Alc has a great idea there, only needs a little tweaking. Some of the mods do really need to be evaluated, like giving them a "wake up call". I've noticed that some mods favor certain users, and that's not appropriate behavior for a moderator. Quite frankly, I'm also just tired of the favoritism.

@Alc - That's a good idea although I think it needs to be improved a little bit

I only have a problem with one mod, but I won't mention which. I feel like I'm ruled not by what I did/didn't do, but by personal feelings. I feel like I've been insulted, whether it be directly or indirectly when it comes to this person. <br /> <br /> So I agree with Roo, personal feelings should NOT be influencing descions. Part of what I experienced led me to quit being a newbie helper. <br /> <br /> I think we should have a mod evaluation poll that should be done or something. Users can vote whether a mod was "helpful, nice, generous, etc." and of course "rude, argumentive, ignored me, favored someone else" and you can give the reason for choosing negative response if you want. The writing could be optional so admins aren't bombared with many written responses, and can just look at the tallies of each response. Maybe there can be another staff section to deal with this?<br /> <br /> Random thought, might not work, but I think we NEED to evaluate some mods. It's nice to enforce the rules, but its unfair to be rude and condescending at the same time. :/<br /> <br /> -Al

Nevermind.

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I have spent several years lurking as a mod on a large sim site on several of its servers. Back in the beginning when we reported someone they have a large red banner on the forum saying they had been reported for " blah blah blah" and who had reported them / how long the banner was going to be there for. <br /> <br /> We had to remove that as mods were getting a large amount of hate mail. So now its a button system, click for a report and its anonymous. However a copy of what was reported and who reported it is sent to admin. So that if any issues arises admin can double check everything. <br /> <br /> The thing that became the biggest issue however was the double standards of rules. The rules were not black and white, this meant that some people were reported for something and some people were not. I haven't had much to do with the mods on Ala so im not sure if that is an issue here. However it helped us tenfold when we revised our rules and every mod was on the exact same page. <br /> <br /> I had always been approachable but wasn't in a mod position to make friends. I didn't play the game was simply there to mod and control the forums. So I copped a lot of abuse for being " tough mean so on." A lot of the mods I knew however were happy to bend the rules or be a bit lenient depending on the player in question. Once again I don't think this is something that happens on Ala but just throwing it out there.

Heh, if the site is doing it, then the site has bipolar disorder :o)) <br /> <br /> I got contradictory infos from mods a few times.

It doesn't have to be a serious form letter :P Besides, I think if it was advertised that the messages are form letters, it would eliminate the whole "She yelled at me because she hates me!" argument. There would be no personal feelings involved, just a copy/paste letter. Since I've never been a mod, I'm not sure exactly what kind of questions you get from users who receive these letters, but I don't think it would hurt to just answer them without a form. <br /> <br /> The letter itself could just be something kind of simple and not terribly threatening:<br /> <br /> "Hello <i>(Username)</i>,<br /> This message is a reminder that it is against the rules of Alacrity to <i>(do whatever thing they did)</i>. Please keep this in mind and do not <i>(do whatever it was)</i> again. If you repeatedly break this rule, you will <i>(receive another warning, fine, punishment, etc)</i>." (End with something kind of positive, like "Our goal is to keep Alacrity a fun and friendly place, and blah blah yackity yada").<br /> <br /> I think J'aime's suggestion is good too, about the smiley faces. When I do online sessions at the writing center, I put a smiley in after almost every sentence >.&lt;

If the complaint is that we're too serious, not approachable, or harsh, then I don't think a standardized form would help. The form would have to be generic and cut-and-dry, and if the user responds with questions or in need of clarification, we'll have to reply without a form anyway.<br /> <br /> I think it might be better if mods are required to (when they become a mod or every few months) show the admins a basic example of the messages they send out - or a real example of one sent. Perhaps we could post them up so all mods can see what other mods send in warnings, and we can become more in sync without losing flexibility.

I personally haven't heard much from mods (I don't break rules much ? =p) so I can't really offer an oppinion but I will admit when I do deal with them, even in a friendly manner, it always seems like they're so.... serious ? Just a smiley (: or please or thank you like previously stated can help a lot!

I don't have issues with most mods, just Kit, I got into an argument with her a while back and now when I go into chat and say anything with opinion, she get all upset and yells at me, and I am tired of it. I have had several other users tell me she treats them the same.