WHOA MODS. [Archive]

Eccentrics

08-10-2012, 11:44 PM

Oh there we go, now I'm in the know! Thankyou :)

I just noticed that quite a few mods had changed their name colours recently. (squirrelspit, [purple rain], Freedom Fighter made a post) It confused me, a lot of them seemed to be 'leaving' at once and I just thought "hold up! hold up!" (I know they weren't leaving RYL for good, I just can't find the right word right now.)

Also, I'm not too familiar with chat mods as I never used chat. Sorry guys! :( So that's maybe why I noticed/didn't notice/not quite sure which term is right here right now.

I'm very all over the place and flippity-floppity today!

cakey

09-10-2012, 09:11 AM

I decided modding wasn't for me, a lot of pople i thought were friends changed when I became mod, and also I couldn't deal with how rude people were towards me, plus i got a bit ill mentally. I really take my hat off to those who are still mods, i failed, but we do still have some amazing people modding :)

griddlebone

09-10-2012, 11:27 AM

It gets to the point where the bad points outweigh the good and the job becomes more of a millstone than anything else. I think more people live around this time of year because we get busy with school and so on.

Asura

09-10-2012, 03:02 PM

i left cos of squish face, and to be honest, also because moderating had become a thankless bore... theres only so long you can wait for a head mod, new mods, some support, promised change to come about before you realise theres just no point.

RYL is too old- both the site and the community. The main site is never updated, which presents an image of an inactive community. And it's true, the community seemed much more "more" when I joined. :/ IMO shedding the skin that is RYL and applying what was learned from it towards something new, streamlined, and lively might be good for what is left of this community and other people online looking for a safe and friendly place to go.

Freedom Fighter

10-10-2012, 05:55 AM

It gets to the point where the bad points outweigh the good and the job becomes more of a millstone than anything else.
Liv is spot on. Modding sucks the joy out of this website. After awhile, the site becomes a chore and a job.

Cynicism sets in after a while when you can see the user pages of everyone blazened with their past sins and you only see the shitty parts of life via the reports that you deal with. When you see enough people you liked/trusted doing things like encouraging people to self harm or flaming people only because they got board, it is very hard to have a positive outlook.

Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.” It is very true. I spent too much time and energy trying to track down banned editors who were socking, subtle trolls and the like. In that process I became little better than them. If you look through my posts, especially in mod land, I became less and less civil and quicker and quicker to judgement. I went from being a mod who argued for leniency to one of the mods who was fairly willing to use bans liberally. This happens to most mods near the end of their cycle who became too involved with the behind the scenes part of the site.

I guess what I am trying to say is modding can, and does, suck. Sure there are great things about the job. Both teams are like your family and you come to rely on them but that does not outweigh all of the ****ing negatives of the job. That is why long term mods leave their positions many of them leave the site. I did when I RageQuit®.

Some, come back after a vacation from RYL.

A small group return to modding. Most of these zombie mods, like myself, last for a bit but they don't last. A wide man one said, "'It is impossible to love again anything you have truly ceased to love.' Members who return after retirement, or after a wearied or bitter departure, may post again, but never with the same passion they once brought to the community. Each successive return will be with diminished dedication and shorter duration." I was a zombie mod.

Some mods emerti come back from their vacation (or their second) and go into lighter staff roles or just as a normal community member, sometimes under a not well known username.

I know they weren't leaving RYL for good, I just can't find the right word right now.
I am neither here or there. This is my first time on RYL in a 4 weeks or so. I am trying to get around finishing revising for my chem and philosophy exams.

Sorry for the TL;DR wall of text. I should go back to revising, rugby, uni life, wikipedia, reddit and beer. Have a good one.

Pi.R^2

10-10-2012, 11:09 AM

The main site is never updated, which presents an image of an inactive community.
I believe the main site is in the process of being updated by the community team!

griddlebone

10-10-2012, 11:36 AM

Liv is spot on. Modding sucks the joy out of this website. After awhile, the site becomes a chore and a job.

Cynicism sets in after a while when you can see the user pages of everyone blazened with their past sins and you only see the shitty parts of life via the reports that you deal with. When you see enough people you liked/trusted doing things like encouraging people to self harm or flaming people only because they got board, it is very hard to have a positive outlook.

Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.” It is very true. I spent too much time and energy trying to track down banned editors who were socking, subtle trolls and the like. In that process I became little better than them. If you look through my posts, especially in mod land, I became less and less civil and quicker and quicker to judgement. I went from being a mod who argued for leniency to one of the mods who was fairly willing to use bans liberally. This happens to most mods near the end of their cycle who became too involved with the behind the scenes part of the site.

I guess what I am trying to say is modding can, and does, suck. Sure there are great things about the job. Both teams are like your family and you come to rely on them but that does not outweigh all of the ****ing negatives of the job. That is why long term mods leave their positions many of them leave the site. I did when I RageQuit®.

Some, come back after a vacation from RYL.

A small group return to modding. Most of these zombie mods, like myself, last for a bit but they don't last. A wide man one said, "'It is impossible to love again anything you have truly ceased to love.' Members who return after retirement, or after a wearied or bitter departure, may post again, but never with the same passion they once brought to the community. Each successive return will be with diminished dedication and shorter duration." I was a zombie mod.

Some mods emerti come back from their vacation (or their second) and go into lighter staff roles or just as a normal community member, sometimes under a not well known username.

I am neither here or there. This is my first time on RYL in a 4 weeks or so. I am trying to get around finishing revising for my chem and philosophy exams.

Sorry for the TL;DR wall of text. I should go back to revising, rugby, uni life, wikipedia, reddit and beer. Have a good one.

Says it perfectly.x

Asura

10-10-2012, 12:18 PM

I believe the main site is in the process of being updated by the community team!

Honestly I don't frequently pick through the categories, but I haven't noticed any changes. And the main page's theme/ layout looks really old. It might have been the pinnacle of web design 8 years ago, but not so much nowadays. :/

Field Of Paper Flowers

10-10-2012, 02:11 PM

I stood down because I wasn't enjoying modding anymore and going into chat and having that responsibility to mod when all I wanted to do was relax and talk or get support was getting to me. I like not being a mod anymore, I can go into chat and not have to worry about having to do anything serious. I come home from work, out with my friends and all I really want to do is relax.

Plus some people are so ****ing rude in chat when all you try to do is help them, keep them safe etc and I was sick of feeling like **** because of that.

The One Who

10-10-2012, 02:57 PM

Honestly I don't frequently pick through the categories, but I haven't noticed any changes. And the main page's theme/ layout looks really old. It might have been the pinnacle of web design 8 years ago, but not so much nowadays. :/

This. The main site's design is ****. It's like a labyrinth and you have to click through a million and one things just to get to where you want to go, if you even manage that. There's no consistency to it either. But without an entire website design change (*coughV4cough*) that's not going to change.

In fact, a lot of people never even use or even see the main site, and I can't say I blame them.

sajhfuahuefghaeg

10-10-2012, 05:25 PM

I've never used the main site.

Amaryllis

10-10-2012, 05:26 PM

Tom said a lot of things very well.

I don't imagine that I will be around as much, if at all, when I resign from modding. I've seen too many things on here to really trust a whole lot of people. The "behind-the scenes bit" on this website can destroy your faith in humanity, or at least erode it over time.

Eccentrics

10-10-2012, 09:16 PM

Gosh, I was totally not aware of any of this! I guess I never really payed that much attention to how modding would really be.

This makes Holly sad. :(
You should all have a kitten.

Also, I personally don't mind the design of the main site. I guess I'm not too fussy though as long as it has the essentials. The news rarely gets updated though, and I'd like to see the polls get updated more often too. Perhaps every week or so? There are a lot of sections that don't have anything written in them, too. I was under the impression that any member of the community could write articles for the first few months I was here but I can't seem to find how you'd go about doing that, so maybe not.

EDIT: Okay, so maybe I was right! I've found where to submit an article in sections that already HAVE articles, but I have no idea where to go in sections that don't yet have any.

Pi.R^2

10-10-2012, 09:35 PM

http://http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01250/kittens_1250037c.jpg
Kittens for all!

