Moderator Performance, V.2, Suggestions/Complaints/Compliments Options

[*Zatanna*]

Do you have suggestions, complaints, or compliments as to how the moderator staff is performing? Voice your opinions here.

Make this thread helpful for the mods.

Mods are members, also. So member bashing is not allowed, as always. Don't make it a personal vendetta, please. Keep the bashing at 0%, please.

Any moderator has the right to close and unpin this thread at the signs of bashing, pointlessness, and/or any other guideline breaker.

I do hope this works out. I want to stress that this is not the place for personal attacks. If you really have to, keep it in the PM system between you and the mod. This thread is here to help mods work better with members.

So...your thoughts?


PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

To avoid redundancy and to leave room for valid comments, posts consist of concerns/suggestions that have been addressed will be deleted. Please do not post something someone already brought up because your post will be considered as spam. The only exception to this rule is compliments.

Also, please do not make this thread into a full scale discussion. Its main purpose is for members to evaluate moderator performance. If your question/concern has been answer, cease to post here until you have another concern. Thank you.


Historical Threads
Moderator Performance V.1

// Update - Moderator Performance Threads will be 50 pages in length.

[*I Shot JFK*]

Lol. Historical Threads.

New Version, yay.

Rebecca and Kathleen have both done well recently

[*Zatanna*]

Lol. Historical Threads.

New Version, yay.

Rebecca and Kathleen have both done well recently

I know, I'm a dork.

And thank you. :)

[jumpropeforheart]

^x1 & 2

Also, please do not make this thread into a full scale discussion. Its main purpose is for members to evalute moderator performance.

mmhmm...

only kidding.

i think kathleen, suzzette, dani, and rebecca are doing a great job.

[*This Confession*]

yay a brand new one, I've been waiting for this.

Anyway I think all the new staff are doing pretty well.

Now I'll quit talking in here since its for members mostly.

[demolished]

i like brownsugar. brownsugar does a good job at all time.
yummmmy, brown sugar!
no wonder she's soooo gooood.

[*Azarel*]

I second (or whatever number) that Robbi is doing a fantastic job.

Not to cause shit or anything (LOL, YEAH RIGHT.. anyway, seriously now), but is anyone else severely irked that immediately after she was modded, Radhika has gone on hiatus until the end of the month?

[technicolour]

I'm not trying to cause shit either, but, since the most recent modding session is near the end of summer and a lot of people are trying to cram in last minute vacations it happens.

School has started, or is about to, for a few of us and we need to know what our new schedules will be like so we can balance everything out. I know Im going to need a few days or so so I can try to figure it out.



And she's gone until the end of the month? Where does it say that? ( I look in the hiatus threads and didn't see anything...)

[*Azarel*]

It was in the hiatus thread; she must've deleted it.

[technicolour]

It really said end of the month? I thought it said like a week or something.

[*Azarel*]

It said until the end of August, but it doesn't matter anymore since.. it's gone. :P

[radhikaeatsraman]

You caught me. I deleted it. :P I had to be gone on the 12th because my sister was having this huge event & I was the MC. But I realized I wasn't going to be as busy as I thought after the event, so I'm back. No need to worry.

[*T0rmented_Soul*]

Yeah robbi seems to be doing her job well, and she is friendly as well too, not so mean, closes Topics when they need to be, same goes for Brendedn (irockCB) I think he's been doing pretty well too as for the other mods such as Brownsugar, ArjunaCapulong and the others are doing fantastic. keep it up mods

[medic]

Its my turn.

Basically I have only had a few problems. I don’t know if there is a basic moderator guideline you people follow, but if there is, it either needs to be updated, or actually read. I reported a few “spam” posts, and was told NO, they were not spam. When one, the user that posted the post has only 1 post, and the posts had nothing to do with the topic. It has happend more then one time.

That is all.

[demolished]

proove it ?

[no-name]

I see nothing that is wrong with the current mods at the moment. Keep up the good work.

[medic]

proove it ?

I don't really need to prove anything. I got what I wanted, they finally deleted it. ( http://www.createblog.com/forums/index.php...p;#entry2188481 )

[*Azarel*]

Where has Brenden (iRock cB) been lately? :| One post in the past week.

[*This Confession*]

^yea I think hes on vacation

[*Azarel*]

And also, on the subject of activity, I haven't seen Ryan (moorepocket) or Michelle (insomniac) around for a while.. are they (also) on vacation or something?

[no-name]

A lot of mods have been inactive lately..Probably because of vacation and then transition into school..

[*Kathleen*]

I'll admit.. I have.. for the past three days. I'M SORRY. I was active today, though!

[technicolour]

Just so everyone knows and I dont get singled out..I've started school. And already have oodles and gobbs of homework. I'm only going to get to be on for a little while in the afternoons and then I have to hit the books. =/ Michelle started school too, so, she might be working with that.

[*disco infiltrator*]

I think that during the rest of August and the first couple of weeks of September, mods should be cut a little slack on activity. A lot of them are going into our late years of high school/college and moving back into taking upper-level courses is going to be difficult, and people need to get used to doing a lot of homework so they can better ration out their time.

[*Zatanna*]

Thank you, Sammi. Yes, please be patient with moderator activity. They are all doing their best to juggle real life and cB. I'm sure once school gets into gear, they can find a way to schedule more time here. If they can't, they are responsible enough to either make time, take a hiatus or step down if absolutely necessary. In the meantime, like Sammi mentioned, please be patient.

