More moderators needed

[Mercifull]

People trust the policemen who they see on the beat walking around their town and interacting with the community more than those that don't even live in the down and you hardly ever see. I belive it to be the same with forums. When you have active moderators participating in the community it gets rid of the "us and them" stance thats so ugly on the internet.

 

 

 

I know full well the demands of being a volunteer on a large website (admin of the Battlestar Wiki here) there is no need to be rude and put it in bold.

[____]

I'm with Matt, I was a global mod for a long time, and i'm fully aware that it's our own time; and to be perfectly honest - if your time on the forum is consumed by moderating you are doing something wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

Quit looking for it - relax and in the natural course of browsing, posting and generally just doing what you normally do as a user things which require you attention as a moderator present themself.

 

 

 

First thing I did whenever I logged on (if I had no pm's) was start at the bottom of the threads with new replies, check the posts, the occasional sig if it look iffy, replied if i had something to say, moved onto the next topic.

 

 

 

Then went to the next forum I frequented. When that was done (probably take 5-10 minutes) prune any topics in forums which needed it (marketplace at that time - another 5-10 minutes). Then when the "catchup" from the day before - or 5-6hrs - was done, i'd do my own thing for a while, and that usually included skimming new replies to topics.

 

 

 

When I was done on the forum for the time being (this being after 2 or 3 hrs) i'd give it a break and do something else. Repeat the process the next time I was on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you go looking for things requiring your attention, and there is none - you cause the decline in your activity as a community member - not the workload. The process may have changed, with more... standards and processes to go by, but the end result is the same - you're left browsing the forums removing the bad stuff. It shouldn't exactly remove you from the community if you are good at it. If your time is fully consumed by moderating then you really aren't active enough in the first place, or are doing something wrong.

 

 

 

The only exception to the previous are admins, who essentially rarely post in public on anything other than official matters (like this). The few who did would be ForsakenMage, Grin_King, Albosky (not so much anymore, but originally it was different) and Silverion (while silv rarely posts to begin with he posts more often than most other admins given their activity compared to his).

[Artemis1330]

I'm fairly certain that inappropriate and spam messages/topics will be posted regardless of whether or not we perceive an extremely active moderating team. I think you're being fairly demanding of people that volunteer their time on this forum.

 

 

 

Sure, the spam and inappropriate messages will always be around, but noticably active moderators certaintly help reduce and deter the problems. Look at Moderators blogs in blogscape, how many times has that had to have been cleaned from spam and bad messages?

 

 

 

Like the person above me said, if all volunteer moderator does is browse the forums searching for messages to clean, topics to move, etc, then they are doing something wrong. Those moderators obviously posted in the past, how else did they get their moderator status. I have noticed that when some mods first became a moderators, they still post consistently even if it is just a "grats". If they keep moving up, gaining responsibility, and you can follow their dropping posts amount easily.

 

 

 

I am not saying tip.it forums staff need to do less tip.it forum work, but do more of the thing all other users do every day. Look at the example it creates; You start out posting every day, report a thread here and there. Eventually you become a mod, and suddenly you rarely post, and when you do it is with a "locked" or a "moved". What does that look like to you? To me it looks like all they now do is work, and those friendly messages you saw by a good person stops.

 

 

 

Being a moderator should be nothing more then an added ability. You browse and post the forums as usual, and when you see a topic that needs attention, you take care of it.

 

 

 

From the replies I have been reading by forum mods and admin, this topic (it's in the "suggestions" forum to, how ironic) is going no where. This is the last time I will post on it. I do not wish to harm my realtionship with the mods I know, so please do not take any of my thoughts personally. I do think the team of Moderators does a great job as is. Like the forum name suggests, the others and I are simply posting suggestions.

 

 

 

Edit-spelling and names removed, should not have put names there. sorry :XD: I know most of what I wrote in my posts were slightly off topic from the first post. I don't really agree with what the others say. If a mod becomes inactive, that does not mean that the qualities they have change. If they are a mod now, I don't see how inactivity means they are no longer a good mod. It is a game, people take breaks from it AND the forums. When/if they come back, I would think they are still that same responsible person.

[____]

In the defence of the admins not posting, their workload far exceeds that of a mod, and is understandable to post rarely as a user. Mods on the other hand... :uhh: Don't get me wrong i'm all for staff moderating, but to what extent? The admin team is faceless enough without all staff following route.