Additionally, I'm sad to read about how seeing behind the scenes decreases your faith in humanity. I've not been behind the scenes, but from front of house, yes, I've seen some betrayal and rudeness and downright unpleasantness, but I've also seen such bravery, inspiration and great kindness and I consider myself privileged to be a member of this site.

I'm not disputing anything that the mods have said, at all. Just commenting that I'm saddened that you've had such negative experiences, and that perhaps RYL is not quite as rainbows and cupcakes on the underneath, as it appears to me on the surface.

And it can never be an inappropriate time to chip in and say I'm infinitely grateful to the mods for ALL the hard work they put in :)

Edit: my kitten jpg is not showing up for me :'( I hope it's working on other folks' computers!

Eccentrics

10-10-2012, 09:42 PM

^ I second the gratefulness! I appreciate all the work the mods have done even if I might not have openly expressed it until now. They all seemed such friendly cupcakes right from the start and were the only ones I dared to PM on my old account!

Your kitten jpg isn't showing for me either :( Noooooo!

Totally not sliding off topic on my own thread or anything, but I do believe you owe me a PM, Jenna!

Pi.R^2

10-10-2012, 10:00 PM

I was going to comment to that effect but didn't want to hijack your thread!

I shall reply tonight, I promise!

Amaryllis

10-10-2012, 10:21 PM

A thread saying how you like the mods is never unappreciated. ;)

talaiporia

10-10-2012, 10:36 PM

Yep. The mods are always there when you need them. :)

GlitterTrashDoll

10-10-2012, 10:50 PM

I've never had a problem/issue with the mods and they've always been fab with things I've asked/etc about! Therefore, YAY MODS - you guys are awesome. You really don't get thanked enough!

talaiporia

10-10-2012, 10:51 PM

^ We should totally have a mod/ex-mod appreciation thread. :)

GlitterTrashDoll

10-10-2012, 11:05 PM

There was some, bump them! :D

Sketchy

11-10-2012, 12:00 AM

I'm sorry things have been tough and some people can be rude and unappreciative. I just want to say thank you to all mods, both past and present. I think it's brilliant that you have volunteered to do this, and I hope people can see you also need support and kindness too. You have all done so much for this site, for which I am grateful, as I have benefited from this site and really needed it at times. Thanks again.:hug:

*Hands out cupcakes*

Cazki

11-10-2012, 12:08 AM

I read this and felt i really needed to comment. The mods do a great job they really do. As members we dont know what its like at all. I really appreciate all that the mods do. It also takes alot to be honest about why you decided to stand down and i dont mean to sound patronising at all i really dont. I used to be around ryl everyday and i used to post in the introduction section everyday to. I quit as i was fed up and even just being a member it can get quite annoying with rudeness and having very little thanks.

I also decided to leave ryl because i wanted to move on and because i felt ryl had changed, and i dont mean to be nasty at all but ryl seems to have gone down hill with all the changes we were promised that never happened. Dont get me wrong Harley is great for all what he has done but for a long time ryl hasnt been the same to me. Only i came back but im hardly ever around. I know that ryl is surviving ok its not like about to be shut down but its just my opinion and i am being honest in the most polite way i can with out being horrible. The mods do a great job and im very greatful for all the help iv had from some of them over the years i have been here and for what they do, its a very difficult job. I know that i went off of the point of the thread but i just wanted to be honest and also show my appreciation. Some of the mods have been mods for a very long time and have also been on the site alot longer than myself and the rest of us members. If you remember the lovely typsee she was a mod for six or seven years before she resigned, i also remember sam (Mrs Sam) Sarah (Control Freak) Jo, Shannon (Day tripper) i cant remember any others but if i do il mention them as they all did a great job.

griddlebone

11-10-2012, 02:01 AM

It is very hard to be a mod, you do see the worst of people. There is very very little reward when it comes to being a mod, yes the reward should be that RYL runs smoothly, but because we arent in control solely when it comes to the running of the site whatever we do is just pushing sand up a hill.

The novelty of having new powers and responsibility soon fades, you go through the faze of everything being ok, being able to handle modding and then inevitably it gets to the stage where you just cant/dont want to handle it anymore. When you become irritable at everyone and no one seems to be taking it on board that maybe youre upset or frightened or depressed or any of the reasons why you turned up to the site in the first place.

