Restructuring the Mod Team

[Blake]

Now, this came up before and during the January Moderator Election, with people feeling like the mod team's issues might partially come from its structure right now. It has been discussed to a degree over the span of a week and a half, and a few ideas have emerged, though not every moderator has weighed in on it, yet. So, let's look at the acting Mod Team we currently have.

 

Super Moderators

@@Flame Dragon (Other TCG, Other TCG Decks, and Video Games)

 

Moderators

@@Dad ("Other" Forum)

@

@@The Warden (Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, Banlists and Theory, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Decks)

@@Flash Flyer - Sakura ("Custom Cards" Forum, Questions and Help, Introductions)

@@God Emperor Cow

@@Tormented

 

[spoiler=First Topic - Sections]This isn't a new idea: Should Moderators have sections assigned to them always? And what is a Moderator's role in the sections they're assigned to, if any?

 

Some sections, such as CC or CW/RP, definitely lend themselves to having a Moderator to lead the section. They can encourage growth and monitor the general status of the section by being knowledgable on the subject being worked on.

 

Others, like the Multimedia sections, don't immediately require one, moreso someone looking in to make sure discussions don't get out of hand.

 

So, is it important to keep looking for/assigning Moderators to sections? Or should we be looking at what they bring to the table, aside from activity or availability in a section? Maybe both?

 

And, if/when a mod is assigned to a section, what should their role be in it? Should they be serving as an active leader in the section? Should they just be making sure it runs smoothly? What do you think?

[spoiler=Second Topic - Team Composition]While the first topic is still one we need to discuss, this one's a bit more impactful, overall.

 

I the past, we've had designated "leaders", if only by perception and actions. Pika, Night, and Evilfusion all took this role at different times. 

 

The main idea here is that:

• Have a singular "Head Moderator" (title pending), who serves as the leader of the team, tie breaker, etc. Everyone else will just be a Moderator.
• Give more of the ability to edit the forum as a whole to the other moderators, leaving abilities such as demotion and promotion to the Head Moderator.

This makes it so that there is definitely a moderator to go to with concerns regarding the staff as a whole, who will also be someone expected to make fair decisions and handle discussions in the Mod Forum.

 

Now, while we have these, feel free to suggest any other ideas you may have. This is what the staff has discussed, but member input is always valuable!

[Simping For Hina]

Mods should not have the ability to have "private" as their Last Active time.

[Yui]

Having been on the team and then leaving it, and stuff, I feel I should probably show my face here with my two cents on everything.

"Should Moderators have sections assigned to them always?"

With the activity level of this forum? No. If the site was super-active some time ago I can understand why it would be appealing to have dedicated mods for this and that section, but in the current state of YCM, we don't really need that sort of thing. I'd argue the bigger sections, such as Custom Cards and RP, could definitely use somebody whose primary goal is to keep an eye on the section, but it shouldn't be necessary for every section anymore. Moderators assigned to sections, however, should act as leaders for the section's community, and not settle for simply keeping their section running. Which is probably a complete load of horseshit coming from me since that was more or less what I aimed for during my time as General mod.

In short, no; mods should be brought on more due to what they bring to the team rather than to run a specific section.

---

As for team composition, I like the ideas proposed here, and would like to toss in my lot for Flame Dragon as head mod if that's something we non-mod plebs should toss in votes for. One person that is decidedly in charge will lend itself to a sense of structure in the team, which y'all desperately need. I'm not sure if it's improved since I left, but last I saw as a mod, the team is pretty much a team in name only. With any luck, putting someone in the definitive big seat can help get everyone more organized and on the road to being an actual team instead of just a loose collection of members who happen to have the common trait of running the site.



Also, what Dae said. I'd like to elaborate on that real quick, being brief so that I don't accidentally derail this thread or anything. The "Staff Online" window exists for a reason: So that people know who is readily available for contact if you need a moderator ASAP. Being on private mode as a mod defeats the purpose of that. Okay that's that for that.

[Blake]

Going to weigh in on appearing private before I sleep. Percs are kicking my ass.

