- Tom T
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- Exalted Mythic Member
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The End
‘The conscious is cancerous if allowed to linger’
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
Posted by: jaythenerdkid
Posted by: Tom T
For sake of discussion I will admit that being a moderator was a factor in my activity. Before I was a mod I hardly strayed from the community forum. It was the visibility that made me conform to a higher posting standard and gave me the incentive to try and have more of an influence in other aspects of the site. I am not altogether proud of how it sounds, but it is true. For this reason I am not necessarily opposed to the handing out of coloured text for community ambassadors, as is the case on the WoW forums. However I could just be a strange exception, as in general the moderator position has the opposite effect and turns active members into non-entities.I think the knowledge that you're being watched is a strong motivator. In some people, it motivates them to seek the spotlight and use that attention positively, and in some people, it motivates them to become more reserved so that people only see the side of them they're willing to show. Neither of those reactions are necessarily right or wrong.In the context of a moderator position I disagree.
If one accepts the position only to withdraw into a shell then I consider that particularly foolish. Moderating itself can be a chore and it is not worth a little 90x90 custom avatar for the crap one must contend with, particularly if it comes with the sacrifice of a personality that was previously valued in the community.
I did not ever enjoy using the tools, they were a necessary evil to be avoided whenever possible. What I did like was being able to provide a service for the community, through additional responsibility/influence. I think that if you're just in a the gig to moderate, or perceive yourself of having reached some milestone/plateau, you're doing it very wrong.
[Edited on 09.06.2012 8:36 AM PDT]