[*Azarel*]

.. Um.. but the two I mentioned have been inactive more than just recently..

[*Zatanna*]

Oook. I guess I should have echoed the idea of people wrapping up vacations as well.

[*mona lisa*]

Ryan- He doesn't post as much as other mods but I don't think he's completely inactive. He's been posting through the design forums, backstage, submitting layouts, and considering that the Blogger forums are very slow and always posts in them, I'm not as worried about him.

Michelle- She said a few days ago that school just started for her and I guess she needs time to work on that. Before that (and I'm sure you know), she had gone on vacation.

[radhikaeatsraman]

Guys, I'm really sorry I haven't been posting or active. Yesterday was my first day of high school () and I needed to get everything together. I'm almost done with that now, and hopefully, I can devote a certain amount of time to cB while still juggling other activities.

[*This Confession*]

I don't think you should apologize for not being on here because of your frist day of school. Mostly everyone on this site is going to school or is really close to starting their first day, and I'm sure they won't be online that day either.

School should be more important then createblog, don't let createblog take over your life.

Theres other people I have more concerns with then people that are only inactive because of school starting.

[radhikaeatsraman]

Thanks, Holly.
But again, I'll do my best to keep up on the site.

[Mistress Bags]

I'm really impressed with a lot of the moderators here. Most are super-active in the community, and very friendly.

[*theoutlaw*]

Mona, well done. You're too cool.

[GREASEbaby]

Props for Mona and Kara

Mona - I really like how you've been more and more active in the feedback/resources forums. <33
Kara - I'm glad you're coming back more to the Myspace Forumss.

[KissMe2408]

Yah things with school have been crazy for everyone, i'm sure

[GREASEbaby]

Cheers for cb staff activeness!

[juliar]

I don't have anyone specific to name, but I think that unless you plan to be active and post on CB everyday, you should not be a mod. If you know that you're going to have so and so things to do regularly (many classes, lots of homework, extra curriculars, long work hours, etc) STEP DOWN. You only make the mod team look worse. Of course, it's not your fault that you have so many things to do, but don't be a mod if you don't have time for it. Don't blame your inactivity as a mod on work, because if you know that you have lots of work to do, you should not be a mod.

That's what I think. :X

[x_curse_of_the_c...]

Mona and Kristina are doing the best i think keep up the good work!

[*Zatanna*]

I don't have anyone specific to name, but I think that unless you plan to be active and post on CB everyday, you should not be a mod. If you know that you're going to have so and so things to do regularly (many classes, lots of homework, extra curriculars, long work hours, etc) STEP DOWN. You only make the mod team look worse. Of course, it's not your fault that you have so many things to do, but don't be a mod if you don't have time for it. Don't blame your inactivity as a mod on work, because if you know that you have lots of work to do, you should not be a mod.

That's what I think. :X

I respect your opinion and to an extent, I agree. If you honestly know before you are hired that you will not be able to be active here, don't accept the position. Being a moderator means much more than just having a certain title.

Having said that, I do not believe that if one misses a day (or two) that they should step down. We all have unexpected cirumstances and will occasionally miss a day. I think that the most important attribute of a moderator is effort. Activeness shows that you are making an effort. That's not to say that if you do not see moderators closing, moving, editing, etc all the time that they are not doing their job. Sometimes being a good moderator means keeping up with the forum, responding to posts (with some substance) and contributing to the community in general. Yes, the same could be said for any good member of cB, but it is even more important to do so as a staff member.

Also, the idea of taking a "hiatus" is not one that should be always looked down upon. If we have a good staff member here that needs to go on vacation, needs to work on a research project (as examples), we should be patient with them. This happens in real life job situations and people are not fired or do not quit their jobs because of this. However, when these things happen in excess and is not communicated, people *are* fired and people do resign. So grain of salt here, if someone is repeatedly taking a break, yes, they should step down.

[*This Confession*]

^Eh but if everyone that is to busy with school pretty soon that will be all the mods and almost all the people that are just memebers of createblog. I just started school and missed the first week pretty much of this honor class and had a ton of work to catch up on in that class. Its the only one that I'm really behind in. And yesterday I was sick again, or well I've been sick of the past 2 weeks almost now.


I hope no one was talking about me, I'm normally really active but school starts and when you use to be homeschooled and then swith to public school its a real hassle trying to get everything into place.

[juliar]

^x2 I meant it to refer to those who are continually absent, or only post once in a while, not those who miss a day or two.

[Mulder]

ok. i mentioned this backstage, but.. i'm trying to figure out if i have time to be a mod or not. if i realize that i can't, then i'll step down. but i want to give it a shot. it's going to be hard for a while, what with 4 hours of hw a night, 4 AP classes, band concerts, and starting tomorrow, 2-hr long musical rehearsals, as well as insomnia (*giggles*), i just can't be all that active on cB. but ive been here, behind the scenes, accepting and rejecting layouts.

[*digital.fragrance*]

Michelle, you're awesome - I'm sure you can do it. And sticking with behind the scenes stuff is fine - someone has to do it, after all.

PS - I love your sig

[KissMe2408]

That's not to say that if you do not see moderators closing, moving, editing, etc all the time that they are not doing their job. Sometimes being a good moderator means keeping up with the forum, responding to posts (with some substance) and contributing to the community in general. Yes, the same could be said for any good member of cB, but it is even more important to do so as a staff member.

