Posted by Kim on July 2, 2016, 11:00am
If there's something I'm really proud of in life, it's the community on the RP Repository. We all put our best selves forward on a daily basis. It's a friendlier, kinder, more welcoming community than most any other place I've been online. You, gentle reader, whoever you may be: you're a part of this amazing phenomenon, and you can be proud of it too. Because it takes everyone to keep creating it on a daily basis.But you and I and everyone on the site, we're all also human, no matter how much time we spend pretending to be elves and aliens. Which means we have human failings. We forget the rules, lose our tempers, clam up out of fear when we most need to be communicating, accidentally say something that doesn't convey anywhere near the meaning that we think it does, act without thinking -- the list goes on, and it means that even people acting in absolute good faith, no malice anywhere on the horizon, can sometimes create situations ranging from the mildly tense to downright explosive.
And that's why another hugely important part of the RP Repository's recipe for awesomeness is a pro-active and caring team of moderators.
Every July 2nd, we celebrate Moderator Appreciation Day. On this day, we remember to recognize the staggering amount of volunteer work that goes into creating online communities.
Moderators are the shield that guards the realms of the web. Any corner of the internet where people can come together and express themselves without fear of bullying, there is probably a team of incredibly dedicated moderators working constantly to set examples, rein in excess behavior, and perhaps even counsel individual members in how to work out differences and express opinions without putting down others'.You know our current moderation team as Ben, Copper_Dragon, Darth_Angelus, SeraphicStar and Loki, and I encourage you to take a moment today to drop them a note thanking them for all they do to make the RPR the stellar community that it is. Despite school, jobs, and all the other demands of a busy life, they consistently show up and volunteer their time, energy, and sometimes sanity in service of the RP Repository community.
On past Moderator Appreciation Days, I've talked about how a good moderation team can make the internet a better place, how much our moderation team does on a daily basis that few people ever know about, though everyone experiences the benefits, even how thankless a job it can be and how much thanks we actually owe mods all over the internet.
On this Moderation Appreciation Day, I want to talk about what it is that we ask of someone when we put them in the position of moderating a community, here or elsewhere. Because being given a fancy new job title doesn't mean that a person suddenly stops having those same human failings as all the rest of us -- but most of us stop finding those failings excusable or understandable in that moment. That may even be justified -- It's not just a comic book-ism that with great power comes great responsibility, and a moderator having a moment of misplaced humanity can have a much greater impact on a community than someone else's stumble. But it does mean that when you're doing moderation right, you're not just on some great power trip. More often than not, those new powers requires more humility of you than before, and some days it's an outright macabre psychodrama that you volunteer to not just endure but actively engage with. Maybe this is why there are many more examples of ineffective or outright unfair moderators in the world than there are good ones: doing it right can be more painful than doing it wrong, for the people doing it!
This is my love letter to everyone who strives for perfection despite their human imperfections. Because that's what's at the heart of effective moderation. It's what good leadership looks like. Here's to everyone who volunteers to face their own demons as often as they volunteer to arbitrate other people's disputes.
Being a moderator means throwing your own psyche in the way of behaviors motivated by pain and suffering and rage to shield others from it, and maybe even help to heal the sources of that upset where possible.
It means making deep connections with many of the people in the community you moderate, loving them like siblings, and then having to bring those people you love to task when they slip up and risk the ire of friends who thought that that special connection would mean special treatment.
It means constantly being filled with self-doubt, resisting knee-jerk reactions, resisting what feels good and maybe even justified, and forcing yourself to question every decision you make to try and expose if you may be over or under reacting because of your own human biases about someone.
At the same time it means having to have the self-confidence to stand up to complaints and even outright abuse when you know you've made the right call -- even the best people sometimes react with anger when they feel singled out, even if the violation was so minor it barely registered.
It means understanding that no matter how routine cleaning up f-bombs or tagging images has become to you, it's sometimes a new and terrifying experience for the person being cleaned up after, and letting a 15 second clean up job morph into a longer process of reassurance to the very person you just corrected, so they don't come away with the false impression that they are now hated, hunted, have no reason to follow the rules because there's already a "black mark" on their name -- because moderation is most effective when done with an eye to helping people succeed as part of a community, not merely demanding compliance with the community rules.