 

 

 

 

 

And I might add... the best way to effectively moderate (and to a lesser degree admin) a community is to always be part of it. The second you stop is the second you start losing touch with the community you want to make enjoyable. I think some of our admins could do this more often aswell.

[Laikrob]

I can only speak for myself here: When I became a Moderator, I had less than 300 posts - now I have a postcount of 2000. I can assure you that I do post other things than "Locked" or "Moved", and I am sorry to see that people start naming names in a thread like this. It's suggestions forum, not blame game forum. :anxious:

 

 

 

I usually have my online status hidden, but that doesn't mean I'm inactive. Same goes for several others. Mod inactivity is a thing between the Admins and the Mod - and the Admins can see the full picture, as they most likely can see our moderator actions. If someone is on a leave, that again is the Administrator's field. It seems that people forget that this is a forum with more than 150,000 registered users, meaning we have more to do than just posting as normal and "handle whatever we stumble across"... If we did that, we could just as well remain as regular users and report once in a while. *cheers for report function*

 

 

 

On one hand, you want mods that deal with keylogger reports literally minutes after they are made, on the other hand you expect us to post as much as possible. We simply can't please everyone, and we'd burn out if we tried. :) However, I'm usually available on IRC (of course on Tipit's server), and many people contact me there if it's something urgent. The Crew members know the Moderators' contact details, so they should be able to get a hold of one quite easily should an emergency situation arise.

 

 

 

Laikrob,

 

Tip.It user

[chris1216]

People trust the policemen who they see on the beat walking around their town and interacting with the community more than those that don't even live in the down and you hardly ever see. I belive it to be the same with forums. When you have active moderators participating in the community it gets rid of the "us and them" stance thats so ugly on the internet.

 

 

 

I know full well the demands of being a volunteer on a large website (admin of the Battlestar Wiki here) there is no need to be rude and put it in bold.

 

 

 

You've shifted your argument. First it was about TIF needing more moderators, then it was about moderators needing to be more active as a deterrent, and now you're saying that there's an "us vs. them" stance between users and moderators. Which is it?

 

 

 

The deterrent argument is clearly flawed because spam and messages that need locking/deleting will be around no matter how active a moderator staff looks.

 

 

 

I don't think there's chilly relations between the users and the moderators and I have no idea where you're getting that from.

[m1cha34l]

 

I don't think there's chilly relations between the users and the moderators and I have no idea where you're getting that from.

 

 

 

I disagree, someone with powers to punish will always be disliked, at least to a small amount.

 

 

 

I do think it is shame that some users think that mods punish peope all the time, rather than just 'correcting' (correcting as in helping)them, but maybe it would be worth trying to improve relationships between mods and users in someway. Or at least trying to stop a lot of posts looking like competitions between staff and users.

[The Observer]

I'm not complaining. I am just merely suggesting something that will improve the Tip.It community as a whole and to make it a better place to post and chat.

 

 

 

Here is what I'm saying: There is an average of about a 7 hour gap between one the last moderator signs off and the next moderator signs in. I'm not trying to put pressure on any of the administrators here, I'm just merely pointing out the problem here so users may be more keen on becoming a moderator.

 

 

 

Perhaps we should open up the applications again and this time ask what time zone the user is located in. This will make it a lot simpler in choosing moderators that are in specific timezones near or in the Australian timezone.

[Phil]

Perhaps we should open up the applications again and this time ask what time zone the user is located in. This will make it a lot simpler in choosing moderators that are in specific timezones near or in the Australian timezone.

 

The original application had that question in it for the reason that you are trying to state. We know we need more coverage in certain timezones. Don't worry hopefully something will be done about it soon.

 

 

 

Just remember though, there may be 20 users willing to be a mod in a certain timezone (just an example), there may not be many if any at all which are suitable for the mod role. We can't accept people just because they are willing and in a certain timezone.

[tripsis]

Here is what I'm saying: There is an average of about a 7 hour gap between one the last moderator signs off and the next moderator signs in. I'm not trying to put pressure on any of the administrators here, I'm just merely pointing out the problem here so users may be more keen on becoming a moderator.

 

 

 

Perhaps we should open up the applications again and this time ask what time zone the user is located in. This will make it a lot simpler in choosing moderators that are in specific timezones near or in the Australian timezone.

 

 

 

I don't think that 7 hour statistic is true. Maybe a maximum of 7 hours, but definitely not an average. In the PST time zone, I often see multiple moderators and administrators logged in at once (and keep in mind that some of us may be hidden). In the Australian/etc. time zones, it does quiet down a bit, but 7 hour average is still a tad exaggerated.

