I propose at least a three week paid vacation in some tropical location.
Seriously, I think you certainly have valid points. Now, that said, let me give you a little more background. Up until a few weeks ago, there was really only ONE moderator per se - and he is typing this post. Tony R and Michael P are both writing code for the site and doing TONS of backoffice stuff you don't really notice because it is done so smoothly. You have the web committee, which in theory is meeting at the club, smoking cigars, and casting out demons every once in a while.
You then have national officers and maybe one or two others that stop by the site and make sure it is running smoothly and hasn't been taken over by General Motors during the night. Finally, you have your actual moderators that don't write any code, aren't offered any cigars, and don't get a cool title. While I am not positive, up until very recently there was only one moderator, and that was me.
Unfortunately, when many of the "expulsions" took place, I was still the only moderator. When everybody started screaming for the lynching of the moderators, I moved to an undisclosed location. This, despite having no power to scold, much less ban, anybody. Now, was I the only one editing and/or deleting posts? Not on your life. ALL of the above have access to moderating capabilities, although Michael graciously declined, as he was getting wrongly accused of using a wand he didn't have at the time.
Since that time, we have brought on two other moderators. I don't know that they were formally announced, nor do I know if they want to be. Not only is it thankless, but it can be downright scary when people decide you singlehandedly caused all of the ills in their lives. Were they properly trained in the fine art of good moderating? Were they chosen based on their frequent contributions to the boards and appeal to all? Survey says.......... no. Is there even a formal training for moderators or are they basically thrown to the wolves? No and yes, in that order.
So what should be changed? Following is my personal opinion:
1. Appoint a group of moderators that have a few qualifications up front: Frequent posters to the boards; respected by most, if not all; ability to stay calm in discussions without flying off the handle (i.e., thick skin); and VCA members. The latter simply because this IS the VCA site and should be administered by the same.
2. Train the moderators. We are already working on this (actually, "we" in this case is "I"). I think I know the ins and outs of decent moderation without being overbearing. In addition, one of the proposed changes for the new site are posted guidelines that the moderators must follow. This includes "leave behind" notes when a thread is moved, and e-mails to the poster if it is deleted. I want this to occur WITHOUT EXCEPTION so that everybody knows what is going on and there will never be another "What happened to my post?!"
3. Once fully staffed with trained moderators, take away the "wands" from everybody else. While the moderators themselves may choose to remain anonymous due to the heat that sometimes arises, there would be no more "hiddens" per se. If a web committee member or other officer sees something that should be edited or deleted, then they would send an e-mail to the moderator group e-mail with the problem. The moderator, who has been trained on what should and should not be edited/deleted, can then edit or delete according to the guidelines.
4. Bad moderators get more training to become good moderators. If they still have problems, they simply work back into the fold - no longer moderators. To give you a little background, I am a moderator administrator on another site. We have over
1,500 moderators on that site. We dismiss a couple every week and bring a few more on as needed. The key is to provide adequate coverage during the majority of the day. Let's face it, most of us have other lives to lead and can't spend all day moderating - at least not for free.
Thus you need to have at least four moderators for this site, in my opinion.
Whew! One final note on this thread: It is not Viper-related so I am moving it. So there! I will move it to Off Topic so that people can continue to see it and comment as they wish.
Chris
