Thanks everyone for all the feedback, both towards my viewpoint, and from the opposite side. It means a lot.
I haven't been on the forums for forever and day, so I may be a little out of touch with the present community; but I still feel that I should chime in. Being a moderator is essentially a thankless position, in which you volunteer your time to try to make the community better with the time you're able to spare through a game. For those of you who think it's a job, try getting an actual job. Once you're in a moderator position; say goodbye to any playing time that you want to enjoy (unless you have alts that are unknown.) I personally only moderated for a few months on one of the slowest servers user wise (prison) and in that time, I had to acquire approximately 42000 screenshots to provide 'proof' of those that were hacking, causing issues, being profane in chat, disrespectful and whatever else presented itself. Not to mention the 1200+ videos I had to take of people hacking, cheating and doing whatever else that was against the rules. I was constantly being bombarded by people who needed help, complaining about such and such hacking, etc.. The moment I connected to the moment I disconnected. And what was the end result? It wasn't worth my time to stay involved. There were only a few moments in the time in which I was a prison guard, that gave me the same kind of relaxation or joy that I had from just playing. Unfortunately it's the user base that removed the desire to stay involved. So that was a large part of my reasoning for my resignation. The constant complaining that everyone did. The negativity that was always present regardless of who was around. The fact that no matter what decision I had to make, it was always in question and never worth the headaches and arguments that were the result on the forums or in game. So here are a few things to sum up: So for those of you who think you could do better; sure, you might be able to help out. Do not think for a second that you're going to get any benefits that outweigh the cons of being in a thankless volunteer position. It's not always worth it. For those of you who are already involved in the thankless position: Do your best, ignore those who criticize you. Remember that it's just a game and that you can turn it off anytime you want to. Don't stop trying to improve on your abilities as a moderator. Keep everyone at arms length (don't give your friends any perks, or additional benefits.) For those of you sitting on the sidelines: Nobody owes you anything on the server. You are just a regular user, regardless of whether or not you have donated. Sometimes life sucks when you don't get what you want. Grow up and COPE with it. Have a good day/night. LDM77
LDM, I freaking miss you man. I am glad we stayed in touch here and there and I miss seeing you in game my friend. I could not have said it better. It is easy to look from the outside in than to actually put themselves in our positions. What I wouldn't do to have you back on the staff team :cp:
Great. Wonderful. What I'm trying to get across, but from an old staff member, a respected member of the community. Thank you for stumbling on my thread.
Sco, thanks for the kind words. I don't think I would ever get involved in the same facet again. I won't take the dream or nightmare away from you though. It wasn't an easy decision to back away from the server and community that was built up. It was, however made easier by all the vindictive little sh!ts that constantly wanted to hack and have no recourse, not to mention the rogue moderator who thought he was the ultimate answer, along with a few other select people and situations that I won't revisit.
Well, I'm glad you were willing to take the chance to speak about the situation. Most people shun away from topics like this because they become far too charged/heated.
I know man :P Just letting you know my outlook on it. I knew a long time ago you werent coming back but I love the random re-visits!
Honestly you shouldn't apply for moderator Unless u are confident that you can handle it. If u become mod, but your to busy to moderate, you really shouldn't have the position. Just my opinion
I think they're handling it just fine. The point I was trying to get across is that the expectations you have for perfection are unrealistic. Also, it doesn't take a long time to type two more letters and make *you. It makes you sound more mature and professional, and I might take what you're saying more seriously.
That's a load of crap, as far as I'm concerned. If what you said was the case, a large portion of the population would never try anything because you typically don't have confidence in the unknown. I can agree with your statement that if you're too busy to moderate, step down. That's a reasonable assumption. The problem is when someone gets the 'status' of moderator, they will typically do what they can to keep it.
Mods are like cops.. if you have life problems and can't deal with being a cop.. why be a cop? you would get fired for not going or doing your job... Mods truly should know the Consequence of becoming mod... They should know the responsibility they have and that they have to be good... or they will get hate etc. They need to face the fact they can't be a mod without free time.
Your relation of being a moderator to being a police officer is pushing the envelope a little too far. Sure, there might be some minor similarities; but at the end of the day you're trivializing the ultimate responsibilities of both positions when they're nowhere near the same.
We all know why right? It's because they're jealous. "Why wasn't MY app accepted? MY app was better then THEIR'S. I should be a mod not THEM!" Also, some people are just naturally rebellious, and can't stand being told what to do by someone of a higher rank. I guess they must think the more demotions are dished out, the greater their chances of becoming a mod. Cryp/Noobcrew chooses specific mods for a reason. Judging from there app, they think they're up for the task. Sure, a mod might make a small mistake, maybe 1 or 2, but no one is perfect? It must be so stressful for the mods, making sure that they make absolutely NO MISTAKES whatsoever, and always make the perfect decision. I'm not saying that mods should always get of scott free. After all, they are a mod, and a certain standard is expected from them. But sniping 'em for every little thing, even if there's no evidence to back it up, is not only pointless, it's making you look desperate. You're mod app wasn't accepted? Too bad, no need to throw it out on all the mods. It can take time for certain mods to get with the program. But, given some time, they'll catch along quite nicely. So next time you're about to report a mod, maybe think twice about what you're doing, and please, make sure you have some real firm evidence to back it up. Regards, Sticstar.
I'm gonna bump this up. Things have gotten better, I must say. Please do not bring specific issues/personal problems with me into this discussion, I will not hesitate to have it locked.