 

 

 

As I said earlier, one of the original purposes of the moderator applications was to find users in specific time zones to help moderate (specifically the Australian time zone). So "What time zone are you in" was in fact one of the questions in the application and is something that we will take into consideration when deciding who are final trainees will be.

 

 

 

A lot of you underestimate the work that gets put into moderating. It is not simply continuing on like a regular user and locking/removing/moving problematic posts/threads that you come across. There are almost always 1-15 reports to be dealt with at a time and they just keep coming in. Inappropriate signatures need to be evaluated and dealt with, we need to consider suggestions made by users and then implementing them, etc. It's not all luxury and easy-going work. It is time consuming and I certainly don't think we should kick out members of our team who "do all their moderator work but don't have time to post as a regular user, and therefore aren't active enough for the staff..." or something like that.

 

 

 

Now I think I'm just about done with this thread so don't be surprised if I don't respond again. We will have a large batch of moderator trainees coming in soon (hopefully) and they will assist with these problematic threads. Our hopes are that we will have more time zones covered and the forums will be actively moderated at all hours of the day/night. If we still have a problem after the moderator trainees are selected and have "moved in" to their new positions, then we'll have something to discuss.

[insane]

A lot of you underestimate the work that gets put into moderating....

 

 

 

I think there are a couple of us posting on this thread that are ex tipit mods, so we do have an idea. I don't want you to feel obligated to respond to this, but meh.

 

 

 

I don't think there's chilly relations between the users and the moderators and I have no idea where you're getting that from.

 

 

 

It's theoretical. If you get a topic of yours locked by a moderator whom you see frequently post, you're going to feel more comfortable asking them about it than some random shmuck who only posts on staff forums. The more you see a moderator being a part of the community, the more receptive you'll feel about them policing the community they are so-called a "part of".

[Albosky]

 

The only exception to the previous are admins, who essentially rarely post in public on anything other than official matters (like this). The few who did would be ForsakenMage, Grin_King, Albosky (not so much anymore, but originally it was different) and Silverion (while silv rarely posts to begin with he posts more often than most other admins given their activity compared to his).

 

 

 

Ah crap , my lack of free time has been discovered :-w

[Kaphias]

 

The only exception to the previous are admins, who essentially rarely post in public on anything other than official matters (like this). The few who did would be ForsakenMage, Grin_King, Albosky (not so much anymore, but originally it was different) and Silverion (while silv rarely posts to begin with he posts more often than most other admins given their activity compared to his).

 

 

 

Ah crap , my lack of free time has been discovered :-w

 

Ha :P

[InkofDeath]

A lot of you underestimate the work that gets put into moderating. It is not simply continuing on like a regular user and locking/removing/moving problematic posts/threads that you come across. There are almost always 1-15 reports to be dealt with at a time and they just keep coming in. Inappropriate signatures need to be evaluated and dealt with, we need to consider suggestions made by users and then implementing them, etc. It's not all luxury and easy-going work. It is time consuming and I certainly don't think we should kick out members of our team who "do all their moderator work but don't have time to post as a regular user, and therefore aren't active enough for the staff..." or something like that.

 

Aren't the ones agreeing with the idea(s) here ex-tip.it mods? I don't think they are underestimating anything, unless the system of how a mod works has changed to something entirely different, which I doubt since all those duties you listed would be the same, just on a smaller scale 1-3 years back. What about those mods who are inactive, and don't do any of their duties? We can all agree not to kick a mod who isn't active publicly but is changing the forums from the shadows, but I think whoever said about inactive mods meant those who are inactive, those who don't do anything in the shadows, or in the public eye.

[The Observer]

Here is what I'm saying: There is an average of about a 7 hour gap between one the last moderator signs off and the next moderator signs in. I'm not trying to put pressure on any of the administrators here, I'm just merely pointing out the problem here so users may be more keen on becoming a moderator.

 

 

 

Perhaps we should open up the applications again and this time ask what time zone the user is located in. This will make it a lot simpler in choosing moderators that are in specific timezones near or in the Australian timezone.

 

 

 

I don't think that 7 hour statistic is true. Maybe a maximum of 7 hours, but definitely not an average. In the PST time zone, I often see multiple moderators and administrators logged in at once (and keep in mind that some of us may be hidden). In the Australian/etc. time zones, it does quiet down a bit, but 7 hour average is still a tad exaggerated.