There is a reason why we always say were human.....we more than anyone else need people to understand that we are facing the same issues as other people on this site. I think the vast majority of people would understand that most of us dont like to be shouted at or abused online and yet we as mods put up with it everyday. I can say that I get abuse every single time I come onto RYL from some port of call and being both a forum mod and head of chat means I get double the flack.

But.....I signed up to be a moderator because I wanted to give something back to the site. I took over being head chat mod because I wanted to make chat better, that has always been my goal. We choose to be mods because we genuinely want to be there for people, we want to help and we want to make RYL the best it can be.

The stuff about the main site doesnt really concern the mods and it never should have, if Im really blunt about it....we are here to moderate and we can only do what we can with the tools were given.

It seems that as soon as one problem is solved another one pops up and another and another until its all caving in around you and I dread the day when mods come and tell me that they dont want to be moderators anymore.....Ive seen some of the best mods come and go and its sad to lose a member of a team who are your biggest allies and supporters.

We may seem like we are a slightly different entity and that we perhaps dont mix as well as maybe we should, but we dont want to show the rest of RYL that were sad or frightened, because that has been used against us in the past and the only people that really understand are other moderators.

So yes....not a very cheery post but hopefully an insight into the reality of being a mod, especially on a site like RYL where emotions are at a constant high.

From a very weary mod :P
xx

sajhfuahuefghaeg

11-10-2012, 07:27 AM

Basically, agree with Liv.

squirrelspit

11-10-2012, 10:38 AM

mm hmm.

It gets a bit sad when people are quoting your rants back at you to use against you. my favourite of late.
'Dont you think you should be taking care of your child, not having a go at me over something petty in chat. You're right, you probably are a terrible mother'

-_-

It also gets a bit sad that when someone posts and says they are in hospital/someone has died/something tragic has happened your first instinct is 'better investigate that as its probably bullshit'.

[Purple_Rain]

11-10-2012, 10:45 AM

oh charlie *cuddles*

squirrelspit

11-10-2012, 10:51 AM

:) tis like water off a ducks back.

griddlebone

11-10-2012, 11:08 AM

Once someone used my past drug addiction to say that I wasnt able to make decisions on whats right and wrong!

Delephynite

11-10-2012, 11:12 AM

'Dont you think you should be taking care of your child, not having a go at me over something petty in chat. You're right, you probably are a terrible mother'.

Wtf? Seriously? That's ****ed up.

I came here to share the mod love. Mods, I owe you all a beer. :cool:

squirrelspit

11-10-2012, 11:13 AM

Once someone used my past drug addiction to say that I wasnt able to make decisions on whats right and wrong!

-_-

bitches be crazy yo.

Snow White.

11-10-2012, 11:28 AM

^ too right!

sajhfuahuefghaeg

11-10-2012, 11:43 AM

Oh wow. Charlie, you are wonderful. Ignore the people.

Liv you are also awesome.

Snow White.

11-10-2012, 11:47 AM

Charlie, Liv and all are wonderful!

This reminds me why I don't miss modding, but I do indeed miss the wonderful team, and have always felt proud to have worked alongside you all <3

Tiff I also love the pants off you

Pops.

11-10-2012, 12:22 PM

The mods are awesome.

sajhfuahuefghaeg

11-10-2012, 12:32 PM

Distinct lack of love for me :(

griddlebone

11-10-2012, 01:17 PM

Thats because you didnt tell a story of woe!

Cazki

11-10-2012, 08:16 PM

The thing is we dont all get on, we are not made to all get on with each other. We all make mistakes but we try our best to learn from them. I would never say i hate ryl because i dont its just very annoying when you are promised things and it all goes down the drain. The best way to say it is that i feel ryl has lost a little of its sparkle and i know im probably not alone.

I know alot of the time it is up to us to improve ryl but i believe the staff have tried there best as have all the other people such as the supporters first aid and chat and there is only so much you can do at this present time with the way things are. Its such a shame that there is so much rudeness because you are only trying to help and do your best.

Left Phalange

11-10-2012, 08:36 PM

Well, RYL is going to the dogs, you might as well make me a mod, see what happens ;) Could be hilarious!

