I've always wanted to ask this question to any mods. You guys are the ones to handle the dirty business on the forums. Hows it like being a moderator overall. Is it a stressful job at times do you have fun being a moderator? What are somethings you like and dislike doing on the forums?
To All The Moderators, Whats It Like Being A Moderator?
@Video_Game_King said:
It's like being a parent.
Yep they watch over and protect the forum from all the evil in it.
Well, first take away all face-to-face social interactions you would have throughout your week. Then, imagine sitting in front of a computer all day and night, not playing games, but talking to people on the internet. You'd be a virgin, obviously, and it also probably goes without saying that you'd have terrible hygiene. You're 250lbs over-weight, wear thick and out-of-style glasses, your shirt is stained in dry sweat - though you don't work out, so it's hard saying why your clothes are sweaty, maybe all the online porn? All you drink is generic energy drinks, you only eat Doritos and Hot Pockets, and your bedroom walls are covered in video game posters and posters of models. Oh, and you'd live in your mom's basement.
It's a level of class and authority we all strive for, but only the select few can have. Lucky jerks.
(And, in case it's not painfully obvious, this is all jokes, I love the mods here.)
With all jokes aside. If any mod can share there thoughts that would be cool. I like to hear from your point of view how things are like as a mod.
I would imagine its something like being a god, only instead of being all powerful they have the ability to delete posts/ban accounts on the giantbomb forums.
@HatKing said:
Well, first take away all face-to-face social interactions you would have throughout your week. Then, imagine sitting in front of a computer all day and night, not playing games, but talking to people on the internet. You'd be a virgin, obviously, and it also probably goes without saying that you'd have terrible hygiene. You're 250lbs over-weight, wear thick and out-of-style glasses, your shirt is stained in dry sweat - though you don't work out, so it's hard saying why you're clothes are sweaty, maybe all the online porn? All you drink is generic energy drinks, you only eat Doritos and Hot Pockets, and your bedroom walls are covered in video game posters and posters of models. Oh, and you'd live in your mom's basement.
It's a level of class and authority we all strive for, but only the select few can have. Lucky jerks.
(And, in case it's not painfully obvious, this is all jokes, I love the mods here.)
Psssh, thick glasses are the fashion these days. You had me up until this point!
Edit: Also, YOUR
@falserelic said:
The mods are the authority they have so much power.
@Milkman said:
They get sooooo much internet pussy. You have no idea.
I don't know what the rest of you guys think, but I believe the mods' right to prima nocta has got to go. It's just too much. They are not sensitive lovers.
@Jay444111 said:
I imagine it is much like being a really smart scientist... there is always the temptation to create a half man half dog monstrosity yet it only happens if you let the power consume you
You just reminded me of a certain terrible event in my favorite anime. You bastard. We're talking a tragedy that comes right after the most happy-go-lucky episode in the entire damn thing. It flushes every bit of happiness and joy that one might have gained from that episode into a deep, dark, depressing hole.
And, yes, I know, Fragile Dreams. I haven't played that so this particular moment might not rival that one, but this one is incredibly bleak in its own right.
EDIT: Also, on-topic, for a thread whose subject is directed towards mods, this thread doesn't seem to have any mods posting in it.
@falserelic: Now, I know that AnimeVice to most people here is a joke, but as a Forum Mod over there, I saw this thread and felt like I should chip in my two cents.
Well, as a current Forum Mod at AnimeVice, I am tasked with keeping the forums clean of any spam/adbot postings (mainly advertisements for outside site posted at random), moving forums to their proper category (for example, moving a thread regarding Fairy Tail from the General Discussion to the Fairy Tail Forum Board), and dealing with trolls on the forums. My daily tasks revolve around the following:
- Aiding members on the site (through PM messages they contact me with)
- Scanning the forums for any signs of spam or adbots, which are against AV Forum Policy and are removed
- Dealing with any trolling/flamming that appears in the forums (especially in the Battle threads....those can get really heated in certain battle topics)
- Help the other Moderators (both Forum Mods and Wiki Mods) with certain tasks
- Moving any topic/threads that are not in the correct forum board to the correct forum board (ex: A thread regarding Bugs and Issues that was posted in the Off-Topic Forum Board being moved to the Bug/Issues Forum Board)
- Write warnings to offending members who violate the rules and/or ban them for their actions (only used in cases in which the offender has multiple strikes against them and has committed a serious violation)
Hopefully that answers some of your questions about how it is like being a Mod (even if it isn't here at Giant Bomb).
