When you hear ''Moderator'', or ''Administrator'', you're thinking...

[The Source]

@ Jae - I was not referencing what happened to the religious threads. I had forgotten all about them. Making an assumption like that is nieve. I forgive to forget. I drew my conclusion based upon a vast experience with moderators. I didn't just choose one specific event.

 

After looking at the names in this thread, I am going to wait until a non-moderator expresses their views. I respect what the moderators have said, but I would like to hear what outsiders think.

 

We live in a world as of lately where no one questions authority. I think this can become an opportunity, which the moderators and forumites can converse about possible misconceptions or set precognitions.

[igyman]

I have been following this discussion and I have to say that I agree with the mods in this case. Yes, there are mods out there who don't do their job properly, mods who abuse their position, but that's why the admins exist. They take care of the troublemaking moderators.

 

Rules are necessary. They shouldn't be strict, but they should exist. Penalties should be formed based on the severity of the problem. You shouldn't ban someone because he posts one spam, you should warn him about it. If it happens again, warn and/or delete the post, but if it turns out to be a pattern, then that person shouldn't be in that community (I'm mentioning spamming, because my friend and I are currently in a small disagreement on how it should be handled. Basically, his position is: one warning and after that a ban, mine is two warnings and after that we'll see, possibly a ban).

The mods are right in that you can't please everyone and that you should try to focus on the majority.

 

Personally, I wouldn't have stuck around in these forums for more than a year, if I thought this community was a bad one and part of why things are like that is because the mods here know how to do their jobs, which is yet another reason why I decided to start this topic on this forum - I knew we could talk about it reasonably and I knew I could learn something useful through that discussion.

[Hannibal]

If I were in a moderator position, I would close the thread regardless about the poster's civility. Closing a thread of a questionable nature does not offend anyone.

 

If a post is civil and doesn't break any forum rules there is no reason to close it.

Non offensive threads can get closed because of flaming.

 

Closing any thread often offends at least one person. People often complain "Why was my <blank> thread close and so and so's <blank> thread is still open. Then you have to explain the diffrence.

 

Nobody is ever happy getting their post closed. I wouldn't be. But no mods can see the future there is no telling where a thread can go. Threads can start out talking about KOTOR and end up a flame battle about democrats and republicans. You never know.

 

Making an assumption like that is nieve

So making an assumption about what someone is talking about or is going to talk about is naive()? Isn't that what you said you would do if a thread opened that you deemed questionable and you were a mod?

[Det. Bart Lasiter]

Tyranny.

[Jeff]

Tyranny.

Me too.

[Jae Onasi]

(I'm mentioning spamming, because my friend and I are currently in a small disagreement on how it should be handled. Basically, his position is: one warning and after that a ban, mine is two warnings and after that we'll see, possibly a ban).

 

We do 1 public warning, 1 final warning by PM, and then a ban. I wouldn't do it after 1 single spam post, though--we've all posted the occasional off-topic or spammy post.

 

You have to give someone the opportunity to learn from a mistake and get accustomed to the conventions of your forum, and it may take once or twice for someone to adjust. Most people breaking the rules do a fine job of it and it's so obvious what needs to be done that you can't miss it.

[Emperor Devon]

Usually I think "That's my nemesis!" And marvel at the fact that I've not been banned.

 

I do respect both individuals and their abilities, but I don't like anyone who I have been friends with gain power. Nothing can kill a friendship more than getting heat from someone you built a relationship with. After they became moderators, I stopped sending them private messages. Once a friend becomes a moderator, I believe it is only a matter of time when they turn on you.

 

I disagree completely. Most everyone else has already gone on about this, so I'll just speak from personal experience.

 

Being a moderator in no way warps the personality of the person promoted into a soulless, backstabbing misanthrope concerned only with upholding the rules (usually they're like that to begin with anyway ). Most mods I know I can act completely casually with - regardless of their stations, I still can (and still do) get into length religious debates with, swap dirty jokes, ask how life is going, babble with about webcomics and D&D, express my rivalry towards in a custom title...