It means being more than civil even to people who may have blown up at you in the past for doing your job, who you'd simply stop engaging with in other circumstances; it means finding it in you to be friendly and helpful and to care that that person is treated well by others, too.
It means knowing that every action you take in public is under a microscope, that you are both a normal human being and a role model for how a good community member should conduct themselves at all times, that you can't always express your own opinion in the same way as you used to before you became a mod, and that even a small slip-up can be used as proof of inherent unfairness in the rules and make all future moderation harder (even if another mod addresses the slip up with you!).
On the RPR, it means working with a team of moderators and being willing to accept and carry out rulings that you aren't always 100% in line with what you would have done on your own, in an effort to balance different viewpoints and counteract potential biases.
What we ask of moderators is superhuman. It is a sisyphean task. Some days, it can put a person as much in opposition to themselves as it does to rule breaking.
It is hard. Some days it is heart breaking. Some days I experience feelings of grief or depression even when I know that we're doing the right thing, because getting it right in the long term demands so much from me and from us in the short term.
But it also has incredible rewards. Some days you get it right and everything clicks and you see: we're carving out a place where people can be safe, where things are just a little closer to ideal than elsewhere, and sometimes a little means a lot, and I'm a part of this incredible thing.
This is worth it.
At its core, being a moderator is about being the change that you want to see in the world. It means putting the good of a community before any individual's interests, including your own. And the amazing thing is that anyone can decide to do this. Anyone can choose to start trying to find and understand other perspectives, to refuse to give in to their instinct to attack or defend and instead to employ curiosity or matter-of-fact boundary setting, to take time out of their day to find a way to be helpful to someone else. And every one of us will fail at those high ideals sometimes, and that still isn't a true failure. It's not the end of the journey. You can still choose to own your part, to apologize, and to get up and keep trying.
This is a lot to ask of anyone, but we don't just ask it of moderators: we expect it. So take a few minutes today to let our mods know they've delivered. Let them know that you see and appreciate how hard they work. But don't just stop here! If you're a member of other online communities that are exceptional, remember to tell the mods there that you appreciate them, too.
Happy Moderator Appreciation day, everyone. I appreciate you SO much.
Post tags: Moderator Appreciation Day
Comments
*fistbumps all 'round for the modsquad*
Oops, a little late to the party (there's that busy life thing) but thank you everyone! We all appreciate this so much.
Thank you for the hugs and good wishes, and thank you for being the best community on the interbutts. In all of these many tubes, our little tube is a happy, wonderful place. Everyone works hard at it, so thank you each and every member of RPR.
This is the longest amount of time I've ever remained a mod in a community, and it's because RPR is just that different. That much friendlier and more welcoming. You're all a big part of that.
Thank you for the hugs and good wishes, and thank you for being the best community on the interbutts. In all of these many tubes, our little tube is a happy, wonderful place. Everyone works hard at it, so thank you each and every member of RPR.
This is the longest amount of time I've ever remained a mod in a community, and it's because RPR is just that different. That much friendlier and more welcoming. You're all a big part of that.
Of all the places and forums I've ever trekked to, this one, hands down is the one I have come to call home. I have thoroughly enjoyed the people here, the community, the calm and reasonable and very hardworking staff, and the atmosphere is so open for any RP opportunity!
I appreciate the mods for making such a wonderful place for lurkers like myself to hide out in. I feel like I have so much more room to create in and nothing stands in the way of the imagination. The mods have given us such freedom and they deserve all the gratitude for this wonderful accomplishment that is RPR.
Thank you so very much!
I appreciate the mods for making such a wonderful place for lurkers like myself to hide out in. I feel like I have so much more room to create in and nothing stands in the way of the imagination. The mods have given us such freedom and they deserve all the gratitude for this wonderful accomplishment that is RPR.
