Mods And Admin?

[TallTree01]

I was wondering as I was browsing the forums, what do mods and admin actually do?
I think I know the purpose of a mod: to remove inappropriate post and threads, ban members, lock threads and keep the peace through out the forums.
But what does and Admin do?
I'm stumped on this one guys.
Not having a go at admins just genuinely confused.

 

[DyArianna]

Admins are generally thhe folks who run the websites. People who make changes in how we see the forums etc. Mods keep things under control and within a range where it is acceptable to all. Atleast this is how it was when I was a Moderatoe on a different site.

 

[Baccus]

As above, pretty much nailed it.

 

[Livewire88]

The thing that confuses me the most is that before members become Mods they post on the site all the time giving help/advice ect, but once they become a Mod they all of a sudden stop posting as much as they did before 

 
I think it is because some Mods did all they could to become a Mod then once they achieved their goal they lost interest. 

 

[fluttermoth]

First of all, there's a lot of extra work involved in being a mod that takes up your time, giving you a lot less time for browsing and posting

 
Second, you have to remember you're in an 'official' capacity now, so your posting style has to change a bit; you can't always say the things you might have done before you became a mod!
 
There's also just the random factor; a lot of the mods here, for instance, have been having issues with their health, work etc, which are nothing to do with being a mod, but that have just happened around the same time

 
Most of us didn't work or ask to become mods; we were nominated and invited without having any idea that we were being considered!

 

[Livewire88]

First of all, there's a lot of extra work involved in being a mod that takes up your time, giving you a lot less time for browsing and posting
 
Second, you have to remember you're in an 'official' capacity now, so your posting style has to change a bit; you can't always say the things you might have done before you became a mod!
 
There's also just the random factor; a lot of the mods here, for instance, have been having issues with their health, work etc, which are nothing to do with being a mod, but that have just happened around the same time
 
Most of us didn't work or ask to become mods; we were nominated and invited without having any idea that we were being considered!

Fair enough, it just seems a shame that this forum looses out in regards to decent help or advice being offered to members who require it.

TBH I think some of the Mods here just like the title of being a Mod, and they forget why they were made one in the first place.

No offence ment, just my honest opinion.

 

[Wills]

I dont really get it either - why cant the site run its self? I mean surely it cant take that much time or effort to protect the site from spam, malware, trolls etc and I mean it must fund its self so I recon the ads just appear like magic not to mention how easy it is to get to the top of google so people can find it? (sarcasm btw)
 
A forum or site without mods or admin is like a bus without a driver....
 
I think the new mods do a great job! We still have a hand full of regular knowledgeable members  -  if your looking for a reason why there are less highly experienced members lets be honest its the old owner William that created the exodus - not even the new owner/buyer they never expected it.
 
Also lets not forget why the current mods are mods - sore subject I know but all the mods deserve massive respect for stepping up to it I for one think its a big ask to do it for nothing and picking it up from pretty much no hand over or pass on of knowledge.
 
 
Livewire - I think that is totally out of order - no offense meant, just my honest opinion
 
 
Wills

 

[MBOU]

Have to admit that could seem a little harsh Livewire... but each to their own eh! Would be a boring forum if everyone felt the same!
 
Personally, I find it to be fairly exhausting work, we have to read pretty much every single post to make sure it doesnt contain spam, rule breaking, offensive material, bullying and blatent misinformation...
 
Then we have to read every post to make sure its in the right section and go through and move posts, I generally move 6-12 a day most days as a minimum! And I'm one of how man mods doing this?
 
We have to talk to new members needing help, authorise certain posts, keep a close eye on those likely to break rules, keep an eye on he information people are posting and arguments that are happening between members...
 
We have to run the competitions which means sorting through the pictures, hosting them all, reposting them all, creating polls, opening and closing the posts to an exact date....
 
There is so much that really goes on its amazing and personally, I have been struggling to keep on top because I have had pneumonia and I also work long hours full time *and* am studying for a degre in Psychology, I honestly love this forum and was really upset by everything that went wrong and losing so many knowledgeable people... I am trying my best to work alongside an amazing team of people to keep this forum going forwards.
 
Chad makes a great Admin keeps the forum looking all spangly and good (look at the recent changes!) and is a great support for us mere mods!
 
If you open your eyes for people who post regularly, you will see we have people stepping up to share their knowledge and really, they have some fantastic knowledge to share!

 

[JenJ]

I agree there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and I wonder if perhaps mods are creating a rod for their own back?
 
You shouldn't have to be looking through every single post. I presume you have 'shifts' or certain sections to look after? 
 
Could there not be a kind of 'exception reporting' rather than constant monitoring? So that forum users feel free to report anything they think is spam/wrong section/rude etc, and mods then take action?
 
I'm involved on a couple of other forums, and this is the mod approach that is taken - each has only 1 or 2 mods, and it works fairly effectively. Yes, sometimes things can be missed, but that can happen here too.
 
It would mean you're acting when necessary rather than moderating the unnecessary?
 
As to moving threads, if you gave the example of 6-12 threads a day just for one mod, does that suggest that perhaps the sections are not clearly defined? Are there too many? Too complex? If they were simple then people would almost always use the correct one, and moving should be hardly needed?
 
Just my thoughts. I, along with (I presume) every other user here, appreciates the wok you guys do for this forum.

