Should moderators be able to hide their online status?

[natty dread]

Mods are people too.

[Blitzaholic]

Absolutely. There should always be a moderator in disguise, or at least the threat of one. Those who do not break the rules should not have to suffer the tiny miniscule minority that cannot follow them.

good point Fitzy.

[VampireM]

i just had a few things to add, i know this may be considered off topic but i still feels it fits in the thread..

to mg: when ed said "emergency" i figured it was to be taken as a CC emergency not compared to any RL life one..

you have to admit that the mods that dont hide there online status deserve props since currently most mods are.. sherkaner, LV, andy, Tupence just to name a couple are some of the mods that i respect greatly for not hiding their status..

[lord voldemort]

Absolutely. There should always be a moderator in disguise, or at least the threat of one. Those who do not break the rules should not have to suffer the tiny miniscule minority that cannot follow them.

good point Fitzy.

i think with the time zones there is not rarely a time when there isnt a mod online hidden or not...
myself king a and samc812 are all on almost all day in our time zones...when you guys arent always around...
then at other times andy and every other of the 50 + mods are around...

and eddie

tournys now set up so you dont have to pm mods for privs and medals

what suggestion is so urgent it needs a mod there right away?

us hunters like you said pretty much do stuff on here non stop and we rarely fall behind

i actually can only recall one ever problem with clans...and it was something that admin had to handle anyway.....and it was more of an inconvienence than an emergency (the mass inviting to the feudal group)

with 50+ mods in every time zone any real emergency will be handled quickly..ie the site epic failing....massive spamming of forums.
and like i said im fairly confident there are mods around that can deal with that even if it isnt in their department.

[Ace Rimmer]

Mods are people too.

negative, I am a meat popsicle

[Bones2484]

You know what might help with some of the misconceptions here?

If some of the [new] Mods would stop acting like they have "global" powers. Maybe then some of these people would stop thinking they can do everything (ie: lock threads, ban users, etc) and realize very few actually can.

[clapper011]

i just had a few things to add, i know this may be considered off topic but i still feels it fits in the thread..

to mg: when ed said "emergency" i figured it was to be taken as a CC emergency not compared to any RL life one..

you have to admit that the mods that dont hide there online status deserve props since currently most mods are.. sherkaner, LV, andy, Tupence just to name a couple are some of the mods that i respect greatly for not hiding their status..

so because I hide my status (even though I answer any and all pms i receive) you don't have "respect" for me lol just because a mod appears offline does not mean that they are not. If a mod shows online and you need them would you not just pm them anyway?.. Then why not just pm that person even if they are not online?
oh and eddy... A mod does NOT need to appear online to help... I am online most times and I am always quick to answer questions. Just because I appear offline does not mean i am not here to help as I am ALWAYS here to help.

clappy

[thegreekdog]

You know what might help with some of the misconceptions here?

If some of the [new] Mods would stop acting like they have "global" powers. Maybe then some of these people would stop thinking they can do everything (ie: lock threads, ban users, etc) and realize very few actually can.

Ah, global powers. My only power is telekinesis, but I wouldn't call that a global power.

[obliterationX]

Ideally, mods/volunteers should be readily available, and the CC community should be able to know if they are online, or not. But due to the large amount of coloured names on this site currently, I see no trouble in those volunteers who desire being hidden, from going about their modship privately.

[PLAYER57832]

I would like to see a third option:

Namely "office hours".
I don't know what requirements are, but with 54 mods, it should be possible to have at least "peak" times covered. Also, I think there should be a way for any mod to contact one of the admins, in emergencies. (that last may already be in place?) The times its needed might be very few, but when it is... it is NEEDED QUICKLY!


