I am currently a mod for a big gaming company, and it definitely can suck.  The two worst issues I have is enforcing rules that are complete bullshit; and enforcing rules that most "bosses" don't care about because they're bullshit, but then one day one of their bosses sees the bullshit and chews you out over it.

Finally, my biggest peeve: the many morons have caused the vast majority of stupid crap on the forums (which resulted in the creation of the bullshit policies).

I 'spose I should add something of pith....

I am probably the longest serving [lasting] Moderator on Stardock's forums, starting way back in 2001.  It feels like it was a decade ago.....

Originally they [the Forums] were overseen by Brad, Angie and [even] poor old Pat [T-Man] was dragged away from 'real' work and had a hand in it.

Somewhere along the line I managed to get a handle on what was/is involved and made it out of the shallow end and into the deep.

The number one issue was/is that in reality nothing's ever really personal, it's just silly people trying to push the boundaries of whatever rules are in place to maintain decorum.

If the Forums/Community are left to their own devices [self moderation] there will always be someone, sooner or later who will be bent on ruining it for others.

When overseeing what goes on with community interactions an 'iron fist' will ALWAYS be regarded as a 'HAM fist', so typically less is more.

Somewhere in these 12 years the prevalence of 'disruptive influence' has dropped off to a genuine minimum, either because of the people who were removed, or because those who were not were aware of those who were, and why.

These days more effort is directed at spammers and spam removal [can't help but think there are simply more spammers]....

Yes, it's a thankless job, mostly because the only people who really notice the Moderation are those who hit the radar and were removed/censured/warned.

I do still remember a few years ago when a pair of individuals were being such a pain [not heeding subtle suggestions to toe the line] that Brad noticed and with one fell swoop pulled their plugs. [ok, mixed metaphore but so be it].  He was thanked by one and all, none more so than by yours truly....

Jafo, I'm in PA, in the States. I'm sure it's the same around the world but, if you want; I can send you all the SPAM your heart can handle [scrapple too]. That goes to anyone reading this, just give me your email address and I'll take care of the rest...

Feel free .... however you may find you have a rather untimely meeting with your maker....

Remember...you can run....but you'll only die tired...

I was a mod a long time ago in a large group; it was a thankless job and a lot of work. This is the first group I’ve seen where you’re all appreciated but you certainly are, though it may not seem like it at times.

There's a documentary about Lenny Bruce that's recently shown up on Netflix.

Mr. Bruce is being introduced by a straight laced talk show host who, essentially, says that no matter what you say or do you'll be offending someone. It seemed akin to John Denver supporting musicians whose albums were under scrutiny for containing mature content.

The only way to avoid being the focus of public discourse would be to stay off the radar. But I'm guessing anyone who has the courage to start their own business wouldn't know how to do that.

Othello