@believer258 said:
And, yes, I know, Fragile Dreams. I haven't played that so this particular moment might not rival that one, but this one is incredibly bleak in its own right.
I've played Fragile Dreams, and I have no idea what moment in particular you're referring to. The game's full of tragic moments.
@Video_Game_King said:
@believer258 said:
And, yes, I know, Fragile Dreams. I haven't played that so this particular moment might not rival that one, but this one is incredibly bleak in its own right.
I've played Fragile Dreams, and I have no idea what moment in particular you're referring to. The game's full of tragic moments.
Well, all of them then. From the way Jay talks about it, I've always been under the impression that it's one particularly tragic moment towards the end. I was mostly just putting it out there that I know about Fragile Dreams in the first place.
@ShadowKnight508 said:
@falserelic: Now, I know that AnimeVice to most people here is a joke, but as a Forum Mod over there, I saw this thread and felt like I should chip in my two cents.
Well, as a current Forum Mod at AnimeVice, I am tasked with keeping the forums clean of any spam/adbot postings (mainly advertisements for outside site posted at random), moving forums to their proper category (for example, moving a thread regarding Fairy Tail from the General Discussion to the Fairy Tail Forum Board), and dealing with trolls on the forums. My daily tasks revolve around the following:
- Aiding members on the site (through PM messages they contact me with)
- Scanning the forums for any signs of spam or adbots, which are against AV Forum Policy and are removed
- Dealing with any trolling/flamming that appears in the forums (especially in the Battle threads....those can get really heated in certain battle topics)
- Help the other Moderators (both Forum Mods and Wiki Mods) with certain tasks
- Moving any topic/threads that are not in the correct forum board to the correct forum board (ex: A thread regarding Bugs and Issues that was posted in the Off-Topic Forum Board being moved to the Bug/Issues Forum Board)
- Write warnings to offending members who violate the rules and/or ban them for their actions (only used in cases in which the offender has multiple strikes against them and has committed a serious violation)
Hopefully that answers some of your questions about how it is like being a Mod (even if it isn't here at Giant Bomb).
Was it fun at times being a mod?
@believer258:
Oh, right. That. There are actually two that come to mind. I'll leave it at "depressing Kefka" and "bittersweet".
@falserelic: For 85% of the time, it is quite fun being able to help members and keep unwanted junk (spam) off of the site. The 15% or so that really drags down the overall experience is when having to deal with some of the trolls on the site and those who commit serious violations (Ex: uploading adult material, NSFW content, excess trolling/spamming). Those usually don't turn out to be pleasant experiences (referring to my experience with several members of the trolling nature), but in the end, you are helping both the site and community by dealing with them, so that makes up for those non-fun parts.
@believer258 said:
@Video_Game_King said:
@believer258 said:
And, yes, I know, Fragile Dreams. I haven't played that so this particular moment might not rival that one, but this one is incredibly bleak in its own right.
I've played Fragile Dreams, and I have no idea what moment in particular you're referring to. The game's full of tragic moments.
Well, all of them then. From the way Jay talks about it, I've always been under the impression that it's one particularly tragic moment towards the end. I was mostly just putting it out there that I know about Fragile Dreams in the first place.
No... the ENTIRE game is full of sadness... like... you ever watch Grave of the Fireflies? Think of the saddest moment you can recall from that movie, and make it extended to about 14 hours long... that is Fragile Dreams... also I had no idea I myself was making a FMA thing... I was just saying... a scientist with great smarts has to be wise in using them... otherwise they will go mad with power and create half man half animal things... That is the allusion I was going for.