I couldn't of said that any better.
If everyone could understand this, that would be great.

[demolished]

WTF, WHY IS THE RED FONT SO BIG !??! WE'RE NOT SO BLIND!





really, what kind of judgement is that?

[*StanleyThePanda*]

^ Most people wouldnt even stop to read it if it wasnt like that..
Maybe it could be sized down a little, but it just needs to catch peoples attention.

[*I Shot JFK*]

Steven, sometimes it is ok NOT to be totally banal.

Meh, I'm with julia on the activity issue.

[demolished]

YESSSIR ! The 1st post is quite long to scroll.

oh well ;]

[*mona lisa*]

Don't mind if I pin this. It'll be easier to find. I reduced the font size in the first post so that you can actually read what is written. =P

[smoke]

Well, I convinced my mom to let me stay on cB longer on weeknights because I have a job to do and school is calming down. Oh, and I was on vacation Anna. Thanks for the feedback though. :D

As for the activity of everyone, it has gone down for those of us in school and people who have jobs but I think it's getting better. I myself have been a lot more active this week as everything with school is in order.

[*This Confession*]

I suppose mine is getting better, I always seem to post until I'm first one the top 10 posters of the day

Then I post more or do stuff in photoshop. Lately I've been doing a lot of request for people which is kind of odd.

^You've been more active, I've seen you around a lot more.

[demolished]

Don't mind if I pin this. It'll be easier to find. I reduced the font size in the first post so that you can actually read what is written. =P

You are awesome.

[*digital.fragrance*]

Mona is an AWESOME leader - she is the Ninja of all the forums

Kristina, you're pwnage of the Graphics Forums is the best! You are the supreme ruler

Jackie, *yay for Xanga junkies!* You've been really active, and you're doing an excellent job!

Reili, I so enjoy your random posts - you brighten my day, and you are an excellent moderator!

.... that's all for now.

[*Azarel*]

Where is Krista?

[*This Confession*]

Shes being like crushed with school.

School just started for me. I'm going to have more homework, probably. So I'm not going to be on all the time.

I don't know what grade shes in, but if its what I'm thinking and if she has all honor classes or AP classes then I'm sure homework is killing her.

Just give her time, she'll come back. A lot of people have been pretty inactive because of school.

[*I Shot JFK*]

or, she could do the sensible thing and step down if she cant do her job...

[*This Confession*]

I'm quite positive she can do her job just fine. Everyone has to take a break sometime, this isn't a real job. School is going to be a lot more important later in life and I'm sure most of us want her to get a good education.


Brenden (IrockcB)

Also may be absent for alittle bit, he IMed last night to tell people about it.

Brenden: Could you post in the chit chat form that I am unable to access any cB topics. I can get into cB itself, but whenever I click on any topics, I can't access them because my mom accidently put some parental control block on it so it's probably the curse words blocking the topics.
Brenden: I just don't want them thinking I'm taking 2 free days without even saying so
Brenden: My mom is out of town right now
Holly Infinite: k I'll just copy what you just said and paste this.
Brenden: ok THANK YOU
Brenden: I'm so angry at her haha
Holly Infinite: haha

[*I Shot JFK*]

no, it isnt a real job per se, but her duties no tbeing fulfilled has real consequences for cb. and WHY would you be positive that she can do her job just fine, when she is already not doing it?

honestly, holly, if i wanted someone to be tedious at me, i woul dhave asked.

[*I Shot JFK*]

Sorry to double post, but this isnt related to the last post.

Rebecca failed to notify me via pm of a verbal warning, and likewise failed to inform me via pm that my warning level had been raised.

I suggest that she read the rules.

[*Azarel*]

I find it absolutely lovely how you guys are so quick to jump onto anyone that attacks your judgement (cases in point: exhibit a, exhibit b), but people who spam it up in MP for a while or spam it up by creating a bunch of similar topics only get a warning of a verbal warning. Or even someone who violates multiple guildines gets more than one verbal warning. I won't even touch Seon Ho, who instead of being suspended like other members would be if they acted like him, gets raised a warning level (which, to him is like a slap on the wrist). Then there was the whole Josh issue, which is hopefully already dealt with, but I got scolded for saying something less than he did. You guys are really consistent, yano?

And how is this punishment of coming forward any less leniant than the punishment of not coming forward? To be fair, you started it; I only had good intentions when I posted what you initially attacked. (btw, this is the issue J&A has with you [Mona] at the moment.)

[*Zatanna*]

Actually, I had a PM with the verbal warning ready. Unfortunately my son's school called and my son has a fever. He doesn't have medical coverage right now (I'm sure you don't care about that) and if he gets ill enough and has to be hospitalized. Well, I think you get my point. Obviously the PM was never sent. You can ask around, any recent verbal warning I've given have included that PM (including one I gave to today).

I got back to my computer and closed all the windows thinking it was already sent.

My mistake, I'm aware of that.

Not that it matters, not that anyone cares and I'm well aware that it doesn't address what Anna said at all.

I don't expect it from you, but I'm going to need a few to get things in order domestically before I can really go through both of your replies and give them the time and attention they deserve. Sorry, but my kid is more important at the moment. Regardless of what you think of me, I'm sure you can understand.

I'll talk to Mona about the discrepancy with James' warning. Rules are rules.

