I wonder what would happen if that thing popped right through my floor and said what you said in a very creepy stalkishy voice. I'd probably blush. >_>
People are taking moderators and moderating duties far too lightly. It's not a privilege or a toy, it's a set of responsibilities that a user takes on because they care about the community and want to enforce some basic rules to keep the forums a pleasant place for everyone. It's not a means by which you can dick around, gain notoriety and "internet fame", become automatically "right" in everything you say, strike down your enemies or boost your friends, etc.
A moderator has to hold themselves to higher standards than those to which they hold the people they moderate. They have to understand and enforce the rules in an unbiased, fair manner. No matter what a person's opinions are, they have to protect other users' rights to express themselves in an environment that is safe from personal attack(though their viewpoints are, as they should be, fair game for discussion and debate). Moderator is not some sort of web stand-in term for "Rock Star", "Celebrity", or "Ruler with Impunity". Mods have to be part leader, part organizer, part diplomat, and part enforcer. It's not to be taken lightly. People who become mods need to treat their responsibility with respect and actively exercise their powers whenever it's appropriate, and people who "don't" become mods shouldn't act as though they've lost some sort of lottery for some sort of instant cool factor. There's a lot more involved than that, or at least there should be.
There is no reason for this thread to exist, but I'll take this moment to say, hey, so far so good guys. GuruGuru especially, thanks for cleaning everything up and making this a better place overall. Keep up the good work.
Comments
I wonder what would happen if that thing popped right through my floor and said what you said in a very creepy stalkishy voice. I'd probably blush. >_>
A moderator has to hold themselves to higher standards than those to which they hold the people they moderate. They have to understand and enforce the rules in an unbiased, fair manner. No matter what a person's opinions are, they have to protect other users' rights to express themselves in an environment that is safe from personal attack(though their viewpoints are, as they should be, fair game for discussion and debate). Moderator is not some sort of web stand-in term for "Rock Star", "Celebrity", or "Ruler with Impunity". Mods have to be part leader, part organizer, part diplomat, and part enforcer. It's not to be taken lightly. People who become mods need to treat their responsibility with respect and actively exercise their powers whenever it's appropriate, and people who "don't" become mods shouldn't act as though they've lost some sort of lottery for some sort of instant cool factor. There's a lot more involved than that, or at least there should be.
There is no reason for this thread to exist, but I'll take this moment to say, hey, so far so good guys. GuruGuru especially, thanks for cleaning everything up and making this a better place overall. Keep up the good work.