Why would anyone actually want to be a Reddit moderator?

To the enlightened and esteemed supermoderator... on behalf of all the misguided and unruly forum members, I ask that you spare them your wrath. While entirely justified, they simply don't realize what they've done yet. They are young; they will learn.

Regarding Veleštovan, I implore you not to direct your indignation toward them; they are nothing more than dust beneath your feet 🙏

Some forum users just don't get it... this is how you show respect to the supermoderators, and even we aren't allowed to address the Admins 😱 directly.
The last time I tried that, Tyndall 🙏🙏🙏 basically sent a swarm of locusts into my garden and turned my tap water into blood... I've definitely learned my lesson. 🙏🙏🙏

Good grief... you are impersonating someone.
I am honestly not sure if I can protect you from His wrath this time around, and frankly, I have no desire to try anymore.
This INFIDEL is beyond saving.
Pour the sulfur upon him; administer a fitting punishment, Admin 🙏 🙏 🙏

aaaaaaa, you're at the firm with Admin 🙏 🙏 🙏... but when I really think about it, I'm on a first-name basis with your director 😛 so... 😁

John Palmer4 said:My colleagues are totally off base when it comes to salaries and the Prime Minister's policies. They just don't have the full picture because they aren't operating at a high enough level yet 🥳

This caught me off guard, too.

A supermoderator!?

I gotta admit, my ego just took a little boost... now that I've finally dragged the truth out into the light.
😉

I honestly had no idea something like that even existed... though I figured there had to be someone operating at a "higher level of responsibility" (professionally speaking) actually managing how the whole system runs.

So, does any kind of reward or incentive system exist for volunteer moderators?
What am I getting at here?
Most mods basically just deal with keeping the subreddits clean.
Some are better at it than others.
But beyond just housekeeping, there's a mountain of potential initiatives (personally, I've got 100,000 ideas) that could make this forum way more engaging.
I remember stumbling upon one such thing on the Religion subreddit once, started by Shadi; it was a debate duel with a set topic that had everything a good duel needs: challengers, defenders of a position, and an audience of spectators to award points and declare a winner... you name it.

As a born spectator myself, I thought that idea was brilliant.
It’s a shame it never really took off, mostly because the mod didn't have much motivation to actually follow through with it.
When I hit him up via PM to ask if anyone was even encouraging him—since he was clearly trying to be creative and add actual value to the sub—he told me flat out that nobody was.
Turns out he wasn't getting paid a dime, he was doing everything as a volunteer, and any attempt he made to improve the sub just fell on deaf ears...

Look, I work in HR and talent development, so if I can offer some advice to those of you receiving the checks: take this stuff into account. Figure out a way to incentivize and reward this kind of effort (organizing something like that is child's play for someone who actually lives for this stuff... believe me on that).
Rewards don't always have to be cash... there are plenty of other "motivational tools" out there...

I think everyone would benefit from it.
Mainly because the quality of the forum would jump to a whole new level.
You'd make it a much more interesting "place" and, naturally, drive up the traffic.

PS.
There's an idea for one of those corporate retreats you guys surely host... at least, I hope you do.
If I were the boss... I'd reward an initiative like that heavily (especially if you could successfully implement it and—God forbid—scale the concept to the other countries where the forum operates).

With a 13th paycheck, an iPod, a 24-hour car service, or a romantic candlelit dinner (with drumming, if you're into that)😍...wtwr

God bless ya.

🙂

Michelle Alvarez8 said:Here on this forum, it really boils down to three types of people.

Group A: friends, family, and the owner's buddies;
Group B: people just hungry for any kind of power—as some users have already pointed out;
Group C: folks who are genuinely interested in the topic they moderate, without any bad intentions or power trips.

There's no way to know the exact numbers for each group, though my gut tells me Group B is the biggest. You'd probably find only a tiny handful of moderators in Group C, while Group A—even if they're likely the smallest—is often the most destructive to the forum overall. Over the years, we've seen all sorts of messes and ridiculous moments, but honestly, I could probably grab a long drink and then boom, shut it down.

