Annual review is an excellent idea, the fact anyone with infractions is out of the running is ridiculous seeing as you get them for looking at certain people the wron way and moderators can't get them...
In the interest of fair play this is not a level playing field is it?

Well this is another thing, when you become a mod you are elevated above being held accountable because it is expected that you will be impartial and carrying out the job in good faith - I don't think it's right that moderators aren't subjected to some kind of annual review. I don't think it has to involve normal forum members, as I said, I'm not suggesting a popularity contest forum vote; but maybe the admin team (James and Josy) should be double checking whether or not all of the moderating team are really doing their duty and whether or not they're happy to continue on in the role. It's too easy to accept the position and then not really want the responsibility but have no reason to relinquish it. I enjoyed being a moderator for a year or so; it took me another year to step down.

There def needs to be one more mod

I heard vicky slept with mark for her job http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psfb323382.gif

...but the active mods are all very active though, I don't think that I know of any who haven't say stepped into a dispute or instilled a ban when we had the ban list..I didn't agree with that anyway in that a moderator's name was attached to a ban when it's more of a forum rule break thing and should I think always come from 'admin'....

...I guess as far as the re election thing is concerned, working in a school myself and having had many different governing bodies through that time..the inconsistencies with those changes can have a very negative effect as well...

greg you changed the question, yeah, mods definitely need to be reviewed annually, a lot can happen in a year, whats the point keeping people as mods if they're less/inactive or break rules themselves, thinking they can get away with it just cause they have mod status

..as for the infraction thing..?...that wouldn't prevent someone from being a moderator, would it...I don't personally know but from things that are said, many moderators were infracted etc as members....?...

The title made it seem like I was asking for new moderators but that wasn't what I meant so I changed the title to make it clearer

I think one or two infractions over the course of a few years wouldn't necessarily impact on someone's chances but if a user has a history of being a nuisance then they're not likely to be seriously considered for the job.

..I guess I just don't see the point really because it's either fine how it is now and doesn't need changing or if it wasn't fine and there was an annual election, a yearly change of moderating team would be confusing for everyone and the forum would be completely different to what it is now...and there's also the thing that a moderator could be re-elected but they couldn't make the commitment themselves and would step down anyway....

Seeing the coin from both sides I agree with you completely. But yeah for those that want a kind of game out of it no, it should be more of a review made by admin.

What if a moderator becomes a nuisance? it could happen.

It has happened.

I actually think we regulate ourselves pretty well, more so than is maybe realised. Everything gets done by consensus or at least majority, nobody could abuse their position as a Mod or anything like that because the rest wouldn't allow it to happen. If a Mod makes a decision or gives some an infraction then the rest all see it along with the Admins and will speak up if they disagree, it's why infractions/bans/decisions do get changed or overturned sometimes because things might be seen or interpreted differently by the others. And on the same note no Mod gets so absorbed in the 'power' of their role, or take it so personally, that they wouldn't always listen to any criticism of something they've done or refuse to discuss it

I don't really see why Admin need a review system either really when appointing or dismissing a Mod is a power they already have and could use at any time if they thought it justified

Me personally, without naming anyone, feel as if a couple of mods just stay as mods because they are nosey and don't want to miss out on the behind the scenes/gossip of TiBB, and do as little as possible modding wise and have such a little input, which that position could be better placed with somebody who would do more. Now that can be denied but you know I have been in towers for a few years.

Again, this is not aimed at all mods, so if any of you take it personally, then yeah it probably is you. The majority of mods are fine and do their jobs.

Don't get defensive, you're safe I like you :laugh:

I'm surprised that new mods have to be agreed by current ones, that should be admin really. Is that for a reason so you all get on?

..I don’t believe that any moderator doesn’t do anything though, just by the characters/personalities in general of the moderating team, I can’t see that other moderators wouldn’t have something to say about that...unless it’s an inactive mod.....

No, but the current mods tend to be online and have a clearer view of members than admin.

that's me out of the running

Just an observation. I would also say that the mod team has often changed over the years and adapted with the forum, but it has remained pretty static for the last 3 years with exception of me and Zee stepping down and the loss of Kerry. I think this is the longest the mod team has gone unchanged? A new TiBB record?

