Game Mod Olympics: Pushing The Envelope

[Dread Lady Nathicana]

Oh you silly ... I don't think Arch ever gets enraged. The worst I think I've seen him get is 'extremely/deeply disappointed'. He tends to be the very picture of calm, measured, and etiquette-primed.

I thought that was Cog? He hardly posts anything other than Mod rulings, which from him are about twice as long as War and Peace.

Cog is somewhat like an Eastern-style monk in deep study. He will take any given topic of question, mull it over with all due diligence, then proceed with thoughtful caution, taking extra care that no toes are trod on, while he illuminates the lot of us with insightful, and on occasion, nearly painfully thorough, responses that have been weighed, measured, and for all I know, even tasted to make sure they are the optimal blend of fact, fairness, and professionalism. (Yes, nearly as time-consuming and overstated now and then as that last sentence, bless him.)

No, I do not believe he has the amazing ancient master sensei snow-white beard of awesome, but there you go. >_>

[Drawkland]

I thought that was Cog? He hardly posts anything other than Mod rulings, which from him are about twice as long as War and Peace.

Cog is somewhat like an Eastern-style monk in deep study. He will take any given topic of question, mull it over with all due diligence, then proceed with thoughtful caution, taking extra care that no toes are trod on, while he illuminates the lot of us with insightful, and on occasion, nearly painfully thorough, responses that have been weighed, measured, and for all I know, even tasted to make sure they are the optimal blend of fact, fairness, and professionalism. (Yes, nearly as time-consuming and overstated now and then as that last sentence, bless him.)

No, I do not believe he has the amazing ancient master sensei snow-white beard of awesome, but there you go. >_>

I've always thought of Cog like that sort of gentle grandfather character from a kids show that only shows up at the end of every episode to recap the events and close out the conflict. Or like that guy at the office who doesn't talk much, but sometimes at an important meeting will speak up with the perfect piece of insight that points everybody in the right direction. Or as the public spokesperson for an organization that goes out in front of the massive mob, unafraid, and delivers a speech with the flat facts and the stuff everybody needed to hear to keep it from boiling over. I would come up with more analogies but I'm out for the moment.

[States of Glory]

-snip-

Oh, stop it. You'll only encourage him to come waltzing into this very thread with a huge essay assessing these comparisons (with full intro, arguments for, arguments against and conclusion). I thought Nervun was supposed to be the English teacher.

Although a dissertation on the Mod Olympics would make for an interesting read...

[Subterranean Martians]

How exciting. DoS purging should be like running cross-country hurdles.

[Bears Armed]

I thought Nervun was supposed to be the English teacher.

Kryo too, I think; or was that Kat?

[Katganistan]

I thought Nervun was supposed to be the English teacher.

Kryo too, I think; or was that Kat?

*raises hand*

Yup. I mean, yes sir.

[Benevolent Thomas]

Mecha-Sedge is the peoples' hero o/

I'd say the peoples' champion.

Segd-i-stan!
Sedg-i-stan!
Sedg-i-stan!

[Luziyca]

Congratulations to all the mods!

If I may make a suggestion, if even numbered years (i.e. 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016...) are to be Game Mod Olympics, why not have odd-numbered years be the Forum Mod Olympics. It'd be a bit boring, but still fun to watch.

[The Blaatschapen]

Congratulations to all the mods!

If I may make a suggestion, if even numbered years (i.e. 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016...) are to be Game Mod Olympics, why not have odd-numbered years be the Forum Mod Olympics. It'd be a bit boring, but still fun to watch.

It's hard to gather forum stats.

In other words, there are no forum mod olympics.

[Luziyca]

Congratulations to all the mods!

If I may make a suggestion, if even numbered years (i.e. 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016...) are to be Game Mod Olympics, why not have odd-numbered years be the Forum Mod Olympics. It'd be a bit boring, but still fun to watch.

It's hard to gather forum stats.

In other words, there are no forum mod olympics.

Oh. I take it that is due to tech reasons?

[Dread Lady Nathicana]

It's hard to gather forum stats.

In other words, there are no forum mod olympics.

Oh. I take it that is due to tech reasons?

Gameside is different from the forums, for one thing. Posts are posts, after all. I'm not aware of any special tools available through the forum programming that would automatically separate posts from mod action posts. The best you could do would be to search for the 'warned' bit, but even then, you'll end up with false positives in threads that have nothing to do with moderation. Besides, they didn't even have forum mods for a while, as everyone was a game mod. The only real difference is the amount of access one has to the tools available. Forum mods don't have anything gameside. The higher up one goes, the more controls and tools they're trusted with. As you can see, I no longer have any. The Man and I no longer saw eye to eye, and he couldn't have that on the team, apparently.

