Why become a moderator at boards.ie?

Black Swan

Once upon a time...
The mod of the North America forum asked me if I would volunteer, as she was moving on after several years of service to boards. She caught me completely by surprise. I said OK, without really knowing what I was getting into... other than trying to help posters with an interest in visiting or moving to either Canada, United States, or Mexico.

During the past couple months as the new NA mod, I've made many of the silly mistakes that you would expect a nOOb mod to make, and hopefully learned from them.

Other than that, most of my posts are as a user to other forums on boards, just like everyone else.

Tar.Aldarion

Blue Lagoon wouldn't entertain my advances if I wasn't a mod.

bonkey

I was asked, and said yes because I reckoned I could troll much more effectively that way.

--amadeus--

crocro wrote: »

Lots of people said they moderate to 'give something back'. Nobody does anything in life to give something back

That, my dear sir, is poppycock of the highest order.

What about the club coaches in sports up and down the country who toil week in and week out coaching under 10s? Where's teh glamour and kudos in that? In my own sport every weekend there are race marshalls standing on corners, often in the peeing rain and getting *nothing* back. Why do they do it? Because next week they'll be racing and somone else will be on the corner.

In ART we have had a few projects that have helped a whole heap of people along and I get a lot of personal satisfaction from helping keep the site a place where things like that can be faciliated.

oscarBravo

crocro wrote: »

Nobody does anything in life to give something back - even if they believe it themselves.

Ah, the old "altruism doesn't exist" argument.

Sorry, but altruism exists. As does cynicism.

Jay P

I'd like to be a mod just for the laugh.

Terry

Jay P wrote: »

I'd like to be a mod just for the laugh.

It can be amusing at times, but only if you don't take it too seriously.

Black Swan

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Blue Lagoon wouldn't entertain my advances if I wasn't a mod.

Now there's a one-liner I haven't heard lately. Think it will work? :cool:

stovelid

So you can swap arch tales about the trials and tribulations of modding, on-thread.

Cabaal

stovelid wrote: »

So you can swap arch tales about the trials and tribulations of modding, on-thread.

Sure, Here's mine...people can get paranoid about mods,

For me on the Broadband forum I've been accused of being paid/employed by Three Mobile in order to stop complaints about Three when in reality it was nothing of the sort.

In reality myself and a admin (since retired) tried our best to get Three to deal with complaints, the outcome of which was Three for a brief time allowing anyone who complained to get out of contract without a cancellation charge....this was much better then being in a contract with a service that didn't work.

I've only ever been a three mobile customer for 12 months after which I had to lodge an official complaint to get my phoned unlocked as they refused to unlock it, something I documented on the Mobile forum at the time.

I dislike Three with the best of them but some idiotic users let there paranoia get the better of them to the point where DeVore had to tell them that the next person to accuse me of working for Three would be site banned.

That was the end of the matter for the most part, so its not always easy being a mod

Doctor DooM

Lol. I remember that Three thing. I was just coming off the back of working for another phone network and was thinking 'christ I hope they never find that out.'

Sarky

crocro wrote: »

Oryx had the most believable reply.

You obviously haven't MET Ber

It's very amusing that you've equated becoming a moderator with becoming a TD. We're janitors trying to keep the toilets unblocked with our e-plungers. Power, lol.

D4RK ONION

Guitar Hero and Rock Band's two moderators were never around by the time I joined boards. I spent a lot of time in there, people got to know me as one of the regulars and I started helping out in an unofficial capacity.

When I got asked about modding, I was delighted, because it's one of the few areas that I have sufficient knowledge to actually be of assistance. It's nice to be acknowledged for the effort you put into a community. Keeping the place clean, and trying to get it a bit more traffic is both fun and gives me a tremendous sense of achievement.

Plus, now I have lots of shiny buttons and the mod forum

Tar.Aldarion

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

Now there's a one-liner I haven't heard lately. Think it will work? :cool:

We'll discuss it over breakfast when you are in Ireland.:cool:

Oryx

Sarky wrote: »

You obviously haven't MET Ber

It's very amusing that you've equated becoming a moderator with becoming a TD. We're janitors trying to keep the toilets unblocked with our e-plungers. Power, lol.

Christ, is that what the smell is?

I didnt mean to be contraversial. It would be nice to think Im giving something back, but Id ask the regular posters in the forums about that rather than me.

D4RK ONION, what do the shiny buttons do? I pressed mine and nothing happened. But maybe it made a server become sentient or something...

