a moderator question
 

Ok.. this may sound a bit dopey.. but out of sheer curiosity, what exactly does a moderator do? I mean I have this vision of you all sitting in front of your computers, drinking cups of coffee and reading all the posts we send in AND getting paid for it...is that really how it is? if so,......what a neat job :D

I think basically, you make sure that everyone's following the rules. I think you can also ban people.

Re: a moderator question
 

God, i'm so glad someone else felt funny about asking this cause i wasn't 100% sure myself. Thanks!!!

has anyone been banned from here that we know of?

Yes. Three, that I know of.

While I'm not a moderator here, I am a channel operator on a few channels on mIRC, and basically it's the same job. We're not like, business cubical people who sit there and read everything and etc. We're just like everyone else who's chatting, but when a problem arises, it's up to us to take care of the problem. The moderators simply try to be problem solvers and keep the board organized and clear of things. As far as them watching for people to break the rules, well, I don't think they even consider doing anything unless someone hits that "report post to moderator" button. But basically, just picture yourself sitting there as you are, and that's how the moderators are. They just do a little extra.

I waited to see if any of my fellow moderators would have a chance to answer this, but since no one has yet, I might as well!

Actually, Justin pretty much summed up our duties rather accurately! :)
Like I said the other day on the Lindsey forum, we all consider ourselves Ledgies, just like everyone else... it's just that this particular group of us also act as peacekeepers.

Essentially we read the boards out of fandom... but we also do so with an eye out for any trouble (fights that get out of hand, anything pornographic, etc.).
We don't necessarily read each and every thread or post (though we do our best!)... which is why we ask that if anyone sees something getting out of hand, or that they feel is objectionable, that they report the post/thread to one of us.

We take care of our respective boards, but in the interest of keeping each other abreast of what's going on, we discuss the various situations with each other.
Potential strikes and bans are always discussed as a group, and then voted upon. And trust me, we always take the matter quite seriously... nothing is decided in a flippant way.

Unfortunately there have been a few people who have been banned. Fortunately though it's only been a small handful... and off the top of my head, I can't think of exactly how many.

And no... none of us are paid for this. The costs to run the site (server fees, etc., for both The Penguin, and The Ledge) are paid, extremely generously, out of Marty's pocket... and the moderators do this as a "thank you" to him. (It's certainly not for all the glory and accolades!) :laugh:

I hope that answers all questions!
:)


Johnny Stew

Thanks for answering that Johnny, guess wer'e all a little bit wiser now :D Another equally dopey question though ( someones got to ask right, might as well be me...) How do you get picked to BE a moderator, do you volunteer? Not that I'd want to be one thankyou (I'd be banning everyone, there'd be no Ledgies left to post and we'd probably end up being an all girl gossip group, with a few "nice only" guys allowed in!..hahaha).... just curious...

I don't know. I haven't been here that long.

To answer your questions:

1. None of us gets paid=:-) I don't know about the other moderators, but I do this as a way to help Marty and to thank him for providing me with this opportunity to meet and know other Fleetwood Mac fans. Moderating is a small gift to give back to him in return for all I've learned ad all the pleasure I've gotten from having these boards exist.
2. No, I don't always read each and every post. I have a full time job that keeps me pretty busy and a long commute to and from work in the DC area. I try to read them, but don't always make it.
3. We try as a group to see to it people post according to the standards in the FAQ. If something is reported, we decide as a group what to do about it.
4. Yes, some people have been banned and others warned or give "strikes". Out of consideration for posters' privacy, we will never tell you exactly what we did about a reported post, but you can be assured we did something=:-). Considering the number of registered Ledgies(it's 800 or something like that) the number we've had to ban, warn or "strike" is very, very, small, and that is thanks to all of you out there=:-)
5. Have a Happy New Year!

How you get to be a moderator
 

Don't know about the others, but I volunteered=:-)

moderators
 

Like good ole Knight on the Mick Fleetwood board...hes a moderator...and according to him and his followers it's a horrible thing to MENTION a website that is not official, and your post will be deleted if you mention a Stevie/FM website that isnt official, unless you ask permission first...thank God our moderators here arent like those guys...

Chris

Re: moderators
 

That's not really the case Chris! Some people interpreted it that way, but I can tell you that there is still a URL posted for The Penguin, and several member's sites.

It started when a member created a chat room in hopes that Mick would use it for his next chat, and was promoting it on the site. He also suggested making tee-shirts and hats for board members.

Needless to say the admins frowned upon this type of non-official activity. They feel that it is THEIR job to set up the chat room and determine what if any, merchandise will be created and sold.

I doubt that Marty would want anyone to do this type of thing here either.

I believe that because Knight was not real specific in what non-official websites meant, that it got blown out of proportion and misinterpreted.

No posts would be deleted for mentioning a website. There was one thread that was deleted because of the use of profanity.

I hate to see this US against THEM spirit being fostered by some FM fans.

I remember asking Marty before Mick's site came online. He said that even if Mick made him an offer, proir commitments would prohibit him from developing a site for Mick.

I even sent an e-mail to Mick's people suggesting that they should make Marty an offer. Believe it or not, they actually called me and asked if I spoke for Marty. I told them that I did not.

Since Marty had just told me his position on the matter, I dropped it.

But really, I'm glad that it happened this way. There is only one Penguin, and I hope that Marty can keep it going forever.

Admittingly, Mick's site is young, and does not have the sophistication in the actual discussion of topics, and some other features that you find here, but it does have it's place. And they are not ogres there.

I've been a member and supporter here for a long time. I've never done much posting to the chat board, but I visit daily.

I'm rambling now, but I wanted to clear up that one issue.

Doc:wavey:

micks chat
 

Well thanks for clearing that up Doc...maybe I'm just mad still about the whole fan club rip off thing, and I'm taking it out on their site...but thats just me..

Oh, so THAT's what it's about...
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Johnny Stew
Like I said the other day on the Lindsey forum, we all consider ourselves Ledgies, just like everyone else... it's just that this particular group of us also act as peacekeepers.

So, Lindsey's song for the new album is about you mods!! COOL! ;) :laugh:

I am a mod for a Justin Guarini site, and when the administrator asked me to be one, I had NO CLUE what my duties were, I had to ask "What do I do, exactly?" LOL You basically clean up any "haters" (we have had problems with some on the JG boards), who are people who have nothing better to do than to log on and make rude, hateful remarks about Justin. If you get those, you delete/ban them. You also have the job of promoting your site/board, by asking other similar sites to join your links page or joining a webring. Oh, and I have a cool title...Head Guarini Mod! LMAO!! We don't get paid. My enthusiasm for Justin led the Admininstrator of the board to ask me to be a moderator.

Very cool, indeed. :thumbsup: