Why I don't want to be a moderator

[Fizz. 1,078]

GUYS: THE THREAD tl;dr:

 

-Tich says he doesn't want to be a mod to look smart and cool

-Tich becomes a mod because c'mon, you can ban people

-Thread explodes in wuts and lolz

 

Now we can just enjoy Tich's company.

[Zoop 8,384]

To be fair, we wanted Tich before he started this thread. :V

 

To quote what I told Feld0 when I was originally offered the position,

 

Well, let me start by saying that your consideration means a lot to me.

 

... and with that said, I would like to accept. Were this a different community, I would probably turn you down, as I know how much of a pain in the neck such things can be, but my fondness for this place makes me all too willing to accept such a pain in the neck if it can be of any benefit to the community as a whole.

I don't always do a good job of it, and it's probably no great secret that I can get extremely cranky at times, but the only reason I ever accepted the job here was out of appreciation for this forum and and a desire to do whatever I could do possibly aid in its growth. Occasionally I succeed.

 

More to the topic of the thread, however, I agree with a great deal of what has been said here; being in a position of responsibility and so-called power sounds fun until you realize that the position is all about responsibility, and not at all about power.

 

Any moderator that tells you otherwise is doing it wrong, and should be fired immediately.

[Coco Pommel 669]

The one reason that I would decline a promotion to modship is that I would need to frequent said forum in order to keep that position, and I like to have the option to leave forums whenever I want for reasons, such as school work or disliking the forum I'm on.

[Ice Storm 1,020]

I agree with almost everything that has been stated in this topic. I am currently a site owner myself of an RPG site that has been up and running for over 3 years. We are still very small, so it's nothing like running a forum as massive as this.

 

That being said, the fact that my forum is that small, and is still relatively difficult to keep up with says something. There is so much more to being an Admin or a mod than what people think. Yes, it can be fun to say that you "own" you're own site, and I won't lie when I say that I take pride in the fact that I have managed to keep a freely hosted zetaboards site open and running for as said well over three years and actually approaching 4. It's NOT easy because you do have to deal with EVERYTHING that people can come up with.

 

I am thankful, that due to the target audience of my site, I haven't had too many problems with trolls or members that would actually disregard the rules. But the simple fact of having to manage it, and at least for myself, not only having to handle the moderation aspects of it correctly, but also making sure that the additional javascript that I had a friend help me with and tech me enough to be able to keep it flowing, The additional HTML required for anything you want to add to the boards, having to monitor and set everything else in place just so the members of the forums can do what the forum is designed for them to do without having to worry about something going wrong with the site while they are doing it.

 

That being said, of course I haven't always owned my own website. In fact I there were times when I was a regular member myself, and there was at one point that I had also been an RP Moderator for another very large site, that I believe is still quite active to this day, and I'm sure most people heard of, was Dragon Adopters. But the way the RP system itself worked there was clunky, and there were only three of us that had to work through hundreds of different topics making sure everything was in the correct spot and that the members, even friends as some had mentioned, weren't doing things incorrectly. And on a site like DA, it's not always easy and it was the most time consuming thing that I had ever done. Remember when I said that I loved Role'Playing? After I became a mod on DA, I couldn't RP there anymore just because I never had time to. Every time I would log on to RP, I would have at least fifty reports to deal with in the RP section with characters being posting in the wrong spots or threads with improper content in them.

 

And to only further prove how hard things can actually be, one of my best friends, that I had met on a role-play board, had joined and she had immediately started causing issues. I won't go into details of what the issues were, but it got to a point where I had to literally banhammer my best friend from the site. To this day we still haven't spoke since. Yes it is hard sometimes to do what is necessary to keep a forum alive. It's the same reason why I didn't really care when the chat here got closed. One aspect causing issues on the site can eventually, maybe not right away, but eventually will ALWAYS be able to bring a site, no matter how large, to a downfall. I have seen it happen several times, and I will even admit if I had the option to be able to just be a normal member on my site, I would take it. Because being a mod or an admin, requires so much additional time and concentration, that it literally takes all the fun out of participating in forums.

 

In fact, My current RP site isn't my first, and all of them have been amazingly succesful, but I just got so tired of dealing with all the additional hassle that came with dealing with all the mechanics and making sure that everything was set and that the other staff members, or other members in general are doing their jobs, and as an Admin, not only do you have to monitor your Members, but you have to monitor your staff as well to make sure the people you have in staff positions are actually people that should actually be there. Your staff members, as I have found out in the past, can't always be friends, or people that you get along with. Then have to be people that are able to be firm when they need to be, but lax enough to where they can participate like normal members when they don't have to go into Mod-Mode.

 

Other than that, I can't really say anything else that hasn't already been said, but everything is 100% true. There is so much more work involved being the staff of a site, that it can literally make something that's supposed to be entertaining into a nightmare.