@Jay444111 said:
@believer258 said:
@Video_Game_King said:
@believer258 said:
And, yes, I know, Fragile Dreams. I haven't played that so this particular moment might not rival that one, but this one is incredibly bleak in its own right.
I've played Fragile Dreams, and I have no idea what moment in particular you're referring to. The game's full of tragic moments.
Well, all of them then. From the way Jay talks about it, I've always been under the impression that it's one particularly tragic moment towards the end. I was mostly just putting it out there that I know about Fragile Dreams in the first place.
No... the ENTIRE game is full of sadness... like... you ever watch Grave of the Fireflies? Think of the saddest moment you can recall from that movie, and make it extended to about 14 hours long... that is Fragile Dreams... also I had no idea I myself was making a FMA thing... I was just saying... a scientist with great smarts has to be wise in using them... otherwise they will go mad with power and create half man half animal things... That is the allusion I was going for.
I know, and that's the allusion that reminded me of a certain event early in FMA. What you're saying blatantly parallels something in the series.
You know what? Just watch FMA. The original. Good story. And then Brotherhood.
@NlGHTCRAWLER said:
Is Sweep the one with the pony avi? I dislike that one.
Naw, Sweep is the Sandwich with the vore fetish.
@believer258 said:
@Jay444111 said:
@believer258 said:
@Video_Game_King said:
@believer258 said:
And, yes, I know, Fragile Dreams. I haven't played that so this particular moment might not rival that one, but this one is incredibly bleak in its own right.
I've played Fragile Dreams, and I have no idea what moment in particular you're referring to. The game's full of tragic moments.
Well, all of them then. From the way Jay talks about it, I've always been under the impression that it's one particularly tragic moment towards the end. I was mostly just putting it out there that I know about Fragile Dreams in the first place.
No... the ENTIRE game is full of sadness... like... you ever watch Grave of the Fireflies? Think of the saddest moment you can recall from that movie, and make it extended to about 14 hours long... that is Fragile Dreams... also I had no idea I myself was making a FMA thing... I was just saying... a scientist with great smarts has to be wise in using them... otherwise they will go mad with power and create half man half animal things... That is the allusion I was going for.
I know, and that's the allusion that reminded me of a certain event early in FMA. What you're saying blatantly parallels something in the series.
You know what? Just watch FMA. The original. Good story. And then Brotherhood.
I have seen them... both series... the first one about 5 times and Brotherhood twice... awesome series! Also... I did not realize at the time I made a blatant parallel to it. But anyways, going back on topic.
@NlGHTCRAWLER said:
Is Sweep the one with the pony avi? I dislike that one.
Nope, that isn't sweep. The pony one I... (looks around) I don't like him/her either... Just not a fan. However Sweep is badass while zombie pie seems very strict. I barely see Gamer 152 anymore sadly. I enjoyed his blogs...
If my past experience carries over from GameSpot to what it's like to be a mod on Giant Bomb, it feels like being part of a small dictatorship that was constantly under threat of a coup d'etat.
Then again, the community here isn't made out of a bunch of kids constantly barking incomplete sentences on the system wars forums, so it probably doesn't translate... lucky bastards.
@ReyGitano said:
If my past experience carries over from GameSpot to what it's like to be a mod on Giant Bomb, it feels like being part of a small dictatorship that was constantly under threat of a coup d'etat.
Then again, the community here isn't made out of a bunch of kids constantly barking incomplete sentences on the system wars forums, so it probably doesn't translate... lucky bastards.
Try Gamefaqs mods... they abuse the living HELL out of their power... I truly mean that.
Not a mod here obviously, but I've been a forum mod for a few different sites over the years (including some major ISP/gaming sites in Australia), as well as a server admin for CS, UT, TFC/TF2, JKA, and a few others.