In any case, just think of it as two systems. It's easier to understand, and if you have any experience in running or setting up a forum of your own, you'll have a better understanding overall of how these work here. Differences between types of languages and setups notwithstanding. The rest are things that shall remain unspoken of. Can't have all the secrets and tricks out there for all us little people to pick up on and learn to dodge, neh?

[States of Glory]

If I may make a suggestion, if even numbered years (i.e. 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016...) are to be Game Mod Olympics, why not have odd-numbered years be the Forum Mod Olympics. It'd be a bit boring, but still fun to watch.

Emphasis mine.

Come on, who wouldn't want to see an epic DEATmatch between Wrapper and Kyrusia?

Oh, wait. Forum Mods can't DEAT nations. That's capitalism for you.

In any case, just think of it as two systems. It's easier to understand, and if you have any experience in running or setting up a forum of your own, you'll have a better understanding overall of how these work here. Differences between types of languages and setups notwithstanding. The rest are things that shall remain unspoken of. Can't have all the secrets and tricks out there for all us little people to pick up on and learn to dodge, neh?

Solution: Promote Wrapper and Kyrusia to Game Mod status, abolish the Forum Mod role.

Honestly, though, the only role more useless than Forum Moderator is Senior Forum Moderator. When was the last time we had one of those, eh? Clear Game Mod bias.

[The Blaatschapen]

Solution: Promote Wrapper and Kyrusia to Game Mod status, abolish the Forum Mod role.

Honestly, though, the only role more useless than Forum Moderator is Senior Forum Moderator. When was the last time we had one of those, eh? Clear Game Mod bias.

The forum moderator role is not useless.

It's a training phase. When you get thrown into the mod job, there's a huge learning curve (not to mention the team hazing). By only having to worry about the forum aspects, this gets a bit easier, and it's not a total "Help! What are all these buttons for?!?" kind of deal.

[States of Glory]

It's a training phase. When you get thrown into the mod job, there's a huge learning curve (not to mention the team hazing). By only having to worry about the forum aspects, this gets a bit easier, and it's not a total "Help! What are all these buttons for?!?" kind of deal.

As I recall, Wrapper apparently didn't realise at first that Forum Moderators were able to edit sigs.

Solution: Introduce sig moderators, post moderators etc. to train potential Forum Mods.

OK, I jest, but I am genuinely curious as to whether there has ever actually been a Senior Forum Moderator.

[NERVUN]

It's a training phase. When you get thrown into the mod job, there's a huge learning curve (not to mention the team hazing). By only having to worry about the forum aspects, this gets a bit easier, and it's not a total "Help! What are all these buttons for?!?" kind of deal.

As I recall, Wrapper apparently didn't realise at first that Forum Moderators were able to edit sigs.

Solution: Introduce sig moderators, post moderators etc. to train potential Forum Mods.

OK, I jest, but I am genuinely curious as to whether there has ever actually been a Senior Forum Moderator.

There has been, yes.

After a certain amount of time (I.e. Wait, s/he's STILL a Forum Mod and hasn't run away yet?!), if they be worthy, forum mods are granted the Power of Thor Game Mod. It HAS happened that when offered the chance, they turn down the position. Not everyone wants to be a Game Mod and THAT is when they are promoted to Senior Forum Mod.

There's also been times when a Game Mod wishes to take a break from being a Game Mod, but not leave the team completely.

[Paffnia]

Congrats all for the hard work!

[Dread Lady Nathicana]

Solution: Promote Wrapper and Kyrusia to Game Mod status, abolish the Forum Mod role.

Honestly, though, the only role more useless than Forum Moderator is Senior Forum Moderator. When was the last time we had one of those, eh? Clear Game Mod bias.

I didn't know either one of these players from before, so you wouldn't hear me jumping up and down for a fast-track on either of 'em, but hey. Point is, as others have succinctly stated, there is no problem for your supposed solution. The training is important, and it allows one to learn not only how the rules work in practice as well as in word, but how to rephrase their posts, because mods are not allowed the same freedoms us little people are allowed to get away with (usually). Also, learn how to use their level of authority reasonably. Not everyone manages it. Some never quite get it, and get promoted anyway. We're all individuals after all. I found it useful to learn how to make judgments on my own without having to ask everyone else what they thought first - sure some are cut and dry, but until you gain the confidence necessary, it's better to have it done in a system where mistakes, if made, are more easily sorted out. Fixing things gameside can be a right pain in the ass, depending on what it is. Not to say all mods make mistakes when new, nor that they can't inherently be trusted with the keys to the kingdom individually - just that it makes sense to take things on a piece at a time, prove that you have a good handle on it, then see if you're up for more when the time comes. Common sense, really.