[Doctor XFizzle 8,669]

End result: OP becomes mod.

 

DING DING DING DING, we have a winner

 

In other news,

If I have been considered at all or will be, I decline. I am The Doctor, a timelord of the people and for the people. Being a suit would totally harsh the funny, wit, gregarious mellow I hold and embody.

Edited April 12, 2012 by Doctor XFizzle

[Prince Lightning Da Cute 619]

Its a Irony that you just become a Moderator.

[Whiteshade 1,426]

Meh the gist of the thread is "being a mod isn't all fun and games, more to it than just banhammer", and not "I don't like mods don't make me a mod". Thread title could be clearer but meh

 

Therefore the choice of OP as mod is actually the most solid choice possible, especially given he's a former mod, more legit than someone making a "make me a mod" thread (because those totally work)

 

I've seen some pretty bad mods, including one that was a scammer (I ragequit after being... well you can work it out somehow) and another that was turned, I have to admit the favors were awesome but then it just got ridiculous (7000+ bot accounts + rank 1 manipulation + public post on forum by hacker = 1 WEEK ban), and the end result was that the staff looked totally shitty and incompetent.

 

I would make a bad mod myself, not getting into details but.....stuff happened, and there was some...interesting...mail.

 

Basically a mod should be, in my opinion:

- Selfless

- Neutral <- THIS IS IMPORTANT

- Bit bland (always gave me the impression mods were on a tighter leash on what they could post, lead by example and all that)

- Popular/respected, which is way harder due to the above 3

[Java Jive 440]

Not going to add to the usual "And now he's a mod" posts. You became one by displaying the right mindset and attitude over a longer timespan and this thread probably gave the final nudge. I can respect that. Anyone who uses that position to powertrip for example doesnt have the forum (and it's members) at heart, the dedication to help keeping the place enjoyable for all and clean.

 

Rule of thumb (or hoof?), in general, never, ever ask for it. It seriously damages the opinion of what others have about your intentions. When you receive an invitation and when that happens you take it or leave it, its a sign of trust, that they think you can hold the responsibility. If you just want it to have some sort of power over others, you really dont belong among the staff, or here on the forum at all.

 

About being isolated when being a moderator, i've sadly seen this occur too many times in chat aswell. Why does this happen? As a regular member you have absolutely nothing to fear from a moderator if you stay yourself, and dont give him/her a reason to treat you any differently. In the end, moderators are members who just have an extra chore on the side. Years back i moderated a small section of a clan/guild forum that had about 175+ actual clanmembers and a few hundred regulars and was a server administrator for a limited time, enforcing rules, that was already quite chaotic, repetitive and tiring. I didn't exactly experience the best of what people had to offer. I'll keep it at that. However, this forum is ofcourse a totally different enviroment. But i know where you're coming from.

 

Even though you are moderating the place infront of your computer in your safe, personal space, whatever drags you into a heated discussion can still get very personal to you. As a moderator, you tend to deal with such issues more than the regular members and as a result receive the grudges from those who think you took a side or were too strict on them.

 

But i have to admit. If you concider the total membercount of about 2800 in comparison to how many are actually on the staff at the moment, 11, this place is quite calm and peaceful. I think both the community here and the moderators are quite respectable.

[RDashFan85 46]

The reason why I wouldn't be a moderator is because I'd be the easier going one. Not to strict and let more things slide. And other than that I simply don't have time to be a mod either. I'm busy doing other stuff and I'm not 100% active as I like to be so I would be a very fail moderator of any forum.

[Finesthour 7,287]

I don't want to be a moderator because I am protective of my family (you guys), and I get pissed off extremely easy.

 

If someone tried to badmouth a member of my family, I would fully use my powers to hurt the person.

 

I am way too protective and immature.

 

I don't think I could ever be a good moderator, really .-.

[Nah 3,182]

This reminds me a bit of the CEO of Goldman Sachs with his letter "Why I don't want to be with Goldman Sachs anymore" I understand your departure, Mods, after all is despised by the internet, no offense to our wonderful mods here, but mods always get the blame for stuff.

[Zero000 435]

While time may not seem to be an issue, there is more. In my own experience I have found that members treat moderators different;y. they tend to tiptoe around them more out of fear of being warned or banned. And while some may like this feeling, it really is not something I would like happening to me. It's not always positive.

 

Being an administrator on several Minecraft servers and a Reddit forum, I can truly understand that it takes much responsibility to wear a shiny badge. It isn't a nice feeling to be looked upon with authority. However, it's a good feeling that your taking care of the community.

 

I think that more people will understand from this topic now that it's not about the colored username. I'm glad to see that the staff are looking upon new moderators very carefully.