Moderators will often joke or imply they're getting paid to moderate, but that's usually just pure irony and trolling. It's pretty funny watching the crowd get worked up over those kinds of comments.
removed offtopic

As for other forums, you see this on some niche sites where they offer different membership tiers. For instance, a "regular" user signs up and gets hit with ads and bots everywhere. A "Bronze" member might pay $5 for three months to clear the ads, and a "Gold" member pays $15 to ditch the ads and unlock a bigger avatar or a signature. On top of that, some moderators and members actually get money sent to their PayPal accounts based on points they earn. They rack up those points by answering questions and helping others. That's how some of the tech forums I've stumbled upon work.

Some fan forums act like a bit of a hybrid. They offer paid memberships for certain cosmetic perks on the site. Even then, you still run into ego trips from moderators, even if things mostly run smoothly. Gamers are generally a chill and open crowd, especially when they're bonded by a love for a specific game or series.

And... I hope that answers your question. 😁

In that specific group 😁—not here, heavens forbid, but somewhere else.

It’s quite amusing how you all decided to ''off-topic'' Michelle Alvarez8 (a former moderator, if my memory serves me right)...🙄🙏

Michelle Alvarez8,
wait, so you used to be a moderator?

What actually went down there... if you don't mind me asking...
Did you just lose interest, or did you get into some kind of beef with someone...!?

How long were you actually running the show?

PS.
I get how a potential candidate gets picked out, but I'm a little lost on what happens once they say yes—like, how do you actually motivate them? And honestly, I have no clue how someone even gets let go... or "retired."

Let’s just say I get the mods—who they are, what they do, why they exist. But what exactly is the role of an Admin? (Capital A, because they occupy those high-level positions handling... whatever it is they do.) 😬

I assume you can't just apply to become an Admin.

Good grief, how much chatting goes on here! 🤣

I actually considered applying for a moderator position because... well, I spend a massive amount of my time on this forum, and I’ve noticed that everything really depends on who the moderator happens to be. You start a great thread, but then it immediately devolves into endless chatter and mockery? A mod can just delete that and the actual discussion continues perfectly. Or someone asks a genuinely good question, but people start tearing them apart? If you step in and take their side, the whole direction of the debate shifts.

All of that holds up as long as you're actually logged in, which is a pretty great way to pass the time, I guess. But once the joy of forum life gets crushed by 15 pending reports waiting to be handled, you cool off pretty fast. That’s probably why mods rotate out so quickly. As long as there are plenty of users with over 1,000 posts, I don't see any reason for the owners to pay for moderators.

If there are 30 moderators, there are at least 300 others dreaming of being one. And there are probably 3,000 more who wouldn't say no if they were offered the job.

Jeremy Davis7 said:This caught me off guard, too.

A supermoderator!?

I gotta admit, my ego just took a little boost... now that I've finally dragged the truth out into the light.
😉

I honestly had no idea something like that even existed... though I figured there had to be someone operating at a "higher level of responsibility" (professionally speaking) actually managing how the whole system runs.

So, does any kind of reward or incentive system exist for volunteer moderators?
What am I getting at here?
Most mods basically just deal with keeping the subreddits clean.
Some are better at it than others.
But beyond just housekeeping, there's a mountain of potential initiatives (personally, I've got 100,000 ideas) that could make this forum way more engaging.
I remember stumbling upon one such thing on the Religion subreddit once, started by Shadi; it was a debate duel with a set topic that had everything a good duel needs: challengers, defenders of a position, and an audience of spectators to award points and declare a winner... you name it.

As a born spectator myself, I thought that idea was brilliant.
It’s a shame it never really took off, mostly because the mod didn't have much motivation to actually follow through with it.
When I hit him up via PM to ask if anyone was even encouraging him—since he was clearly trying to be creative and add actual value to the sub—he told me flat out that nobody was.
Turns out he wasn't getting paid a dime, he was doing everything as a volunteer, and any attempt he made to improve the sub just fell on deaf ears...

