Oct 09, 2007 02:27 PM
Well, I guess I should start long before that… I joined this board as a gallery leech way back in 2002. Basically right after I had just gotten back into anime from a long hiatus from the 80’s which happened due to the lack of availability of anime to me. Then I discovered Cartoon Network and Cowboy Bebop which started airing in 2001. I was hooked ever since and a good friend of mine (who ran an anime website) showed me this beautiful wallpaper from cowboy bebop…Wait you can have an anime background for your PC!? Yeah baby yeah! So little old me went internet shopping and stumbled across AnimeOnline sometime in late 2002 early 2003. I mainly was a gallery leech, only going out onto the boards once… where someone crushed my little noob butt….firmly keeping me safely in the gallery region as a lecher…anyway, after the big crash in 04’ I decided I wanted to venture back out onto the boards.
I didn’t really know that many people but with the restart I found it much easier to get to know people not to mention just posting on AO without being looked down on as an uber-noobie. I love to debate and sometimes I will take a position contrary to my actual views just to exhaust a subject matter and ensure I am taking a proper stance on the subject. It really helps to consider all sides when you choose to take a stance on something, anyway people like Arrianna and LenMiyata quickly became semi-roll models given their great knowledge and debating skills. Len is a great mod too, never seen him be disrespectful on the boards. He was always like “Grumble, Grumble, Grumble please don’t break the rules, here is a quote from the rules.” Other mods…not so friendly, but to each their own.
As I went along I really didn’t post much as I felt I should be adding quality as apposed to loads of crap. I think it has worked well for me over the years and wished more people took that approach. Anyway, several other things happened over time. Like new owners, various staff removals and many new friends. I think in every member’s mind they would love the honor of becoming a mod but some take that passion too far (thinking they deserve to be a mod just because of tenure or post count). I can’t say I was much different but I just figured it would happen if I showed myself worthy as apposed to demanding it which I might add will ensure you never getting that opportunity. So I worked hard to make sure I didn’t break the rules (never have gotten even a warning thank you), I participated in events to get myself noticed by the mods and tried to just be respectful. Also if you want to be something, buddy up to those who are already in those positions.
Granted that isn’t the easiest thing to do since most mods get hammered with requests of “Hey want to be pals?” So my approach was manly stalking a few of them that seemed nicer and figuring out what they liked, persona attributes, etc… and then joking with them about different things in various posts. It worked with some, not so much with others.
Eventually with the coming and goings of mods several positions opened up. My good friends Kedar, Miroku4444, Sliverskater145 and a few others all got spots…leaving poor little old me out in the dark
lol Anyway, rather than pout about it I just kept being me, working on other boards (much smaller) and getting staff spots there. With small sites you get opened up to a fun side of being a mod. This is because small sites have a core group of members who don’t need to be modded per say. So you find yourself using your powers to host contests, do general maintenance (stick, close, mod threads, etc…), talking in the staff lounges about how to make the site better and some other small tasks…also known as the fun stuff. I, through these smaller sites have held every position there is, Mod, SuperMod, Admin and several other titles for those boards with groups for other things.
I must say that it was all useful and interesting even though I am in no such roll on them anymore, then one day my turn came and I was asked to be staff on AO. With my prior experience I was like cool, easy enough…but man was I naïve.
Being a much bigger site with all kinds of members, AO is a different beast. You find yourself stuck doing the sucker things mods have to do, like:
1) Deal with people who can’t follow the rules or who just won’t follow them.
2) Issue infractions to people you like because they made a mistake.
3) Deal with people who are total jerks and have a god-complex
4) Deal with 50,000 “hey want to be friends”
5) Deal with harassment and squabbles between members who need to grow up
6) Etc…
Don’t get me wrong, I like being a mod but the above REALLY lowers the amount of “fun” AO can be, it is like a total kill-joy, when you come on the board and a group of people seem to just want to be total douche bags. It is just weird because I would have never dreaming of talking back to a mod like some people on here do. And with the smaller sites it isn’t an issue as you are all friends anyway. I just don’t get people like that.
Still there are other cool things about being a mod, you normally have a highly weighted opinion on new things and other changes that come to the board and you have a greater ability to drive change in the areas that you think need them. Overall as mod you are supposed to be a leader and role model. I try to do that, might not always achieve that goal but I do try. Hopefully some one looks up to me the way I did the mods when I was a noob, even if they don’t I will keep trying.
I just wish there was a way to drive AO back to the community atmosphere where people were laid back and cool, just posting about anime and having fun. Not all the god-complexes and bruised egos there is now days. Well ultimately I can only be and act for me, so there it is.
