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View Full Version : Important Annoucement: Vigilante Moderators



Grey Watcher
2005-09-02, 12:32 PM
The follwing announcement is on behalf of the entire staff of the Giant in the Playground Message Boards, including Rich Burlew himself.

I think the time has come to address the issue of "vigilante modding,“ which consists of non-staff board members acting as moderators, posting to chastise members who break rules, publicly attempting to announce which threads should be locked, and otherwise usurping the functions of a moderator. While we appreciate the help, we have to ask you to stop.

Now, I don't need to lecture this community about the need for moderators. Everyone here has a healthy understanding that someone is needed to enforce the rules of conduct that allow us to have a friendly community. However, it seems time to state that, while we know our members have the best of intentions, there are very good reasons why it's best to leave the moderating to the moderators.

First, there is a reason why there are official moderators. We've been given the authority to deal with the various issues that crop up on this board. When everyone and their uncle is acting as a moderator, the official reprimands we issue suddenly become almost meaningless among so many entries.

Second, being a moderator means you sometimes have to do unpopular things. Moderating in general needs to be handled fairly delicately, and even then, ruffled feathers are inevitable. Dealing with the fallout from correcting people when they step out of line is an acquired skill. Unofficial moderating can sometimes even ignite a flame war. It's definitely better to spare yourself the headaches of dealing with irate posters and let the moderators handle it.

Thirdly, there are times where the vigilante mod is in error. There are certain methods and practices for dealing with specific events both in front of and behind the scenes, of which the vigilantes are probably unaware. Furthermore, vigilante mods are often confused about the which things are actual rules and which are merely common practice on the boards. For example, our members tend to use good grammar and spelling, but it’s not a rule that proper grammar or spelling must be observed.

Finally, vigilante modding is, frankly, rather rude. We appreciate the earnest attempts to help, but give us credit for being able to spot trouble once in a while. If you feel that an issue needs addressing immediately, or that perhaps a moderator has missed something, please, just send the appropriate person a private message. Don’t try to do their job for them.

Thank you.

Giant in the Playground Message Board Staff