"Not a mod hats"

[LadyBarbossa]

Wannabe mods are the worst, especially when the mods see them as a 'helper' and let the behavior continue. There was a member at a forum I used to frequent a lot, and I made a 'post your desktop' thread, just for fun, and I didn't see one already like it. This person simply posted a link to a similar thread that I'd mistakenly overlooked, and said "This is a repeat thread. Can a mod please delete it?" I was furious. Admittedly, I probably overreacted, but it was during a low point in my life and I was just trying to have some lighthearted fun with some internet friends. When I communicated that I was upset with her and why, I got pooh-poohed on by the mods who said that she is a great help to them and to watch my attitude. I don't know why they just didn't give her mod status if she was that great. She could have communicated that it was a duplicate topic in a way that was not condescending.

But oh well, water over the bridge or under the dam. Note I said I *used* to frequent the forum

[Rageaholic]

I'm sympathetic to people whose thread is going off the rails and want to see it get back on topic. I've had to close one or two of my own threads in the past, and it sucks. We want people to read our stories and comment on them, so it's disheartening when your thread gets closed or deleted.

But I still prefer that people report the thread to a mod and let them handle it, even if it's your own thread. In my experience, once a CS thread starts to go Fratching, we have very little time to save it. It usually requires a very stern mod warning and constant monitoring afterwards. And only a moderator can straight up delete a post that is particularly controversial, therefore averting the tangent altogether.

I can't tell you the number of times when deleting a troublesome post would have been an easy fix, but it turns into a pain in the ass -- because half a dozen well-meaning people have quoted the damned thing to warn the poster about Fratching. So now we can't just delete one post; we have to delete or edit a whole bunch.

That's the one downside to CS. I like that we have a seperate place for political debates and stuff like that, but I hate seeing threads closed down too. It really sucks when good threads get canned.

Wannabe mods are the worst, especially when the mods see them as a 'helper' and let the behavior continue. There was a member at a forum I used to frequent a lot, and I made a 'post your desktop' thread, just for fun, and I didn't see one already like it. This person simply posted a link to a similar thread that I'd mistakenly overlooked, and said "This is a repeat thread. Can a mod please delete it?" I was furious. Admittedly, I probably overreacted, but it was during a low point in my life and I was just trying to have some lighthearted fun with some internet friends. When I communicated that I was upset with her and why, I got pooh-poohed on by the mods who said that she is a great help to them and to watch my attitude. I don't know why they just didn't give her mod status if she was that great. She could have communicated that it was a duplicate topic in a way that was not condescending.

But oh well, water over the bridge or under the dam. Note I said I *used* to frequent the forum

Oh, I hate that. When someone is being a pain in the butt and you're the one who has an 'attitude'.

Why should MEMBERS get their panties in a knot because someone posted a duplicate thread? How does it effect them? Are they the ones who have to delete it? It's like they find something to get pissed off about and take it out on newbs. Admittingly, I was probably a jerk at times in my beginning years of the internet, but at least I learned. Some people never learn...

[Ree]

But the way I see it, if the mods don't do their job, then someone else has to do it.

But my point was, mods are human and can't be everywhere. I don't read every single thread on the board. I have a job and a life. I don't have time.
You say, "If the mods don't do their job," but how are the mods supposed to do their jobs if they don't even know about a problem? If, instead of PM'ing a mod or using the report button, a member says, "Hey guys, I'm not a mod but..." and then goes on to tell the members what to do, that's not exactly giving a mod a chance to do the job.

Not only that, but there's always the risk that someone will say, "You're not a mod...screw off..." and then we have a problem.

Also, there's the other scenario where the person wearing the "not a mod" hat steps in and actually gives incorrect information.

[MadMike]

She even had the audacity to try to tell others what they could and couldn't post and there were NO rules telling members otherwise.

We had a newbie try to pull that shit on CS a few years ago. Besides the fact that he was out of place, what he was saying was completely wrong anyway. He hadn't even been on long enough to know what was and wasn't acceptable, but he still thought he knew everything. Well, that pissed me off.

Looking back now, maybe I shouldn't have ripped into him publicly like I did, but no one else on the team faulted me for it. And I received quite a bit of praise from the members for it. I probably would have felt bad about it later, had it not been for the fact that his arrogance did not decrease at all after that incident. He didn't last very long. We didn't ban him. It wasn't necessary. The rest of the community became somewhat hostile towards him, and he ended up leaving on his own.

But my point was, mods are human and can't be everywhere. I don't read every single thread on the board. I have a job and a life. I don't have time.
You say, "If the mods don't do their job," but how are the mods supposed to do their jobs if they don't even know about a problem?

Ree posted this as I was making my post, and she raises an excellent point: CS has members from literally all over the world, and as a result, is active day and night. There are just too many posts for most of us to keep on top of. There was a time when I read every single new post every single day, but I just can't seem to stay on top of things like I used to.

