The sauciest blog in towne!

Id like to take my first blog on the new setup to talk about a touchy issue:

moderation on the forums

I know these blogs arent read much by those on the forums, but im hoping to get a good feedback here and open up some dialogue

I was asked to be a mod a little over a year ago, and the basis for my inclusion on the mod team was centered around my activity level( i was already on the news team, and had just become a playtester for the PC), my ability to help newer users and people who needed help around here, and my reputation as being a well liked player, who while not really very good at the game, i was traveling to events, and becoming a known commodity around here( something which lando w/45 and woundedwookie never really were, imo).  I believe i was in the running for the communications advocate position, which was (in retrospect) rightfully given to Rustan, so being a mod was a way to still be very involved with the pc and help out a position of weakness at the time

I was a tad hesitant to become a mod at first, but realized i had a chance to help the PC in a way they needed, and it was a challenge i wanted to take on.  I knew it would be tough, and i was hoping to trailblaze a little bit and be something of “the cool mod” around town, being there to squash evil if and when it happened, but still able to yuck it up and have fun with everyone.  I think ive been moderately successful to this point at what ive been involved in as a mod.

Thats not to say that it hasnt been hard, and theres been some mistakes on my part, the pc’s part and some of the users part as well.  Last summer after the amazingness that was west nats in denver, there were some rules changes that were an attempt to streamline the rules (mainly as per the request of the players who felt the moderators strategy which was basically “dont be a feminine hygiene product”, was too subjective and inconsistent.  After these rules changes we had something of an uprising centering around the gif issue, and in an attempt to make the pc’s new rules look foolish, Joe Olson and I got into it over the issue.  Joe was tiptoeing the rules and pointing out each and every minor flaw in the rules and reporting upwards of 20 posts a day (including some posted by Joe himself)  and basically being a thorn in the mod teams side.  Over the course of a couple weeks, Joe had pm’s from me, rustan, garrett, and possibly others regarding his behavior, culiminating with a banning to get him to cool off.  This ban was further complicated by the fact that he was on the CBT at time and we had to test out things to make sure he could see the CBT, but I digress….  Over the course of several pm’s i basically told Joe to grow up, as his behavior was similar to that of a small child being told to stay in their room yet coming out of it save for a foot just to prove how far they could go.   Joe took offense to what he considered me having a problem with him personally, which i didnt have any problem with him at all, the week before he was banned i took the guy to the airport and he slept on my couch!!!  I had issues with how he acted online, and he had issues with how i acted in kind.  It seems that Joe has since quit the game due to issues with me and the mod team, and for this i feel like i have failed the SWCCG community and deprived it of a pretty damn good player and a good guy.  It honeslty hurts knowing that i played a pivotal role in someones departure from the game, and it hurts even more thinking that it was because of me basically telling him to grow up. I apologized several times to Joe, including via email, which he promised to follow up on, but never did.

Over the past few weeks, maybe the last couple months even, ive considered dropping off the mod team.  There are times when it just puts you into so many positions where you look like a gigantic prick no matter what you do.   Its a damn if you do, damn if you dont position, and its taken me a while to get used to it.  That said, i am not leaving the mod team yet, and will continue to strive to improve as a mod, a player and a person to help this community become better in any way that i can.  If theres one thing id like to convey to the community, its this: the mods are here to help keep the site clean, we arent here to babysit, police every single little conversation, or to fight with anyone.  We are players and people just like you, and most of the players who post here i know on a first name basis, youve all beaten me at holotable games, real life games, shared green peppers, yuenglings and timbits with me, lets see what we can do to make the forums as fun as big SWCCG events are, with out the exhaust that comes along with being on the internetz!

Your Pal

Jerry “Quesosauce” Heine

So with that all said, i have a few questions id like to ask the community

1. What do you consider the job of the mods to be?

2. Do you think the current mods are doing a good or less than good job at it?

3. Compared to the other message boards you visit (if applicable), are the mods here better, worse or about the same?

4. Compared to other message boards you visit ( once again, if applicable) are the rules regarding the users behavior stricter or looser compared to those on the SWCCGPC forums?

5. What can be done to improve the moderation on here in your opinion?