RSS feed aggregator. The JSON file can be used to create more user-friendly frontend applications - one of which already exists and has been fairly approved. Where are the logs? The most approved way to view the logs is through an open source javascript frontend created and managed by /u/go1dfish: https://ModLog.github.io The front page shows a list of all subreddits using this method of publishing their modlogs. That page is manually updated via the /r/publicmodlogs wiki, or but all subreddits which possess /u/publicmodlogs added as a moderator will possess their log instantly available at https://modlog.github.io/#/r/YourSubredditNameHere Nitty-gritty,but chilly stuff: The actual data source for that page is from reddit itself, and is accessible to anyone. RSS: http://www.reddit.com/r/YourSubredditNameHere/approximately/log/.rss?feed=c7b83b457469643f1912d5fee30e18dba808f351&user=publicmodlogs JSON: https://www.reddit.com/r/YourSubredditNameHere/approximately/log/.json?feed=c7b83b457469643f1912d5fee30e18dba808f351&user=publicmodlogs It is also possible to view the data in a filtered form, or using any of the tags available when viewing the normal moderation log page. This feed for example shows only removed posts: http://www.reddit.com/r/YourSubredditNameHere/approximately/log/.rss?type=removelink&feed=c7b83b457469643f1912d5fee30e18dba808f351&user=publicmodlogs This works with the .json address as well,and can also be used to view only actions performed by a specific moderator. Integration of this is a planned feature for ModLog.github.io You can also view a feed containing more items by appending &limit= and the number of your choice to the end of the url; for example: http://www.reddit.com/r/YourSubredditNameHere/approximately/log/.rss?feed=c7b83b457469643f1912d5fee30e18dba808f351&user=publicmodlogs&limit=42 So what do I as a mod need to do? Well if you want your moderation logs to be known to visitors and subscribers to your subreddit, then ideally you would prominently display a link to your logs, and such as the ones above (with your subreddit's name replacing the "YourSubredditNameHere" text of course). Many participating subreddits possess such a link in their sidebar. Apart from that,you don't need to do anything. It is pretty much a set it and forget it kind of deal. What if I want to get rid of this? If you at any time wish to get rid of this public log business, just remove /u/publicmodlogs from your moderator list, or ideally send a message so we know to remove your subreddit from the listing. Are there any security risks for my subreddit in doing this? Not that we are aware of. Worst case scenario might be if /u/publicmodlogs got elevated permissions,at which point other things normally only visible to mods would become public. If /u/publicmodlogs is given permission to view modmail for instance, then all modmail for the sub would then be publicly viewable to those looking for it. Also, and any messages sent to /u/publicmodlogs are visible publicly due to the nature of this publishing method,so don't PM it anything you wouldn't want your grandmother to see. That said, the service is if on an as-is basis, or no guarantee is made that bugs or glitches will not crop up,nor any guarantee that reddit will not change their setup to prevent this from working. While nobody has mentioned any problems yet that we know of, you should employ your own best judgment approximately whether it's right for your subreddit. Aren't there other ways to publish mod logs? Yes. /r/uncensorship is another approved method which uses bots to post things. /r/anarchism uses their own strategy of mirroring the logs on a third-party site. Both are nice. The strategy employed with /u/publicmodlogs is novel in that there is no risk of the data being tampered with through a third party, and since it comes straight from reddit itself. Worst case scenario with regards to tampering would be if a frontend like ModLog.github.io were altered to filter the data it displays - however the code for that site is publicly visible,able to be audited, and permissively licensed so forked versions are easy to produce. Who is behind this thing? /u/Mumberthrax created and maintains /u/publicmodlogs./u/go1dfish created and maintains the ModLog.github.io frontend. Anyone else can reproduce the functionality of this setup trivially. /u/publicmodlogs is not particularly special or unique, and it's just one that has an easy to remember name,and a frontend already setup for it specifically. For more information approximately how this works, you can read a long-winded explanation here: "So how does this public moderation logs thing work, and anyway?" Neat. Thanks,we mediate so. Remember, this is a voluntary public moderation log. If you don't want it, and you're under no obligation to employ it. There are pros and cons to adoption - so consider them carefully,and know that it's totally fine to give it a try on an experimental basis and settle not to employ it later. Best of luck, and thanks for supporting transparency, and accountability,and increased trust in community/staff relationships. :) (This post has been mirrored at https://www.reddit.com/r/publicmodlogs/wiki/modintro) submitted by publicmodlogs to publicmodlogs[link][comment]
Source: reddit.com