 

[cpwebsite]

First of all, there's a lot of extra work involved in being a mod that takes up your time, giving you a lot less time for browsing and posting

 
Second, you have to remember you're in an 'official' capacity now, so your posting style has to change a bit; you can't always say the things you might have done before you became a mod!
 
There's also just the random factor; a lot of the mods here, for instance, have been having issues with their health, work etc, which are nothing to do with being a mod, but that have just happened around the same time

 
Most of us didn't work or ask to become mods; we were nominated and invited without having any idea that we were being considered!

Fair enough, it just seems a shame that this forum looses out in regards to decent help or advice being offered to members who require it.

TBH I think some of the Mods here just like the title of being a Mod, and they forget why they were made one in the first place.

No offence ment, just my honest opinion.

 
As he said, there is a random factor, and if a mod gets sick, as much as they may like posting on this forum, there health takes priority over posting in most cases. So what you say your "missing" out on, you may have missed out on regardless of if they were a mod or not.

 

[cpwebsite]

Could there not be a kind of 'exception reporting' rather than constant monitoring? So that forum users feel free to report anything they think is spam/wrong section/rude etc, and mods then take action?
 
I'm involved on a couple of other forums, and this is the mod approach that is taken - each has only 1 or 2 mods, and it works fairly effectively. Yes, sometimes things can be missed, but that can happen here too.
 
It would mean you're acting when necessary rather than moderating the unnecessary?

 
Isn't the report button at the bottom of every post (to the left of the multi-quote/quote buttons), what you mean? However, I would assume that maybe the mods don't want to rely on everyone for the reports, and maybe they want to double check themselves? That's just my opinion.

 

[Baccus]

The moving of threads is not so much because the relevant areas are hard to find, but often just from newbie inexperience. I don't begrudge new members not knowing where every area or field is on the forum, it can be rather daunting for first timers.
 
As for time spent on the forum, it is hard at times to be giving as much help as we would like too, as MBOU and Fluttermoth have pointed out there is a lot of background work to be done as well having our own tanks to maintain, jobs, families and at time health issues. I liken the forum to the ideal of a workers Union. A workers Union is made up by the people with a voice for the people, it is not a few delegates or organisers that make the Union. The same goes for a forum, its knowledge base is made up of hundreds of members that have had experience with various parts of fish keeping, there is no way one, two or even ten MODs could have all the experience and knowledge needed to answer every single post on this site. So that need is filled by the members. And because each and every member has a voice and is able to answer any topic they feel they can, this I feel is what makes this forum great.

 

[JenJ]

As for time spent on the forum, it is hard at times to be giving as much help as we would like too, as MBOU and Fluttermoth have pointed out there is a lot of background work to be done as well having our own tanks to maintain, jobs, families and at time health issues. I liken the forum to the ideal of a workers Union. A workers Union is made up by the people with a voice for the people, it is not a few delegates or organisers that make the Union. The same goes for a forum, its knowledge base is made up of hundreds of members that have had experience with various parts of fish keeping, there is no way one, two or even ten MODs could have all the experience and knowledge needed to answer every single post on this site. So that need is filled by the members. And because each and every member has a voice and is able to answer any topic they feel they can, this I feel is what makes this forum great.

That's kind of what I was alluding to with the exception reporting. If all forum users took responsibility to report misuse via the (existing) report button, the mods could spend less time monitoring every single post, and more time acting on reported issues and browsing the forum for their own interest. Win win?

 

[Livewire88]

I dont really get it either - why cant the site run its self? I mean surely it cant take that much time or effort to protect the site from spam, malware, trolls etc and I mean it must fund its self so I recon the ads just appear like magic not to mention how easy it is to get to the top of google so people can find it? (sarcasm btw)

 
A forum or site without mods or admin is like a bus without a driver....
 
I think the new mods do a great job! We still have a hand full of regular knowledgeable members  -  if your looking for a reason why there are less highly experienced members lets be honest its the old owner William that created the exodus - not even the new owner/buyer they never expected it.
 
Also lets not forget why the current mods are mods - sore subject I know but all the mods deserve massive respect for stepping up to it

I for one think its a big ask to do it for nothing and picking it up from pretty much no hand over or pass on of knowledge.
 
 
Livewire - I think that is totally out of order - no offense meant, just my honest opinion

 
 
Wills

 
 
Whats out of order, voicing my opinion?

 

[techen]

I dont really get it either - why cant the site run its self? I mean surely it cant take that much time or effort to protect the site from spam, malware, trolls etc and I mean it must fund its self so I recon the ads just appear like magic not to mention how easy it is to get to the top of google so people can find it? (sarcasm btw)

 
A forum or site without mods or admin is like a bus without a driver....
 
I think the new mods do a great job! We still have a hand full of regular knowledgeable members  -  if your looking for a reason why there are less highly experienced members lets be honest its the old owner William that created the exodus - not even the new owner/buyer they never expected it.
 
Also lets not forget why the current mods are mods - sore subject I know but all the mods deserve massive respect for stepping up to it

I for one think its a big ask to do it for nothing and picking it up from pretty much no hand over or pass on of knowledge.
 
 
Livewire - I think that is totally out of order - no offense meant, just my honest opinion

 
 
Wills

 
 
Whats out of order, voicing my opinion?

 
I think it was more you suggesting there's one or two people in here you don't like