[TwiForLife 87]

Not gonna lie, it'll be pretty cool to be a mod. I hope I can be one on some site someday, but I'm not sure if I'll ever have the time.

[The Awesome One 1,315]

I know plenty of people who actually think being a moderator is like being royalty.One of the first things people like that do when they come on a forum is ask: ''HAI HOW DO I BECOME A MODERATOR??!!!''.I've done my fair share of moderation on another small forum and let me tell you it isn't fun and games AT ALL.It does make you less involved in the community as stated before and it also makes people fear you,fear you the way Luna was on Nightmare night.

[Ninja Derpy 343]

Call me an a**, but I like seeing people get punished for crimes. I wouldn't make a good mod though, because I am sorta 12...

[Swordfishtrombone 384]

So? Some of the most mature and well-informed people I've ever met have been in that age range. Which is a bad sad in hindsight really...

[Fox 5,330]

It's funny now, because Tich is a mod now!

[Rainbow Sparkle 70]

I would actually like at some point to be a moderator for at least forum, even if its only for a bit, if for no other reason then to get the experience of being one.

 

Of course, another reason for this is because I've been on forums where I wish some users could be given just a teeny, tiny bit of mod-power to do something when someone is acting up. I've seen cases where it took a mod several days to actually get around to doing anything about a situation going on in a thread, and the mod had been on several times chatting in one of the other threads. And seeing that has always annoyed me.

[Evilshy 5,090]

Call me an a**, but I like seeing people get punished for crimes. I wouldn't make a good mod though, because I am sorta 12...

 

Only sort of?

[Harebrained 39]

I moderate my boyfriend's gaming stream chat, and used to moderate a furry forum. I think on an MLP forum like this things might be fairly calm, but my experience has been a little grating.

 

When my boy was part of a charity streaming event, some people came into the chat and started spamming inappropriate links and just generally being lewd and disruptive. It's not too uncommon to find people who think ruining the chat for everyone is funny. I'll be the last person to say mischief isn't wonderful, but sometimes I'm not sure if the perpetrator is an 11-year-old who just discovered the word "dicks" or not. When people show up looking to troll or otherwise be a tawdry little deviant, it's the moderator's job to clean up - and sometimes there can be quite a few of them.

 

On the forum, we had a very loose set of rules and it was mostly self-governing except for when it came to things like genuine harassment, underage porn, etc. Most anything went, and if you didn't like how someone was talking to you then the suggestion was to block them or simply stop participating in discussion with them. However, one guy would send in maybe dozen or more reports a week every time someone so much as called him an idiot. He wildly derailed over 30 threads in the time I was on staff, and our moderator team of 3-4 had to wade through his weekly deluge of reports to get to what could potentially be real problems (we did have a few).

 

I've also known people to take issues with moderators and complain about favoritism, bias, etc. It's enjoyable enough if you really like working for your community, I guess, but it's not a power position or anything (at least not off of sites that have a horrible reputation for their crazy moderation).

Edited April 24, 2012 by Harebrained

[Viscra Maelstrom 3,718]

i know i am extreeeeemleeeeeey laaaaate to this bandwagon, but

 

 

no tich, YOU are the staff

and then tich was a moderator

[Rainbow Sparkle 70]

You know, I can say one thing thing that mods here don't have to worry about with me.

 

If I disgree with you, just because your a mod doesn't mean I'll hold it back. I'll tell you whats on my mind, though I may (or may not) be slightly more tactful in said telling in the case of a mod (don't wanna tick the mod off after all )

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

I've shared my thoughts on this already, and my stance still stands.

 

The only way I'd be a moderator is if there was a serious need for me, like there was a shortage of volunteers.

If I were asked to be a moderator I'd feel inclined to be one, but until I am needed I'd rather just be a member!

[Parties like Pinkie 385]

I tend, when I join a community, no matter what community it is, not to work at becoming a moderator, but to just spend time with the community. I've had a couple communities where I've been asked to become a moderator, and I've accepted based on my relations with everyone in the community. If I'm really not completely and totally active, and just usually do my own thing, I'll accept, but on communities like this one, where I'm extremely active, both in posting and in talking with other members, I would decline. Sure, I'd like to do my part to help out on any community, but my moral standards are to my friends and family first and foremost, and If taking up a moderator position means I spend less time with them than I would normally do, I would rather not.

[NavelColt 22,880]

Having had a mod and or admin position of three Sonic forums in the past four years, I can completely understand the pull, but then dissatisfaction with becoming staff. There is a ton of responsibility, and on top of that, on a place THIS active I'm, sure it's hectic. That said, I naturally love being able to help others, and have developed my own personal enjoyment in being staff on forums *shrug*. But I wouldn't know how it is with a place this active, so I can't really compare fully.

Edited May 7, 2012 by ~Chaotic Discord~