If there's a problem, and no one brings it to our attention, it might be days before we happen to stumble upon it and take care of it ourselves. Meanwhile, more people are adding onto it, and things are getting more and more out of control. But if someone reports it, every single mod gets notified, and someone should investigate it quickly.

[smileyeagle1021]

But my point was, mods are human and can't be everywhere. I don't read every single thread on the board. I have a job and a life. I don't have time.

That is probably a lot of the problem... people know that you are a mere mortal like the rest of us and feel guilty bothering you if they think they can easily handle it. I know I'm guilty of that when something appears minor on one of my threads and can be easily nudged back... I'd feel guilty wasting the MODS time (even though logically I know that you don't view it as wasting time). The "I'm not a mod"ers may just be extensions of that. People who have otherwise good intentions who take it too far.
Not saying that they are justified, just trying to point out the other side of this thing.

[Ree]

I'd feel guilty wasting the MODS time (even though logically I know that you don't view it as wasting time).

If any of the mods saw it as wasting our time, we wouldn't have accepted the job when it was offered to us.

[Lace Neil Singer]

On Gaia, which is a giant site with probably thousands of members from all over the world, if I see something that's breaking the rules, I report it to a mod right away. I figure that policing Gaia must be a thankless task anyway so if I can help them out, I will. I've gotten thank you PMs back from mods after reporting, which helps cuz it makes me want to continue.

[Rapscallion]

Yeah I hate that too. I got accused of it. But the way I see it, if the mods don't do their job, then someone else has to do it.

Their job as determined by whom?

Rapscallion

[protege]

Thought I'd throw this in here too...

I'm also a moderator on a model car site. Lately, we've been having people tell us what we *will* do for them. Such as, we had one guy get upset because his photos kept getting deleted. Why? Well, he kept on posting things that didn't adhere to the photo standards listed in our Terms of Service. I mean, how hard is it to shoot your models (or parts) against a plain, contrasting background (that is, not sitting on a cluttered workbench), have them in focus, well-lit, etc.

Yet, this guy would constantly post things like that, and would get upset when we'd trash them...after multiple warnings. In fact, he sent a rather nasty message telling us not to post in his threads or he'd leave. Sorry asshole, if you can't abide by our standards, you don't belong there.

We put those standards in place, because we wanted to not only improve the site, but to help newbies become better modelers. That's why we're strict about photo content--blurry, dark photos really don't accomplish much. In fact, they make your work look that much worse!

Anyhoo, the guy who was getting on our nerves, actually did leave for a few months. Only to come back, when he'd been banned from another site, with much less adherence to rules

[Rageaholic]

If any of the mods saw it as wasting our time, we wouldn't have accepted the job when it was offered to us.

Perhaps not wasting your time, but maybe not wanting to put everything in your hands. You said it yourself, you can't be everywhere 24/7. I believe friendly reminders not to get too far off topic or not to erupt into a flame war is a good step to take before getting mods involved. I think sometimes it can solve the problem because people make mistakes and not everyone has bad intentions when getting carried away. Sometimes a friendly slap on the wrist is a good way to set things straight before they get too bad. Like I said, there's a difference between,

"Hey guys, can we please stick to the topic? I don't want to see this thread closed."

and

"*sigh* read the rules. You're not supposed to post duplicate threads"

The first one is just a member expressing concern over their thread, the second one is just someone wearing the "Not a mod hat" trying to be a mod. Also, the second one makes it a part time job telling others what to do.

[blas87]

In a way, I think it perpetuates the "not a mod" behavior if regular members (even ones that have been around for years) start trying to step in and steer the conversation elsewhere.

If mods are not alerted to what's going on, it could get worse before it gets better. And plus, being able to be anonymous (as far as only the mods know who reported it) when reporting posts is nice. I don't consider it "narking" because most of the time, it usually isn't that bad before a mod steps in......but if a mod doesn't know right away, it can get so much worse before it can get better.

And there are only so many mods on at a time, and not all of them have time to actually go from thread to thread to thread to thread or follow members around.....*please don't throw anything at me for using this phrase*--> I'm not a mod, but I get the feeling that only moderated posters or posters who are on warning or close to it get followed around like that, and the moderators on CS hardly have time to post their own stories.

[MadMike]

Lately, we've been having people tell us what we *will* do for them.

That also happened on CS a few years ago, and I forgot all about it until now.

I forget the details, but someone decided he didn't like the direction a thread was taking, and he made a post that said, "Mods, shut this thread down NOW!"

I think I blinked at that one several times in disbelief, actually being shocked that someone could be blatantly stupid enough to try and order us around like that, publicly no less. I don't think there was much left of him once we finished ripping him to shreds.

Oh, and we left the thread open, just to further piss him off.

[powerboy]

Their job as determined by whom?

Rapscallion

Raps, you know what I mean.

[Rapscallion]

Raps, you know what I mean.

Incorrect. I do not know what you mean. That's why I asked.

Their job as determined by whom?

Rapscallion