Forum Mod Life in the Gaming Community, a too long post :)
Please note this is just a generalization. It's turned more acticle than post. Oh well. It's about wearing the hat of a forum Moderator in the gaming community - not about being one here at Evony. I wanted to share what it can be like on the other side, for those who might be interested.
It all begins with the gamer, novice or experienced. A small fraction of gamers find their way to the games Official Forum, or Board - the term is used interchangeably. A fraction of that fraction become regular readers, and an even smaller fraction become regular posters. In the early days of the forums creation, game staff responsible for the forum start keeping their eyes open for volunteer forum Moderators. At some point, either by a public thread/announcement, or private/personal invitations, they recruit their first set of volunteers. Thus the journey begins.
Once selected, a whole new world opens up for Mr./Miss volunteer. They log in and see part(s) of the forum previously unviewable. These are the special secret song inside sections, dedicated solely to Moderator and Staff communication, Annnddd, of course, the Trash Bin(s) - where all those bad things regular members inadvertently posted, that they shouldn't have, end up.
Initially, they are assigned a forum section, or two, to moderate. They receive some sort of training/instruction on their duties, which can be long and intensive, or as simple "welcome aboard". Typically, those duties are straightforward: read the posts within each thread, and take appropriate action if something is found that is outside the boundaries of the Forum Rules. It all seems very simple.... simple, that is, once you figure out where all the buttons are, and what to click to do what.
However, it's very subjective. All too soon this new Moderator, whether they realize it, or not, becomes embroiled with the widest possible myriad of personalities, and a broad cross-section of cultural and value systems. Add to that, the Moderators very own personality, which factors largely into how well he/she will be accepted in their new role by their former peers - the Regular forum members. If there was tension, or controversy, between the Moderator and another member, prior to he/she becoming a Moderator, that problem usually just escalates. Oh no!!!.....
Even the Moderator with best possible communication, persuasion, and conflict resolution skills comes under fire from forum member(s) at some point. The lower the degree of the quality that skill set is, the more negative issues arise. Because they're a notch up on the forum totem pole, many people misconstrue them as a representative of the company with more power and responsibility than they actually have. In actuality, most forum moderators powers are limited to moving and/or deleting posts/threads. What, and how, they can do what they can is determined by someone with REAL power - the Forum Admin(s). Forum Admins have access to the entire fine array of setup privileges, the Control Panel of the forum. It's the Forum Admin who sets up what various Moderators can do. Some of the various privileges include editing, moving and deleting individual posts, or entire threads, and passing out 'punishment' when warranted, which could lead to a forum members suspension, or ban, from the forum. In addition to personality, how well a Moderator can do his/her job is also dictated by the privileges allowed by the Forum Administrator. For example, not being able to remove individual posts, or edit them, can pose quit a problem when the Moderator is faced with a thread of quality and value to the forum community, yet a few posts in poor taste simply do not belong there. Delete can also become a problem. Experienced Admins typically never allow Moderators to actually delete material from the forum, other than in the form of editing posts. This material is simply removed from view of the regular forum member, and placed in another section, for possible referral to at a later time. The upside of that is Moderators get to see all forms of forum behavior even after it left public sight.
It can be a great 'job'!! You have access to special buttons, sections dedicated to you and your fellow Moderators, the opportunity to communicate with company staff on a more personal level, and provide input and feedback on forum structure and activities. On some boards, Moderators get advance notice of game related events, updates, and issues. But Wait!!! Above all, Moderators are usually PAID!!! Yes, it's true!!! Don't get your hopes up about becoming a Moderator, and retiring on that salary, though. I've never heard of volunteer Moderators receiving any more than game items. I've heard of some that receive as little as $10/month in value, and one as high as $100! I've also seen performance-based stipends.
It can also be a difficult job. Coming under fire from forum members can sometimes be brutal. Most boards prohibit the open debate of criticism regarding how a Moderator is performing his tasks. But, the very nature of the requirement of forum Moderators also requires them to police posts made about them, and in regards to how they are doing their duties. Suddenly the Moderator is faced with the decision of addressing the comments, or removing them. The latter usually brings the Moderator under even more pressure, finding the same member making more posts, adding accusations of bias and unfairness. Attempts to use forum Private Messaging with the member in question sometimes work. More often than not, they don't. Either the member is just as hostile in private conversation, or never even replies (probably because they don't know how the PM feature works, much less that they have messages).
The Ultimate privilege, and difficulty, is knowledge. As a Moderator, there's the possibility of friendship developing with someone employed by the company. GM's and CM's, Game Managers and Community Managers, have a demanding, stressful job that usually requires excessive hours of work time. With one outlet for stress being talking about what's going on and what the problems are, and the benefit of talking to someone outside the situation, but still able to comprehend it, a gamer for the game you work for can be a perfect set of e-ears. As a gamer, some comfort may come from having knowledge of information most don't. As a Moderator, it can be discomforting to have answers, or partial answers, for forum members, yet it's the furthest thing from their authority, and would be completely unethical and unprofessional, to divulge the information. As a mere gamer that ended up Moderating on a gaming forum, it can be a rough position to be in. It can be worse when that Moderator is experiencing the same difficulties being expressed on the forum, yet they can't address them. But don't fret, or get excited, because that's not the typical Moderator.
Thinking of applying for one of those Moderator spots next time applications are being taken? Think twice. Three times, maybe? If you have the ability to accept, and embrace, that diverse cross-section of cultures and values, which includes the people who spilled super glue on the CAPS LOCK KEY.... you may have what it takes to enjoy your time Moderating. If you can't stop to consider a person's first language may NOT be English, and they're doing the best they can, or that they may be 12 years old, or from some section in a community you've never even driven through, such as the 'ghetto', or the 'rich neighborhood', or someone's targeting you,yet it could very well be your practical joker spouse in the other room just screwing with you, and you'll find out 17 years from now, well.... you'll probably be crappy Mod and more people won't like you than do.
Please don't forget to occasionly thank the good Mods, remember they ARE volunteers, and gamers. They are us (in disguise now). Have patience with them all, it's not easy to do. And above all, try and support them by helping to make the forum the kind of atmosphere we can all enjoy spending time at. (Yea, not possible... but I'm a dreamer)
I'd like to dedicate what turned into an book.... to AbstractAngel, who's job here as a Moderator evoked the emotion that prompted me to babble on endlessly here. :)
Kent