I briefly saw the post regarding the spam in MP. Quite frankly, the majority of all posts in MP is nearly spam if you think about all the repetitious "you look great"s and what not. Don't be surprised if you see some threads moved around in the future. Not that MP is one of them, just threads like that in general that have sort of an auto-response component to it.

Edit:
Ok, thing is, Ian stopped. And there were so many of them that my responses weren't necessarily congruent with the timeline in which all of those posts were made. Regardless, he stopped and hasn't been doing it since. That is why his warn level wasn't raised.

The posts in the MP thread? I believe all of the them have been warned before, in fact, I believe that at least one of them fairly recently came back from suspension. This is a wretched excuse but that dang thread moves so fast sometimes that I miss things. I thought that they had stopped after I posted that long post with all of those quotes.

Sean Ho? I WISH I had an answer to give you. All I can say is that it is out of most of our control. You honestly think that the majority of us don't absolutely agree with you that there is way too much leniency where he's concerned? Because we do. It's a brick wall and I'll never fully understand why.

I don't know all the details about the Josh thing, other than it seems to me that there isn't a problem right now.

Really quick I'd also like to add that I feel like you guys are really quick to jump down certain staff members' throats. What I find unfortunate about this is that Mona and I have been here almost more than anyone has been recently. You complain about activity. I may not do things that you agree with, but I'm here and I honestly do try. Many of the mods (as you've complained about) haven't been around much due to vacations, schools, projects, etc. I've been trying to do everything I can to help out around here. I'm not being facetious when I say that it's too bad nothing I do is good enough because all you will concentrate on is the bad where I'm concerned. Something I said was really badly taken to the extreme and unfortunately taken the wrong way and taken out of context. I've re-read what I wrote and I can understand why, it's just unfortunate. What never reached you was the good I said. And there were several compliments I gave where you were concerned. But again, those weren't repeated.

There's nothing I can do at this point but keep trying and keep doing my best. I'm not going anywhere and I'm not going to resign, so you're just going to have to deal with me.

Sorry it's not better for you. I really am.

This post has been edited by Zatanna: Sep 15 2006, 04:22 PM

[*Azarel*]

I briefly saw the post regarding the spam in MP. Quite frankly, the majority of all posts in MP is nearly spam if you think about all the repetitious "you look great"s and what not. Don't be surprised if you see some threads moved around in the future. Not that MP is one of them, just threads like that in general that have sort of an auto-response component to it.

MP, yes, may very well be spam, but at least it's on topic; Christine and Sally were conversing back and forth, and in foreign languages, no less. They both have histories of doing spamming, and it's not like they didn't that they were breaking the rules (or whatever, y'know).

I get that you need time; I just felt the need to clarify that.

[*digital.fragrance*]

Hey guys, people aren't perfect, and giving people the benefit of the doubt would be nice once in a while. You guys are doing your jobs - reporting, critquing, and so on, and that's great! No really, I mean that . I don't no anyone else that is willing to point out this communitoes problems, and it is nice to hear another's opinion.

But there come's a time where you can just be too critical. Mistakes happen. The mod community is trying it's best to be un-biased and fair to all people, but we are not machines. We are working on resolving some of our flaws, but at this point, you guys need to trust us to get this stuff done. Rebecca is one of the most dedicated, hard working mods on cB, and heck, her son is more important. She's doing a great job. Just give her a break sometime.

Fair?

[*Azarel*]

Nobody's not giving Rebecca the time, but I didn't see why I had to wait for her to resolve things irl before posting what I did post. I'm sure pretty sure that James wouldn't have taken issue (as much) if he had known ahead of time about Rebecca's situation.

[*digital.fragrance*]

^ I know he wouldn't have if he had known - and I'm glad you posted that. We need it, and if we're to be fair in anyway, we need people like you.

I just think it's time to maybe give her her space... if I were her, I'd be very frustrated. She's getting a lot done for cB, and I hope that all of the emphasis on her, solely, stops.

[*Zatanna*]

I edited but you guys replied fast in here. Sorry it took so long.

I understand what you are saying regarding those posts in MP. They all came up question marks to me so I was really confused, but knew that they weren't exactly behaving themselves.

I wish I could have communicated better with James earlier, but this afternoon is a blur. As I mentioned in my response, I'll talk to Mona about it. But I did warn him (even though there's another element that wasn't done) and he told me to "f*ck myself." Now while that's amusing, he knew what he was doing.

[*Azarel*]

Edit:
Ok, thing is, Ian stopped. And there were so many of them that my responses weren't necessarily congruent with the timeline in which all of those posts were made. Regardless, he stopped and hasn't been doing it since. That is why his warn level wasn't raised.

The posts in the MP thread? I believe all of the them have been warned before, in fact, I believe that at least one of them fairly recently came back from suspension. This is a wretched excuse but that dang thread moves so fast sometimes that I miss things. I thought that they had stopped after I posted that long post with all of those quotes.

Sean Ho? I WISH I had an answer to give you. All I can say is that it is out of most of our control. You honestly think that the majority of us don't absolutely agree with you that there is way too much leniency where he's concerned? Because we do. It's a brick wall and I'll never fully understand why.

I don't know all the details about the Josh thing, other than it seems to me that there isn't a problem right now.

