being a mod

Started by moon March 6th, 2020 2:41 AM
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  • 33 replies

moon

they/them
Seen 13 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
37,443 posts
15.5 Years
Have you ever moderated a forum or Discord server or other online community? What did you like and dislike about that "job"?

If you haven't, would you ever want to? You only get paid in cat pics, you know.

Sorvete

Novice

Male
Brazil
Seen 11 Hours Ago
Posted March 25th, 2023
3,110 posts
5.1 Years
Yes, I have. It only started in the beginning of this year, so I don't have much experience with it yet. I can say that it's been quite peaceful so far as not many people have caused trouble and the rest of the team is pretty responsible in dealing with things as well

credit

Fritz

girl power ftw

Age 23
Any
Cyrodiil
Seen 1 Week Ago
Posted March 10th, 2023
2,152 posts
6.7 Years
I've never moderated on any website before. Wouldn't mind starting somewhere one day, especially if it means adding more cat pics to my collection.
I've been staff in a fair few places - mostly smaller forums, although I've moderated a couple of larger ones too. In those places where I have been staff, I've enjoyed being able to more easily get ideas I've had for site events etc. off the ground...fundamentally there isn't much difference between being a staff member and just a regular member, but I've found that being staff in places DOES make it easier to get people to participate in things, since it's "official" or whatever. Also, little pride creeping in, but...well, on the roleplaying forums I was a mod on, being recognised for my writing ability that way was nice.

I guess the things I disliked were due mostly to my own temperament. I always worried that I was a dead weight and that I wasn't doing enough on the forum, that other members of staff hated me, and because even when I'm part of a group I'm an outsider - I don't really talk to people, and I'm not really approachable either I guess, so I'm just kinda left alone to run my own section, completely isolated from everyone else. So I did a lot of worrying. Feeling like I'm being held accountable for things I am doing voluntarily because I enjoy them has never been a nice feeling for me, because I immediately stop having fun and start worrying about whether I'm doing it "right" or not, and of course, I am always doing things wrong.

So yeah. Being a mod is always nice, but finding out that I may not have the right state of mind - and trying to force myself into what I believe it may be, even though logically I know that's ridiculous - to be a mod is not.

Vulpix

She/Her
Foxland
Seen February 14th, 2022
Posted January 14th, 2022
713 posts
9 Years
I am a mod in a couple of my gaming Discord Servers. I absolutely love it. But I also work in HR, so people relations is sort of my career anyhow. There are times where it can be challenging, but I think I personally enjoy just being there for people and looking after my crew <3

P.S. I have 2 kitties to add to the collection of cat pics, so bring it on!
Paired with Nox & Pig & Eleanor 💖 Discord Moderoid 💖 PC Family

colours

she/her
gracidea fields
Seen December 30th, 2022
Posted December 29th, 2022
8,974 posts
18.1 Years
i've been a mod in a bunch of smaller communities. a lot of them actually. interesting times, they were. they were alright. had my ups and downs is all i'll say. currently a mod in two large communities, this one included.

what i like about being a mod is that i have more of a "voice" so to speak in how that section is "run". i suppose the more appropriate term is freedom and autonomy, as i can have the mindspace to dedicate to fun posting events and things of that nature. y'know, little things here and there that people may find fun and all. otherwise not too different from being a regular user at all, especially since i'm doing the exact same thing i would be if i was a regular user which basically amounts of posting a lot and thinking of interesting threads to make, haha. that probably sounds boring but i joined this community nearly 15 years ago to talk about pokemon, and it's something i still feel passionate about to this day which is why it's something i'm fine with doing. i think the biggest difference imo between being a mod and a member is directly having a voice in how the community itself is supposed to be run. i mean like forum management and things like that.

im going to be straight up about what i dislike: it's the politics. staff politics are ass in every sense of the word, and it's just so incredibly tiring and boring to deal with. people thinking that their voluntary staff position pays them a thousand bucks an hour and that gives a right to think they're "better" than everyone else. i suppose that has more to do with the actual staffing structure of a particular forum itself rather than modding in particular, but it's definitely one of the downsides as i got to see "behind the scenes" in some forums.

as it relates to modding in though, the only thing i can come up with is that it's a huge bummer and it's demotivating seeing an idea you worked hard on not do well, and being put in a position of "how can i constantly improve my forum's activity?" i think this in particular is pretty important because i think a lot of people lose focus on what made posting in their favourite sections so much fun in the first place and just focus on activity, activity, activity and it ends up in extreme burnout. @[email protected]; definitely happened to me several times.

i also currently mod one largeish discord community. it's chill. very different than forum modding for sure, although whether or not that's because of the management, the fact that live chat modding is just that different from forum modding or a combination of both, idk. i like it, though.

Palamon

Silence is Purple.

Age 26
he/him
Snezhnaya, Teyvat.
Seen 23 Minutes Ago
Posted 1 Day Ago
7,784 posts
14.3 Years
Yeah, I've been staff on a couple forums before. None of them lasted too long, sadly. They were just really tiny forums that died not too long after being made. That was nearly a decade ago I was a mod anywhere, though LOL. I think I was a mod on one of Alex's (user Alexander Nicholi here) forums for a time, also, and Gunner's for a bit, as well?

