Moderators

[Chu]

I was browsing a thread on another website earlier and found myself thinking some snarky comments in response to it. (The discussion was basically a flame war between two groups of people who were both in the wrong from what I could tell.) I was pretty tempted to create an account on said site just to call them all out for being idiots but decided to hold my tongue. >_> It wasn’t my battle in the first place.

But what I’m getting at is, if you saw a moderator (such as myself) on another website acting out of conduct, would you bring it up to them on the site they mod at? Would it change your opinion of them? Or would it simply not matter? In general, what do you expect from moderators?

Personally I consider the same person – mod or not – on different websites to be different people, to an extent. I think people have the right to act as they please in accordance to the rules and those actions shouldn’t affect their presence on another site. Mods lose their tempers too, and I’d rather see a mod lose their temper on a “foreign” website than their home site. Then again, if a moderator expects to be respected, they should maintain a respectable personality despite where they are. To be rude somewhere else is hypocritical.

And I don't expect much more than a good attitude and good morals from mods. XD They can even be total jerks, as long as they follow the rules and do their job it should be fine.

[dreamer676]

Interesting thought...hmmm I'm not sure.

I would prefer the mod to be respectful and polite on every site because if they could act in such a way on another site what is stopping them from acting that way on their 'home' site? So I think it would dampen my opinion of them somewhat yeah, but I mean I think it depends on the situation too. If they were just doing it on a particular site I would be like what the hell but so long as they weren't acting out of accordence with the rules in the 'home' site and were still acting fairly to all users I suppose it wouldn't bother me too badly.

Basically through all that rambling it would affect my opinion on them, but would not give me reason to act against them on the site that they actually were a mod on. Yeah I'm pretty sure that makes more sense in my head lol

[Chu]

Respectful and polite; why couldn't I come up with those words when I posted? XD

Yeah, "respectful and polite" basically describe my expectations of a moderator. Of course some websites (like Gaia for example) need hard asses, otherwise they'll just be ignored. For small sites like Mido though, blunt mods aren't really needed.

[dreamer676]

yeah I agree with you completely, gaia attracts younger users, flamers and trolls too for some reason, so yeah really strict mods are kind of a necessity

[Overlord Branny]

Interesting thought indeed..

I would except them to still hold some degree of class and sense on any site they visit because the represent the site they work for. It would of course depend on how they act. If they seem more mature, using swears and being sexual then I would think maybe they just want to be themselves....though I would laugh alittle.

On the other hand they were acting childish, immature and all together n00bish then yes, my opinion of them would decrease and probably let the admin know how they acted elsewhere.

Not to say I would be like "Omg so and so is so childish and stupid, you should bump them off and make me a mod yadda yadda"

You bitches know I would try to get a mod spot but I wouldn't do it like that. xD

Anyways, everything depends on how they act. I would hate to imagine a site having a mod that is actually very immature and a offsite trader/hacker/whatever. Though I do know alot of sites that have said type of mods.. *coughkinsakiErnyaSoliaGaiaCough*

Anyways~ <3

[Chu]

A hacker as a mod? D: I'd hate to see where that would lead.

[Overlord Branny]

I've only met one hacker mod...he wasn't that bad...he never hacked any sites I know of. He mainly took care of coding issues and ways other hackers abused the site.

But I knew a BUNCH of offsite traders.. pretty sad.
I can't remember where but I remember this one sites admin would offsite trade his/her own items for stuff on Gaia..lol wtf. xD;

[Chu]

o-0 Wow, that's just terrible.

See, doing things like that would completely make me lose respect for any staff member; not just moderators.

[dreamer676]

well that makes me feel rather protective of my avatar stuff lol, nah I don't really have that much stuff and or real money donations to be properly intimidated by hackers, unless they fancy letting a trojan or two loose on my comp >

[Lunar]

I've had my fair share of jerk mods.
I recently left my homesite, shortly after it was remade, because the team of staff had just.. failed. I used to be a moderator there, but the lead admin was not included in the remake, and the successor had said there were no need for moderators yet, but that when the time came I was top of the list past one other former mod to get reinstated.

Days passed, and the other person got reinstated, as a "scare" tactic to make sure people looked after themselves, they reassured me I would still be reinstated next when they finished the panel, meanwhile that scare mod, got a massive powertrip as they used to on the old site, and actually flamed me, behind the scenes, and acted holier than thou.