Super-Rush

I had compromising pics of the outgoing mod so he campaigned on my behalf

Seriously though, i was asked and i said yes without thinking about it, i was happy to help and i can devote a lot of time to the job where the out going mod couldn't anymore.

But i'm modding probably the easiest of the forums on boards so it shouldn't be too difficult. I pity the AH and Soccer mods a lot, but thats for another thread.

Black Swan

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

We'll discuss it over breakfast when you are in Ireland.:cool:

It's a date!:cool:

Tar.Aldarion

Boards moederatorship strikes again :-p

DeVore

Power is a funny thing, people think I have loads of it but the reality is that what power I can muster is quickly being reduce to "turn it off/on". You know the old joke, where does an 800 pound gorilla sleep? Anywhere it f---ing pleases. Kinda works the same for communities.

I work and have worked on the site because I feel I can direct it in a positive direction for this country. We're about half way through that plan in case you are wondering

There are lots of other reasons, but that is the one that keeps me going on the bad days.

DeV.

Because things have gone stale in the bedroom.

Sarky

Oryx wrote: »

Christ, is that what the smell is?

I didnt mean to be contraversial. It would be nice to think Im giving something back, but Id ask the regular posters in the forums about that rather than me.

Did I sound confrontational? Wasn't my intent, sorry. My point was we don't do it for power. Or at least we shouldn't, those that do usually don't stay mods for long. In my own experience it's not done for any reasons besides helping the site as a whole (whether that be keeping your forum nice and shiny by banning the muppets or by helping to grow a community or whatever) and the satisfaction that brings. No point in modding a forum you have no interest in.

Wibbs

rarnes1 wrote: »

Because things have gone stale in the bedroom.

Wibbs

DeVore wrote: »

I work and have worked on the site because I feel I can direct it in a positive direction for this country.

I have to say, one of the reasons I actually give a crap about this place outside of the mod guff, is because this guy(and others) truly believes in this idea. Maybe he'll get to see that happen, maybe he won't but its rare enough to see that passion and especially the whys of what he's doing. Maybe he's nuts:D, but thats a loopiness I can support, even if I ended up not agreeing with some of the fine points.

Nevyn

Mods dont' have power as it were they can have influnce but then again posters can also have influnce and input to how forums and the site is run.

You don't have to be a mod to be an influencal poster, you do have to know how the site runs and not be constantly talking out of your arse

crocro

--amadeus-- wrote: »

In my own sport every weekend there are race marshalls standing on corners, often in the peeing rain and getting *nothing* back. Why do they do it? Because next week they'll be racing and somone else will be on the corner.

In other words, they do it so they can get something back. Next week somebody else will be a marshall for them.

DeVore

I think everyone does it for something back... that doesnt have to be a bad thing though. I do for a wide variety of reasons but even the most altruistic of them gives me a sense of fulfilment... a satisfaction that is rare. Thats something for *me* I guess. When you boil everything down, there are very few truely altruistic acts but then there are very few opportunities for that in life.

DeV.

ynotdu

Bubs101 wrote: »

Because nobody ****s with mods

REALLY

So a mod has to give up sex as well?

Thats above and beyond the call of duty surely?

may'be mod wer'nt 'getting it' anyways before accepting the job?:pac::pac::)

Tar.Aldarion

Sarky wrote: »

Did I sound confrontational? Wasn't my intent, sorry. My point was we don't do it for power. Or at least we shouldn't, those that do usually don't stay mods for long. In my own experience it's not done for any reasons besides helping the site as a whole (whether that be keeping your forum nice and shiny by banning the muppets or by helping to grow a community or whatever) and the satisfaction that brings. No point in modding a forum you have no interest in.

I may be quite drunk, but it's not about 'power' as sarky says, if anybody does something I don't deem to be in best interests of the forum I'll call them on it, doesn't matter who they are. When I'm sober I'm sure it will be about power :pac:
It's about helping a site that has given us a lot, and is a very good thing for Ireland.

D4RK ONION

Oryx wrote: »

D4RK ONION, what do the shiny buttons do? I pressed mine and nothing happened. But maybe it made a server become sentient or something...

I'm not sure. I clicked one of them before out of interest, and something slapped me on the back of the head. I turned around but there was no one there. I think it might have been Beruthiel :eek:

Thaedydal wrote: »

Mods dont' have power as it were they can have influnce but then again posters can also have influnce and input to how forums and the site is run.