 

If it makes a difference with how someone acts, I have yet to see any - tk's gone from mod to member and back to mod again, and acts the same as ever. Jae's been one for several months now, and hasn't seemed any different. Unless you act like an ass to people or break the rules, you don't have anything to fret over. Pretty much all that changes is a bolded username and occasional "this thread is closed because so-and-so" posts. Most of the mod business is handled where we can't see it.

[Hallucination]

When I think of mods I think of old vampires eating babies and microwaving cats.

[RedHawke]

Unless you act like an ass to people or break the rules, you don't have anything to fret over. Pretty much all that changes is a bolded username and occasional "this thread is closed because so-and-so" posts. Most of the mod business is handled where we can't see it.

Words of wisdom Dev, words of wisdom.

 

When I think of mods I think of old vampires eating babies and microwaving cats.

But don't vampires drink blood?

[Sabretooth]

Heh, moderators are different from forum to forum. Some are lenient, some are tough. The trick is to settle into a forum just right, so that you don't get left out. I recall a clan forum I joined and I entered a discussion with the line "Let me introduce myself" and then went on with my post. The moderator read that first line and deleted that post, because there was another forum dedicated to new members. See, so it's just how you fit in that matters.

 

As for my views on them, I believe they are fairly strict, like cops. They know when things go awry and know how to keep the fun, and throw the spam. I like the mods of LF. They're the sort of people who are absolutely neutral, but you know are human beings inside. (I hope.)

[Shem]

The word moderator reminds me of what I do on two different sites and I tell you sometimes it can be draining dealing with trolls. Coming here is nice because I don't have to worry about extra duties and I can just be a citizen.

[Hallucination]

But don't vampires drink blood?

Babies are a crunchy way to get blood (even vampires need variety in their diet), and if you make fresh lime/lemon juice you may know that microwaving the fruit before cutting it makes it easier to juice, so vampires do it when they juice cats for blood.

[Jae Onasi]

@ Jae - I was not referencing what happened to the religious threads. I had forgotten all about them. Making an assumption like that is nieve. I forgive to forget. I drew my conclusion based upon a vast experience with moderators. I didn't just choose one specific event.

 

You'll have to forgive my moment(s) of naivete then. If you could direct us to the threads that disturb you so that we may fix the problem, that would be most appreciated.

 

I also have to say that I'm a bit hurt that you think that now that I have a title that is entirely meaningless outside of this tiny spot on the internet, I'd 'turn on you.' I honor our friendship much more than that.

[igyman]

You have to give someone the opportunity to learn from a mistake and get accustomed to the conventions of your forum, and it may take once or twice for someone to adjust.

Precisely. That's why, back when we wrote the rules, I suggested penalties similar to the ones on this forum - I consider this place a good example of what forums should be like.

Now, when discussing penalties, I have two questions:

1) When someone repeatedly double posts (not counting CEC, where fic authors are allowed to do it), do you take any action more severe than warning the offender and merging his posts?

2) Is there an offense here, not specified in the rules, that will earn the offender an automatic ban (I'm asking because my friend and I agreed that when someone insults another member on a racial, or religious basis, he gets banned with no warning)?

[Jae Onasi]

Links to porn or obvious illegal activities, and extreme flaming will earn an automatic ban.

 

Flaming earns a warning and/or a temp-ban depending on how bad it is. That's one of those things that will end up being a judgment call on your part.

 

I usually pm someone who repeatedly double-posts to tell them exactly how to edit their post. Most everyone quits double-posting after that. Those that continue double-posting and disregarding the instructions usually are also spammers and the double-posting is the least of their problems.

[stingerhs]

why do i get this warm, fuzzy feeling that i'm in some way being targeted here?? >_>

 

anyways, i don't see any point in trying to argue that us moderators are power-hungry-megalomaniacs. its not that far from the truth. we're here to provide you folks with an atmosphere that you can be welcome to post you're thoughts without having to wade chest-deep through spam, flaming, or otherwise incoherent nonsense just to find a good discussion.

 

and don't forget that we like to join in the discussions as well. its not because we have an agenda. we're people, and we have our opinions, too. keeping us at arms length is more or less your own private issue than anything else, IMHO.

 

anyways, that's my two pennies on this thread.