I don't think being a moderator is all that bad, but it definitely takes time and dedication. :x

gimmepie

Age 27
Male
Australia
Seen 1 Day Ago
Posted 1 Day Ago
I've been a mod here for like... half of my time being a member on the forum now and I'm technically a mod on a Discord server I own but a lot of that is dealt with by underlings other mods I brought on. Honestly I love it. It puts you in a better position to make changes and be a part of the development of the community, helping provide the best experiences for the userbase so they can enjoy it as much as I do. Sounds cheesy in writing, but that's just how it is. It's given me a chance to talk to some people I probably wouldn't have otherwise too.

If there's any downside, it's the rare occasions that disagreements lead to staff drama. We're all human, so it happens, but when you get a bunch of people who are passionate about something on opposing sides of an argument that muk can get heated at times. I'm very stubborn and bullish and I tend to pretty adamantly stick to my guns, but boy ave I felt like an asshole afterwards at times.
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Nah

Age 30
she/her, they/them
Seen 10 Hours Ago
Posted 18 Hours Ago
15,643 posts
9.5 Years
almost 6 years ago some place called the PokeCommunity modded me and still keeps me around for whatever reason
Nah ンン
“No, I... I have to be strong. Everyone expects me to."

twocows

The not-so-black cat of ill omen

Age 32
Male
Michigan
Seen February 19th, 2023
Posted April 30th, 2021
4,307 posts
14.2 Years
I have moderated a surprising number of communities (including for a short time this one, not this section though). I ran a guild in WoW for about a year and a half, I've run a moderately populated and successful semi-private IRC channel for over ten years (we have our own Discord server as well), I ran a semi-successful game server for about a year, and I've been in a few other staff or volunteer positions besides those.

For content moderation positions, it's nice when you're able to get everyone to chill out and just discuss whatever it is people came to discuss. For other things like running a guild or game server, it's nice to be able to have a space where people aren't at each others throats and the people in charge aren't power tripping. It can sometimes be hard to find places where people just hang out and have fun and it always feels nice to be able to build something like that yourself. It can be a lot of work though and people tend to be demanding about getting things taken care of (e.g. server updates).
VNs are superior to anime, don't @ me

Ninetales

Age 22
She/Her
Canada
Seen 3 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
1,715 posts
5.4 Years
I have not been a moderator and I don’t think it’s something that I’d ever want to do. I have enough responsibility in my life as it is.


🌸✨💫Paired with Eleanor🌸✨💫

Sami

chain link one chixiao add longyuan... chain link two mo ye draw... trolldespair

Age 26
Male
Some stupid city in The Netherlands
Seen 34 Minutes Ago
Posted 1 Week Ago
7,209 posts
4.2 Years
I was a moderator in a fair few places, still moderate my own Discord server (for what its worth, i rule it with an iron fist and anyone who opposes me gets sent to the bus depot)
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Rynamite

Teaghlaigh, Dílseacht, Misneach

Male
Frozen White North
Seen April 23rd, 2020
Posted March 17th, 2020
291 posts
3.3 Years
A couple of times I was an admin, though the communities were a lot more smaller then this one. Those sites are no longer around which is a bit sad.

The thing with being an administrator was that it wasn't an easy position like most people would imagine. Or at least the ones that I was on. You would work closely with not only other staff members and owner, but also with the members of the site to keep a consistent stride forward on productivity, morale and interest in the fundamentals. Those three were the more keen pillars that we had focused on to have a successful site. Everyone had to work together to ensure that everything stayed in the balance .It is voluntary, and it isn't something that you can simply put into a resume... Well actually some of the skills you learn from it you could be super technical and include it. This is something that you would dedicate your time, passion and attention to in order to be successful, along with learning how to listen, confront, promote and encourage. What I personally liked about it was it had really taught me some very useful skills that made some of my business management courses even easier to understand. Especially on how to interact and deal with people that had a range of emotions, maturity and perspectives. With what it had taught me, plus schooling it really helped me pave the way for a management position at my previous job, and its helping me towards one with the company that I am working with right now.

Being a member of staff is the equivalent of being a fire fighter, events promoter, psychiatrist, business manager, HR and a mom. Though it isn't something for everyone, it is something that people will find more rewarding then stressful.

ZeoStar

Seen 3 Hours Ago
Posted 15 Hours Ago
11,403 posts
5.6 Years
Never have been modded. It was always something I was fascinated with when I was young on the internet.

