Why is Nation a mod in this forum?

[diebitter]

Here's a copy of what I posted on the Full Ring forum about this issue:
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Nation was the most vocal poster/campaigner about the creation of this forum, and the forum exists in large part to his efforts. Frankly, it probably wouldn't exist without his efforts - it certainly wouldn't have been opened at the time it was without his campaigning. I for my part pushed for it in the mod forum at the same time (as did Berge and I think a couple of others).

I also have been happy for him to stay on the roster, but only on the assumption he was absent for his own reasons and may return as an active poster at some point. The admins occasionally have 'mod clearouts' to spot which mods aren't active anymore to clean up all the forums, and I was planning to suggest he be dropped in the next one, on the understanding if he wanted to return and had become an active poster again, remodding for him would be a shoe-in.

But given he says he responds to mod notification, I see no real reason to have him removed - it's not like he's blocking anyone else becoming a mod; if we need more mods, Berge and I (and now CMAR) would discuss it to decide who's the best fit for the job, and then we'd approach whoever to see if he/she is interested.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
1. Nation says he coaches. He is using his modship on 2+2 as a draw. Maybe its all bull and he doesn't coach anyone, in which case he should take the sign down.


[/ QUOTE ]

you dont have to be good at poker to be a mod, thats not a prerequisite. In fact we have quite a few mods who ether are horrible at the game or barley play at all. Being a mod won't get him coaching clients, anyone who goes to a mod for coaching just because they are a mod is insane... Coaching should be done by a player you trust, someone you want to emulate.

It sounds like you don't know what a moderator does. If you have an easy to moderate forum the moderator should be nearly invisible. Moderators dont have to post in the forum they moderate (although that seems to help forums like OOT and BBV a lot, its not as much a concern for strategy forums), they are not cheerleaders - they are enforcers. Mods do things like stop spam, move problem posts, answer questions about the forum management; that is their main job. Their secondary job is to create participation/tools (like a FAQ). So 95% of a mods role will probably never be seen by the end users unless they choose to post in the forum to make a statement so that other users learn from the example what is and is not allowed, with the exception of the off-topic forums. Then there is the other side of the coin, when one mod(s) is so vocal that the other mod is hardly noticed by the end users. Thats a good example of what happens in B&M, the forum I moderate with RR. I usually get the "hate mail" from users who assume RR's decisions were done by me because I post more frequently than he did. Little do they know RR is actually quite active in the background and he is know to make tougher decisions than I do! It often makes me chuckle... internet forums are serious business.

[iron81]

RR posts plenty in B&M. I always thought the perceived "lead mod" in a forum was whoever wrote the sticky.

[MicroBob]

I'm pretty sure it's possible to keep nation as a mod of the full-ring forum but to take his name off the list of mods that the public sees and even de-green him if necessary.
If he were made a more anonymous mod of that forum so that you didn't know about it would that make it all better?


LOL at the idea that his coaching significantly benefits from being a mod. I never thought anyone would seriously think that.
He's a volunteer-mod of a freaking internet-forum. But suddenly all these new players are going to go running to him and scream "teach me! teach me!" even though he doesn't even post strategy content there?

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
RR posts plenty in B&M. I always thought the perceived "lead mod" in a forum was whoever wrote the sticky.

[/ QUOTE ]

Our sticky was written by JJB who is no longer a mod. I wrote the "best of". RR posts plenty, but most of the B&M forum regulars address me when they need to get management involved probably because RR is more under the radar.

[ShakeZula06]

[ QUOTE ]
c) His involvement with the bot sweatshop reflects badly on the forum generally and FR in particular.


[/ QUOTE ]
Guilty by association FTW

[Specialwon]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
1. Nation says he coaches. He is using his modship on 2+2 as a draw. Maybe its all bull and he doesn't coach anyone, in which case he should take the sign down.


[/ QUOTE ]

you dont have to be good at poker to be a mod, thats not a prerequisite. In fact we have quite a few mods who ether are horrible at the game or barley play at all. Being a mod won't get him coaching clients, anyone who goes to a mod for coaching just because they are a mod is insane... Coaching should be done by a player you trust, someone you want to emulate.

It sounds like you don't know what a moderator does. If you have an easy to moderate forum the moderator should be nearly invisible. Moderators dont have to post in the forum they moderate (although that seems to help forums like OOT and BBV a lot, its not as much a concern for strategy forums), they are not cheerleaders - they are enforcers. Mods do things like stop spam, move problem posts, answer questions about the forum management; that is their main job. Their secondary job is to create participation/tools (like a FAQ). So 95% of a mods role will probably never be seen by the end users unless they choose to post in the forum to make a statement so that other users learn from the example what is and is not allowed, with the exception of the off-topic forums. Then there is the other side of the coin, when one mod(s) is so vocal that the other mod is hardly noticed by the end users. Thats a good example of what happens in B&M, the forum I moderate with RR. I usually get the "hate mail" from users who assume RR's decisions were done by me because I post more frequently than he did. Little do they know RR is actually quite active in the background and he is know to make tougher decisions than I do! It often makes me chuckle... internet forums are serious business.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah thanks, but I'm actually aware of what a mod should be doing. He's not even doing that. FR appointed a new mod recently for exactly this reason.

Re the coaching, I think that's really a question for him to answer, don't you?

[mason55]

if you feel nation is doing an inadequate job then PM mat sklansky and plead your case. he will be happy to discuss it with you. convince him and you get your way. considering not a single long time poster who has any idea how 2p2 works has complained i doubt he'll agree, but Mat is a good listener.

(sorry Mat!)

[Specialwon]

Yes, I'm awaiting Mat's response as we speak, but not holding my breath as he hasn't replied to my pms. I suspect it was Mat who prompted Nation to reply to this thread, I can't think of any other way in which he could have seen it.

[tuq]

I coach people on how to post in these forums. PM for rates.

(BluffTHIS - I'll give you a volume discount.)