Posted by Kim on July 2, 2019, 12:19pm
I always struggle to know what to say on this extremely special day, because there is just so much to say. So I think I'll begin by sketching a little portrait of what I believe about moderators:- Healthy online spaces of more than a handful of people can only survive when a strong moderation team is present.
- Moderating is HARD. You are asked to act with extreme compassion and humanity toward people who are often in no mood to show it back to you. Moreover, you're expected to do so unceasingly, without making the sort of mistakes or falling prety to the sort of biases that absolutely all humans are subject to. In other words: Show humanity in a superhuman way.
- When you get it wrong, you have to be willing to admit you were wrong and make things right, and let go of the fear that doing so might erode the authority you have that allows you to do the job in the first place.
- Despite being a position of "power," the job is one of service. A true moderation team is subject to the same rules and restrictions as the rest of the userbase. There are little or no perks to wielding moderation power - just hard work and often people being grumpy at you.
Living up to those expectations can be hard - often, impossible. But you do the very best that you can. No matter how good a job you do, not everyone will be happy with you. Sometimes, you lose friends who thought that having a buddy in power would mean they got some free passes. Sometimes, you find yourself playing through more Kobayashi Maru situations than seem quite fair.
Moderating in this way attracts some of the very best human beings, and also has a way of chewing them up and spitting them out -- ironically, the MORE you care, the MORE devoted you are, the more at risk a person is of burning out. It's easy to reach a point of exhaustion if you only every give of yourself to others!
But the reward for doing it right... in the end, the ultimate reward isn't personal, it's maintaining a healthy community. It's knowing that a great network of human beings is thriving, supporting, taking joy and safety in one another partially because of the efforts you made.
So today, please take a moment to join me in thanking all the moderators - active, retired, here and elsewhere. If there is a community you love, there are some very, very hardworking moderators behind the scenes. Take a moment to tell them that you see their efforts and that you appreciate them creating the space for that community to exist and thrive.
This is a very unique moderator apprecation day, because it's the first one where the mod team is also grading applications to expand! I want to thank every one of you who stood up and raised your hand when asked if you'd be willing to give of yourself and your time in this way to our amazing community. We won't be able to bring on all of you, but know that even offering is appreciated. I look forward to announcing the results of that in a few weeks!
For this mod appreciation day, Heimdall supplied the site with two new accolades:
One that honors retired moderators...
and one that marks active moderators!
and one that marks active moderators!
It was my honor to be able to place these on the profiles of all our mods, past and present.
Mods: Happy Moderator Appreciation Day. However big or small the community you support, we see you, and we are in awe of you.
Comments
JetStorm
July 3, 2019
9:42am
*inhales*
HAPPY MODITOR APPREATION DAY (my spelling sucks,i know
)
HAPPY MODITOR APPREATION DAY (my spelling sucks,i know
)
I've always appreciated how kind everyone has been anytime I've had trouble and stuff. I honestly can't think of a negative experience with moderators on this site tbh, and knowing that is pretty rad too.
Also the little accolades are precious!
Also the little accolades are precious!
Thank you so much to all the moderators!! You are and have been the beating heart that keeps this community as amazing as it is. Please know it's appreciated at all times even when not spoke out loud.
Thanks for all your hard work keeping this website together!
A belated thank you to mods past and present for all your hard work! 😊
Haven't been here long, but I see the work you put into this site and I think, "Wow, these people are amazing.” So thank you, Mods, for doing your best every day to keep this community together and thriving.
Thank you all!
iolhantheX
July 3, 2019
1:38am
We're very blessed to have such a wonderful team, thank you Mods, and thank you Kim! For giving us not only so many wonderful mods, who are lovely people, but for working hard to create this beautiful place that feels welcoming and safe.
We appreciate you all Mods and Kim, keep up the good work!
We appreciate you all Mods and Kim, keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for all of your hard work, you guys sure are an amazing help at times 
Thank you so much, mods! I've done it myself and am actually in awe of how great you guys are.