[Det. Bart Lasiter]

Links to porn or obvious illegal activities, and extreme flaming will earn an automatic ban.

since slavery is illegal do i get banned if i own someone

 

o snap

[JediMasterJambi]

I've played a few Browser-Based MMORPG's where I've been in control of a lot of forums, Shadow Ops, Modern War Generals, Final Destruction. I've also been the Leader of a WoW guild named Grim, and I've been the head admin for that forum for awhile.

I also work at a place where Customer Service is a MUST, so I know how to deal with people.

And I've been a member of numerous forums, Star Wars, DBZ, Movie Forums, etc.

 

Moderators\Admin:

The Good : Being a good mod isn't hard. You just have to be level-headed, and friendly.

-I used an instant message service when I spoke with some people. AIM, MSN, even Ventrillo. Its much easier than just Private Messaging people back and forth. I also got tons more contacts now because of it too > . < You may want to merely create a screen name completely for that form.

-Try not to get too wrapped up into debates, simply post your opinions and compliment others on theirs when you find time to.

-Don't get wrapped up in editing every single curse word, rude comment, or mistake. And give people a PM before you edit their posts, it helps a lot.

-Don't immediately intervene in arguments if they aren't that bad off, 50% of the time they work themselves out.

-Use a lot of smily faces

-Use spell-check

-If you catch yourself flaming someone else, you apologize.

 

The Bad : These are the people that sit at their computers 24/7 and don't have ANY social skills.

-They will edit every single fine detail in all posts until its left as dry as a sidewalk during summer.

-They take a REEEAAALLY long time to message you back, they don't use any type of instant chat service to speak of, and when they finally contact you back, you never end up feeling relieved.

-They can't handle losing in an argument\debate.

-They over-exert their power constantly.

-They act VERY strict.

-They follow the forum rules like it was a bible.

-They don't use the word please.

-They flame.

 

EX of THE BAD:

"Hello, It has come to my attention that you have been constantly using the word "@$$" in your posts. Disguising this word to avoid the auto-block is not tolerated. Use of that word is unacceptable, as line 53 of paragraph 2 in forum rules states that this is now allowed. This is the link for the forum rules: http://www.analmod.com. Read the rules before you decide to post again."

[Jae Onasi]

since slavery is illegal do i get banned if i own someone

 

o snap

 

Well, you're special, jmac. We'll let you skate for now. I'm not sure how Niner feels about ownership, though.

[Emperor Devon]

-Try not to get too wrapped up into debates, simply post your opinions and compliment others on theirs when you find time to.

 

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???

 

Arguing and proving other people are wrong is 99.9% of the fun!

 

-Don't get wrapped up in editing every single curse word, rude comment, or mistake. And give people a PM before you edit their posts, it helps a lot.

 

Not much of a point in warning them IMO, since as the post will be edited/snipped either way there's not really much to be warned of. (That and posts get edited fairly frequently - it would take way too long to write all those PMs)

 

As many rude comments as possible should be edited out, preferably all of them - it's much more enjoyable to post on a forum when people aren't acting nasty towards each other.

 

The Bad : These are the people that sit at their computers 24/7 and don't have ANY social skills.

 

Not true. A pretty big number of the mods here have kids/are married/have demonstrated having lives - there aren't many I can think of who don't have any.

 

At least some social skills are a definite must - the job involves quite a bit of dealing with people.

 

-They will edit every single fine detail in all posts until its left as dry as a sidewalk during summer.

-They take a REEEAAALLY long time to message you back, they don't use any type of instant chat service to speak of, and when they finally contact you back, you never end up feeling relieved.

-They can't handle losing in an argument\debate.

-They over-exert their power constantly.

-They act VERY strict.

-They follow the forum rules like it was a bible.

-They don't use the word please.

-They flame.

 

Might you be stereotyping here? I'd be very surprised if you've seen mods do all that in the two weeks or so you've been here. LF is quite different in that respect from most other forums.

[JediMasterJambi]

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???

 

Arguing and proving other people are wrong is 99.9% of the fun!

 

I'm just saying i've seen mod's use their powers to infulence debates before, best to just say out of it somtimes .