Then another couple of days passed, and I found that a former lurker, who had just came out of their shell on the new site, and a new user had been granted moderator status.

Then, unbelievably, one of these new user-moderators pulled me up for what they considered a "one word" post, buried about 12 pages in backwards from a thread, that actually contained three words, where someone had asked me how much gold I had given them.

I was fuming. I bit my tongue, said nothing, gave all my items away and just left.

The thing was the admins had lied to me.. and they had done the same to another previous mod/writer, that I was friends with. Even the pixelist there wasnt happy with the first-instated mod, she really does just power trip and create threads to nurture her popularity. She's one of those types thats all sweetness and light to the users, but behind the scenes.. she's a real bitch.

Anyhow. The admins had lied.. I didnt want to be on a site like that, as a moderator or even a user.

[Chu]

@Dreamer: I'm fairly sure I have the most coding experience between the three of our mods, and that doesn't say much. XDD All I can do is change MAD around a bit (Angel made it) and add items to it. Other than that I can only make really simple pages.

So basically that's nothing to worry about here!


@Lunar: I HATE holier than thou staff members. >_> Ego is the most dangerous thing for a person in power yet it's the easiest for them to come across.

I'm sorry about your experience on that website though. I think more than anything, staff members make or break a website for people.

[LOL UR FACE]

I'm a little confused, to sum up for example if somebody saw me on Ernya being a total rude, disrespectful biatch on Ernya would they bring it up to me on Midorea?

If a moderator has a unique user name that is very much associated with them, or has anything about their home site in their sig then if they want to act immature and rude they should do it from an alternate account.

There was a short(thankfully) phase on Ernya were some of the mods were just being very rude and unhelpful to members when it would have taken 2 seconds of their time to be nice, but it was addressed once it was brought up by enough users and that was months ago and their whole staff seemed to take something from it. It was so ridiculous even I got into the argument. xD

[Kira Bella]

I think mods should just be really helpful people.

Just people. Nothing fancy, no "OMG YOUR TALKING TO A MOD!" feelings when you talk to them, and no feeling that if you slip a toe out of line you will be banned within an inch of your life.

Like on SOME sites, you feel like you can't even talk to the mods, for fear that they will turn into godzillas... I feel like they will look at you and shout, "BE GONE FROM ME! HOW DARE YOU TALK TO A MODERATOR LIKE A PERSON?!!"

- insert flames and the end of the world -

But mods also should be there to fix problems. It shouldnt inconvenience them to help the players of the site with things, even if they are just little problems.

Yea.. And I have to agree with Branny on the trying to get the mod spot xD I wouldnt go about it like all ninja evil back stabbing, but I would totally try.

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In short, I think that mods should just be them selves on every site. I mean, yea you should be "good" every where but some times there are some assholes that you just need to... slap upside the monitors... And cut their USB cords...

[Skunkoon]

XD I totally agree with Kira Bella! We shouldn't get the feeling that talking to a Mod if scary. Or maybe like meeting a Hollywood star ... "OMGG!! I'm talking to MOD!! *squeal* Mod, you're like, my favourite mod eveaaaa!!!!!"

Or something like that :3

I'm really glad that on this site, the mods are really friendly and (really do) fit into the chat areas like a missing puzzle piece. I mean, sometimes when I'm talking to someone, I suddenly realize that they them self are a Mod!

[Menmeth]

On the concept of two different people I would agree, but in a slightly different way. A mod should behave a such, but mods are people too. (Admins and devs, usually not so much. They are frequently assembled from a spare parts bin... and sometimes from the rejects bin.) I personally only expect a mod to obey forum rules as anyone else, perhaps with a bit more sense (or some sense as the case may be); it is when they are acting in the capacity of a moderator that the upright, proper, and protocol driven attitude should apply, essentially bleaching the personality (and person) out for function. Often a joyless task since thanks is always uncommon and complains are many.

In a past community, long since gone, all Storytellers/Moderators kept a separate account that only they and the admins knew the connection to - even most mods didn't know the casual accounts of other mods. Mod/ST-speech was done in 10pt bold black times new roman. Official warnings in the same, but red. NPCs had their own, but a record was kept in a Mod-only thread for notes on font, color, speech patterns, etc to give more identity to the fictional characters used by several STs and writers. It kept a division I enjoyed, letting people be people, and abuses could still be noted and tracked.

But such is my insanity, and such is my two copper.