Look, I work in HR and talent development, so if I can offer some advice to those of you receiving the checks: take this stuff into account. Figure out a way to incentivize and reward this kind of effort (organizing something like that is child's play for someone who actually lives for this stuff... believe me on that).
Rewards don't always have to be cash... there are plenty of other "motivational tools" out there...

I think everyone would benefit from it.
Mainly because the quality of the forum would jump to a whole new level.
You'd make it a much more interesting "place" and, naturally, drive up the traffic.

PS.
There's an idea for one of those corporate retreats you guys surely host... at least, I hope you do.
If I were the boss... I'd reward an initiative like that heavily (especially if you could successfully implement it and—God forbid—scale the concept to the other countries where the forum operates).

With a 13th paycheck, an iPod, a 24-hour car service, or a romantic candlelit dinner (with drumming, if you're into that)😍...wtwr

God bless ya.

🙂

There is.

It’s being able to run your subforum exactly how you want it to be.

😁

Jeremy Davis7 said:This caught me off guard, too.

A supermoderator!?

I gotta admit, my ego just took a little boost... now that I've finally dragged the truth out into the light.
😉

I honestly had no idea something like that even existed... though I figured there had to be someone operating at a "higher level of responsibility" (professionally speaking) actually managing how the whole system runs.

So, does any kind of reward or incentive system exist for volunteer moderators?
What am I getting at here?
Most mods basically just deal with keeping the subreddits clean.
Some are better at it than others.
But beyond just housekeeping, there's a mountain of potential initiatives (personally, I've got 100,000 ideas) that could make this forum way more engaging.
I remember stumbling upon one such thing on the Religion subreddit once, started by Shadi; it was a debate duel with a set topic that had everything a good duel needs: challengers, defenders of a position, and an audience of spectators to award points and declare a winner... you name it.

As a born spectator myself, I thought that idea was brilliant.
It’s a shame it never really took off, mostly because the mod didn't have much motivation to actually follow through with it.
When I hit him up via PM to ask if anyone was even encouraging him—since he was clearly trying to be creative and add actual value to the sub—he told me flat out that nobody was.
Turns out he wasn't getting paid a dime, he was doing everything as a volunteer, and any attempt he made to improve the sub just fell on deaf ears...

Look, I work in HR and talent development, so if I can offer some advice to those of you receiving the checks: take this stuff into account. Figure out a way to incentivize and reward this kind of effort (organizing something like that is child's play for someone who actually lives for this stuff... believe me on that).
Rewards don't always have to be cash... there are plenty of other "motivational tools" out there...

I think everyone would benefit from it.
Mainly because the quality of the forum would jump to a whole new level.
You'd make it a much more interesting "place" and, naturally, drive up the traffic.

PS.
There's an idea for one of those corporate retreats you guys surely host... at least, I hope you do.
If I were the boss... I'd reward an initiative like that heavily (especially if you could successfully implement it and—God forbid—scale the concept to the other countries where the forum operates).

With a 13th paycheck, an iPod, a 24-hour car service, or a romantic candlelit dinner (with drumming, if you're into that)😍...wtwr

God bless ya.

🙂

That’s why you aren't the boss. The boss is just sitting back enjoying life while we grind away for free, answering the same damn questions for the thirteenth time this year alone. 🙂

Jeremy Davis7 said:This caught me off guard, too.

A supermoderator!?

I gotta admit, my ego just took a little boost... now that I've finally dragged the truth out into the light.
😉

I honestly had no idea something like that even existed... though I figured there had to be someone operating at a "higher level of responsibility" (professionally speaking) actually managing how the whole system runs.

So, does any kind of reward or incentive system exist for volunteer moderators?
What am I getting at here?
Most mods basically just deal with keeping the subreddits clean.
Some are better at it than others.
But beyond just housekeeping, there's a mountain of potential initiatives (personally, I've got 100,000 ideas) that could make this forum way more engaging.
I remember stumbling upon one such thing on the Religion subreddit once, started by Shadi; it was a debate duel with a set topic that had everything a good duel needs: challengers, defenders of a position, and an audience of spectators to award points and declare a winner... you name it.

