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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

[COMM] How active should moderators be in their respective forums?

Discussion in 'Communications' started by KnightWriter, Apr 26, 2004.

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  1. Katya Jade

    Katya Jade Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 19, 2002
    With the exception of The Bigger Fish, and on occasion Dashy, I don't think I've seen another mod in there post on a thread that wasn't a clique thread, or one they themselves started.

    Cheri, I agree and I think that's a problem. There's nothing wrong in the slower moving forums with not posting all that much. When I was in SWC, I tried to post when I could, but there weren't all that many new threads in which to participate. In JCC, you've got numerous threads in which you can just pop in and post. At least to see what's happening and be seen as well. It's not that difficult. Dedication simply means wanting to do the job to which you were promoted. If people can't do that, they shouldn't be there.
     
  2. AmazingB

    AmazingB Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2001
    I've found that in the JCC sometimes it's hard to find a thread you want to talk about. It's a matter of your interests.

    One of the reasons a mod is supposed to be promoted is interest in their forum. If a mod can only find one or two threads to post in each day in the JCC or 3SA, when there are typically some 150-200 (or more, I've never been to 3SA) active threads during a 24 hour period, then maybe they should step aside and let someone else do it. If you're not interested in the overwhelming majority of your forum, there's no way you can be an effective mod.

    No. But I think we have to work with what we've got.

    Why should we have to settle? Why can't we have mods who are active?

    No, it's not working. But until It's fixed, let's do with what we have.

    Isn't that precisely what this thread is trying to accomplish?

    Amazing.
     
  3. legacyAccount

    legacyAccount Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 22, 2012
    If the moderator has a really, really good excuse (?I?m dying of cancer,? or ?I?ve been in intense training to climb Everest?) then I think that some slack could be cut.

    Now, this may seem kind of heartless, but if they're dying of cancer or are in intense training to climb mount everest, shouldn't they take a leave of absence rather than let them continue to be listed as a mod? Or, like, if their house is undergoing remodeling and they can't log in but once every few days, then shouldn't they step down temporarily? I mean, people do that when they're going on vacation or have school work or will be at their grandmother's house for two weeks and their grandmother doesn't even have cable tv (except for satelite arabic stations), much less internet, so why shouldn't they be asked to step down temporarily if they're not going to be available for a period of more than, say, 7 days?

     
  4. Darth_Ignant

    Darth_Ignant Jedi Grand Master star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 24, 2001
    That is heartless. But I like heartless, oprovided it's accompanied by intelliegence. Which it be.
     
  5. Darth_Smelly

    Darth_Smelly Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 29, 2004
    Very heartless....but makes complete sense. Something you see so very rarely around here.
     
  6. Cheri

    Cheri Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 24, 2000
    Amazing, yes we are trying to change things here, but how often has this subject been brought up, to no avail? I can think of a few. They might not have been the point of the thread, but we've discussed it. I don't see it changing. I'm hoping that we can improve what we have, if it's not going to change.
     
  7. Katya Jade

    Katya Jade Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 19, 2002
    I think the important thing is that we discuss it until there is change. We spend enough time around here dancing around issues that are tough. Well, it's time that mods and users make some decisions that might hurt some feelings but, ultimately, will be for the good of the forums.
     
  8. Syntax

    Syntax Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 1, 2001
    In glancing through Comms, I'm seeing a lot of threads that just seem like common sense to me, but are also hard to define, because they don't NEED to be precisely defined.
    This is one of those threads.

    How active should Mods be in their respective forums? Real active. Like... all the damn time. Not 24/7, but a few times a day. And enforce the rules consistently. If you can't do that, you shouldn't be Moderating.

    I mean, seems pretty clear to me. I can't figure out for the life of me why this thread is so many pages long.
     
  9. Darth_Ignant

    Darth_Ignant Jedi Grand Master star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 24, 2001
    It's page 2 or 3. That isn't that much.
     
  10. legacyAccount

    legacyAccount Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 22, 2012
    So, yeah, I'm learning about evaluation and assessment in higher education in one of my classes, and I think we can probably apply some of that here.

    What we should do (if we actually want to change, that is) is:

    a) define, to some extent, how active mods should be in their forums
    b) decide what steps should be taken if they're not being active (warnings, removal, etc)
    c) take action on that decision
    d) after, say, six months, re-evaluate, see if mods are being more active, and if the appropriate steps are being taken if they're not


    a focus group (are those still going on?) might be a good way to do this.
     
