Moderators

[Recidiva]

I am a mod on one of my favourite little boards, and, in that case, I am anonymously moddy. It works fabulously.

On that board, I am a mod largely because the owner likes me, respects my opinions, and, most importantly, I'm in the US. It is a Brit board, so everyone is six hours ahead. My usual surf time is in the middle of the night for them, and it means I can catch spambots when others won't be able to see them. Insofar as active modding goes, I move posts, threads, etc. I don't need to reveal what I am doing generally.

It is not secret, but it is also not blatant. I appreciate that structure.

I think this is my preferred structure for the benefit of the mods themselves. Most boards have a founder or a staff and there's no reason for that to be secret or concealed.

There was a board I was on, where the "Miserable User" hack was used as a modding tool. I was ignorant of what this was, and here's a description:

"When classed as miserable, a member suffers ;

1. Slow response (time delay) on every page (20 to 60 seconds default).
2. A chance they will get the "server busy" message (50% by default).
3. A chance that no search facilities will be available (75% by default).
4. A chance they will get redirected to another preset page (25% & homepage by default).
5. A chance they will simply get a blank page (25% by default).
6. Post flood limit increased by a defined factor (10 times by default).
7. If they get past all this okay, then they will be served up their proper page.

Note: All the above options are set in the vBulletin Options."

I prefer kicking someone or just enforcing the rules. But stuff like that just makes me leave a site.

To me it's about the same as inviting everyone to dinner and then slipping sedatives in certain guest's drinks because you dislike them. Ask them to leave (kick them) or just enforce site rules. That sort of stuff makes me queasy.

Those are times when it's come to my attention that there's abuses in mods. "Miserable User" hack and the like qualify for me as practices that do and should come under question. There are ways to be abusive, true. But general modding duties aren't ones to which I object.

 

[Etoile]

My tendency as a human is to be nice. I am pretty much always nice. As a mod, though, I don't call people out on their shit as much. Someone else usually does anyway. If I do have to, I try to be as diplomatic as possible. As much as you can when calling someone on their shit, anyway. (In GLBT anyway; I'm a little more free with my words elsewhere. But mostly I just try to be nice. I'm the longest serving mod on Lit, as far as I know - over six years - and it hasn't failed me yet.

 

[Marquis]

How familiar.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

Ignore is my reminder that I've probably seeen enough and there's no more for me to say that could be positive or productive.

Pitch perfect.

I gotta start hanging out on this side of town more often. Lots of good people over h'yar.

 

[Recidiva]

Pitch perfect.

I gotta start hanging out on this side of town more often. Lots of good people over h'yar.

Lots and lots

 

[rosco rathbone]

Come to find out IK is a perv.

 

[Recidiva]

Come to find out IK is a perv.

Zoom also shows up in the AH and the GB, but as many places as I can find him, it's worth going there for that reason.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

Come to find out IK is a perv.

Zoom also shows up in the AH and the GB, but as many places as I can find him, it's worth going there for that reason.

*swoons*

I actually followed Etoile into here, after she redirected a post from the gay side of Lit into the GB. I don't see her often, but I've always thought she's heaps beautiful and sexy, inside and out. Was pleasantly surprised to see some familiar faces. I gotta start flying my BDSM flag some more, it seemeth.

 

[Recidiva]

*swoons*

I actually followed Etoile into here, after she redirected a post from the gay side of Lit into the GB. I don't see her often, but I've always thought she's heaps beautiful and sexy, inside and out. Was pleasantly surprised to see some familiar faces. I gotta start flying my BDSM flag some more, it seemeth.

Etoile is always a pleasure wherever she's found.

There's got to be a song that goes with that flag: "Yo ho ho and a bottle of - don't ask unless you really want to know."

 

[ZRT]

Etoile is cool indeed.

 

[rosco rathbone]

group hug!

 

[Sir_Winston54]

group hug!

Screw that. Group grope at the least, orgy at best!

 

[Etoile]

Eeeeeek, you guys!

I needed that actually, thank you.

 

[graceanne]

Eeeeeek, you guys!

I needed that actually, thank you.

*hugs*

You know we love you, don't you?

I can't imagine a lit without you.

 

[Recidiva]

Eeeeeek, you guys!

I needed that actually, thank you.

And there's more where that came from!

*rabble rousing and yo ho ho-ing in the background*

I can actually be a diplomat when required, and it's often required of me in reality. I do really appreciate the restraint and the artful phrasing you employ without ever compromising any integrity or humor you possess.

I come to Lit for a break from it and an ability to not flex my diplomacy muscle, but I can certainly admire yours.

 

[VelvetDarkness]

Insofar as KC goes, darlin, there is no reason to change how you post. I certainly don't get the impression that Cat self-moderates all that much because she has a mod tag. Your job is primarily to move threads to the proper boards, and toss spammers, right? No onus on you to somehow represent Laurel or Manu or Lit in some high-falutin' way.

Just be you. Let everyone else sort it out for themselves.

I agree with this. I try to be mostly tolerant (ok, I'm very trying) and diplomatic but being only human, I don't manage it all the time. I just got called on a cranky, ill-advised post on HT - not by mods but by other posters - and I accept that occasionally I was in the wrong frame of mind and should have stayed quiet or hit the edit button. I'm not about to beat myself up over the occasional rude or bitchy post, nobody's perfect.

Mods are also imperfect but individual decisions made and actions taken by them should not blind forum posters to the bigger picture. I don't agree with everything Cat says and I've debated/argued with her on occasion but that doesn't mean I think she's a bad mod or that she abuses her authority here. It just means that we're two different people who don't always agree.

As Homburg said, Cat has stayed true to who she is despite moderating the BDSM Board, I don't think that anyone's going to have an issue with KC doing exactly the same thing.

 

[catalina_francisco]

I'm really not going to post any differently because I am a mod folks. If that is a requirement that I was unaware of I will take the steps needed to not be one anymore.



Do you expect mods to change what they post or how because they are mods?
Why does it seem that mods are expected to not be who they were before they were mods?

LOL, as I tell everyone including Marquis when he signed on (and I'm sure you have seen the disagreements I have had with certain posters here before), being a mod does not mean you have to become some other entity and begin posting in some defined way specified by whoever decides to expect it of you, or has been suggested before, limiting your postings to few and brief if any. What it means is you volunteer to give your time, unpaid, to make sure things which should not be here are moved, personal information is not publicly displayed, and Lit rules are upheld to the best of your ability while you remain part of the community you have agreed to give your time to as a moderator. Of course, there will always be some who feel we are in some position of almighty power and that we should refrain from having an opinion etc., should be seen to set some mysterious example and be a role model for others, but that IMHO has nothing to do with being a moderator or part of this forum. Keep being you and you will do fine.

Catalina