FreakensteinAG
Active member
I'm not one to come out in the open and speak out about specific things, but I think, considering the mismanaged use of certain features specific people in the community have the privilege manipulating (and the fact that a couple people told me that I should really make a thread), it's been long enough.
I've been a global moderator for over two-and-a-half years on a website that consistently reaches the top 1000 of the websites with most traffic on the Internet. I say global moderator, because there are no local moderators in our website. We go from Normal (or Normie as we like to call them), Moderator, to Administrator. The specifics of becoming a moderator in our website include "showing the administration that you are capable", not submitting an application, and "included in a moderator's job, looking out for potential moderators". Our moderators are fired if they do not show up in a specific amount of days in a week or perform a remote amount of patrol. We are 9 moderators amongst several ten-thousand terabytes of information. Despite the added weight to our volunteer position, we are happy and do quite a bit of work in cleaning up the messes that come up time and time again.
That's the key phrase. "Time and time again" as in we as moderators expect messes to be cleaned up. We are expected to show up, patrol, and clean up the messes Normies provide. We do not appeal to administrators to forgo specific features of a website because we did not do our jobs. We do not expect residents to withdraw from their tendencies. We punish them for it, sure, but we do not make the enjoyment of others lacking because of it. The only things we appeal to our lovely administrators are problems that compromise the very layout of our website, namely people who manipulate our code and advertisement bots who send wave after wave of advertisement threads which clog up the fora. This is because moderators cannot even begin to combat these catastrophes, which make these problems far superior to "trolling". Moderators have the power to combat trolling. Some in particular do a fine job of removing it too.
It's shameful to contemplate, however, why [what you're sure to connect the dots by now] removal of registrations somehow presents a logical, positive direction in combating negativity. It certainly hasn't deterred the problem in the least; the only thing it has deterred (and has done a fine job in following through) is community activity. What is an administrator, especially an administrator who watches over a community? To facilitate this rhetorical question, here is our administrator creed in our website: "An administrator is someone who seeks to strengthen community activity through planning and distribution of website features catered to users". When you think about this creed, it doesn't seem this philosophy has been applied generously in here.
Of course, I'm not disparaging the administrators of this community in the slightest, for they are magnificently-punctual in continually updating what brings this website the breadth of momentary activity; I don't think I've ever witnessed a week in which something was a day late! However, I said momentary. Manga and anime chapters can only attract users for a small amount of time, albeit a large, sudden spike of activity. But what brings member activity in a constant stream of traffic? The community fora. But this is prohibited to those who aren't already members, because registration has been furloughed.
So why don't we reopen registration (both members and administration are sick of discussing this matter, I'm sure)? We have scientifically observed the conditions of both open registration and furloughed registration and seen that the rate of negativity in the fora has not changed significantly. Yes, even with choked numbers, there are still pockets of mischief about. Trouble is going to be around regardless; the only thing we can do to facilitate the combat of it is through increased awareness for patrolling moderators and loosen up the amount in which they can patrol.
Here are what I believe to be key points in increasing positive activity in our community:
1. Reopen registrations (per discussion)
2. Have administration and moderation seek members who are good candidates for potential moderators AND continue the running of moderator registrations. However, instead of closing moderator registrations periodically, have it open time immemorial. Regardless of conditions of the community, more moderators are a welcome presence in the face of trouble.
3. Disable Local Moderators and Global Moderators and just have "Moderator". Every moderator will have access to every fora, thus will have jurisdiction to act upon trouble if they see it. This is important, because even if the mischief maker is banished, his trash is still on the floor, waiting for someone with jurisdiction to clean it up. If administrators cannot trust moderators with all the community, why only trust them with parts of it? It's certainly not a labor problem--they knew what they were in for when they signed up for the volunteer position. Plus, with more moderators patrolling all sections, the load is significantly lessened.
