Quote:
Originally Posted by The Batlord
And yet when a mod jokes about abusing their mod-like powers it doesn't actually breed resentment because there's barely a social difference between mods and members.
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I believe that hasn't always been the case. Some of the people who spend a lot of time on forums aren't always the most socially well-adjusted. A lot of them are gonna be weird, a little awful or out of sorts on occasion, but it doesn't mean their presence on the forums isn't net positive.
With such members, we've had some situations that turned more volatile than I thought necessary. They may have ended with long time members getting permabanned, people for whom MB was obviously an important part of their life. These guys were in large part to blame for the behaviour that got them banned, but sometimes it didn't help that a mod leaned into the drama and fanned the flames. It's not great to escalate a conflict where you're safe, but your opponent risk banishment from perhaps the only online community where they feel included.
I agree that jokes about bans or abusing mod powers can be fine, but a lot of people read these posts and it's not that unusual for someone to not get the joke or for an argument to start. You know how much we like to argue and misconstrue etc. here.
I always thought modding should be done at some emotional distance. You're doing it as a service to the users of the board, not for your own benefit. So your actions should reflect that.