As a born spectator myself, I thought that idea was brilliant.
It’s a shame it never really took off, mostly because the mod didn't have much motivation to actually follow through with it.
When I hit him up via PM to ask if anyone was even encouraging him—since he was clearly trying to be creative and add actual value to the sub—he told me flat out that nobody was.
Turns out he wasn't getting paid a dime, he was doing everything as a volunteer, and any attempt he made to improve the sub just fell on deaf ears...

Look, I work in HR and talent development, so if I can offer some advice to those of you receiving the checks: take this stuff into account. Figure out a way to incentivize and reward this kind of effort (organizing something like that is child's play for someone who actually lives for this stuff... believe me on that).
Rewards don't always have to be cash... there are plenty of other "motivational tools" out there...

I think everyone would benefit from it.
Mainly because the quality of the forum would jump to a whole new level.
You'd make it a much more interesting "place" and, naturally, drive up the traffic.

PS.
There's an idea for one of those corporate retreats you guys surely host... at least, I hope you do.
If I were the boss... I'd reward an initiative like that heavily (especially if you could successfully implement it and—God forbid—scale the concept to the other countries where the forum operates).

With a 13th paycheck, an iPod, a 24-hour car service, or a romantic candlelit dinner (with drumming, if you're into that)😍...wtwr

God bless ya.

🙂

Get your hands off my husband. 🥳

Betty Myers7 said:Let’s just say I get the mods—who they are, what they do, why they exist. But what exactly is the role of an Admin? (Capital A, because they occupy those high-level positions handling... whatever it is they do.) 😬

I assume you can't just apply to become an Admin.

Hell no, you don't "become" an Admin. They're born that way. They've got some weird purple spot on the top of their skulls or something; that's how you spot them.

Richard Perez3 said:Hell no, you don't "become" an Admin. They're born that way. They've got some weird purple spot on the top of their skulls or something; that's how you spot them.

I was actually hoping for a constructive response 🤷

What a waste. 🤷

Seriously, what do you even say to someone claiming "you can't become an admin" 😕 Like, what's the response to that? 🤷

I suppose that’s what I thought. Or are you suggesting it's actually possible?

I don't see regular users running around trying to become an admin; it seems to be limited strictly to the mods.

Betty Myers7 said:Let’s just say I get the mods—who they are, what they do, why they exist. But what exactly is the role of an Admin? (Capital A, because they occupy those high-level positions handling... whatever it is they do.) 😬

I assume you can't just apply to become an Admin.

Good grief...🤣

Betty Myers7 said:I suppose that’s what I thought. Or are you suggesting it's actually possible?

I don't see regular users running around trying to become an admin; it seems to be limited strictly to the mods.

Alright, fine. I’ll try to actually be constructive here, even though I really don't feel like it. 😬

You can't just jump straight to being a General in the Army before you've even finished basic training.

You can't become an admin without first proving yourself as a moderator.

And you can't be a moderator until you've proven yourself as a solid member of the community.

Seriously, please don't make me get all "constructive" over questions like this again. 😁 😁 😁

Richard Perez3 said:What a waste. 🤷

Seriously, what do you even say to someone claiming "you can't become an admin" 😕 Like, what's the response to that? 🤷

Being an admin is clearly a divine gift one is simply born with.😁

Richard Perez3 said:Alright, fine. I’ll try to actually be constructive here, even though I really don't feel like it. 😬

You can't just jump straight to being a General in the Army before you've even finished basic training.

You can't become an admin without first proving yourself as a moderator.

And you can't be a moderator until you've proven yourself as a solid member of the community.

Seriously, please don't make me get all "constructive" over questions like this again. 😁 😁 😁

Well, you shouldn't have anyway—it was way more entertaining this way. 😁

Honestly, he really needed someone to break it to him that the moderators are basically lab-grown specimens, and only the absolute elite models get promoted to admin status. 😬