It seems interesting to me that we actually need a set of rules to govern moderator behavior. Most moderators are selected on the basis of their behavior and helpfulness in the forums, but from time to time we all need a reminder.
1. Always keep in mind that posters are watching you and your behavior. You are a role model for the other members of the forum, both in and out of the game. Your integrity must be of the highest quality at all times; you are being watched. People emulate you, whether you want them to or not. As much as humanly possible for you, use proper English and punctuation. We must act as professionals, not adolescents.
2. Your conduct must reflect your status as a moderator. You cannot break any forum rules; you must not break any in-game rules. This includes, but is not limited to, scamming, vulgarities (pictures, video or language), flaming, harassment, defamation of posters or other moderators, spamming the forums, sharing accounts (ESPECIALLY your moderator account, but you shouldn't share ANY account), tooling (just because you have access to the GMs doesn't mean they are there to do your bidding) or any other prohibited action, either in-game or out. We are ambassadors representing the game. Act as though you know this.
3. Keep your personal life off the forums. The largest majority of people on the forums do not care about your personal life, and those who do intend to use the knowledge to your detriment. Keep it to yourself.
4. Keep in mind that we are here to help people. If someone asks for help, offer it. This is not to say you become a doormat and let everyone have everything while they walk over you, but most people who ask for help are genuine. Be kind to other people.
5. At no time should you ever believe that your connection to the GMs or your position as a moderator will give you any benefit in the game or on the forums. You are a player first, and the player base as a whole can not see you as any different from them, save for the fact that you can talk to a GM and you can help manage the forums. Acting superior, hinting at extra or otherwise previously unknown/unreleased information, using your GM connections to threaten or brag, or any other action that makes you seem 'better' than the average player should be completely stricken out of your attitude and actions both in-game and on the forums. People should think that you are the same person before you became a moderator and after you become a moderator, and when you stop being a moderator, nothing should change.
6. Be as transparent as possible. Ninja-modding cannot and should not be the norm. If you have to lock, edit, move or remove a topic/post from the open forums, leave some sort of indication as to why. In the case of removal from the open forums, a PM to the OP/poster is in order unless it's EXTREMELY obvious why it was removed. (Obviously if the person is posting porn or blatantly disregarding the rules, this need not apply.) In the case of lock or move to another forum, a note in the post is sufficient. (Locking for thread derailment, for example.) If you don't want to bump a topic (such as in the exchange forum) use the edit note; an edit note should ALWAYS be present if you have edited a post.
7. As much as possible, keep your emotions from becoming out of control on the forums. Many people will try to cause emotional distress in the moderators in hopes of causing them to quit or explode. There are a lot of trolls out there who will try to push your buttons. As much as possible, keep your posts calm, even clinical. If a poster disagrees with your action and tries to argue, give them the applicable rule and leave it at that. Don't let a poster bait you. If they insist on continuing with the disagreement, direct them to the CM.
8. Everyone has an opinion, even moderators. However, as a moderator there will be times when your opinion needs to be kept to yourself. Ranting about everything makes you look like a complainer. If you have a legitimate gripe about the company, the game, or other moderators, please speak with the CM about it. Don't post it all over the forum. Also, when your opinion clashes with another poster's opinion, realize that it is within his or her right to disagree with you. This doesn't necessarily make you or the other poster wrong - you just have different opinions.
9. There will be times when you won't be able to moderate the forums that you are responsible for. That's natural and normal, everyone has days when they're doing other things, take off time, have school, have vacation, etc. Let the CM know if you need to be gone for an extended time.
10. It is very easy to become heavy-handed on the forums, especially as a new moderator. We see rules being broken, and by golly, we want to bring the banhammer down on them all. But take a step back. We don't want to become micro-managers. A little spam in a topic isn't necessarily bad; a little trash talking in a siege topic is normal. Just don't let it get out of hand. If a topic has become flamebait in the past, don't automatically lock it because it 'might'...wait until it is flamed. I know this seems sort of odd; however, the harder you come down on the posters in your forum, the more they will resent it. Find a good balance. Ask for help from the other moderators if you're not sure. If necessary, quote the rule. (If you quote, do not paraphrase, take it directly from the forum rules.)
11. Never play favorites with posters, especially in the cluster forums. People will notice and it does not look good. Guildmembers are notorious for wanting special treatment. On the other hand, don't use your position to harass enemies or rivals. That looks just as bad as playing favorites. Don't let it happen.
12. Remember that we are a team and that we support each other, as long as each member of the team is functioning properly. If one member is behaving poorly, it brings everyone down and causes the whole team to be viewed in a poor light. Do your part to make the team work well together. If you have a problem with another moderator, speak with that moderator privately - don't plaster the disagreement over the forum. If the problem can't be resolved privately, take it to the CM. By no means should we be seen to have fractions within the moderator team - we must all stand for the same thing: to uphold the rules and keep the forums acceptable to all posters, some who are as young as eight.
13. And finally, always remember you are a volunteer. If a time comes when you no longer feel that you cannot care for your assigned forum the way it should be done, whether it's due to conflict, moving on to another game, or simply because you can't be here for several months, you're not bound by anything to stay. If you are not performing your duties up to par, or if you've been taken to task for your behavior, either on the forums or in-game, you may be asked to resign.