Thank you so very much!
RPR has a brilliant team of moderators. Thank you all for your commitment and time. It's no easy job but you all do it wonderfully!!!
Thank you to the Mod team here. For helping make it a safe, comfortable, friendly environment. For all the questions answered and all the problems smoothly worked out behind the scenes.
This was unexpected and exactly what I needed today. Thank you, Kim, and everyone else who makes this community and those within it so awesome.
this is super well written. a valuable insight.
you all do such a fantastic job! i appreciate it every single day!
a valuable insight.you all do such a fantastic job! i appreciate it every single day!
Thank you, everyone, for your kind words. They really mean a lot!
If anyone is curious what it's like to be a moderator, here's something I was thinking about yesterday (and it might be because I've been rewatching Star Trek recently.
Being a moderator is a lot like being a Starfleet Captain. You're responsible for well being of hundreds or thousands of people and you have to be at your best, because you represent the site (or the Federation). What we do can have a serious impact on the future, so we need to make sure that impact is a fair and positive one.
Think about all those episodes where we see Captain Picard wanting to take action but he can't because he'd be acting on his personal feelings when he knows his responsibility to Starfleet is far greater.
Thankfully, we have an awesome community that make it an honour and a privilege to look out for
If anyone is curious what it's like to be a moderator, here's something I was thinking about yesterday (and it might be because I've been rewatching Star Trek recently.
Being a moderator is a lot like being a Starfleet Captain. You're responsible for well being of hundreds or thousands of people and you have to be at your best, because you represent the site (or the Federation). What we do can have a serious impact on the future, so we need to make sure that impact is a fair and positive one.
Think about all those episodes where we see Captain Picard wanting to take action but he can't because he'd be acting on his personal feelings when he knows his responsibility to Starfleet is far greater.
Thankfully, we have an awesome community that make it an honour and a privilege to look out for
Markifan02
July 3, 2016
2:02am
Thanks moderators!
Your the best!
Your the best!
"The moderators of today will become the role models of tomorrow."
This is a quote given by Facebook to their dedicated team of moderators. I know full well that RPR follows this quote easily, since they've been playing such a big role in keeping this site, clean, friendly, and fun. I've never had the thrill I had when I was five, and it's fun to be a little kid again. Thank you all for giving me the happiness that I've wished for
This is a quote given by Facebook to their dedicated team of moderators. I know full well that RPR follows this quote easily, since they've been playing such a big role in keeping this site, clean, friendly, and fun. I've never had the thrill I had when I was five, and it's fun to be a little kid again. Thank you all for giving me the happiness that I've wished for
Yeah the mods are okay. I guess... 
Thank you, mods!
Terminal-JS
July 2, 2016
5:35pm
I think, that this is one of the best communities we can get around these days. Since a lot of websites have crap people. I mean, they aren't like this one. I'm not trying to trash on others, but it's true. I am happy to be part of something like this.
- Terminal-JS
P.S: There isn't a better RolePlaying site.
- Terminal-JS
P.S: There isn't a better RolePlaying site.
Much love, mods! You're a great lot!
For the moment, I'm mostly existing on the fringes of the community. But I'm existing on the fringes of an online community that I know I want to be a part of. So, I'd like to take a moment to give my thanks to the Moderators who help make it so good.
Dot
July 2, 2016
4:08pm
The entire moderator team is very loved, I'll have you know, myself being one of the many people who do. We appreciate every question answered, every icon made, and every function. You guys are awesome and make this place a very happy one.
RandomRoleplayer
July 2, 2016
2:19pm
Round of applause for all moderators. Cheers to everyone who has helped protect and run a site, big or small.
spacekidd
July 2, 2016
2:18pm
Thanks to the mods for making this place such an enjoyable space! Love you all.
Draken901
July 2, 2016
12:44pm
*claps* That was brilliant Kim.
Thank all ye Moderators who protect this site from malicious harm and dubious people.
Thank all ye Moderators who protect this site from malicious harm and dubious people.
Loki
July 4, 2016
4:30pm