 

I think it’s a good idea to make it so that mods must generally appear online, but be it for setting up and searching through the site OR because you feel like sheet and just don’t wanna deal with people fora fee, I don’t agree with saying no to it outright.

[Nathanael D. Striker]

I'm a bit hesitant on the second point, if only with regards to balance of power. What I liked about the 3 Super Mod system was that each of them kept the others in check. One only needs to look at when Pika was the sole person in charge for why we went with the 3 Super Mod system. As a compromise, I'd say we could have 2 Super Mods instead. Think of the system that the Roman Republic had with their two consuls to understand where I'm going with this. That way, there is a balance of power at the top and less chance of there being any sort of manipulation.

[Phantom Roxas]

I'm a bit hesitant on the second point, if only with regards to balance of power. What I liked about the 3 Super Mod system was that each of them kept the others in check. One only needs to look at when Pika was the sole person in charge for why we went with the 3 Super Mod system. As a compromise, I'd say we could have 2 Super Mods instead. Think of the system that the Roman Republic had with their two consuls to understand where I'm going with this. That way, there is a balance of power at the top and less chance of there being any sort of manipulation.

 

The problem is that, with the current structure of mods, a Triumvirate would mean three Super Mods, and five regular mods. We do have Flame Dragon and Sakura, so I suppose the question - at least regarding your particular concern - is whether we should have only one Super Mod, or if a third member should be promoted to act alongside them.

[Nathanael D. Striker]

The problem is that, with the current structure of mods, a Triumvirate would mean three Super Mods, and five regular mods. We do have Flame Dragon and Sakura, so I suppose the question - at least regarding your particular concern - is whether we should have only one Super Mod, or if a third member should be promoted to act alongside them.

I did say 2 Supers would be alright, noting the Roman two consul system.

[Blake]

One mooore thing.

 

We had a third super mod, potentially, but they declined. I’ll leave revealing their identity up to them, if they desire to. If not, it changes nothing.

One mooore thing.

 

We had a third super mod, potentially, but they declined. I’ll leave revealing their identity up to them, if they desire to. If not, it changes nothing.

[Phantom Roxas]

I did say 2 Supers would be alright, noting the Roman two consul system.

 

Ah, sorry, I was thinking in terms of two in addition to the Head Moderator, rather than two Head Moderators. I misread.

 

The thing is, we already have Flame Dragon and Sakura in those positions, but it seems that people are... unhappy with that setup. Typically they feel that Sakura is unreliable, and while Flame is the closest the team has to a Head Mod, is that really what he would want? So the issue is who qualifies to even be a Lead Moderator.

[Nathanael D. Striker]

Ah, sorry, I was thinking in terms of two in addition to the Head Moderator, rather than two Head Moderators. I misread.

 

The thing is, we already have Flame Dragon and Sakura in those positions, but it seems that people are... unhappy with that setup. Typically they feel that Sakura is unreliable, and while Flame is the closest the team has to a Head Mod, is that really what he would want? So the issue is who qualifies to even be a Lead Moderator.

We don't have to keep the same two Supers if that set-up isn't the best for YCM. Ideally it'd be a pair that could work together but also hold each other accountable if one tries to go too far. I'm just weary of having a single Head Mod.

[Dad]

I didn't realize we were going to be sharing this so soon.

 

There was vague discussion about it but, poof, here it is. Whatever I guess.

 

The idea for one lead mod started with me. Flame eventually came around and it seemed to be the general consensus. I guess that's why this suddenly happened.

 

I declined the Super Mod position because I was already threatened (albeit indirectly). I wasn't gonna stick my neck out for something that stupid. It would only get me cut from staff sooner rather than later.

 

Far as section assignments go, I'm fine with that being done away with. It creates more space on the team (second time I noticed I would get cut). This means new (or old) faces to keep things moving. I do fear it could become super unorganized, however.

 

I'm also in agreement that checks and balances between mods should be there. Who checks lead mod? Even assuming all current staff have the same power, what's to stop your head mod from taking over (excluding YCMaker)?

 

Finally, I think it's necessary for staff to be visible in their profiles.

