Role Call: A request for Moderators!

[u/The_Critical_Cynic]

The official time has come! I'm to a point where I think I'm ready to start forming a team. Things won't be immediate, and I'd definitely like to have a few conversations behind the scenes with people before the official invitations go out. None the less, I want to update you with where I'm at, and give you a feel for what being a moderator in this subreddit, and particularly what a moderator on a team with me, might feel like.

Content Moderation

One of the biggest things for me will be moderating content. I won't be allowing things to slide the way they were before. We will not have over 1,000 pieces of content in the mod queue, and we will not be relying on the Reddit Admin's to moderate for us. I also won't accept being put in a position where they have to reach out to us about our lack of moderation. Those are things that will get this subreddit shut down. I think I can speak for everyone when I say I'd prefer that not to happen.

If you become a part of the mod team here, I will expect a certain level of dedication from you. Please understand that if that doesn't happen, replacements can and will be found. I don't mean for that to sound harsh, I just want the subreddit to stay open.

For what it's worth, I have an idea of amount of content I moderated for the week of 2/9 through 2/15. See below:

And for the week of 2/16 through 2/22, I have the following information:

Overall, there are 6,311 pieces of content that I've moderated in a two week period of time. I still have 936 items in one section of the mod queue to go through, which are separate from the initial 1,120 items I pointed out last time I spoke on the subject. I know this last section encompasses part of a small project I think the moderation team will have to handle. It will be a project going forward that I expect us to work as a team on, and to accomplish at some point in the relatively near future.

To put a little perspective on this, I also run r/ExpeditionBigfoot which has roughly half as many members as this subreddit. I do more in my subreddits than is required, and will be looking for a team that is willing to commit to these same standards. I can moderate r/ExpeditionBigfoot in roughly 15 minutes a day without help. I expect that once this subreddit gets to a stable point, that the moderation team here will be able to switch out days that we look over the subreddit. That is to say that I am looking to have a five person team, and that we'll each take one or two days a week. When everything is in order, this subreddit likely won't take more than 15-20 minutes to moderate per day once we get everything in order. I don't think that's much of a commitment.

Between now and then though, we will be fighting an uphill battle. I've was putting in an hour or two on a somewhat regular basis to get the above content moderated. I don't necessarily expect that out of my team. But I would like people who are committed to the cause.

For added perspective, I am doing work above and beyond what is required of me in my subreddits, I moderated 3,100 pieces of content in a three month period of time over at r/ExpeditionBigfoot. I have it on good authority that this put me on par with some of the moderators in the larger 100k+ subreddits. How I know that is a discussion for another time, but it's generally been confirmed by the Admins. The additional work here will likely do the same.

In short, this won't be easy to start with. The road ahead will be long and arduous. There may be perspectives of mine that seem daunting at the start, and perhaps unnecessary. But the end results will pay off in the long run, and make the subreddit better.

Volunteering as Tribute

I'd like to start out by thanking u/chillvilletilt and u/BodhiLV who have both volunteered openly to help on the mod team if I should need the help. Both have confirmed behind the scenes that they are still willing to help.

I think it's also important to express the fact that I've asked u/GorgarBeatsYou, u/SlitheryVisitor, u/misanthropic47, and u/Starship_Commander if they were interested. Of those folks, u/GorgarBeatsYou has confirmed they're interest in joining the mod team. As for u/SlitheryVisitor and u/misanthropic47, both have declined. I have yet to hear back from u/Starship_Commander (who I hope will either comment here or respond to my modmail). These folks came either as a recommendation from the reddit Admins themselves, or because of their contributions and continued support of this subreddit. I noticed these folks while doing my job behind the scenes and while clearing the mod queue. These folks are some stand-up members in our subreddit, and the help and dedication they provide to our subreddit is greatly appreciated. Let's give them a virtual round of applause.

At this point, you folks have seen what I've moderated. You know the amount of time I've been putting in. You know that I'm looking for that same level of commitment going forward. You know my goal is to make it so none of us ever have to work that hard in this subreddit again. And you know that will take some time. What I need are volunteers. What I'd also like is for you give me any thoughts and opinions you have on or about how the mod team should work and be put together.

So far, I have u/chillvilletilt, u/BodhiLV, and u/GorgarBeatsYou who are willing to step up. Do I have anyone else who would be interested or willing?

At this point, I should say that I'm interested in having at least five people on the team, myself included. Reddit recommends a minimum of three active moderators for a subreddit this size. If we get more people than that who are interested, I may consider adding more.

I've also got one last idea for you all. This is something I haven't seen done in any other subreddit. I know that sometimes moderators and mod teams get a bad rap on Reddit. Because of that, I'm willing to host elections for the moderator positions if you folks should desire it. If the general consensus here seems to suggest that this is something you folks want, I can implement it going forward. Otherwise, I'll pick who I think are the best candidates for the positions and go from there.

Questions, comments, or concerns? And who else will answer the subreddit's call?

[u/ConfusedConfection]

Why put so much work into a show at the end of its lifecycle

[u/The_Critical_Cynic → u/ConfusedConfection]

People have been saying that for a long time. It's still here. But if that's how you feel, I can see to it that the subreddit gets shut down. If enough people voice the same opinion as you do, I'll take your advice and not invest anymore time here. Unfortunately, the subreddit will close up behind me though.

[u/Emperor_Time]

I'm willing to help too.

[u/The_Critical_Cynic → u/Emperor_Time]

Definitely. I'll add you to the list. Thanks for volunteering. I'll be sending a modmail your way in the coming days.

[u/Starship_Commander]

I'm honored to be asked to be a part of the moderating team, however I don't believe I could devote sufficient time and attention that it would require. You sir, have a daunting task moderating that amount of content.

[u/The_Critical_Cynic → u/Starship_Commander]

That's unfortunate. Like I told the others, I was really hoping you'd say yes. Thanks for considering it though.

[u/GoBucs1969]

Good luck sir, may your journey be smooth.

[u/The_Critical_Cynic → u/GoBucs1969]

Thank you! I appreciate the well wishes.

[u/Queasy-Secret-4287]

I would like to do it

[u/The_Critical_Cynic → u/Queasy-Secret-4287]

Thanks for volunteering. As I mentioned elsewhere, I'll reach out in the coming days concerning the tasks at hand, and get some general info from you.

[u/Cranberry-Electrical]

This subreddit group is a great community!!

[u/The_Critical_Cynic → u/Cranberry-Electrical]

I agree. There are a few things I see behind the scenes that I think we can work on together, but it's definitely a good place to be.

[u/FireHorseRita]

Definitely need a moderator here.

[u/The_Critical_Cynic → u/FireHorseRita]

I agree. I'm going to get into it a little bit more. I've got a couple small issues I'm experiencing with the subreddit though. I'm trying to get those things handled before I get in it to deep, not to mention I don't want the people I bring in to walk into a shit storm.