Really quick I'd also like to add that I feel like you guys are really quick to jump down certain staff members' throats. What I find unfortunate about this is that Mona and I have been here almost more than anyone has been recently. You complain about activity. I may not do things that you agree with, but I'm here and I honestly do try. Many of the mods (as you've complained about) haven't been around much due to vacations, schools, projects, etc. I've been trying to do everything I can to help out around here. I'm not being facetious when I say that it's too bad nothing I do is good enough because all you will concentrate on is the bad where I'm concerned. Something I said was really badly taken to the extreme and unfortunately taken the wrong way and taken out of context. I've re-read what I wrote and I can understand why, it's just unfortunate. What never reached you was the good I said. And there were several compliments I gave where you were concerned. But again, those weren't repeated.

There's nothing I can do at this point but keep trying and keep doing my best. I'm not going anywhere and I'm not going to resign, so you're just going to have to deal with me.

Sorry it's not better for you. I really am.

What I was trying to point out with Ian and the two/three in MP was that they didn't receive an actual verbal warning, but rather a warning of an impending verbal warning if they didn't stop; why didn't they just receive actual verbal warnings? And yes, I know that Seon Ho has been brought up before multiple times by multiple people and that staff agrees, but he's still here as the resident forum troll. *cough* :x And I had already PMed Mona about the Josh issue.

We complain about the activity of mods that are inactive, obviously; the reason we don't differentiate between those mods is because those who are inactive are pretty obvious. Yes, I get that the mods we(I) complain about are inactive because of various reasons, but in the mod hiring thread, wasn't it stated (oh, and I know it was, so ignore the rhetoric here) that cB wants dedicated members as staff? I understand that moderators may need breaks once in a while, but.. sometimes those (school/hw/vacation) are just excuses.

I mean, Kathleen (before she was demodded) had just started school and just gotten a new job, but she still made the effort to spend at least fifteen or so minutes on cB, doing as much as she could, and it clear that she was trying. Also, Keira (sorry to bring you into this, I need another example) was active on cB during the most difficult time of her life. And even you, Rebecca, are on cB when there are real life issues you need to deal with. I'm not saying that moderators should neglect non-cB obligations in order to be good moderators; it's just that they willingly signed on to be moderators, so they should be doing their jobs.

Compare the situation to.. say.. a TA. In both cases, you're not getting paid, but you've signed up to perform some sort of duty or something or another. (Wow, I am so good at explaining things. XD) If an TA neglects their duties (to grade papers, photocopy stuff, help out the teacher, whatever), no matter what the reason, they would be given a bad grade as a TA, right (er, at my high school it was a class)? But once in a while, if the TA asked to not do anything for the teacher that period because they needed to study for a test, it would be acceptable because it wasn't often that it happened. Technically, a mod (imo) should have something like that going along. Most of the time, they should be actively participating and performing moderator actions if they take a break once in a while for a few days at a time, but return, continuing with the active modding and such, it should be no problem. However, the mods(I) we were(was) complaining (and in one case, still am) about did no such active modding.. (I know, not exactly the best analogy, but it gets my point across.) I've been rambling on about that for entirely too long. >_>;

Anyway, the good was relayed to me, but not until after the fact of the matter (and it wasn't by the guilty, either, but rather the other [unfairly] accused who actually had nothing to do with the whole situation). After all, there's that one pesky rule, isn't there, hm?

I wish I could have communicated better with James earlier, but this afternoon is a blur. As I mentioned in my response, I'll talk to Mona about it. But I did warn him (even though there's another element that wasn't done) and he told me to "f*ck myself." Now while that's amusing, he knew what he was doing.

I'm not saying James's behavior didn't warrant the actual warning; I was using his situation in comparison to the other two situations where (as I've already stated before) the members didn't receive real verbal warnings.

And on a(n almost) completely different note, I haven't seen Reili around lately; is she on break?

*wheeze* Sorry that was so long.

[*I Shot JFK*]

Obviously i wouldnt have reacted had i known about the circumstances, and i apologize to rebecca if i added to the stress of the situation.

i wasnt particularly in the mood to be reasonable when it came to cb at that point, and i was irked merely because i didnt notice my own warn level for about 15 minutes, and assumed that i would have been punished further for actions i committed when i wasnt even aware that i had a raised warn level. thats all.

and rachael, i would like to point out that generally speaking, enough benefit of the doubt has been given already. we're over it more than a little bit.

[*Zatanna*]

I feel asleep last night after the Nyquil kicked in.

Anyway. I understand that there needs to be more consistency in how people are warned, both verbally and raised warn levels.

This is something I brought up a while ago, actually. There is way too much ambiguity on the subject and so much has been left for interpretation, including what merits a warning and how much merits a warning (if that makes sense). For example, would spam (or being off topic) be considered as severe of an offense as attacking another member? I know attacking is too harsh of a way to put it, but I think you know what I mean. There isn't anything to follow, no clear guideline or rule to base actions on.

It really is unfair, both to members who receive punishment and to mods who have to figure out how and when to discipline.

The subject is touched upon here and was brought up in the By Laws forum. Of course, we all know that nothing has been formally written up as far as By Laws are concerned.

I think what needs to be done (and is being worked on, actually) is a clear set of guidelines that specifies when someone should be warned, how they should be warned (including the in-post warnings AND PM communications) and what type of offenses would merit these warnings.

In the meantime, I'll personally do my best to be more consistent in the way I warn, including warnings of a warning. Dumb sentence, I know. I mean things like, "Next time you'll get a verbal warning," types of warnings.

[*I Shot JFK*]

^ actually, formal bylaws are half written... im working on the rest, but lacking time to really sit down and do them right.