I genuinely don't agree that there are some Mods who are active on the site who do nothing in their role, whether it be through giving out infractions, deleting and banning spammers, merging several threads, helping out users who've asked for assistance in adding a poll to their thread or to edit it in some way, locking threads that have gone off topic, moving threads to the correct section etc. etc. I don't think there is any Moderator on here who while active on the forum would just ignore doing any of those duties if they are able to do them. A good bulk of Moderating is very tedious, menial stuff that most members wouldn't necessarily realise has even been done. And all Mods weigh in on any discussions we have in the towers.

I know you were a Mod for a long time Ben, but really you seem to have a very different view and have had a different experience to what I have had.

Clearer?... I wouldn't necessarily say so moderators can have differing views on members just like anyone.

I never said do nothing, I said do as little as possible. There is a huge difference.

I wonder how many people would actually want to be a mod though?

I mean they know the members a bit better than admin. :tongue:

A few mods definitely take advantage of their position, there's been numerous times they've made a comment that if any other member had made they'd have been I reacted for

Mmm it's more like a debate than anything (which is how most major decisions are made as well, I should mention) - the list of candidates grows as people apply and the mods debate who would be good for the role but ultimately it's down to the admin to decide, I think they maybe base their decision on what the mods have said in the thread because the mods interact with members whereas admin has traditionally been a bit more aloof

Me and Kerry just got handpicked last time, no need for applications http://www.606studios.com/bendisboar...ilies/smug.gif

That's how me, Vicky and Marc got picked too. :laugh:


I will just clarify that not all mods are bad, the majority of them do their job and do it well. I don;t want everyone thinking I am against them all.

I was dead set against it tbh.

I know I've done my fair share of mod bashing but I don't think they deserve this much criticism, my only real problem with them is that they're so quick to hand out infractions over dumb things and some members are allowed to get away with things that others aren't, e.g. the thread Jayson created months ago was blatant spam and would have been deleted say had Apple created it and it was little mix gifs i dunno

I definitely don't agree though that they're as bad as people in here are making out to be, like this taking advantage of their role' bullcrap. Some people in this thread are getting too big for their boots imo

Yeah there is very little chance to take advantage of their role, the rest of the mods and the admin can see everything.

There have been a few occasions (off the top of my head) where mods have overstepped the mark and been reprimanded for it:

* Iceman having a horrible rant at a member for no reason - got a dressing down off admin and some of the team
* Me banning a member because I hated them and was drunk - got told off, had to reverse ban and apologise
* Rory giving a member his log in details so they could snoop in towers - had has mod status revoked

These have all been dealt with and things like this have always been dealt with, so the abuse of power is a flawed argument.

Yeah I don't want anyone thinking I'm criticising anyone on the mod team, I just think generally it should be a bit more accountable than how it currently is and wondered if anyone else felt the same way.

shoudl they be reviewed anally ? eek

i think once a week they should be strip searched and frisked and fondled lol an dmake sure no concealed weapons and chicken fillets

I don't think mods should be criticized as much as they are, but I do believe that they should all be looked at by a neutral admin, not necessarily at a pre allocated time. Some mods have said things that are out of order, but everyone is human and they shouldn't be punished for that, but being a mod is a responsibility that really means a lot to the community, which is really quite small, so even one mod making a wrong decision every so often can really effect the community.

I think all of the mods deserve to have responsibility in their own way, but do I think all of them have what's needed to be the right mod for TiBB? Unfortunately not. Personally I think we should go back to a time before the TiBB Staff account, so we can know for sure that nobody is abusing the system.

If a Mod feels justified in handing out infractions they should be able to stand by their decision rather than hide behind a cloak of anonymity.

That used to be the case but it didn't work out well since people kept on focusing on which mods gave them the infraction and not on the infraction itself. You'd give someone an valid infraction and then they'd rile their friends up and cause trouble just because they couldn't accept they've done wrong. We still get that now but it's not as bad as it used to be.