Do forums nowadays even need moderators on them? Forums are slower these days and with less people on them. So, do you think forums at all need moderation or moderators nowadays?
I am personally not seeking to add mods to DB as it truly is not needed.
If you have a requirement that staff is active on your site, then yes, they are still needed these days, especially during the slow periods. Part of being a moderator isn't just making judgments on posts/threads and working reports. At least, not on my forums. On Christianity Haven, we have an older gentleman who works to make new members comfortable (by PM), wishes active members Happy Birthday among other things. These are things I could probably do all by myself, but it's much easier with more staff to split up the duties.
I think it really depends on the niche of the forum. Communities based around certain topics need moderation, in case trolls or toxic people join. Other communities may need extra staff to do specific tasks like Katrina mentioned above.
I honestly didn't even think DB needed mods, and had one before but let them go cause I felt like they were busy with their own stuff. I think DB doesn't have that activity to warrant any mods to actually moderate the forum. Some people I swore on FP in the past were against hiring mods to be content posters or tasks like the above.
This is for sure still in my mind and might end up hiring a new mod anyway down the line.
I think it's cool for forums to have moderators. Especially ones with different timezones. If something happened when I was asleep I would hope another one of my staff could deal to it.
I started off with two then went to three as help is needed then as time goes on I had many join and then go. I give up and just stick to myself at the end of the day. It's able to find people that love it and are willing to help and support and stick with you 🙂 Not always easy to get people to mod.
I had a history of staff members in my time doing Fourms and webmaster stuff XD The good and the bad and it's been a trip. I can say that your nearest friends at times are not helpful and can repeat yourself many times and they still get you nowhere or maybe the Owner was clueless or not knowing what he/she is after.
I think for people that mods need to feel at home and happy 🙂 not always about the work in hand or making posts. I feel as a site owner that I have to make mods happy and feel good otherwise they can just leave me in the woods...
I can say that your nearest friends at times are not helpful and can repeat yourself many times and they still get you nowhere or maybe the Owner was clueless or not knowing what he/she is after.
Yep, this is why I do not make close friends mods or admins. Also speaking of games... I came super close to doing a gaming forum but decided against it.
I'm a one-man show on my board and have been for years now. I feel like moderators could really help bring activity to the forum, but I'm also inclined to think the resources, being a resource board, should be the primary focus and not necessarily the content activity of the board. It depends on several factors, I think, such as the niche, how active your board is, and overall what is expected of your community.
I like moderators for the purpose of one, having someone who can help me create content. Hopefully someone with a slightly different time zone or sleep schedule and have them available when I'm not so the forum has someone semi constantly. Smaller forums don't need much, but I think it's worth having because due to being so small - having people be intentional in their posting can be helpful.
Yep, this is why I do not make close friends mods or admins. Also speaking of games... I came super close to doing a gaming forum but decided against it.
The major factor that determines if a forum needs moderators is the size of the forum in relation to the active members on the forum. One popular admin that I know running two forum sites uses mods on one and doesn't use on the other because it is not big enough.
Yes, forums still need moderators today. Moderators play a critical role in maintaining a healthy and thriving online community. They are responsible for enforcing forum rules, resolving conflicts, and ensuring that discussions stay on topic and respectful.
Without moderators, forums can quickly become overrun by spam, trolls, and other disruptive behavior, which can discourage active and constructive participation from other users. Moderators help to foster a positive and safe environment for all members of the community, which can ultimately lead to better engagement, higher quality discussions, and greater user satisfaction.
In short, while forums may have evolved over the years, the need for moderators has not diminished. They remain an essential part of any successful online community.
I feel it depends on what the owner is looking for. I've been the only Staff on mine since my forum's inception 3 years ago. While I do agree having other Staff could help with activity, it can also be added work.
In short, while forums may have evolved over the years, the need for moderators has not diminished. They remain an essential part of any successful online community.
Yeah, true. I still see forums like Gaia Online, GameFAQs, and older boards still to this day take on new moderators. May not be as often, but they still do hire new ones.
I would say that it depends on the kind of forum you have and also how busy the forum is or even if you have dedicated staff that is needed for your forum.
At the moment, staff are a little hard to come by for my forum but we are managing with what we have but if needed, we would bring more in.