Thanks Mods!
Your patience is incredible and your steadfast loyalty and niceness is astounding. Thank you all
For all your work keeping things working when they start to go wrong, and for your time as the community's eyes in the sky that help us avoid trouble before it starts, thank you very much. You all rock! ^v^/)
Clearlow
July 2, 2019
7:14pm
I know it must take a lot to support this site
Especially with some posts I've seen from Kim about it growing pretty quick I can only imagine the work load.
I never really think about what it takes to support a website, I mean to be honest the only online community I'm a part of is this one and a group on FB dedicated to mental health support.
I think it's awesome that all the mods are really outgoing with the community and in touch (Often seeing their posts around) And actually participate, too so hopefully that means it's not all work and no play around here.
The cool thing is, from what I have seen, the mods are also super honest and open and even admit to their own faults when it happens(PROBABLY RARELY), which I think I really adore about you all.
I'll always be number one thankful to the person that showed me this site, but number two thankful to all the mods that work so hard to keep it going so I can continue my escape from reality into the world of creativity and writing.
Thank you so-so-so-so much for all your guys' hard work
Especially with some posts I've seen from Kim about it growing pretty quick I can only imagine the work load.
I never really think about what it takes to support a website, I mean to be honest the only online community I'm a part of is this one and a group on FB dedicated to mental health support.
I think it's awesome that all the mods are really outgoing with the community and in touch (Often seeing their posts around) And actually participate, too so hopefully that means it's not all work and no play around here.
The cool thing is, from what I have seen, the mods are also super honest and open and even admit to their own faults when it happens(PROBABLY RARELY), which I think I really adore about you all.
I'll always be number one thankful to the person that showed me this site, but number two thankful to all the mods that work so hard to keep it going so I can continue my escape from reality into the world of creativity and writing.
Thank you so-so-so-so much for all your guys' hard work
Thank you to ALL moderators and Kim!! love you all!
love you all!
Those badges are gorgeous! And well deserved. I'm grateful there are people willing to take the time out of their day to make our hangouts safer and friendlier. Thank y'all!
Rogue-Scribe
July 2, 2019
5:28pm
As someone who has actively run a site and moderated on another site before, I get every point Kim mentions here! It is 'Hard' as I found that leaving one's personal views and emotions at the door to be a fair mod is really hard. So as someone who experienced the working from 'behing the curtain' as we said, My deepest appreciation goes out to you!
As someone who has come to this community and enjoys it very much. It's a wonderful playground that is made all the more enjoyable by the evenhanded and transparent modding that goes on here on RPR. I extend my appreciation even further in the fact some of you has had to deal with me. I've been in the "Penalty Box” to use an ice hockey term more than a few times here. Having been banned from a site along my web journey before, I intend to not let that happen again. I will take this moment to apologise for being a pain in the behind at times along the way over the last year.
So I will buy a drink of choice to every mod of RPR, past and present, and a double for those of you who had to send me a courtesy message! WASSAIL!
As someone who has come to this community and enjoys it very much. It's a wonderful playground that is made all the more enjoyable by the evenhanded and transparent modding that goes on here on RPR. I extend my appreciation even further in the fact some of you has had to deal with me. I've been in the "Penalty Box” to use an ice hockey term more than a few times here. Having been banned from a site along my web journey before, I intend to not let that happen again. I will take this moment to apologise for being a pain in the behind at times along the way over the last year.
So I will buy a drink of choice to every mod of RPR, past and present, and a double for those of you who had to send me a courtesy message! WASSAIL!
Thank you guys for all the amazing hard work and dedication to website you make this site safe for all
Thank you for all your hard work! 
It sounds really difficult to do so much, it takes a lot of effort and we all appreciate it!
It sounds really difficult to do so much, it takes a lot of effort and we all appreciate it!
LakotaSiouxWarriorJuly 4, 2019
4:47pm