Seriously, it seems like such a thankless job.
Also, how many hours a day do you spend on this website?
Yes it is.
This thread is closed.
I find that it’s even more work, and even more thankless, to be a junior mod.
The thing that amazes me is that some of them have been doing it for years.
How is that humanly possible?
There’s your answer right there.
Warning! Warning! Danger, Will Robinson!
No, seriously now, as one of the first on the scene, it just seemed to be something that came upon me.
I loved the Straight Dope books. I always thought how cool it would be to have someone like Cecil as a friend, how fabulous that would be to hang out with people smart and witty and sharp.
I was on my way to cancel my AOL subscription when I saw “The Straight Dope on AOL” on the welcome screen. Instead of leaving I ran over to the SD as fast as I could. The various departments were not in place yet but the chatroom was open and functional and so there were people coming in and sitting and waiting for something to happen. We sat in the chat room and talked to one another for hours on end. (Former mod/SDSAB member Jillgat was another of those early people as well.)
Ed asked for volunteers to host chat out of that group and I was chosen.
A week later I was not only hosting chat but supervising other chat hosts.
(It should be noted that I’ve always been one of those persons who ends up being responsible for getting things done; every group I’ve ever been involved with eventually I wound up being an officer, a board member, an administrator, whatever. Just my nature.)
When the message board got started a little later, I was asked to help adminster them.
As the site grew I took on other duties to assist Ed. Lather, rinse, repeat . . . and here we are, almost ten years later.
The Doper that coined the phrase “addictive as caramel-covered crack” wasn’t kidding. I’ve worked at the Dope through all the other events of my life, good and bad, it’s a meaningful part of my life and I still appreciate being here.
Mostly it’s an honor and a privilege to be here working on your behalf. I’m still a foot soldier in the fight against ignorance, which I think is important, as the dullards do seem to be gaining on us. Some of the greatest people in the world play here and it also pleases me to be amongst them and to help them as needed. I’m a big believer in the community built here over this time; y’all make it most special.
Between the other work I do on the site and board stuff I spend . . . too much time here. It could be a full time job if I had enough hours in the day, literally, there’s that much growth and that much to do. I do what I can.
Instead of having one cool friend like Cecil in my life, I have a bunch of incredibly cool folks to hang with, it’s quite a deal. I feel quite blessed.
TubaDiva
Just happy to be here . . . even when I’m not.
sniff {{{{{{{ Tuba!!! }}}}}}} sniff
Only one word for Tuba’s post.
Disarming.
We may heap imprecations upon their heads at times, question their legitimacy, their judgment, their very sanity, but it has to be admitted - they run a damn fine board when all’s said and done!
It was love at first sight 
I loved this place ever since I first stepped into it by mistake.
The people of this community make it worthwhile, and I’m honoured to be a part of this place. It’s always been fun, and it still is. I guess if it ever stops being fun, I’ll step down as mod.
The only problem with being mod is that it leaves me much less time to post, because it does take significant time and effort, which earlier used to be devoted to just posting as a member, but is now shared with tasks as mod.
Here’s a snippet from my mod application (June, 2003):
-
Were you familiar with the Straight Dope before finding us online?
If so, how did you know about us?
A. No. N/A. -
What Straight Dope books (if any) have you read?
A. I haven’t read any yet, but I will someday own every book, mug and
t-shirt offered on the Straight Dope website (by every I mean one of
each ). I have, however, read almost all of Cecil’s columns and the
Staff Reports. -
Why do you want to be a volunteer at The Straight Dope? Why do you
think you would be good at it?
A. I have spent an insane amount of time on the boards. It is my home
on the Internet. Over the years the SDMB has given me access to
the greatest and wittiest minds on the planet. Also, some of the
nicest. There are many boards that answer people’s questions, there are
many boards that have great, witty minds, but the sense of community on
the SDMB is unparalleled. I have grown to love it and live it.
