Question for the moderators, and for moderators at other forums

[mooby]

I've been offered the job of being a moderator at a baseball related website. It gets a decent amount of traffic (probably about a third as much as these forums get -- this place is huge).

How much of a commitment does it take to be a good mod? Is it worth it?

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Its a pretty big commitment and responsiblity.
Depending on the amount of mods you need to read practically every thread and you need to be consistent with your rulings.

Its also good not to let things get personal.

 

[Bozidar]

Well, I'm a mod at a baseball related website right now. I noticed you're from NYC, is yours a Yankee or Met related site? If so, which one?

I can tell you from my experience at www.nyyfans.com that it all depends on the site administrator. The owner/operator of my site is an awesome guy, and makes our jobs as Moderators a lot easier to deal with than they have to be. Also, the committment you're asking about, all depends on what they're asking of you. Jim, the owner/operator i spoke of, didn't ask me for any specific time committment. I just offered what I have. Some of the mod's there aren't even officially listed as mods, even though they do the work.

If you've got a good administrator, and also a good supporting crew of mods around you, it will help your transition into being a mod a lot easier (like asking questions about how to deal with certain situations or certain people).

Overall, it's been a great experience for me, even though it's been tough at times.

 

[Bozidar]

oh, and the software helps. vBulletin rules

 

[Thanee]

How much of a commitment does it take to be a good mod?

Quite a bit. You'll have to read most posts and be around at the forum regularily to do a good job, especially, if it has a high traffic. Of course, it depends on the maturity of the posters how much work it will be in the end.

Is it worth it?

Dunno. If you get money for it, it might. But most forum mods don't.

Bye
Thanee

 

[AuraSeer]

How much of a commitment does it take to be a good mod? Is it worth it?

The time commitment depends on the amount of traffic the site gets, and the type of community you deal with.

I'm a mod for one of the forums at Fathom.org. We have almost no flamewars and very few trolls, so on most days, moderating takes no more time than I'd have spent reading the posts anyway.

On a board with very high traffic, just reading the threads might take a large chunk of time. Also, in places where the posters aren't mature enough to have civil discussions, mods may have to spend a lot of time breaking up fights. It all depends on the board and its members.

As for whether it's worth it, that depends on you. I don't get paid, but I happen to like wielding the F3n0m3n4l k0zm1k p0w4h.

 

[Creamsteak]

Modding the tiny area I do is worth it, because I'm a compulsive cleaner of things data-eshk.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

I've been offered the job of being a moderator at a baseball related website. It gets a decent amount of traffic (probably about a third as much as these forums get -- this place is huge).

How much of a commitment does it take to be a good mod? Is it worth it?

It takes a commitment to fairness and consistency IMO. As a mod at a relatively busy site (but not the size of ENWorld), I can say that it's worth it *if* you want to give something to the community and are ready to give up your right to be partial when it comes to a board issue.

Timewise I was already reading many threads already, so it added perhaps a half-hour a day. Though if you get an aggressive troll or a multi-thread flamewar (the latter hasn't happened to me but I've seen it), then you can get into a bit of a crunch.

Bottom line is, you get out of it what you put into it. The reward for me is seeing a very pleasant community stay pleasant, and feeling like I'm contributing to that.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Another big factor is the presence of other moderators, and the time zones involved. We've got a decent spread of time zones (and Darkness never sleeps ), so that helps. The respect, admiration, and friendship between moderators (and admins here) helps a great deal. If you feel you can't back up the other mods in their decisions, you might be opening yourself up to problems. Also, with a good number of moderators and a conscientious membership that reports threads that are in trouble, things get easier.

Having said that, I spend a lot of time at the boards. But not so much that I can't participate meaningfully in a couple other boards that have a bit lighter traffic flow. I wholly recommend the experience.

Does that help any?

 

[Paradox]

I would say it's worth it. You also have to commit lots of time. If you say you're going to do it, you have to follow through. There is no "gee, I don't feel like doing it today".

And you'd have to consider the team/support system. Are there folks to help you or back you up, or are you set out on your own? That sort of thing.

Finally, have a flame resistant suit ready.