Every point is important in its own right, but I feel the first is most important of all. We have a dwindling-upon-dwindling population of registered users and thousands of guests who cannot speak their mind because they are shut off in a quarantine that is expected to be cleaned up regardless.
I've been a global moderator for over two-and-a-half years on a website that consistently reaches the top 1000 of the websites with most traffic on the Internet. I say global moderator, because there are no local moderators in our website. We go from Normal (or Normie as we like to call them), Moderator, to Administrator. The specifics of becoming a moderator in our website include "showing the administration that you are capable", not submitting an application, and "included in a moderator's job, looking out for potential moderators". Our moderators are fired if they do not show up in a specific amount of days in a week or perform a remote amount of patrol. We are 9 moderators amongst several ten-thousand terabytes of information. Despite the added weight to our volunteer position, we are happy and do quite a bit of work in cleaning up the messes that come up time and time again.
That's the key phrase. "Time and time again" as in we as moderators expect messes to be cleaned up. We are expected to show up, patrol, and clean up the messes Normies provide. We do not appeal to administrators to forgo specific features of a website because we did not do our jobs. We do not expect residents to withdraw from their tendencies. We punish them for it, sure, but we do not make the enjoyment of others lacking because of it. The only things we appeal to our lovely administrators are problems that compromise the very layout of our website, namely people who manipulate our code and advertisement bots who send wave after wave of advertisement threads which clog up the fora. This is because moderators cannot even begin to combat these catastrophes, which make these problems far superior to "trolling". Moderators have the power to combat trolling. Some in particular do a fine job of removing it too.
It's shameful to contemplate, however, why [what you're sure to connect the dots by now] removal of registrations somehow presents a logical, positive direction in combating negativity. It certainly hasn't deterred the problem in the least; the only thing it has deterred (and has done a fine job in following through) is community activity. What is an administrator, especially an administrator who watches over a community? To facilitate this rhetorical question, here is our administrator creed in our website: "An administrator is someone who seeks to strengthen community activity through planning and distribution of website features catered to users". When you think about this creed, it doesn't seem this philosophy has been applied generously in here.
Of course, I'm not disparaging the administrators of this community in the slightest, for they are magnificently-punctual in continually updating what brings this website the breadth of momentary activity; I don't think I've ever witnessed a week in which something was a day late! However, I said momentary. Manga and anime chapters can only attract users for a small amount of time, albeit a large, sudden spike of activity. But what brings member activity in a constant stream of traffic? The community fora. But this is prohibited to those who aren't already members, because registration has been furloughed.
So why don't we reopen registration (both members and administration are sick of discussing this matter, I'm sure)? We have scientifically observed the conditions of both open registration and furloughed registration and seen that the rate of negativity in the fora has not changed significantly. Yes, even with choked numbers, there are still pockets of mischief about. Trouble is going to be around regardless; the only thing we can do to facilitate the combat of it is through increased awareness for patrolling moderators and loosen up the amount in which they can patrol.
Here are what I believe to be key points in increasing positive activity in our community:
1. Reopen registrations (per discussion)
2. Have administration and moderation seek members who are good candidates for potential moderators AND continue the running of moderator registrations. However, instead of closing moderator registrations periodically, have it open time immemorial. Regardless of conditions of the community, more moderators are a welcome presence in the face of trouble.
3. Disable Local Moderators and Global Moderators and just have "Moderator". Every moderator will have access to every fora, thus will have jurisdiction to act upon trouble if they see it. This is important, because even if the mischief maker is banished, his trash is still on the floor, waiting for someone with jurisdiction to clean it up. If administrators cannot trust moderators with all the community, why only trust them with parts of it? It's certainly not a labor problem--they knew what they were in for when they signed up for the volunteer position. Plus, with more moderators patrolling all sections, the load is significantly lessened.
Every point is important in its own right, but I feel the first is most important of all. We have a dwindling-upon-dwindling population of registered users and thousands of guests who cannot speak their mind because they are shut off in a quarantine that is expected to be cleaned up regardless.