 

 

 

Not much of a point in warning them IMO, since as the post will be edited/snipped either way there's not really much to be warned of. (That and posts get edited fairly frequently - it would take way too long to write all those PMs)

 

People get angry when they see that there is somthing missing in their posts, im saying if you making a major edit, then PM them. If its not that big you shouldn't need to.

 

As many rude comments as possible should be edited out, preferably all of them - it's much more enjoyable to post on a forum when people aren't acting nasty towards each other.

 

True enough, but you shouldn't nit-pick either.

 

No true. A pretty big number of the mods here have kids/are married/have demonstrated having lives - there aren't many I can think of who don't have any.

 

Might you be stereotyping here? I'd be very surprised if you've seen mods do all that in the two weeks or so you've been here. LF is quite different in that respect from most other forums.

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. > . < I AINT TALKING ABOUT THE MODS HERE! > . < JESUS DEVON! Are you trying to get me killed???!!!

 

 

I've been on multiple forums, ones about Anime, DBZ, Movie thread forums, super-hero forums, music forums, gaming forums. I've seen a lot of mod-abuse. (I think I said that on the VERY tippy-top of my post.)

I've played a few Browser-Based MMORPG's where I've been in control of a lot of forums, Shadow Ops, Modern War Generals, Final Destruction. I've also been the Leader of a WoW guild named Grim, and I've been the head admin for that forum for awhile.

I also work at a place where Customer Service is a MUST, so I know how to deal with people.

And I've been a member of numerous forums, Star Wars, DBZ, Movie Forums, etc.

[The Source]

You'll have to forgive my moment(s) of naivete then. If you could direct us to the threads that disturb you so that we may fix the problem, that would be most appreciated.

 

I also have to say that I'm a bit hurt that you think that now that I have a title that is entirely meaningless outside of this tiny spot on the internet, I'd 'turn on you.' I honor our friendship much more than that.

Look, I have had some realy bad experiences with moderators though out the internet. I do not believe I helped in the manner in which I did not get into specifics. Most of the moderators I have delt with in the past have been rude, annoying, and frustrating to deal with. Several times I have made friends with another forumite, on various sites, and then they become apart of the inner circle. After a few months on the job, they end up changing their personality. Instead of acting like a forumite, they turn into a dictator from hell. They pull a Jackle and Hyde over night. Drawing from my experiences from all over the internet, I just do not trust anyone to stay humble when they become moderator. Not everyone online has the same experiences.

 

My intention was not to intentionally hurt anyone. I just wanted people to understand that not everyone had the same forum experiences as others.

 

ChAiNz.2da and you have been very kind. However, I do believe that there is a disconnect that occurs when someone becomes a moderator. Even though they do not want to admit it, the moderators do end up changing their perspective once they get a title. They become more authoritive and rule driven. As they try to keep the peace in the forums, they become shrouded by rules and regulations. Eventually, they end up trying to control everything with an iron fist. Its an irony.

[Jeff]

As they try to keep the peace in the forums, they become shrouded by rules and regulations. Eventually, they end up trying to control everything with an iron fist. Its an irony.

wow just like in the movies except with the dark side

[RedHawke]

Not much of a point in warning them IMO, since as the post will be edited/snipped either way there's not really much to be warned of. (That and posts get edited fairly frequently - it would take way too long to write all those PMs)

Factual.

 

Anyone expecting a PM for every mod edit and is angry when they don't get one is going to be angry here. We do not have the time for this.

[Jae Onasi]

However, I do believe that there is a disconnect that occurs when someone becomes a moderator. Even though they do not want to admit it, the moderators do end up changing their perspective once they get a title.

 

That may be to a certain small extent--you do have to look at posts a bit differently as a moderator. You also have to interact with other members in a professional capacity, and you never have to do that as a forum member. However, it's not that often that I have to do something significant, and I make more posts about something in one of the threads here than I do about moderator stuff.

 

They become more authoritive and rule driven. As they try to keep the peace in the forums, they become shrouded by rules and regulations. Eventually, they end up trying to control everything with an iron fist. Its an irony.

 

Well, welcome to SWK, where we ignore the stereotypical mod style.