Question about Moderators

[Fitter 0]

Do moderators get paid? Do they have rules? What if they abuse their rights? Can they walk away any time or are they forced to be here against their will physically or contractually? Is everyone privy to the rules of moderator? Do moderators get a second chance if they break the rules? Do they get a warning? If a moderator breaks the rules and gets banned, do the words BANNED appear under their picture?

For the love of LBT, can we get answers?

[La_madam 20]

Since we are asking questions about moderators, I have always wondered do moderators have the ability to read other members PM's?

[*susan* 1,709]

Where did this come from? Strange post.

[NJChick 3]

Susan, its just another troll with nothing better to do.

[libra 13]

I'm a moderator on another message board and I can tell you that no one can read your pm's. They are personal between those sending and receiving them.

I've never witnessed an issue with a moderator not following the rules but if that were to happen, you can pm another moderator with a complaint and they would deal with it accordingly.

For the record, being a moderator on a message board is not an easy job. You're dealing with such diverse personalities and cultures and somehow trying to maintain a peaceful balance.

[the best me 6]

Good questions! I don't know if my answers are correct, but here's what I think I know. Mods are unpaid volunteers and can leave at any time. I'd like to think if a Mod were going to stop moderating, they'd say so and another Mod will replace. I think Mr. Alex decides how many we need. I think they decide together about how to handle a situation. I'm not sure about Moderator Rules and Guidelines?

I'm also pretty sure that Mods can see who you have PMd but cannot read the PMs.

???

[the best me 6]

Susan, its just another troll with nothing better to do.

My guess it's someone with multiple User Names. It happens.

[*susan* 1,709]

Kind of what I thought too. It is their first post and kind of looks like someone trying to stir up trouble or something. JMO.

[Dianechef 3]

I think some of these are good questions. I've always wondered if moderators got paid. If not, what keeps them here? It seems to me that it takes up a lot of time & energy. But, for what?

Is there a moderator that would be willing to answer some of these questions?

[Wheetsin 714]

I can only speak for me... and consider my answers to be addressing anyone who is wondering, not any one particular user. Hence "you" is meant in the most general sense possible.

Do moderators get paid? No, not one cent. It's completely voluntary. I've never even heard of a messageboard that pays its moderators. Most boards don't profit, and hence there's nothing to pay out of. Even the boards that do profit (more like break even), that I know of, do not pay their moderators. Boards do, however, cost - typically the money comes out of the admin's pockets. So in that sense moderators aren't paid, but someone else is buying you a resource.

Do they have rules? There are rules for moderating, but not separate rules for moderators.

What if they abuse their rights? I would imagine the same thing if any user abused their rights. Moderators are users, first and foremost (IMO). They just happen to have volutneered to have some responsibilities tacked on to their time here.

Can they walk away any time or are they forced to be here against their will physically or contractually? I'd hope you can figure out the answer to the first part of the question, so I'll skip. As for the seconed part, there are no contracts involved.

Is everyone privy to the rules of moderator? Privvy to read? Privvy to content? Privvy to...?

Do moderators get a second chance if they break the rules? I don't know, I've never broken the rules so I can't answer this.

Do they get a warning? See previous answer.

If a moderator breaks the rules and gets banned, do the words BANNED appear under their picture? Never been banned, so I don't know.

For the love of LBT, can we get answers? You can have mine, for what they're worth.

I've posted this before, but now might be a good time for a reminder for all. I do admin a few boards, and you can't disregard the role the admin plays. You're "allowed" access to the messageboard, you aren't "owed". Alex foots the bill (and I can tell you most boards, especially VB boards, aren't exactly cheap) for this place, and sets the rules accordingly. Messageboards are sort of their own beast because they're a matter of private property, that many people consider to be public - but someone owns this place. Personally I always assume mebership on a "sandbox" basis. I'm here to play in someone else's sandbox.

Hope this helps answer your questions.

[Wheetsin 714]

I have always wondered do moderators have the ability to read other members PM's?

No, we do not.

[Wheetsin 714]

I've always wondered if moderators got paid. If not, what keeps them here? It seems to me that it takes up a lot of time & energy. But, for what?

Again, I can only offer my perspective.

I agreed to help moderate here because I saw it as something I could to do help build and grow a resource that I've come to rely on pretty heavily for support with my band... and as a way to stay in touch with local bandsters outside of our scheduled meetings.

I've never been a fan of using a resource but not being willing to "pitch in". Some people "pitch in" with their knowledge and experience. Some places ask you to "pitch in" through donations or membership fees. Some people "pitch in" by providing support to other users. For me, moderating was a way for me to "pitch in".

So "for what" -- probably for many of the same reasons anyone volunteers for anything. And probably for some very different reasons, too. But it's going to vary person by person, so unfortunately there is no "this is why a moderator does it " blanket type answer.

Is there a moderator that would be willing to answer some of these questions?

Yep, me. I would imagine you'll get more responses as time goes by. Need to keep in mind that moderators, just like anyone else, get busy during the day, go on vacation, have appointments, have sick children, lose internet access, etc. Sometimes posts are missed, and sometimes you see a post but don't have the time you want to dedicate to it at that particular point in time.

[FunnyDuddies 6]

I am a mod on some other boards. Basically Wheetsin answered everything the way i would have. As for reading pm's. some boards you can read the pm's some you can't. It depends on the type of board, and code that it is written with. There are many types out there.

[dawg 0]

With regards to PM's.

Whether vBulletin has the power to allow moderators to see PM's is something I don't know.

What I do know is that this message board will interface with an SQL database and therefor, anyone with physical access to the database 'could' read PM's.

Whether or not Alex or anyone else does is unknown, but of course - they could.

A Database is a Database. Anything you put in, can be retrieved. If you don't want people to read it, don't put it in.

Any data you transmit over the internet can be captured and examined if a person is determined enough. You can protect your chances of remaining secure with a secured connection, but even that could become vulnarable.

So, to sum up my networking and dBase 101: Nothing is private and it's up to the individual server admin what they see, and what they do.

[Wheetsin 714]

Correct. BB boards have plugins available to read PMs, if the admin so wishes to take the time to install them. I cannot speak for VB boards because I'm not familiar with the admin side of them.

If you're concerned about your PMs being read, anywhere, a good rule of theumb is to always consider the messageboard "someone else's house". You can risk conversation in someone's house, but you have to always remain aware of the possibility that someone else in the house might overhear. PMs, like the board itself, are a resource that the admin pays for, for you to use. Treat the privelege accordingly, and use your best discretion when deciding what you do or do not want to run a risk, no matter how slight, of someone else being able to read your message.

It's just a good general practice.