[*Zatanna*]

That's cool, James. It'll be nice to see them once they're all written. (Written, typed, whatever).

[Nymphetamine]

Jesus, this feels like a courtroom. Anna = judge. All rise.

[*I Shot JFK*]

well... yes... and given that the purpose of this thread is to evaluate the mods... that would be bad, how?

[*Zatanna*]

All of you are judges, not just Anna.

And yes, James is right. That is what this thread is about, evaluating mod performance.

So please respond here if you are doing just that.

[*This Confession*]

I think everyone is handling everything well, it seems as if the superlatives were a nice touch and everyone seems to be enjoying those and chatting away about who their going to vote for and such.

Rebecca I would have to say you are doing a great job, having to deal with personal problems and then still putting time out to fix and help createblog, your doing awesome

[Nymphetamine]

well... yes... and given that the purpose of this thread is to evaluate the mods... that would be bad, how?

If that was to me, I didn't mean it was a bad thing. In my own way, I was simply stating that Anna is doing an excellent job. Wow, people! Lighten up.

[*Azarel*]

< is a bit appalled by the maturity level of certain moderators whose jobs are to lead by example. /semi-random;

Am still waiting on more response from different mods/admin on what I've already posted in here. *whine*

[*Zatanna*]

*re-reads*

Ok, as far fas Reili is concerned, there was something about algebra, a computer and history and miscellaneous other homework. She's here, but will be a bit sporadic.

I thought I had acknowledged the verbal warning critique. I can't speak for anyone else, but I've been very careful about how I warn (not just the process, but being consistent in giving warnings) after this whole situation to make sure it is done the same way across the board. Sandra got one yesterday, for an example.

You've been honest with me so let me be honest with you guys. Up until mid last week I've been a little shy about giving out warnings, to anyone. I was sort of internalizing things that were going on here and dealing with how actions and words (not just yours) were affecting me, and how words and actions were affecting you and others in the community (believe it or not). My staff related actions became a bit low-caloric as a result.

I don't know, I guess I sort of woke up and realized that it was time to just move forward. (As I mentioned, I did give someone else a verbal that very morning). I can't go back and change the way I handled James' warning. I wish I could, believe me, I wish I could. But I wouldn't go back on the warning itself. I wasn't picking on James either, I would have done the same thing had it been anyone else.

Oh and the TA analogy is actually very applicable (just had to mention that).

Understanding that I could be really asking for it by saying this, but what else did I miss?

[Nymphetamine]

Actually, Rebecca was TOO generous. *sigh* I deserve more. I'm really sorry Rebecca.

[*Azarel*]

Understanding that I could be really asking for it by saying this, but what else did I miss?

Nothing really. >_> I actually hoping that there would be more feedback from the other moderators, since it seems that you're the only one responding to us(me).

[*Zatanna*]

Well in their defense, I have no life. Other than that, I've got nada.

Thank you, Anna.

[*I Shot JFK*]

I second what Anna said.

A lot of the time, i don't like what rebecca says, but at least she says SOMETHING, and i can respect someone who at least has an opinion.

oh, and Rebecca, dont worry about the warn thing, really. there were circumstances, etc.

[KissMe2408]

What exactly are you wanting our opinion on, Anna?

How warnings and verbal warnings are handled?
On our personal activity or other mods activity issues?

The situation with Jame's warning is in the past now, and Rebecca was dealing with that whole thing.
I'm not entirely sure what you are wanting to discuss.
and yes, I read the entire thread.
It seemed like you were aiming your responses more towards Rebecca and such,
you guys were going back and forth.

Again, what do you want our opinion on.
I'm sure a lot of the mods would be happy to speak up.

[*Azarel*]

What exactly are you wanting our opinion on, Anna?

How warnings and verbal warnings are handled?
On our personal activity or other mods activity issues?

The situation with Jame's warning is in the past now, and Rebecca was dealing with that whole thing.
I'm not entirely sure what you are wanting to discuss.
and yes, I read the entire thread.
It seemed like you were aiming your responses more towards Rebecca and such,
you guys were going back and forth.

Again, what do you want our opinion on.
I'm sure a lot of the mods would be happy to speak up.

We were going back and forth because nobody else would dive in. But since you want to know..

And how is this punishment of coming forward any less leniant than the punishment of not coming forward? To be fair, you started it; I only had good intentions when I posted what you initially attacked. (btw, this is the issue J&A has with you [Mona] at the moment.)

We complain about the activity of mods that are inactive, obviously; the reason we don't differentiate between those mods is because those who are inactive are pretty obvious. Yes, I get that the mods we(I) complain about are inactive because of various reasons, but in the mod hiring thread, wasn't it stated (oh, and I know it was, so ignore the rhetoric here) that cB wants dedicated members as staff? I understand that moderators may need breaks once in a while, but.. sometimes those (school/hw/vacation) are just excuses.

I mean, Kathleen (before she was demodded) had just started school and just gotten a new job, but she still made the effort to spend at least fifteen or so minutes on cB, doing as much as she could, and it clear that she was trying. Also, Keira (sorry to bring you into this, I need another example) was active on cB during the most difficult time of her life. And even you, Rebecca, are on cB when there are real life issues you need to deal with. I'm not saying that moderators should neglect non-cB obligations in order to be good moderators; it's just that they willingly signed on to be moderators, so they should be doing their jobs.