There's no denying though, that there are some posters (usually the newer ones ) take what you say a lot more seriously when they see those big bold letters and that custom avatar. You'll often see moderator posts thanked more commonly than a regular users'. I mean, look at my post on the last page, completely ordinary run of the mill post, thanked!

Rev. BlueJeans

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I may be quite drunk, but it's not about 'power' as sarky says, if anybody does something I don't deem to be in best interests of the forum I'll call them on it, doesn't matter who they are. When I'm sober I'm sure it will be about power :pac:
It's about helping a site that has given us a lot, and is a very good thing for Ireland.

Yes, it is. And I agree that DeV has a vision which for one I buy into.

But collecting modships like pokecards and doing bugger all with them just cheapens the whole thing imho.

nesf

D4RK ONION wrote: »

There's no denying though, that there are some posters (usually the newer ones ) take what you say a lot more seriously when they see those big bold letters and that custom avatar.

Fortunately after a few weeks they cop on and learn that most of us are talking crap most of the time..

Tar.Aldarion

Rev. BlueJeans wrote: »

Yes, it is. And I agree that DeV has a vision which for one I buy into.

But collecting modships like pokecards and doing bugger all with them just cheapens the whole thing imho.

I agree.
As for AH? asked to be removed from there for over a year now I'd guess, in posts and PM

Sarky

You're the Mod pinup girl, that's why.

Saibh

Sarky wrote: »

You're the Mod pinup girl, that's why.

Heard she was the pinup poster for 2009 in the mod forum

Sarky

Yup, 2009 AND 2006, although you needed a credit card to see the '06 one.

Tar.Aldarion

Stop pming for pix everybody! Not sarky... you may continue

Saibh

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Stop pming for pix everybody! Not sarky... you may continue

:(

Tar.Aldarion

Saibh wrote: »

:(

Tar calandar sent...wait what was this thread about
/continues

jawlie

I've read thisi thread with interest. While many say they want to give something back, or contribute, I also notice that many also seem to be the subject of quite a bit of abuse or at least tiresome needling. I am sure the tas is thankless, but sometimes worthwhile too.

Sparks

Because we wanted a shooting forum and if you want something like that, someone has to volunteer and everyone else stepped back faster than I did. And, like the mafia, once you're in...

nesf

jawlie wrote: »

I've read thisi thread with interest. While many say they want to give something back, or contribute, I also notice that many also seem to be the subject of quite a bit of abuse or at least tiresome needling. I am sure the tas is thankless, but sometimes worthwhile too.

Well, the thing is someone needs to do it and it can't be a paid role if the site is to remain free to use. It's similar to people who run voluntary organisations and so on. Someone has to do it so inevitably someone will step up to the plate and take on the task.

D4RK ONION

RopeDrink wrote: »

Much like everything, it's a totally individual experience, one that we can't just sum up in a post and no amount of seperate posts from others can really add up to the overall feel it gives as we all think about it in different ways.

You just had to be there

Terry

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I agree.
As for AH? asked to be removed from there for over a year now I'd guess, in posts and PM

You're not doing it right.
You have to throw a hissy fit. Guaranteed demodding within a day.


Note: I can confirm that Tar has indeed asked to be removed from the AH mod list on numerous occasions.

dr.bollocko

Terry wrote: »

You're not doing it right.
You have to throw a hissy fit. Guaranteed demodding within a day.


Note: I can confirm that Tar has indeed asked to be removed from the AH mod list on numerous occasions.

For some reason they keep hanging in.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055746735
(Clique link):D

Terry

dr.bollocko wrote: »

For some reason they keep hanging in.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055746735
(Clique link):D

I am no longer part of the clique.

ConsiderThis

For all the blather, I still think it's probably for the hookers and cocaine.

tbh

honest answer: I enjoy posting in forums. Someone has to shape and moderate those forums. Might as well be me.

fozzle

ScienceNerd wrote: »

I imagine to help out the site that doesn't ask a lot in return

This.


Also, as to make contacts for information gathering about Thaed Forget that - just for the being nice thing.

OldGoat

Be not afraid of modness: some are born mods, some achieve modhood and some have modhood thrust upon them. - (Quote Act II, Scene V) Twelfth Night (whoreing for the Admins).

I'm one of those born to be a moderator.

And the super sekret handshake is a real kick to do, in sekret, in the presence of mere lowlife boardsies.

As for all this 'giving stuff back' malarky, meh, thats what subscriptions are for. :rolleyes:

Jessica-Rabbit

do you get paid to be a mod?