Originally Posted by TheBig3

It ends up being a lot of work. The biggest thing you should know about being a Mod if you (anyone) is considering it is that a lot of people go through natural cycles of being engaged with the site, and not being engaged. Mod's with a sense of responsibility will have to fight through the low-points to come here and maintain the site even when they want a break.

We had a Mod who was gone for almost 90% of his tenure at one point, and it was nothing but a death-grip on power. A good Mod in my mind will be fair, slow to take actions against established members, and enforce the rules equally across the board. Moreoever, when they find they can't commit to their responsibilities any longer, they'll step down. That last one is absolutely key.

Being able to change your own avatars is nice, approving your own journals is fun, but if you've ever been here when no Mods are on and spammers are running wild, its pretty ****ty to know 1 or 2 Mods are traveling the globe without internet access but won't step down because of an ego trip.

Edit: I'd also like to add that they should be engaged with the community. I think, like police officers, the difference between being a part of the community, or just overseeing it is a world of difference. When Mod's are active in discussions all over the place, it gives them a better sense of where people's positions are so when someone makes a stupid mistake, its judged in the larger scheme of the constributions and not as a one-off misstep.