How should mods be recruited?

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118387524#Comment_118387524

When was the last time someone was appointed?

Edit: I see you've actually appointed one.

How many have you lost or are now largely inactive since the changeover?

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118391824#Comment_118391824

I really do not know. I spend most of my time dealing with CA and Coronavirus forums (where we have something like 7 or 8 mods but only a couple of us currently active), re-regs and threads like this

We don't currently have any tools at Admin level to measure mod activity. There are something in the order of 300 mods across the site. I know that stuff is being picked up in most of the major forums, and I will look through reports to see if there may be issues in particular forums (I stepped into Motors earlier today for example). If I see a thread here or in Help Desk highlighting potential issues again I'll try and have a look and step in if necessary

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118383393#Comment_118383393

We've moved on ....

We're in the Squid games now

🚦

maestroamado

Its called censorship in Ireland in 2022.. if its on RTE is relevant... i assume RTE had its news content checked... i don't really care how the forum works but what i am saying is fact...

I remember the topic if anyone wants to know... whole thread deleted...

EmmetSpiceland

Good grief, “censorship” and free speech? Get a grip. This site has rules, yes, that means you are not allowed say certain things. The site doesn’t have to let you say whatever you want.

If you want to “exercise” your own, personal, free speech go off down the local park, or street corner, stand up on a little box and start spouting off whatever deranged nonsense you want. People can listen if they like but they can, also, steer clear and warn their children to keep away from the oddball.

The mods are having a tough enough time of it. Threads like these, stoked up by users with grudges who don’t like being “told off”, aren’t helping.

maestroamado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118395751#Comment_118395751

I repeated something that was on RTE news and it was deleted... GET REAL...

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118395832#Comment_118395832

Stick to the topic, which is stated in the thread title. If you have an issue with moderation take it up with the relevant mod(s) via PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118395751#Comment_118395751

Threads like these, stoked up by users with grudges who don’t like being “told off”, aren’t helping.

This is the feedback forum. Questioning motivation is simply trolling. And suggesting that modding might improve if the selection process was looked at is both (i) feedback and (ii) helpful, imo.

maestroamado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118396847#Comment_118396847

Why are you trying to tell me what i can and cannot say... you did say that the site decides.. i call this censorship if the thread is deleted without any reason given and no.communication... This thread is about mods and i am stating facts... you just want to talk about the bit where we all agree...

Ask anyone who really really wants to be a mod to submit a 500 word essay stating why they'd make a good mod... and entirely ignore them. 😆

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118396891#Comment_118396891

The thread is about how mods are recruited. Now stick to it or you will be banned from posting here

EDIT: And yes off topic posts have been deleted. If anyone really needs clarification please drop me a PM

maestroamado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118398565#Comment_118398565

Ban away i'd rather be shot than be muzzled... keep up the form...

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118398605#Comment_118398605

Do not post in this thread again

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118383376#Comment_118383376

I once did it because it was an interesting insight into some of the inner workings of social media moderation in general, it was part of an overall education on such things. Also it was a stint at playing my part in helping the overall discussion forum operate, a forum I appreciate and enjoy and which occasionally frustrates. And not least because I am very interested in how people interact socially. Alas a few people may have done it mainly as a power trip, if this is what drives them in other areas of life.

MTU

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118398641#Comment_118398641

The faux power of being the king in the kingdom of one must have crossed your mind?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118398657#Comment_118398657

Human nature is human nature and of course that element has to be there, we all have an ego to some degree but if we can “moderate” that and be aware of it and try not let it dictate too much how we might perform, then that aspect of motivation is ok. You should exercise some humility in moderation and apologise if or where you have erred.

SouthWesterly

I'd be inclined to think that all voluntary roles on the site should be for a maximum duration. It would stop the building of the mini kingdoms and do away with any need to protect their little part of the world from the mere user.

A mode of complaint against mods also should be part of the restructuring. An independent panel to look at the complaint and adjudicate. Mods modding themselves is like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas. It needs to be impartial.

amandstu

Glad to see this thread being taken up

When I first posted on Boards I was taken aback by the numbers of mods that there were in the threads I was interested in( by comparison to forums I was previously involved in)

Then ,since the makeover of this site I am equally taken back by the lack of moderation, which seems to be down to the bulk of the moderators (and others?) losing interest and no longer participating in the site.

