- Old Papa Rich
- |
- Forum Ninja
There are many powers in the world, for good or for evil. Some are greater than I am. Against some I have not yet been measured. But my time is coming.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forum Rules
List of Forum Ninjas
Posted by: Tom T
I don't come here to clean up people's mess, nor do I enjoy banning members. I come here for the same reasons as everyone else: news, discussion, entertainment, escapism and a common interest in bungie.
As a ninja it is the potential to positively influence the overall experience for both myself and others that I find most appealing and rewarding. This doesn't just entail helping members or removing problem users; I can appropriately direct a discussion and/or keep rulebreaking in check by going about things as usual (be it posting lame jokes or engaging in interesting threads). An increased amount of pointless private messages and a sizeable number of suck-ups and critics come hand in hand, but I am quite capable of ignoring sychophancy and choosing, like everyone else, what I take into consideration or respond to in a discussion.
For me the benefits of the role have brought on a number of changes. Pre-modhood I hardly ever interacted outside groups or the community forum (shamefully I was the only mod who didn't have 300 posts in The Flood...) and I frequently allowed stupidity to get under my skin. Post-modship I am far more tolerant and actually feel more inclined to post, [tactfully] sharing my thoughts, despite the burden of orange text.
I have since also got involved in a number of community projects/initiatives, like the Community Carnage and the development of Team Classic, which have added some sense of purpose and identity outside of moderating. Oddly I would say being a moderator has either directly or indirectly made me a better member of the community. My experiences are by no means conventional, but the message here is that the position does not waste away formerly good members (as is sometimes argued), but is instead what you make it.I agree with this. It really isn't about having a hammer. It's about being a positive influence on both sides. That is enjoyable.
Some of the particulars about me personally are different. I used to exclusively post in the mains. Moderating began around the same time that I was making some friends and joining some private groups. Once you do that, this site is different. If you do it right, it's is significantly better.
The cool part is that it really was paralell. One would think that I got into people's groups because members were sucking up to the moderator. But it really wasn't like that. The friends and group involvement preceded moderating by a short amount of time.
Now most of my activity is in the groups, but I try to balance it out. Tom is right. posting, and presence on the forums has an impact. But at the same time, bobcast and Achilles are also right. It is incresingly difficult to post. The interuptions can add up. But as long as you don't try to do too much, it's worth it.