As per "emergencies", there were a few I encountered in the 2 1/2 years I have played here.
Probably the most serious was one person posting another's personnal information.
Other issues included somebody posting about 50 threads (NOT the "logic dictates" or anything the least bit funny, this was purely obnoxiousness), someone who posted what seemed to be a very innocent thread and then POOF, you got blasted with a hard porn picture. (emergency because some kids do come here) Another had a, not sure if "virus" was technically correct, but a link that caused anybody who clicked on it problems (I cannot remember if it was just a very, very looong download or what it was).

We have also had cases of people being more than just your "run of the mill" racist, people who voice seemingly real threats, etc. (one person went into everybody's games and posted insults about another player).


The "set" times could be scheduled regularly OR, what might work better in this case is to just require that people make themselves "visible" for any hour during the week. (exceptions perhaps for cartographers, other specialists).

[thegreekdog]

Okay, I'm going to throw a hypothetical out there.

Let's say I have an emergency that needs a moderator. And that moderator needs to be available right that instant. I can probably do a variety of things to get a moderator's attention. Speaking only for myself, I would pm a bunch of moderators related to whatever issue I'm having. For example, if it's an issue with the fora, I would pm all of the forum/discussion moderators. I can do this whether or not the moderators are online, offline, or online and hidden. Then those moderators who receive my message can address me as they see fit.

So, perhaps the issue is not that the moderators are online and hidden. Perhaps the issue is that the moderators are not addressing emergency situations in a timely enough fashion for some users. Would this be a better way to frame the issue?

[AndyDufresne]

I would like to see a third option:

Namely "office hours".
I don't know what requirements are, but with 54 mods, it should be possible to have at least "peak" times covered. Also, I think there should be a way for any mod to contact one of the admins, in emergencies. (that last may already be in place?) The times its needed might be very few, but when it is... it is NEEDED QUICKLY!

Ways to contact the Webmaster and Admins are in place, and known by the Team. And have been in place for quite a while. Admins do have office hours, mine are usually in the morning of the USA. Lackattack is often on during mornings and early afternoons. But I don't think we need to require our wonderful, helpful, and eager volunteers to have office hours too.

As per "emergencies", there were a few I encountered in the 2 1/2 years I have played here.
Probably the most serious was one person posting another's personnal information.
Other issues included somebody posting about 50 threads (NOT the "logic dictates" or anything the least bit funny, this was purely obnoxiousness), someone who posted what seemed to be a very innocent thread and then POOF, you got blasted with a hard porn picture. (emergency because some kids do come here) Another had a, not sure if "virus" was technically correct, but a link that caused anybody who clicked on it problems (I cannot remember if it was just a very, very looong download or what it was).

All of the emergencies, real or otherwise we have had, have all been attended to within half a day. And for the extreme cases, hardly more than 24-48 hours. If the site shuts down for a couple of days in the future, then we may have a problem. But our downtime has been quite minimal on Conquer Club (especially ever since some recent server upgrades, and one update planned to decrease server load even more). As for other cases, so far everything has been dealt with quickly. And really, we are lucky at Conquer Club to have to deal with few "emergencies."

But just to reiterate, we want our Volunteers to have fun and participate in the Community, and by extension help the Community maintain and grow. Things that work against notion, we're not so fond of.


--Andy

[natty dread]

"global" powers.

[Scott-Land]

For those that didn't get a chance to read my post in Sugs.... yes they should be able to hide their online status and yes we should be able to also put them on ignore with the exceptions of admins ! Players first and all that jive.

[ljex]

For those that didn't get a chance to read my post in Sugs.... yes they should be able to hide their online status and yes we should be able to also put them on ignore with the exceptions of admins ! Players first and all that jive.

you can put moderators on ignore now just so you know

[Denise]

Mods are people too.

negative, I am a meat popsicle

I love that movie! One of my favorites.

[Scott-Land]

For those that didn't get a chance to read my post in Sugs.... yes they should be able to hide their online status and yes we should be able to also put them on ignore with the exceptions of admins ! Players first and all that jive.

you can put moderators on ignore now just so you know

Really ? Sweet...... Thx.