In my experience, it just feels like work. Satisfying work, admittedly, as you are generally involved in a community you like or administering a server for a game to enjoy played by people you like.
But still work. You make a commitment, and that commitment interferes with things you'd rather be doing sometimes. I had real life plans impacted (as lame as this sounds) because I was dealing with an epidemic of myg0t hackers on a CS server, or had to respond to the forums being overrun with child porn from some prick who had been banned for racism the day before, or had taken the responsibility of reviewing submitted demos of players cheating and had to sit there typing 50 file names in a console trying to decipher if someone was aim bottling some of the time, or just really, REALLY good.
So yeah, game or forum, any form of moderation is a volunteer job, with everything that a job entails, good and bad.
I find it amusing that not a single mod responded thus far. They're anti-social even on internet levels. Nah, just kidding, I love those fuckin' guys...
@TheDudeOfGaming said:
I find it amusing that not a single mod responded thus far. They're anti-social even on internet levels. Nah, just kidding, I love those fuckin' guys...
I used to moderate wiki postings on here basically right after the site launched, but instead of honestly describing what that time and the aftermath was like, I prefer kicking back and seeing what everybody else thinks it's about.
Well Its good to see that two mods from other websites responded. I am surprise that I haven't seen no mods from giantbomb comment yet. All mods are supposed to be like guardian angels on the forums. Maybe there watching over us right now. I got nothing but respect for all the guys and girls. I know there's some mods on here that got some stories to tell. Feel free to share them with all of us.
The stories I read so far from the two mods are interesting. It seem like the type of job to have alot of patience for doing.
@falserelic said:
Well Its good to see that two mods from other websites responded. I am surprise that I haven't seen no mods from giantbomb comment yet. All mods are supposed to be like guardian angels on the forums. Maybe there watching over us right now. I got nothing but respect for all the guys and girls. I know there's some mods on here that got some stories to tell. Feel free to share them with all of us.
The stories I read so far from the two mods are interesting. It seem like the type of job to have alot of patience for doing.
i can't imagine there would be many interesting stories being a mod, unless your refering to the mod scene in the UK back in the 60's you know quadrophenia and all that. THAT sounds interesting. deleting offensive post and moving threads to the correct forums does not sound interesting at all.
@falserelic: Do you want to be a mod for Giant Bomb? What kind of mod do you think you would be? Strict or lenient? If you could change one thing about the forum rules what would it be? What qualities does a mod need to have in order to do a good job? And what kind of person shouldn't be a mod? I'm interested in hearing your take on this subject.
Of course I can't speak for all of the mod team but overall I'm glad I'm a mod here and I'm very thankful that I get to moderate a site as prominent and entertaining as Giant Bomb.
The downside (and there is a downside) is partly that it can consume time when you don't want it to, but more that sometimes people just act like asses. Whether it's directly to us, or on the forums in general I don't like seeing people being dicks to each other, or situations where people are unable to discuss certain issues without completely losing their minds. I also don't like seeing people use Giant Bomb as a dumping ground for whatever advert or self-promotion they like.
The upside is the feeling of productivity it gives, the fact that I can actually do something about the people crapping up the site I love, and when people do praise the mod team or say that they think the work we do is important. And thank you to everyone complimented us in this thread, I love you guys.
@CaLe said:
@falserelic: Do you want to be a mod for Giant Bomb? What kind of mod do you think you would be? Strict or lenient? If you could change one thing about the forum rules what would it be? What qualities does a mod need to have in order to do a good job? And what kind of person shouldn't be a mod? I'm interested in hearing your take on this subject.
Thinking about it being a mod wouldn't be a gift but a responsibility. A responsibility that I won't be able to handle. My false ways will usually get the best of me. On top of that I got poor grammar skills. If I was a mod I would have to be knowledgeable, and be good at typing. Then I will have to stop people if they get out of line. I will have to become the justice that this site needs. Which I just lack all together.
@Gamer_152: Glad to hear a giantbomb mod to share there side of the story for once.
Please Log In to post.
Log in to comment