Mod duties

[SingleAgain]

Depending on the nature of the forum and the requirements of the admin, I have also known moderators to be required to lead the forum. That is, when new topics are lacking and discussion is slowing down, it falls to them to pick up the pace, to keep things fresh and make new topics.

Not all places will ask this however.

[Trev]

In my opinion, a good moderator should have the following and should do the following:

-Have a good sense of leadership.
-Don't get corrupted by power, just because you have the power doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with it.
-Able to follow the forum rules and the rules the administrator tells him.
-Step in when needed, don't just read a spam post and go on.

Those are pretty much self-explanitory (I know I spelled it wrong), but you would be amazed on how some people just let anyone be a mod.

[SingleAgain]

I think that Trev makes a wonderful point here. Mods are not 'forum police' as I have seen them termed-unless of course the admin wants that to be the case. They do however have to be people who have the back bone to stand up to people who might get a little mouthy, and set them straight on the rules whilst willing to take whatever action is needed.

But they also need to not let it go to their heads, because members won't stick around in a forum that is too uptight.

[Trev]

Yup, you got it exactly. I have seen many moderators who have abused their powers. And when one stepped down at another forum, he said a quote that I sent him:

What he said that I said: "I don't like moderators..."
What I said: "I don't like moderators who abuse their powers."

It was a big controversy on that forum, and I believe he is back on the mod staff. He is doing better now.

[dreaming]

It sounds to me like a mod is like the babysitter. The admin being the parent and of course, the members being the children. The babysitter gets the rules from the parent, and sees that they are enforced. As well as keeping the children entertained and playing nicely. Knowing when to be playmate and when to be disciplinarian without stepping over either line is what separates the good from the average.

[SingleAgain]

And I can tell you that if you use, or quote a definition like that anywhere near the members of a forum, you will have an absolute civil war on your hands. It is my experience that the members do not like to think they are being watched by big brother, that instead they are free entities.

Of course they do not take into account the fact that a BBS is NOT a democracy; it is a community that is paid for and provided by the admin and as such in truth they have little to no say.

Just don't tell them I said that.

[Arizona]

I have found that the good moderators are the ones who are good at diplomacy. They know when to say something, and when to disappear. I have also found that being a good moderator you have to pick your fights. You may not like everything people say, but forums are for discussions. I have been around forums that get carried away with projecting their view of the world. It doesn't last long because the members start to disappear.

[encoder]

Originally Posted by dreaming

It sounds to me like a mod is like the babysitter. The admin being the parent and of course, the members being the children. The babysitter gets the rules from the parent, and sees that they are enforced. As well as keeping the children entertained and playing nicely. Knowing when to be playmate and when to be disciplinarian without stepping over either line is what separates the good from the average.

This is the best analogy for forum moderators that I have read so far. But the bad thing with babysitters is that they do whatever they want when the parents of the children are gone. Then when the parents come, they would believe everything that the babysitter told them and the children will not be listened to.

This is the same with forum mods, wherein everything they say is true on the ears on the forum owner and the members are there to suffer the consequences of which is not appropriate. But as a member, just do the things that are not beyond the rules and you are safe from the wrath of forum owners moreover the mods.