[VampireM]

i just had a few things to add, i know this may be considered off topic but i still feels it fits in the thread..

to mg: when ed said "emergency" i figured it was to be taken as a CC emergency not compared to any RL life one..

you have to admit that the mods that dont hide there online status deserve props since currently most mods are.. sherkaner, LV, andy, Tupence just to name a couple are some of the mods that i respect greatly for not hiding their status..

so because I hide my status (even though I answer any and all pms i receive) you don't have "respect" for me lol just because a mod appears offline does not mean that they are not. If a mod shows online and you need them would you not just pm them anyway?.. Then why not just pm that person even if they are not online?
oh and eddy... A mod does NOT need to appear online to help... I am online most times and I am always quick to answer questions. Just because I appear offline does not mean i am not here to help as I am ALWAYS here to help.

clappy

oh common clappy i did not say "i only respect the mods that dont hide there online status".. and if it came off that way im sorry.. the mods on this site do there job, and do it efficiently.. but it would brighten so many players days just to see ur online status.. my post was just about giving the extra prop to the guys that must be hit with pm's all the time, and probably more seeing as people may message them since they can see that they are online... no disrespect meant before

[clapper011]

thats fine.. i am just trying to state that it means nothing that someone hides their status really.. at least to me it doesn't as pm is still a good tool whether the moderator or anyone else for that matter are there .. generally most would answer their pms anyway... I know I always do..

[PLAYER57832]

[

Okay, I'm going to throw a hypothetical out there.

Let's say I have an emergency that needs a moderator. And that moderator needs to be available right that instant. I can probably do a variety of things to get a moderator's attention. Speaking only for myself, I would pm a bunch of moderators related to whatever issue I'm having. For example, if it's an issue with the fora, I would pm all of the forum/discussion moderators. I can do this whether or not the moderators are online, offline, or online and hidden. Then those moderators who receive my message can address me as they see fit.

This is what I have done the handful of times I had a real situation. Usually, I pm'd either whoever was on line or.. Andy/Twill

So, perhaps the issue is not that the moderators are online and hidden. Perhaps the issue is that the moderators are not addressing emergency situations in a timely enough fashion for some users. Would this be a better way to frame the issue?

I think that is the issue, for those who began this "quest", though I have been quite pleased with the speed of the response the very few times speed was important.

I would like to see a third option:

Namely "office hours".
I don't know what requirements are, but with 54 mods, it should be possible to have at least "peak" times covered. Also, I think there should be a way for any mod to contact one of the admins, in emergencies. (that last may already be in place?) The times its needed might be very few, but when it is... it is NEEDED QUICKLY!

Ways to contact the Webmaster and Admins are in place, and known by the Team. And have been in place for quite a while.

Good enough. I suspected, but did not really know for sure.

Admins do have office hours, mine are usually in the morning of the USA. Lackattack is often on during mornings and early afternoons. But I don't think we need to require our wonderful, helpful, and eager volunteers to have office hours too.

I guess I was thinking that you had certain hour requirements already and this would just mean that a portion (and only a portion) of that time might be "visible". I actually saw it as a way to cut down on some pm traffic. Basically, as greekdog said, if I really wanted to get a response NOW, I probably would pm everyone I could find (think I did at least once). If there were known hours, then people might be less likely to do that.

As per "emergencies", there were a few I encountered in the 2 1/2 years I have played here.
Probably the most serious was one person posting another's personnal information.
Other issues included somebody posting about 50 threads (NOT the "logic dictates" or anything the least bit funny, this was purely obnoxiousness), someone who posted what seemed to be a very innocent thread and then POOF, you got blasted with a hard porn picture. (emergency because some kids do come here) Another had a, not sure if "virus" was technically correct, but a link that caused anybody who clicked on it problems (I cannot remember if it was just a very, very looong download or what it was).