So maybe ,from my perspective there could be a few extra moderators but not as many as before

In the other forums I have posted in there had usually been a rule that a mod should not perform moderator duties in a thread in which they are actively posting

That rule is inoperable if you have too few moderators.

knucklehead6

In the other forums I have posted in there had usually been a rule that a mod should not perform moderator duties in a thread in which they are actively posting

is that not a rule here as well? I was mod of one of the old hosted forums on the old platform, and I think we had that rule in place. But then again, the hosted forums were a different type of forum and we had slightly different mod tools and actions available to us.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118389748#Comment_118389748

You seem to be under a very big delusion about how the internet and social media works…. The owners of every website are conscious of the financial consequences of not adhering to the liable laws etc. Furthermore running large sites cost money and most owners are unwilling to finance it entirely out of their own pocket, so paying attention to the user profile you attracted is important if you expect to sell advertising. These are the commercial realities.

You don’t have an unrestricted right to free speech, you never had. That is why we have the laws of tort, jurisprudence, statues etc. And expecting the owners/operators of any website to assume the legal and financial consequences of allowing you to do so is simply nonsense.

If you want to provide an unsupervised, free speech site then set one up and see how it goes. Within weeks you will get a large dose of reality as the solicitor letters roll in. People have a right to their good name, privacy, an unbiased legal system etc. don’t expect them to allow you to ignore their rights.

Quantum Erasure

https://search.google.com/test/amp

Beasty

A couple more posts deleted

Just to add, it is a rule of Feedback that to post here you must have been registered for a minimum 3 months and have a minimum 100 posts

I am letting posts that do not qualify stand, and for this thread that rule will only be applied where posters are not constructive (in a positive or negative way) or if such posters start dominating the thread or attempting to exercise a disproportionate amount of influence

osarusan

However they are recruited, more mods are needed in CA. I get that the lack of modding tools limits modding power, but even so, more eyes on threads and reported posts would help.

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118399089#Comment_118399089

This is a rule we encourage across the site. Sometimes it is simply not possible and this thread is a prime example of that. I feel it necessary to act as moderator in this thread simply because there are no other Admins around. And I feel the need to contribute to the thread as an Admin again because there us no-one else around.

Using the forums I do moderate as further examples, when you have threads running to 400,000 posts on the Coronavirus forum I would struggle to find any active mod across the site let alone the forum who has not contributed their own views at some stage. The other side of this is that since the platform changeover probably less than 1% of my posts have been as a "regular" contributor precisely because of the time my Admin and mod responsibilities take up

That clearly says we need more mods. It may well mean we need more CMods and Admins too although there does seem to be some pick up in activity across these roles as platform changes start to bed in

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118398944#Comment_118398944

Now that's an interesting proposal. It might at least mitigate the issue of problems becoming ingrained. I think any poster who has been around for a while will know how the different mods will react differently, which ones actually consider the point, which ones circle the wagons, which ones don't have a clue etc.

MTU

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118399089#Comment_118399089

Sadly this is not the case, won’t mention the forums but a few mods want to watch the parade but also be in it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118399534#Comment_118399534

This is a social platform. Mod recruits are likely active users in a forum, and are unpaid. Forums would likely be the less for losing them. Why should mods stop posting. I'd rather lose the snowflakes that require mod intervention than the mods that have been seen to actively contribute to forums. A prime example are those that drone on about free speech infringement. Which is the more valuable, I'll go with the active mod.

How do you attract the best mods, you dont expect them to turn into opinionless referees. Why would they want that?!

MTU

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118399563#Comment_118399563

Take into consideration now my point again and the forums that are ruined by these mods. Loose the tunnel vision.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118399563#Comment_118399563

It is not a question of stopping mods from posting as normal users. It is mods posting as a normal user in a thread and also actively moderating the same thread. I'm sure you can see the possible conflict of interest that may arise?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118399600#Comment_118399600

My point is universal. Are you volunteering to pay 20-25k per annum to hire your preferred mod. I think distilled media would be interested - they could spilt the fees and pay for a part time mod.