Nah, seriously though, sucks that there are ridiculously few members who could/do make good mods, we don't have enough because there aren't enough people here who can be trusted/would do the job well/are stable enough to even consider/aren't here enough, the list is endless.

How this site has not broken and exploded in a big, fiery ball of destruction and despair I do not have a clue. But bravo to the mods for what you guys do/have done/will continue to do. :)

Cacoethes

11-10-2012, 09:35 PM

i have kind of heard about a few of the things that go on and im like,' really? omg people should really listen to themselves' genuinely shocked at some people.

the mods do a great job. no doubt.

if it wasn't for the fact that i would be a **** mod because i'd probably randomly ban people if i was having a bad day and they pissed me off, i would love to be a mod to give something back to this site, which has really helped me through some stuff over the years.

Pi.R^2

11-10-2012, 11:02 PM

I vote Nic and Beckie for mods!

And I agree with Beckie; I'm genuinely shocked at how rude some people can be to the mods! Like, seriously. These people make me look like a pleasant, friendly and well-adjusted chap.

Isoverity

12-10-2012, 08:36 AM

Modding a site like this is hard. Some are good at it and some are awful. Most get burned out by it though. Modding should be like military service - do your time and move on. I modded a forum (and easy one) here for 16 months and that was enough. Being a mod means being removed from the general population - they represent the site and are like police. My advice to people has always been that if they like being a member a lot then dont be a mod. It also hurts the site when popular members get made into mods. Its like having lively guests at a wedding reception and then making them service people. I saw lots of good members fall into Mod Oblivion lol

Buttons.

12-10-2012, 08:48 AM

<3 mods for all the effort they put in.

I have to admit it saddens me to see so many people having negative experiences of RYL, despite ups downs lefts and rights I still love the site and a lot of it's members and would be devastated if it were to disappear.

Also I have witnessed getting on for 7 years worth of people moaning about the good old days. Every generation seems to look back a year or so and moan about the demise of the good old days. Seems to be human nature to be honest.

Snow White.

12-10-2012, 11:15 AM

Also I have witnessed getting on for 7 years worth of people moaning about the good old days. Every generation seems to look back a year or so and moan about the demise of the good old days. Seems to be human nature to be honest.

Indeed!

Eccentrics

12-10-2012, 11:02 PM

I now declare this thread, the mod woe & appreciation thread!

edit: After typing this post I tried to drink from my can of pepsi and instead it decided to jump out of my mouth and go down my top :(

Cacoethes

13-10-2012, 10:22 PM

I vote Nic and Beckie for mods!

i wouldn't be made a mod even if i was the last member here!!
apparently im 'insane' :wow:

eccentrics, i did the same earlier, except with a burger. speshul peoples!!

[Purple_Rain]

18-10-2012, 02:54 PM

...And I am now back to being red! yay!

...Mainly cause i'm on bed rest and have nothing else to do!

Dreaming.

21-10-2012, 05:04 PM

Yay :) Welcome back to health Liz :)

This thread makes me very reminiscent. I came onto the site as a moody early teen. I learned a lot from the site, both positive and negative, and then was able to contribute something back through moderating.

Moderating taught me a lot of incredibly valuable life lessons (in fact, I still bring it up in interviews every so often). It's a thankless task, but you're constantly learning, forced to be hyper-aware and it really challenges you. This site is an odd one for moderating too, because those who are moderators are nearly always also people who have come to site for their own purposes. Being a moderator and being unwell simultaneously are incredibly difficult things to balance. Everybody I've seen and been fortunate enough to work with have been utterly outstanding, and have been a force for good... But that doesn't make you happier, often.

The other thing is, there used to be a fairly high turnover, when there was still excitement in the site and a hope to drive things forward. That's not always a good thing, but I think that having the flexibility to move on with your life knowing that there is a fantastic set of current moderators to fill your space makes it a lot easier to move on. Esther was a good example of this. It's not that positive things aren't happening on the site, but the urgent want to make the website a more productive place seems to have been lost. Which is sad.

Waffle waffle waffle. I don't know what my conclusion is. MODS WE LOVE YOU.