My desire to assist in the moderation of the boards is driven by the
following factors:
-
The burden on moderators, as I perceive it, has increased of late -
this is my primary motivation. I would like to assist in any way that I
can to reduce that burden, even if it means stepping in for a bit. I
would gladly step down if it is found that the board has stabilized and
no longer needs my services in the capacity of a moderator. -
There has been a rise in troll population.
-
There has been a somewhat steady increase in the number of threads
started in the wrong forum, despite repeated requests, sticky notes,
even bolding of forum descriptions. -
There are often times when I see threads in wrong forums,
misinformed newbies, posts that do not adhere to forum descriptions,
and troll infestations. A lot of times, I see these threads before the
mods get to them. However, there’s no denying that the mods do a
commendable job to keep the place in order.
My belief that I would meet, and exceed, your requirements stems from
the following facts:
-
I am well versed with the ways of the SDMB. I’ve risen from the
ranks, so to speak. My first thread was promptly closed :). This was
before I was completely aware of the rules that govern the board. I
have since been a positive contributor to the boards, and have learnt
the nuances that are part of the SDMB community. I know the smells,
sights and sounds of the innermost alleys. -
My posts have always been consistent, both in quality and in tone. I
have never been flamed, pitted, been part of a heated discussion, or
otherwise contravened the rules of the board (apart from my very first
post), neither have I flamed even the most misguided of posters. -
My replies in GQ have always been precise, informative and well
researched. A random sampling of my posts, available through a search
from my profile, will back this up. -
As I live in Bombay, India (+0530 hours GMT), I have the practical
advantage of being up while the US and Europe are asleep. This allows
me to complement our already extremely prompt moderators. I could even
be the SDMB Night Watchman™. -
I have set up, administered and moderated message boards in the
past. I have knowledge of scripts, modifications, and configurations of
various message board software (including vBulletin). In short, given
the permission (and with the consent of the authorities) I can run some
backstage maintenance and optimization tasks if required. -
I have been Prefect at high school (and have headed various
organizations and committees), and am cognizant of the conduct expected
of a person of authority, and the ways in which to diffuse heated
tempers, handle misunderstanding between members, and prevent
escalation of misconduct among members, while staying fair to all
involved and to the authority that I represent. I respect the
responsibilities that come with the post and hope to serve the Chicago
Reader, the SDMB, and its members in all earnest.
As stated in my previous email, I would ideally like to moderate the GQ
forum, but would volunteer for IMHO and MPSIMS as well. The Pit, GD and
other forums would be out of my league.
Thank you for your time. I do hope to hear from you soon.
I’ve been at it ever since
I’m in it for the abuse. Oh, and the bucks. (One out of two ain’t bad.)
I applied because I wanted the opportunity to give something back to the SDMB, which has given me so much.
I made it clear in my application that I would not make a good Pit moderator. Oddly enough, TubaDiva agreed with me.
As much time as you spend there, you might as well make yourself useful.
Veb recruited me, actually. I was very, very surprised when I got her email. My first thought, when I saw who the sender was, was that I had gotten warned, although I couldn’t think of anything I had done that was particularly bad. I had never thought of myself as a particularly noticeable poster (toilet dares and inappropriate remarks to 13 year-old girls aside) and wouldn’t have expected anyone to read my posts and think “now there’s a guy who should be in charge” in any case. So it was a shock, to say the least.
Once I got used to the idea, though, it seemed like an interesting thing to do, so I decided to give it a try. I’ve gotten a lot out of the boards over the years and liked the idea of helping keep things running smoothly. The Pit was by far my first choice, and I’m really glad they gave it to me.
It’s been fun so far. If it ever stops being fun or I don’t feel like I’m doing a good job, I’ll step down. Or go out in a hail of virtual gunfire, either way.
I do if for the fame, adulation and riches.
Still waiting, though the mug’s pretty spiffy, as mugs go.