All of the emergencies, real or otherwise we have had, have all been attended to within half a day. And for the extreme cases, hardly more than 24-48 hours.

I would not consider things that can wait 24 hours to be emergencies. That said, I think each of the situations I mentioned was fixed within an hour. That is pretty reasonable, as long as there is some way to really and truly "pull the plug"/get lack on the phone if anything really big every happened. (I don't even want to speculate on details.. but, things can happen!) Sounds like that is the case already.

If the site shuts down for a couple of days in the future, then we may have a problem.

I think shutting down would pretty effectively fix any CC issues. If you refer to stuff thats "real life"... well, that's not something mods would necessarily be able to deal with anyway. I mean, they might try, but ...

But just to reiterate, we want our Volunteers to have fun and participate in the Community, and by extension help the Community maintain and grow. Things that work against notion, we're not so fond of.

I agree.

My thinking was just that sometimes organizing things can channel complaints. But, well, some people are going to be unhappy regardless.

[Scott-Land]

I mean honestly-- is there a need for instant communication with a mod ? Be fortunate that you whiney asses can have direct communication with mods at all, if I were admin I'd streamline all communication via e-ticket to dispute gaming problems/issues. Mods shouldn't have to respond at all by pms unless on a personal level- sounds like they're babysitters to a bunch of little kids. Correspondence should be handled through e-mail or e-tickets on all gaming aspects although some type of help desk in Chat for the new players could prove helpful.

[mgconstruction]

Ok so the point dumping happened... What was the emergency?

emergency
A serious situation or occurrence that happens unexpectedly and demands immediate action.

In the Kid A case, he got punished for it, and the people that abused the situation will most likely get punished too.

The report for Kid A was made at 12:51 am. It was solved at 1:17 am. It was less than half an hour.. just how much faster can things really get done?

Ed this is not directed at you, just using your quote

Anyone calling anything on here an Emergency needs a reality check.

It's a Fing game people!

The only thing on this site that could remotely be called an emergency is if the site was hacked & all our personal info (credit card#s etc) were stolen.

Other than that, get the F over it & quit crying about who got what or points being cheated etc.

Mg. thank you for your input into the discussion. Please keep the comments on opinions only about the topic on the poll. If things get out of a hand again, then this will be locked and then we will never know what the forum-active community thinks of the matter. Your comments could be considered a flame, and or bait. So please, lets keep it classy guys

Um, how is this not on topic? My reply is a direct response to the topic at hand. Some think Mods should not be able to hide in case of emergency. One example of an emergency stated was in the case of someone dumping points. I pointed out that its hardly an emergency. Furthermore, I did not direct my comments at any one person. I just stated my opinion in general on the whole of what we consider an emergency issue. So how you could even remotely take that as a flame or baiting is just plain......<thinking of a non flaming clean word>....silly.

Good day.

[army of nobunaga]

a job is a job. With responsibilities. Is it a free job? yep. Did they take it? yep. Are there responsibilities? Yep.

MEn are different than other men. Mods are different from other mods. Some log on to play AND do their job and dont hide. Some log on to play and look important and hide.

You finds wimps and pretenders in every walk of life.

Why do some mods here always show themselves online yet you never see others? Its a character thing. Should any of us be surprised? No

The nice thing about this is that this is jsut a microcosm of how people are in real life. Some will make it further than others... some will always be chumps. people usually get what they deserve... Im done with this as my 2 polls were closed because the mods didne "like" the way aI worded my polls.


chumps.

gl in life, online you lost.

[TheForgivenOne]

I still think that if WE, as the mods, aren't allowed to hide our Online Status, then the COMMUNITY, shouldn't be able to.

[clapper011]

AND a TROLL is a troll is a troll.. Think you get the idea... hiding one's status means absolutely SQUAT where doing ones job is concerned. And says not a thing about a person just because they don't have the system set to show their name at the bottom of the main page screen. GOOD day.


MISS Clappy