 

Those are my personal thoughts.

[Rodrigo]

At this point, having moderators for specific sections doesn't make much sense. Our community is no much bigger than 50 active people, and brand new members are so few and far between that any moderator (or even normal member since we all know how this place works) can help and direct that person.

 

Two super moderators sound like the best for me. I actually like the current ones with how they contrast each other. Flame has over 10 years of YCM experience and many of those years as a moderator, while Sakura is much newer but much more engaged. However, as many have pointed out several times, Sakura's kind of a robot. Flame is very much the opposite. I feel like they compliment the requirements for being super mods quite well. Plus, just 1 person as the head of the staff can lead to biased and unfair decisions.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

While having more than 1 super is not anything inherently wrong, I don't believe anybody but flame should currently be one.

 

We've seen time and time again that Sakura has been anything but receptive toward criticism, and as a matter of fact has consistently caused issues for years. He is not somebody I trust to "keep flame in check" especially when his current position makes it all the more difficult to keep him in check.

 

The only other mod I think is qualified/well suited to be a super is CowCow, and he only joined the team recently so promoting him at this point would just servento ruffle feathers.

 

Flame should be head mod, and Sakura should be demoted to the status of regular mod.

[Fusion X. Denver]

I'd also agree the forum's not big enough for section-specific mods to be necessary. And I think widening their fields of jurisdiction will benefit them in becoming more accessible, more saturated into the community and knowing what's going on, and all that jazz.

 

As far as the Supers and Head Mod go, I don't think there's any harm in leaving it as-is. But if the play here does end up in designating a Head Mod, it's got to be Flame Dragon.

 

I'm also in agreement that checks and balances between mods should be there. Who checks lead mod? Even assuming all current staff have the same power, what's to stop your head mod from taking over (excluding YCMaker)?

This is a valid point, but Flame has more than earned my trust by now. We've known him for literal years and I have zero misgivings on him potentially abusing his position.

[Maeriberii Haan]

Section-specific mod is outright detrimental with the current size of the team and the forum. Adds a lot of unnecessary baggage to decision making on each sections. There's no need for a formal system to keep mods in check from messing with sections they had no expertise in.

 

Flame is the only ideal candidate so far for head mod/super mod position, going off both tenure and capability. To the extent of my knowledge of him, he is not someone that would use the position of a supreme emperor to one-sidedly enforce his own decisions without taking notes of others' inputs first. A system with one supreme emperor would work just fine in a community this small. I would argue that the members and the entirety of the rest of the mod team would serve as a good enough check a sole Head Mod.

 

Meanwhile Sakura had been proven again and again in several different cases to utilize the position that had been granted to him to enact decisions that while not necessarily self-serving, purely decided by himself without the input of other mods, often to the detriment of other members.

 

The rest I guess simply lack tenure for the time being.

[Phantom Roxas]

While having more than 1 super is not anything inherently wrong, I don't believe anybody but flame should currently be one.

 

We've seen time and time again that Sakura has been anything but receptive toward criticism, and as a matter of fact has consistently caused issues for years. He is not somebody I trust to "keep flame in check" especially when his current position makes it all the more difficult to keep him in check.

 

The only other mod I think is qualified/well suited to be a super is CowCow, and he only joined the team recently so promoting him at this point would just servento ruffle feathers.

 

Flame should be head mod, and Sakura should be demoted to the status of regular mod.

 

It was also raised in the Complaints thread that Flame should be a head mod and that Sakura should be demoted to a regular mod, but we little to know follow-up on that, though I suppose that's because the Complaints thread was for addressing broader issues, and this a chance to have a more specific focus regarding the team.

 

Go off with Cow, he's not the only one who recently joined. While Dad and Black have both been on the team before, their respective "returns" to the team are fairly recent. I don't think any of the current mods have been around long enough for a continuous length of time, nor would they be trusted with the position of being a second mod. So you're right to say that no one but Flame should be a Super.

 

Which is really our problem. We shouldn't have just one Super (The arguments in favor of more Supers do make the most sense to me personally), but we don't have enough people who actually deserve that position.

