Sure, I myself moderate around 50,000 people on Reddit myself, I'll give it a shot. Guidelines: They should be strict enough to not allow users to do whatever the fuck they want, but light enough the subreddit can still remain relevant. Conditions: It varies from sub to sub. On one with say just pictures unless it absolutely terrible I think it could pass but on one with news/etc anything against the rules should not be present. Characteristics: One that lays down the law and lets others know what he wants, but does it according to the rules and is fair with it, flexible. Decisions: It should, in my opinion, be the person who made the sub or took it over from the creator (exceptions are valid in crazy circumstances). Just my take on things
I think it was a bad decision, and here's why. IMHO, a community isn't a library that requires strict categorization. And even in a library, you have books that focus on a subject but also discuss ancillary topics. A community is about sharing and growing and learning and having fun and being responsible and, overall, just acting as the social human beings we are. When you build a particular product, you don’t want anything impure in it as it will reduce the strength, effectiveness, longevity, etc. of the item. But a community isn’t a product. The community was getting value from the story. That was obvious by many factors. Following such strict rules only reduces the value and cohesiveness of the community (especially as those who gained value are alienated and, thus, leave).