We haven't had a senior forum mod for the same reason we didn't have any forum mods - everyone had been solid for a good long time, we didn't need any more members, and all had been proven reliable enough to have up to game mod authority - yep, even yours truly. Shock. Awe. It doesn't mean we didn't make calls on the forums, as I'm sure those who took issue with me can attest. Scroll back a year, and I'm one of the most active in the forums that way. Apparently, they felt that needed change after da boss booted me (two, neh?), and here we are again, with forum mods. Adorable.

You'll note even the senior game mods like Kat take the time to post and rule on the forums. There's no division that way so far as what a mod has to do. It's simply a bigger scope of what they're able to do.

[Ballotonia]

We haven't had a senior forum mod for the same reason we didn't have any forum mods - everyone had been solid for a good long time, we didn't need any more members, and all had been proven reliable enough to have up to game mod authority - yep, even yours truly. Shock. Awe. It doesn't mean we didn't make calls on the forums, as I'm sure those who took issue with me can attest. Scroll back a year, and I'm one of the most active in the forums that way. Apparently, they felt that needed change after da boss booted me (two, neh?), and here we are again, with forum mods. Adorable.

What you describe is really the normal and to be expected progression of site users taking on a moderator role to help out the site. The site is way too big, with many users capable of doing many many things, for one person (Max) to run it all by himself. I am thankful to all the moderators (both past and present) who are willing to spend a good portion of their time helping out to keep the site running in smooth order. Moderators come and go, that is to be expected. Their lives change, priorities alter, things happen, and at some point they may not have the time, willingness, or ability to continue to help out with the site. That's OK, I'm grateful to all of them either way. And that's sort of what this thread is about, in my opinion. Recognizing the efforts they've made / still make, and handing out shiny medals to symbolically and openly show that gratitude.

Ballotonia

[Araraukar]

It's a training phase. When you get thrown into the mod job, there's a huge learning curve (not to mention the team hazing). By only having to worry about the forum aspects, this gets a bit easier, and it's not a total "Help! What are all these buttons for?!?" kind of deal.

...was it Ard or Arch (or someone else) who, upon receiving game mod status, DEATed theirself as an experiment?

[The Blaatschapen]

It's a training phase. When you get thrown into the mod job, there's a huge learning curve (not to mention the team hazing). By only having to worry about the forum aspects, this gets a bit easier, and it's not a total "Help! What are all these buttons for?!?" kind of deal.

...was it Ard or Arch (or someone else) who, upon receiving game mod status, DEATed theirself as an experiment?

It was Transnapastain.

Because who else

[CoraSpia]

...was it Ard or Arch (or someone else) who, upon receiving game mod status, DEATed theirself as an experiment?

It was Transnapastain.

Because who else

How did the appeal look?

[The Blaatschapen]

It was Transnapastain.

Because who else

How did the appeal look?

There was none, since it was not an actual ruling to appeal

[Araraukar]

It was Transnapastain.

Because who else

Ah, yes, I know I took a screenie of their national happenings of it, but couldn't find it just now.

How did the appeal look?

There was none, since it was not an actual ruling to appeal

I never did find out if some other mod had to reinstate the nation...

If Wrapper makes (or wants to make) it to Game Mod some day, I expect he'll make some funny IC post about it in GA - already looking forward to it.

[Separatist Peoples]

Congratulations to all the mods!

If I may make a suggestion, if even numbered years (i.e. 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016...) are to be Game Mod Olympics, why not have odd-numbered years be the Forum Mod Olympics. It'd be a bit boring, but still fun to watch.

I'd love to see the Retext Handed Out numbers. I imagine it isn't possible to differentiate between Flaming and Trolling redtext, but still.

[The Blaatschapen]

Congratulations to all the mods!

If I may make a suggestion, if even numbered years (i.e. 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016...) are to be Game Mod Olympics, why not have odd-numbered years be the Forum Mod Olympics. It'd be a bit boring, but still fun to watch.

I'd love to see the Retext Handed Out numbers. I imagine it isn't possible to differentiate between Flaming and Trolling redtext, but still.

Not really, that would require a massive query on the DB, finding warn tags and then see if a between the tags there's the words trolling or flaming.

And that for every post

With nearly 30 million posts, that's not going to happen.