Ask the Mods!

[Poly]

Well that and if they can make good chocolate fudge.

 

[ebenz47037]

Being a good moderator is a bit like being a good parent. It requires discerning the temperament of the people we are working with. What is too harsh a response for one, barely starts to get the attention of another. Figuring out what is just enough is trial and error with every single member. There are times when I went with a formal "warning" when a PM would have been plenty, and times when particular members caused me to regret giving them the benefit of a doubt.

You were a great example for me, Del. I learned a lot watching you moderate TOL over the years.

 

[Delmar]

Does this mean I finally get the pony?


:noid:

I figured you had a horse ranch by now :idunno:

 

[Delmar]

...Lastly, while the thread seems focused on the visible, the behind the scenes work likely consumes the majority of time. Dealing with moving, merging, editing threads...

AMR

It drives me a little crazy that I don't still have the power to edit threads. Especially when somebody screws up a quote tag and their screwed up quote gets quoted by a half dozen people.

 

[Sherman]

Lastly, while the thread seems focused on the visible, the behind the scenes work likely consumes the majority of time. Dealing with moving, merging, editing threads, special group administration, member requests for this or that, instructing someone about "How do I?" or "Where can I find...?", hand-holding the indignant or the perceived insulted, shutting down trolls missed by automated tools, eliminating ugly content, investigating sock accounts, and more means the person needs to have confidence in their computer tools usage. A mod with high privileges can muck things up badly with a few errant mouse clicks. Not all persons can handle the work.
AMR

Most of my time here is spent doing just these things--shutting down spam accounts, investigating possible trolls returning, fixing threads and fixing things for members that were messed up by their errant mouse clicks.

Every new account that comes onto TOL, I check it over. Some of them are obviously spam bots. A spam bot doesn't know that it doesn't have full privileges until its name is bolded. I've seen spam bots spend the whole day trying to send PM's. I see this behavior, I shut the account down.

Most of the red names you see at the bottom are spam bots that have been shut down.

 

[Ask Mr. Religion]

Indeed, the "glory" some may see in the mod's job is but the tip of the iceberg that most seeking such "glory" would not be able to deal with day in and day out. Thank you for your efforts towards making things go smoothly at TOL.

AMR