# Has this message board ever been so short of moderators before? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 30, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206 "2019-11-30T21:30:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/21 "2019-12-01T06:08:44Z")
The more moderators, the better. That makes it easy to deal with spammers, the obvious posts in the wrong forum, closing duplicate posts. as well as merging duplicate posts. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/22 "2019-12-01T06:31:04Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > When we first started having a message board there were two of us. It stayed at two for a long time, though the faces changed. IIRC we had a grand total of three when we left AOL. And at least one who only hosted chats. I still have my mug somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/23 "2019-12-01T18:38:00Z")
Having noticed the call for mod applications, I’ve thought about it. Problem is: I have no issues with “technical” stuff like wishing spammers to the cornfield, fixing links, thread titles, etc. But I don’t really want to get into the more personal stuff. Issuing warnings and dealing with all that. Other people might want to help with mod working while choosing different categories they prefer to assist in. If there were recognized distinctions among “real” mods and [del]junior[/del] secondary mods there might be more volunteers to help out. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/24 "2019-12-01T21:05:07Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Having noticed the call for mod applications, I’ve thought about it. > > Problem is: > > I have no issues with “technical” stuff like wishing spammers to the cornfield, fixing links, thread titles, etc. > > But I don’t really want to get into the more personal stuff. Issuing warnings and dealing with all that. > > Other people might want to help with mod working while choosing different categories they prefer to assist in. > > If there were recognized distinctions among “real” mods and [del]junior[/del] secondary mods there might be more volunteers to help out. That’s a really great idea. “Fire marshals” rather than mods. They could be a separate user group that had normal poster powers but during spampocalypse they get given ban powers. Or they could always have the power to move other posters into a “spammer” user group that has no privileges. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/25 "2019-12-01T21:14:10Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > That’s a really great idea. “Fire marshals” rather than mods. They could be a separate user group that had normal poster powers but during spampocalypse they get given ban powers. Or they could always have the power to move other posters into a “spammer” user group that has no privileges. This is a good idea! ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/26 "2019-12-02T04:30:32Z")
Are spam posts such big a problem now? At the time when I was a mod, eight or nine years ago, ir seemed like the anti-spam bots were working pretty well. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/27 "2019-12-02T11:31:48Z")
It goes in waves. Sometimes we get hammered - mostly these days by people doing it personally from spam farms elsewhere (so no bots) - and other times it’s pretty minimal. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/28 "2019-12-02T15:06:15Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I have no issues with “technical” stuff like wishing spammers to the cornfield, fixing links, thread titles, etc. > > But I don’t really want to get into the more personal stuff. Issuing warnings and dealing with all that. > > Other people might want to help with mod working while choosing different categories they prefer to assist in. > > If there were recognized distinctions among “real” mods and [del]junior[/del] secondary mods there might be more volunteers to help out. This suggestion has been made, but has been considered to be impractical. For one thing, we would get more complaints of the nature “a mod posted in the thread but did nothing about the insult two posts above” (even if we gave them different titles). Although we had a recent incident of a particularly industrious spammer, spam these days is much lower than it used to be. A few years ago we had a couple of streaming spammers who would create dozens of new names every single day. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/29 "2019-12-03T00:38:49Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > We’re working on it. > > Hey, try applying. Who knows what could happen. How do you apply? If a call was sent out, how come I never saw it? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/30 "2019-12-03T00:42:18Z")
There was a sticky up on the top of the Board for a while. I think you can apply by PM’ing one of the mods and letting them know you are interested. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/31 "2019-12-03T00:43:22Z")
Um, just look up a little on the Main Page. See that all caps “The SDMB wants you!” above the forum list? Click there. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/32 "2019-12-06T03:57:18Z")
Has any moderator stepped down as a mod but remained as an active poster? I’ve been around here since 2004 and I think there’s a few from around the pay to post era but recently it seems like when a mod resigns, they also leave the SDMB as a poster. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/33 "2019-12-06T05:07:18Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Has any moderator stepped down as a mod but remained as an active poster? I’ve been around here since 2004 and I think there’s a few from around the pay to post era but recently it seems like when a mod resigns, they also leave the SDMB as a poster. Former mods who are currently active posters include **bibliophage, Ukulele Ike, Czarcasm, MEBuckner, IvoryTowerDenizen,** and **Spectre of Pithecanthropus.** Others aren’t very active but have posted within the last year, including **twickster, Giraffe, Eutychus, Coldfire, JillGat, Hal Briston** , and **Gukumatz.** **Chronos** was a moderator in the early days of the board, stepped down and continued as a regular poster for many years, and then became a moderator again. Quite a few other moderators continued as posters for some time after stepping down as a mod. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/34 "2019-12-06T15:00:37Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > Jonathan chance and tomndebb are both listed as GD mods. It do you mean the only one that is only a GD mod? RE Gaudere: I read the chart wrong (it’s organized by mod, not by forum), but still, why is she considered a mod if no activity for a year? Mod Emeritus? Honorary? ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206/35 "2019-12-07T18:42:30Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > You can’t join up just to get a mug. [Oh](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oabcM9SOF-E) ☹ Thought about it, but figured I’d be way too oppressively vitupurative and gleefully banhammery, “with the schadenfraude”, as they say. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-message-board-ever-been-so-short-of-moderators-before/844206.md?page=1)