Slightly more seriously, I do it because I get a lot of fun and mental stimulation from this place. The posters here are a curious bunch, and I mean that as a very high compliment: Dopers come up with some of the damnedest information, not to mention questions that wouldn’t ever occur to me. Looking back, Dopers have piqued my interest in a genuinely amazing array of things, from science fiction to MP3s, gun legislation to…just about everything. As maddening as some discussions can be, some have changed my mind.
Dopers are also a hilarious, articulate, witty bunch. I’m in awe of how flat-out smart so many are, and a lot of 'em crack me right the hell up.
Time? It varies. I read at random during the day, as work allows. (I nearly always eat lunch at my desk, and the Dope is my downtime reading.) I usually put in at least an hour+ per evening, but that varies as I tend to have a fair number of night meetings. Weekends are when I can really have fun and post some, besides the mod-reading stuff.
The fun still outweighs the hassles. I’ll retire when it doesn’t. But so far, so good.
And that Giraffe thing? A momentary lapse.
I’m sure most of the rest actually do it because of all the groupies.
except for the ones that prefer the goat
And now you’re stuck with me!
Haw haw haw!
Interesting thread.
I just wanted to add that I am grateful for all that the mods and admins do around here.
Thanks for giving me a place to play in cyberspace.
So that’s what a giraffe sounds like? I thought only asses brayed. :dubious:
Hey, did somebody change the title of this thread?
“Choose wisely,” I heard the mystical, mysterious old man croak at the evil Nazi-type dude. The Nazi’s greedy eyes opened wide when his partner, the guy in the funny hat, handed him a golden chalice.
“I shall live forever!” he cried. He didn’t. I think there might have been irony involved; not sure, though.
Then, it was the archaeologist’s turn. He silently stroked his whip.
“Choose wisely,” the armored nursing home patient advised again. He eyed the whip. “And stop that.”
The guy with the funny hat mumbled something about a carpenter and chose a wooden cup. He filled it in a conveniently-located fountain and took a sip. “My genital warts, gone!” he exclaimed. And then, “Gotta go save [del]Sean[/del] Dad.” He rushed off.
The old man watched him go and yelled out, “Don’t cross the seal!” He then mumbled, “Stupid magical seal. Swims in from the ocean, juggles some balls and toots an enchanted horn or two and then, Abraca-fuckin’-dabra, I’m stuck in this place for all eternity. Just because I wouldn’t share my fishsticks–”
“Er, hello,” I said, stepping out from the shadows.
The old man turned to me. “Too late, the cup’s gone. Some wanker in a hat grabbed it.”
“Nah, no biggie. Didn’t want that cup, anyway. Eternal youth and health? Who needs that? I’ll never get my senior discount if I’m never senior.”
He eyed me suspiciously. “What do you want, then?”
“A cup.”
“No good. All the others will turn you to ash. Really, it’s in the script–you should know this.”
“Well, yeah, but I wanna try.”
He stared at me, arms crossed. “Not too bright, eh? Fine. Choose.”
“What, wisely?”
“For you? No.”
I shrugged and went over to the massive display of cups, steins, glasses, mugs and canteens. “Ooh, very pretty,” I said. “What’s this one do?”
“Turns you to ash.”
“And this one?”
“Turns you to ash.”
“Oh, hey, how about this one? It has ‘Necromonican’ written on it. What’s it do?”
“Turns you to Ash. Plus, you’ll get a boomstick.”
“Cool.”
Finally, I picked one up. “This one,” I said. “I like this one.”
The old knight paled. “No! That’s e-v-i-l! Look at the inscription, it’s Latin for ‘EVIL’.”
“What, Staff? Isn’t ‘evil’ in Latin * pravus* or malum?”
“No, those just cover the lower-case letters. EVIL is Staff.”
“Fine.” And I drank.
And then I turned into Giraffe.
Sigh.
TubaDiva talked me into it.
She hates being the only staff member who can play the tuba.
Also, walking into the 2003 NYC Dopefest along with Manhattan, Alphagene, DrMatrix, and Cajun Man and receiving a standing ovation was major cool.