 

 

 

As I said earlier, one of the original purposes of the moderator applications was to find users in specific time zones to help moderate (specifically the Australian time zone). So "What time zone are you in" was in fact one of the questions in the application and is something that we will take into consideration when deciding who are final trainees will be.

 

 

 

A lot of you underestimate the work that gets put into moderating. It is not simply continuing on like a regular user and locking/removing/moving problematic posts/threads that you come across. There are almost always 1-15 reports to be dealt with at a time and they just keep coming in. Inappropriate signatures need to be evaluated and dealt with, we need to consider suggestions made by users and then implementing them, etc. It's not all luxury and easy-going work. It is time consuming and I certainly don't think we should kick out members of our team who "do all their moderator work but don't have time to post as a regular user, and therefore aren't active enough for the staff..." or something like that.

 

 

 

Now I think I'm just about done with this thread so don't be surprised if I don't respond again. We will have a large batch of moderator trainees coming in soon (hopefully) and they will assist with these problematic threads. Our hopes are that we will have more time zones covered and the forums will be actively moderated at all hours of the day/night. If we still have a problem after the moderator trainees are selected and have "moved in" to their new positions, then we'll have something to discuss.

 

 

 

The statistic was more of a wild guess. I should have put more effort into researching it. It is still a rather large gap though.

 

 

 

I may underestimate it a tad because I've never really moderated really busy forums before. My clan forums only has about 1-2 users on average at a time, so there really isn't that much to moderate. I do know what it's like though. I also would like to say that I'm not trying to insult the current moderator staff by saying that they arn't doing enough work. I'm just bringing this to everybody's attention so more people will be keen on becoming a moderator.

 

 

 

I'm hoping that it works out for you. Perhaps you can appoint more active Australian users? They might not want to submit an application for some reason or another so it will be easier for you to appoint them.

[jemathonical]

If some Australians wanted to be a mod, they would've applied. Which I'm sure many did and we will get a couple more when they are announced.

[Gamerr]

I'll give my views on this thread.

 

 

 

Administrators.

 

 

 

This topic is mainly about super mods/mods that are needed, but I think one extra administrator wouldn't hurt. I don't have an idea which timezones are good presented, but maybe check for one week every day the activity on certain moments. When there's a lack of admins at a certain time very frequentely, you know that timezone could use a fillup. Ofcourse you can't hand out apps, but maybe a current super mod/global mod fits in that timezone and would be suitable.

 

 

 

Super moderators/moderators.

 

 

 

I can't stress enough the importance of specific moderators. I don't understand that Graveyard, Duelling Area and stuff are modded by some people who never PK/duel. Same for the clan forums, there's nothing wrong with moderation there but the mods aren't a part of the big clans so they won't bring in new traffic.

 

 

 

Also, GD & Rants really need moderators with some more feeling. I haven't been active lately, but from the moment users start to discuss for example "what's good about luring" (trivial example) a moderator locks it because it's not appropiate in that topic. I would let the topic open, and see where it goes.

 

 

 

 

 

In general I think tip it doesn't have a big lack of mods, but don't make the mistake getting new mods who aren't really that active or haven't got good time management skills. Also, the moderator trainee idea is not smart in my opinion, because you basicly throw away the "being asked" idea for staff. Staff places shouldn't be applieable.

[Ard_Choille]

... I can't stress enough the importance of specific moderators. I don't understand that Graveyard, Duelling Area and stuff are modded by some people who never PK/duel. Same for the clan forums, there's nothing wrong with moderation there but the mods aren't a part of the big clans so they won't bring in new traffic.

 

 

 

Also, GD & Rants really need moderators with some more feeling. I haven't been active lately, but from the moment users start to discuss for example "what's good about luring" (trivial example) a moderator locks it because it's not appropiate in that topic. I would let the topic open, and see where it goes.

 

We recognize that some of the specialty forums need moderators who are most familiar with the content and frequent posters. We've customized groups for forums like Off Topic and The Gallery for that very reason. The Trainee positions will expand that concept by assigning moderators to categories/forums like Rants, Clans and Player Killing (along with related subforums) if potential users have applied. By asking for volunteers to moderate very specific forums they most use, we can fill in some of these gaps.

 

 

 

...In general I think tip it doesn't have a big lack of mods, but don't make the mistake getting new mods who aren't really that active or haven't got good time management skills. Also, the moderator trainee idea is not smart in my opinion, because you basicly throw away the "being asked" idea for staff. Staff places shouldn't be applieable.