Then I got older and any desire with it faded.

gimmepie

Age 27
Male
Australia
Seen 1 Day Ago
Posted 1 Day Ago
Ya its a lot of work and people generally hate you
Speak for yourself, everyone loves me.
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moon

they/them
Seen 13 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
37,443 posts
15.5 Years
Speak for yourself, everyone loves me.
Just because you kept making RPs until people thought you were good

Her

Age 29
Seen 3 Hours Ago
Posted 1 Week Ago
Yah and turns out I was always the best to ever do it in any scenario I was in bc I’m so beautiful and smart and that’s really all that needs to be said

Being a mod on the internet doesn’t exactly require a treatise on the intricacies of human nature lmao!

gimmepie

Age 27
Male
Australia
Seen 1 Day Ago
Posted 1 Day Ago
Just because you kept making RPs until people thought you were good
People thought I was good from the first one though.
RPWLA&MVGGaming Journal

Cariad

world.search(you);

Age 23
Seen 2 Days Ago
Posted May 12th, 2020
1,347 posts
12 Years
i was a mod on bulbagarden for a little under a year, i think? i was 14 at the time, which is hilarious in retrospect. it was a fun experience, though i definitely wasn't suited to it in the long run. T w T i liked people thinking i was important and cool (chuuni child alert), but i didn't like having so much responsibility. i think i messed up a few times when it came to making decisions about whether or not somebody had messed up, but i think i did a pretty decent job considering i was so young. 😅

starseed galaxy auticorn

PC's Resident Auticorn

Age 34
she/he/they
the land of magical unicorns
Seen 1 Week Ago
Posted 1 Week Ago
6,648 posts
18.9 Years
I own a few of my own Discords. As for modding others and forums and stuff... I have not. I don't really want to be mod anyway because it seems like a lot of work. It's bad enough I have to worry more about my own routine and what not. I wouldn't be able to keep up. D:

Caite-chan

Seen March 20th, 2023
Posted March 24th, 2022
11,679 posts
19.5 Years
I always wanted to be a Mod on PE2K way back in the day but never got that chance. My first chance was when PxR came from PE2K dying out. I started out working on the site side of things until life snuck up on me. Then I moved over to the forum side and became a Mod until things pretty much came to a standstill. It's hard to Mod on a community when there's hardly anyone posting and I was taking care of VPP there as well. It was literally me and one other person and it was rather boring to me.

I came here and the most staff I've been was helping on the Twitter side of things for awhile and once again life snuck up on me.

as it relates to modding in though, the only thing i can come up with is that it's a huge bummer and it's demotivating seeing an idea you worked hard on not do well, and being put in a position of "how can i constantly improve my forum's activity?" i think this in particular is pretty important because i think a lot of people lose focus on what made posting in their favourite sections so much fun in the first place and just focus on activity, activity, activity and it ends up in extreme burnout. @[email protected]; definitely happened to me several times.
^^^^^ This 100%!

I think for me its because I brought VPP over here and it took off like crazy. I'm always trying to come up with ideas to keep it from getting stale. I try and space out the ideas so its not a bunch of stuff at once and then I have nothing else for quite awhile.

Cherrim

Age 34
she / her
Toronto
Seen 1 Hour Ago
Posted 1 Week Ago
33,049 posts
20.4 Years
I enjoy it. I've been modding various communities on and off since I was about 13, so it's just like... a hobby now, I guess. PC is the obvious one, where I've held a number of different ranks over the years, and it's probably the one that gave me the best basis for doing it. It's been way too serious in the past, but the structure was really helpful in knowing what works and what doesn't work and I've taken that with me everywhere. It's definitely my favourite place I've modded.

I definitely prefer modding asynchronous places like forums or subreddits compared to chat rooms. It's a lot easier to deal with tempers when people have more time to think out their responses than it is to stop an argument that's happening in realtime. I find I only have the attention span to deal with one server at a time, so PC takes most of my attention and I've largely muted other communities where I have modding power unless they only get a few conversations per week. oops

The worst modding experience I've ever had was definitely on /r/jrpg where, when I volunteered to mod and was picked, but in my welcome, they suggested I do all my modding silently and never speak up or warn someone as I dealt with their post because "you'll probably just get harassed". I ended up being the only mod who did anything for such a long time and it burnt me out so bad on reddit as a whole. Every time I'd go through the modqueue, there would be people arguing with awful slurs and just the scummiest insults. Simple rules were entirely disregarded and, as they warned, any time I did speak up as a mod, I'd be downvoted and harassed. The last straw for one of the other mods was when there was a huge argument over ~~censorship~~ bc some game... took out a boob slider? Or wouldn't let people make sexualized little girl characters? Or something? And the mod made a judgment call (that I agreed with) and got harassed off the subreddit. I stayed on as long as I possibly could stomach, silently removing as much awful stuff as I could, but eventually I found I was neglecting the subs I actually enjoyed modding and as soon as two newbie mods came on and had been around long enough, I quit and unsubbed from the subreddit entirely. I feel bad leaving it in such a terrible state but there was only so much I could do against all that vitriol when I wasn't actually head mod or anything. (Head mod, by the way, was an avid user of the trump subreddit so I definitely had to be quiet about my leftist agenda as modded LOL.)

But yeah, at least it's usually pretty rewarding. (b'-')b It's nice seeing a community thrive when you put work into it.


paired with professor plum.