  11. Syntax

    Syntax Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 1, 2001
    It's page 2 or 3. That isn't that much.

    It's a bit much by my standards. I mean, I'd think my post would cover the topic, and I find it amazing that it's taken 2-3 pages to reach such a point. I can only hope I'm not the ONLY person who thinks like this topic is a really redundant, obvious question.
     
  12. legacyAccount

    legacyAccount Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 22, 2012
    The problem isn't the question itself. The problem is the fact that, even after a decision has been reached, it doesn't get enforced.
     
  13. Katya Jade

    Katya Jade Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 19, 2002
  14. Syntax

    Syntax Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 1, 2001
    Well, that's another thing that I can't fathom why it gets discussed for such a long time, either. I mean, come on. A mod isn't active in the forum (isn't in the forum at least once a day), then there's something wrong, and the Admins should do something about it. If the Mod has a reason for not being around (finals week, death in the family, vacation, whatever), then they should state as such (not publicly, obviously) and someone else should pick up the slack. If they have to be away for a long time (study abroad, whatever) then they should be "on leave". Bam. Conclusion reached.
     
  15. Darth_Ignant

    Darth_Ignant Jedi Grand Master star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 24, 2001
    Syntax, you've been around long enough to know how the game is played. The administration let's these threads be made. They join in the discussion for a bit. The trhead continues. They post less and less. The thread slowly dies, because all has been said. It gets forgotten.

    This is the procedure. It saves actually haveing to make changes.
     
  16. Syntax

    Syntax Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 1, 2001
    ...what does that have to do with how active the Mod is in the forum? Seriously, I'm not seeing the point of your post. ?[face_plain]

    (in all honesty, my involvement in this thread really boils down to "I cannot understand why this is being discussed for more than 11 post")
     
  17. Darth_OlsenTwins

    Darth_OlsenTwins Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 18, 2002
    Best solution:

    Make me a mod.

    Problems solved, glorious harmony to follow.
     
  18. Darth_Ignant

    Darth_Ignant Jedi Grand Master star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 24, 2001
    It's relevant because you keep saying 'why is this going on and on'. I'm telling you why. 9/10 issues are just left to go on and on until they simply die. Then they don;t have to be dealt with.
     
  19. Thok

    Thok Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    May 24, 2002
    Make me a mod

    HA! Pig's will fly before that happens.
     
  20. Darth_OlsenTwins

    Darth_OlsenTwins Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 18, 2002
    HA! Pig's will fly before that happens.

    It really is one of the two best solutions. Sucks that you cannot see it.
     
  21. legacyAccount

    legacyAccount Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 22, 2012
    The reason this thread has continued to go on is in the hopes that mods will actually make a plan of action and give the impression they're actually going to DO something about it. And so far, there's no real reason to believe that.
     
  22. Syntax

    Syntax Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 1, 2001
    It's relevant because you keep saying 'why is this going on and on'. I'm telling you why. 9/10 issues are just left to go on and on until they simply die. Then they don;t have to be dealt with.

    OH! I totally mis-read your post. I thought you were referring to topics being made elsewhere, not in Comms. My mistake.

    The reason this thread has continued to go on is in the hopes that mods will actually make a plan of action and give the impression they're actually going to DO something about it. And so far, there's no real reason to believe that.

    So... "Same crap, different day", would be fitting, no?
     
  23. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    Not true. I plan on making sure this issue is not swept away. I feel strongly that mods should be active in their forums and that if they are not, steps need to be laid out to evaluate why and what to do.

     
  24. DamonD

    DamonD Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 22, 2002
    My posts have mainly tended to be sociable or 'humorous' in nature (or both), and I've basically tried to keep this same approach now that I'm a Mod. I still post and feel like a regular user, but one with the ability to do things like edits, locks, and so on if needs be.

    However, I know some other Mods prefer a more authoritarian approach, and I guess that's their call to make.

    As has been rightly pointed out, forums differ wildly in terms of posting traffic. But I do think some kind of established 'online presence' for a Mod (according to which forum they're working on) would be a good idea, along with interaction with other Mods if they feel you're not being active enough. I'd certainly appreciate a word in my ear if I wasn't doing enough for CT, although I know I'm tempting fate with comments like that... ;)
     
  25. DarthSapient

    DarthSapient Jedi Youngling star 10

    Registered:
    Jun 26, 2001
    I've basically tried to keep this same approach now that I'm a Mod

    The key to being an effective moderator.
     
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