 

One of the overall goals of the Moderator Applications is to get new moderators who WANT to moderate the forums they use the most and will be active. By asking for volunteers, we're taking the guesswork out of "do you want to and have the time to moderate" question that sometimes isn't answered until after a user is already doing the job. It's an addition to the "hiring process" (if you will) that we are hoping proves to be beneficial.

 

 

 

We're not replacing the "being asked" method, we're simply adding a new method to the mix in order to fill in the gaps.

 

 

 

- Ard

[Gamerr]

We recognize that some of the specialty forums need moderators who are most familiar with the content and frequent posters.

 

 

 

About time since we (= people from the CIC) said clearly many times at around june~july we needed better clan mods and more specific known people. We got as an answer "we'll think about it". A bit late now.

 

 

 

We've customized groups for forums like Off Topic and The Gallery for that very reason. The Trainee positions will expand that concept by assigning moderators to categories/forums like Rants, Clans and Player Killing (along with related subforums) if potential users have applied. By asking for volunteers to moderate very specific forums they most use, we can fill in some of these gaps.

 

 

 

I don't know if I'm right, but you are going to use the trainees @ graveyard, offI topic and clan discussion? If you do that I really don't understand it anymore. Off topic needs people who have experience with off topic, Graveyard needs KNOWN people from the wild, and clan discussion needs mods who are active in the TOP clan world. Is that so hard? I wouldn't stress it on every post about this matter if you had arguments to disagree with that. Especially for clan discussion the past has proven it can't get any worse, so why not risk it? But if it takes 3-4 months to take that decision, we already lost the greatest chance to bring clans back to tip.it. In the summer, Corr posted almost daily with about 20 members. Nothing but I really mean nothing has been done with that. Sorry, I don't understand that.

[mchainmail]

I don't know if I'm right, but you are going to use the trainees @ graveyard, offI topic and clan discussion? If you do that I really don't understand it anymore. Off topic needs people who have experience with off topic, Graveyard needs KNOWN people from the wild, and clan discussion needs mods who are active in the TOP clan world. Is that so hard? I wouldn't stress it on every post about this matter if you had arguments to disagree with that. Especially for clan discussion the past has proven it can't get any worse, so why not risk it? But if it takes 3-4 months to take that decision, we already lost the greatest chance to bring clans back to tip.it. In the summer, Corr posted almost daily with about 20 members. Nothing but I really mean nothing has been done with that. Sorry, I don't understand that.

 

 

 

(Me posting as a person, not as a tip.it crewbie)

 

 

 

I think that he means that tip.it will look for people interested in moderating that are already active in that section of the forum and want to moderate it.

[Ard_Choille]

About time since we (= people from the CIC) said clearly many times at around june~july we needed better clan mods and more specific known people. We got as an answer "we'll think about it". A bit late now.

 

Better late than never.

 

 

 

Off topic needs people who have experience with off topic, Graveyard needs KNOWN people from the wild, and clan discussion needs mods who are active in the TOP clan world. Is that so hard?

 

We are saying the same thing. We plan to align the trainees with the forum they post to most.

 

 

 

- Ard

[Satenza]

We can go back and forth discussing whether they will pick the right people for the right boards, each specific boards obviously requiring a different type of person to moderate them. The overall importance is that the moderator remains a user in those specific boards as well. When they announce the new "trainee mods", although i do not understand why they are called that, we'll understand a little better if they are the right people.

 

 

 

Before you choose any clan moderators suggest them through the CIC first (or whats left of it now most of us have left).

 

 

 

Anyway, im looking forward to seeing who the new OT mods will be.

[Rebdragon]

Anyway, im looking forward to seeing who the new OT mods will be.

 

Me, I'm terrified, but again, I'm a pessimist.

[Codguy]

Anyway, im looking forward to seeing who the new OT mods will be.

 

Me, I'm terrified, but again, I'm a pessimist.

 

 

 

Haha I know what you mean. I'm a mod and admin on some other forums and when new people get control of the forums, it's a bit weary for at least the first couple of weeks.

 

 

 

I'm hoping the new Trainee Mods will do really well on the forums, hopefully, it will help solve the timezone issues.

[Albosky]

When they announce the new "trainee mods", although i do not understand why they are called that

 

 

 

What part dont you understand ......

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator TRAINEE

 

 

 

A.k.a , in training

 

 

 

The people who ARE chosen will not be given instant moderator privileges and set free to police the forums. Hence the word trainee :roll:

 

 

 

 

 

I can't think of any simpler way to put it....