Compare the situation to.. say.. a TA. In both cases, you're not getting paid, but you've signed up to perform some sort of duty or something or another. (Wow, I am so good at explaining things. XD) If an TA neglects their duties (to grade papers, photocopy stuff, help out the teacher, whatever), no matter what the reason, they would be given a bad grade as a TA, right (er, at my high school it was a class)? But once in a while, if the TA asked to not do anything for the teacher that period because they needed to study for a test, it would be acceptable because it wasn't often that it happened. Technically, a mod (imo) should have something like that going along. Most of the time, they should be actively participating and performing moderator actions if they take a break once in a while for a few days at a time, but return, continuing with the active modding and such, it should be no problem. However, the mods(I) we were(was) complaining (and in one case, still am) about did no such active modding.. (I know, not exactly the best analogy, but it gets my point across.) I've been rambling on about that for entirely too long. >_>;

HI THIS IS ESPECIALLY DIRECTED TOWARD YOU, SINCE YOU WANT TO ASK WHAT I WANT RESPONSE ON, THANKS MUCH. /immature;

< is a bit appalled by the maturity level of certain moderators whose jobs are to lead by example. /semi-random;

[*Kathleen*]

HI THIS IS ESPECIALLY DIRECTED TOWARD YOU, SINCE YOU WANT TO ASK WHAT I WANT RESPONSE ON, THANKS MUCH. /immature;

I realize this is PURELY puerile (yay alliteration), but..
CAN I GET AN AMEN?

[*mona lisa*]

My name wasn't included in your second post/quotation when I first saw/read the post and since I PMed James about the sequence of events that night and he didn't want to acknowledge anything I said and I have a hunch you probably saw the PM, I didn't respond to it.

I don't see any issue with you bringing up mods' inactivity. Yes, school shouldn't exactly be used an an excuse to be inactive, but we don't all function the same way. And if someone does have frequent absences, they are asked to step down. If they say they will try to improve, they are allowed to stay. But if no improvements are seen, they are again asked to step down or be demoted.

[*Kathleen*]

^ Yes, but "school" has been an excuse for awhile now. A lot of people have settled in. Moreover, both Kiera and Rebecca (sorry to bring both into this yet again) were on cB even through hard times in real life. I don't think school comes close to the equivalence of what they went through.

[*mona lisa*]

I just started college last week and am still not used to it yet.

Yes, but why should such difficulties be used in comparisons? I am truly sorry that they have to go through said difficulties and I appreciate that they take the time to come on here but obviously, not everyones experiences will have the same degree of effects. Just trying to look at it from both sides...

[*Kathleen*]

But I at least see you doing things. I see you online. I don't know if Kiera told you (or if I did on the phone/Skype), but when I was on Staff, I noticed there are a few members whose posts are mostly Backstage for the day. I literally went to view their posts and saw that most of them were Backstage. If they have enough time for Backstage, why don't they have enough time for the rest of the site, where they're supposed to be doing their job?

Edit: And if anyone thinks I'm saying this out of resentment for being demoted, I am not. Being on Staff alerted me of these problems.

[*This Confession*]

Are you only going towards people staff on this stuff? Or Design staff as well?

[*Azarel*]

Again, I want to know how that is any less lenient of a punishment.

Between "vacation" and "school," a mod could never be around and still be kept on the moderating team; that's the way it is right now. You say you want dedicated members on staff in your hiring thread, but come the end of the day, it's just people you like and don't like. Where's the dedication of someone that doesn't, no, won't make the time to perform their duties?

What it comes down to is that there are people who stay on staff just because they can't stand to lose their precious access backstage, which shouldn't even be used for your chat topic; I know that post count is now disabled back there, but that doesn't stop moderators from getting chummy within themselves and become withdrawn from the rest of the community.

[*Kathleen*]

Are you only going towards people staff on this stuff? Or Design staff as well?

Out of both teams, I'd say the Design Staff is most efficient. I constantly see many of you on (except a couple). I see you, Kristina, Rachael, Toya, and Jackie on all the time. So yeah, I guess it just happens to be mostly People Staff (who, ironically, are the ones that should be better in touch with the community and have more forums to look after).

[KissMe2408]

Anna you are bringing up subjects that we are all aware of. If a mod is lacking or inactive, it's not like the admins are blind to that fact. A mod is usually PM'd about their inactivity and many have stepped down lately due to outside obligations. Whether it's school, dance, jobs, family situations, whatever, mods are fully aware when they have been inactive, and if for some reason they are in denial, then other mods or admins and members [like yourself], bring it to attention to the right people.
School isn't meant to be used as an excuse, and I do believe that many mods here put a lot of time and effort, regardless of outside activities, to really support this community. If they don't put in the effort or time, then they step down or are forced to step down. period.

As you brought up, there are special situations where mods can go on a brief hiatus for a while [let's say they have a vacation or something], and are inactive for [a week/few days], then no, obviously they don't have to step down. CB should always come second to things like school or family.
If school or family becomes too overwhelming then a mod might feel like they need to clear their head and step down from their position. It happens all the time, members do the same thing.
And unless you have someone in mind, I don't see what the problem is here. And I KNOW you have someone in mind, you always do, so it might be easier to just name that person.

Again, Mods are humans. They make mistakes, they regret their mistakes, they get tied up at work and when they get home they crash. We aren't robots, though sometimes it seems like you guys would prefer if we were. So again, give some mods a break. Especially around such a weird time as school starting. And no school is not an excuse, but c'mon, let's look at the big picture here. CB is only a part of someones life, not life itself.