 

By the way, I'm also okay with abolishing the idea of section-specific mods. It's an archaic system that may have mattered back in the day, but I think the various sections have changed for one reason or another over the years that we don't need a "dedicated" mod. It's also seemed to be rather restrictive as a means for promoting people to mods, since the logic has seemed to be "This section needs a mod, so you will become the mod for this particular section." I like how the latest election was designed, not looking for mods of any sections in particular, but rather electing mods to round out gaps, and then assigning sections after the fact. I'm assuming this thread is started in part because now is the time when Black and Cow would be assigned sections, and the mods were discussing whether or not that much is even necessary.

 

But seriously, as Giga said, demote Sakura to a regular mod and let Flame be our sole Super. While I would prefer 2-3 Supers overall, I don't believe we're ready for that yet, and having Flame as our sole Super would be good in the intervening time until the team is ready for any additional Supers to balance out Flame. So Flame would unofficially be our interim Head Mod.

[Narniabeliever]

Can a "super" fix the problems of the website? If not, then there's no point as we're in the same places as before any changes and shuffles. 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Can a "super" fix the problems of the website? If not, then there's no point as we're in the same places as before any changes and shuffles. 

Not necessarily but there is a point. I know you've been frustrated lately about the cardmaker specific issues. However more goes into a site than just that. We're trying to do all we can to make it a good forum despite the technically issues.

---

In other news...Yes personally I would be okay with it being only Flame. I can literally not see a scenario where Flame goes rogue and for some reason I feel like if we simply scold him for it he'd realize "wtf am I doing" and chill.

[King K. Azo]

I personally believe that mods shouldn't have specific sections assigned to them. Even if mods can technically enforce rules in a different section, most will leave a different section alone out of respect. If there are no assignments, the mods can do what's needed, like picking up the slack of underperforming members. 

That would also give people irrefutable proof  of who's pulling their weight and who's just sitting in a position of power, doing nothing. 

[Blake]

More discussion is good, people! Don't let this simply fall by the wayside, tell us if things are good as they are, if they need to change, extended ideas, whatever it is!

 

If we let things stagnate, then nothing decisive will come of it, so make sure you give us your two cents!

[Phantom Roxas]

I don't think it's come up much lately, if at all, but may I ask what the current state of public relations are as far as the mod team is concerned? Back in the complaints thread, I think there was some agreement (I don't want to call it a consensus) that it's fine to abolish a dedicated PR Mod position, and push for the rest of the team to improve their own skills in that regard. Does the team feel that they've been doing better at that?

[Blake]

Personally... I disagree with removing the dedicated PR Role, even now.

 

I could go into details, but that would involve some personal opinions from the mod forum that I feel aren't my place to share, but I will say that some moderator(s) say that Cowcow basically fills the role.

[Phantom Roxas]

Personally... I disagree with removing the dedicated PR Role, even now.

 

I could go into details, but that would involve some personal opinions from the mod forum that I feel aren't my place to share, but I will say that some moderator(s) say that Cowcow basically fills the role.

 

That's fair. I don't need the details, just knowing that there are still some concerns about removing it is enough to satisfy some curiosity.

[Blake]

Do note, this is not something that there has been any discussion on.

 

PR was only mentioned in response to me questioning past events involving how Birdie was handled around Nov/Dec 2017. Other than that, it hasn't been touched on at all.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

That's fair. I don't need the details, just knowing that there are still some concerns about removing it is enough to satisfy some curiosity.

Well, it certainly isn't enough for me.

 

It is no secret that the mod team is divided on many issues, not the least of which is this. Input from just black (alluding toward other mods, but giving no specifics) doesn't fully address this concern, especially when this is an opinion he has held publicly for months.

 

I'd quite like to see input on this from every mod, including Night. This issue is central to the relations between the staff and members, so I could only hope each of the team members has something to say on the matter. If they have no opinion on it, I personally believe it shows a disregard toward the importance of an approachable mod team, which would be an issue of its own.

 

EDIT: Black's post proves my point.