"< is a bit appalled by the maturity level of certain moderators whose jobs are to lead by example. /semi-random;"

Yes, moderators do need to be an example to the community because they are leaders. Maturity and having a good attitude are crucial, thank you for pointing that out.

Between "vacation" and "school," a mod could never be around and still be kept on the moderating team; that's the way it is right now. You say you want dedicated members on staff in your hiring thread, but come the end of the day, it's just people you like and don't like. Where's the dedication of someone that doesn't, no, won't make the time to perform their duties?

What it comes down to is that there are people who stay on staff just because they can't stand to lose their precious access backstage, which shouldn't even be used for your chat topic; I know that post count is now disabled back there, but that doesn't stop moderators from getting chummy within themselves and become withdrawn from the rest of the community.

And which people exactly are just staying on staff so they can get "chummy" backstage? It is important, on CB and in the world, to have your employees bond and work TOGETHER. You want a strong staff, a staff that gets along with each other. Same when casting for a show, you want a group of people that will work together, build up each others strengths and cancel out any weaknesses. In no way are any mods withdrawn from the rest of the community because of things happening backstage. It's important to balance the two, but you need to know what's going on behind the scenes, before you try to fix things out front.

And we do want dedicated staff members who can do the job right and have a good attitude and have leadership qualities. C'mon you know what we are looking for. It's not about who we like and who we don't like, because trust me, there have been people on staff that I haven't exactly gotten along with. And you keep talking about mods who won't dedicate time and effort. It was already said that they either step down or are demodded. It's really simple, I don't get what you don't understand about it. And it comes to this, you probably are talking about someone again, so it would be easier if you just named that person, instead of naming what this person is doing.

[*Azarel*]

Okay, fine; you. And Sammi. But mostly just you.

[*This Confession*]

Sammi

What about her? She's not even on staff anymore, I don't see how she could be a big problem. I dont' see anything that shes doing wrong either?

[*Azarel*]

Um. As mentor, does she even do anything other than post in the chat topic backstage?

[*This Confession*]

Shes a mentor now. I don't know how big of a job that really is once your that. I know you can't do as much as a normal mod can.
And Roxy? is one as well
http://www.createblog.com/forums/index.php?showuser=797

And I see Sammi around a lot more than Roxy.


Sammi posts in the lounge, interest subforums, pictures. Almost everywhere. So you can't exactly say she doesn't post anywhere but backstage.



Excuse me if I repeat anything, or something doesn't make any sense. I'm sick once again.

[*mzkandi*]

But I at least see you doing things. I see you online. I don't know if Kiera told you (or if I did on the phone/Skype), but when I was on Staff, I noticed there are a few members whose posts are mostly Backstage for the day. I literally went to view their posts and saw that most of them were Backstage. If they have enough time for Backstage, why don't they have enough time for the rest of the site, where they're supposed to be doing their job?

Edit: And if anyone thinks I'm saying this out of resentment for being demoted, I am not. Being on Staff alerted me of these problems.

You bring up an interesting point. I feel that a majority of a mod's activity should be outside of backstage. I think sometimes mods (including myself at one time) get a little too comfy cozy back there and fall back on doing modly duties or get caught up in that the only things we need to address is what goes on backstage. It's great to be actively involved back there, but be equally involved around the forums. I think that is summing up what's Kathleen is trying to say.

As far as moderator inactivey due to school my stance is this, school is first. This very true for me and the minute cB starts to interfere greatly with school is the day I step down. With that said, there is usually a grace period allowed to mods who are starting back at school to become adjusted to their new workload and time being a mod. After that grace period however, school isn't very much of a good excuse. Holding on to a position because you want to "help out" is not going to work if you can't be around. I would much rather see a mod leave responsibly because they know they can't afford to contribute as a mod as much as they would like than for a mod to become reluntanct to step down, make failed attempts at staying active, and ultimately be forced to step down. It kind of forces into one's mind what that person is truely on the staff team for. I know dedication to the forum is something that Jusun is big. Either be 100% or be out. This last part applies to all of us on staff.

I feel like all of this was said already. I've been typing this reply out for the last 15 minutes ( plus interruptions) so if I've stated something already said in the last few replies above, excuse me.

[*Zatanna*]

Kathleen, no one thinks that you are stating your concerns out of resentment. I know I don't. I would also like to thank you for pointing out that design staff is active. I'm not sure if it was your intention, but hearing something nice in all this is very appreciated.

Also, I don't think that being close with fellow staff members necessarily equates to being withdrawn from the community. It is possible to do both. I think Dani is a good example of that.

I may regret asking this, but can you guys point out some examples of the immaturity that has you concerned. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, it would just help pin-point a little better. That's all. That goes for activity concerns as well.

You (all of you) are a part of the community here and it's important that these things get straightened out one way or another.

[off topic] hates having first post on a page [/off topic]

[KissMe2408]

Sammi is a mentor, as mentioned above.
Though, i'm not 100% sure if you can get kicked off staff for being inactive as a mentor. You would have to ask Keira or Mona about that, as Holly pointed out, do notice that Roxy is a mentor.
And Sammi has been active, I see her around all over the place.
And she does a lot, and puts in her opinion on tons of subjects that are brought up, and her opinion matters.

As for me, I believe I have been active, especially lately, as well as doing my job around the community. However, you have your opinion and I have mine. If you would like, PM Mona or Keira about my inactivity.