Posted by Kim on July 2, 2023, 9:00am
It's July 2nd, and on the RP Repository, that means Moderator Appreciation Day!What is Moderator Appreciation Day, I hear you ask? This is a day where we celebrate the work that moderators do, all over the 'net. Yes, of course it's for our extremely hard working site moderators, to whom I am forever grateful, but it's not just for them. I'm know there are other moderators in your life, too, making the vastness of the internet a little safer. Moderators of RPR groups. Moderators of Facebook Groups. Moderators of Discords. Moderators of forums.
Let's take a moment to send a thank you note to the various mods in our lives. If you've found a corner of the internet that you love, there are almost certainly mods doing more than you know in order to keep your online experience from being overrun by bots, trolls, and other sea monsters that inhabit the deeps of the internet.
Last November, one of our mods did an AMA (ask me anything) topic to answer questions about what it's like being an RPR mod. I saw this exchange happen in it, and immediately saved it:
Auberon wrote:
Samiakki wrote:
And what do you like least about being a mod?
Oh boy. I really thought about how to word this because some of the worst parts of being a mod really are not forum appropriate, so I'll ask that you not invite me to elaborate on this one.
If we're being honest, the worst part is just the sheer amount of extreme, upsetting content that we have to take in regularly. Every single image that gets uploaded to the RPR (icons and gallery pics), whether to a published profile or a draft one, gets manually reviewed by a human being and is approved, marked mature, or removed. I've seen things wonderful and strange and truly gut-wrenching, and not all of the latter violates the rules, as aside from a few Hard No rules, we're pretty permissive about what's allowed behind warnings.
All in all, mods are less simply authority figures and more human meat shields. Image uploads take up the bulk of our work, and it's often how we catch violations of rules pretty immediately, which can (and often does) lead to us investigating more deeply if we're finding several alarming images. We look at all of this stuff so that none of you have to be faced with it if you don't want to, and so that everyone can stay safe. If you're ever thinking of becoming a mod, be prepared to come onboard with a very strong stomach.
If you see the odd slip, just remember that there's a whole lot more that didn't fall through the cracks. Most moderation is behind the scenes, and therefore people don't get to see just how much work we really do for the site.
"If we're being honest, the worst part is just the sheer amount of extreme, upsetting content that we have to take in regularly ... All in all, mods are less simply authority figures and more human meat shields."
"Human meat shield" hit me hard. I had never thought of it quite in that way before, but I think it's accurate.
And this is why I do this event every year. Mods are subjected to so much - they see upsetting content, and each time they intercept it and take it down, they are opening themselves up to the possibility of verbal abuse and occasionally even stalking behaviors. And yet these folks still show up for us, over and over again, working mostly quietly and invisibly behind the scenes.
Today, let's take time to remember that moderators are people who find time, energy and love to help grow, protect and nurture online communities. They are almost always unpaid volunteers working a frequently thankless job. But not today!
Post tags: Moderator Appreciation Day
Comments
It's honestly sad. Websites can choose to have bot moderators that can be harmful, OR human moderators that will have to deal with scary stuff to keep other site users safe from terrible stuff. 
It's not just "deleting poo-poo pics uploaded by Internet trolls", I heard many stories about how moderating even a small site can affect one's mental health... Stay strong, RPR mods! You are doing an amazing job!!!
It's not just "deleting poo-poo pics uploaded by Internet trolls", I heard many stories about how moderating even a small site can affect one's mental health... Stay strong, RPR mods! You are doing an amazing job!!!
Thank you for all your effort and hard works to the mods here!! You are all rocks!!
Thank you Mods, for everything you do to ensure we have a safe happy environment.
Everyone here is amazing! Thank you moderators for always putting up with my mini mistakes dealing with images!
Thank you for making RPR a great place mods! You’re half the reason why this site is so great 
Mods are our way of attempting to create a safe haven for a community they've had their hands in building. They've taken up a responsibility that most others would not, a thankless responsibility in a society that really doesn't garner them a lot of recognition for their hard work. They're so much more to them than just policing their rules and regulations. In fact, they don many hats, and behind the wall of justice, they are just like the rest of us. Mods are people too! Thinking, breathing, feeling beings!
They're the tutorial guides, the welcomers, the counselors, the policymakers, the event holders, the strong arms to keep the peace, the voice of the people, the playground monitor, and so much more, but what they really are is the assurance that we will always have a fun, safe place to write our characters and build our worlds.
My hat is off to you all today and all the mods elsewhere doing the labor of love that most of us common folk rely so heavily on. Thank you. Thank you all for what you do!
Love and Light,
Ath
(´♡(oo)♡｀)
They're the tutorial guides, the welcomers, the counselors, the policymakers, the event holders, the strong arms to keep the peace, the voice of the people, the playground monitor, and so much more, but what they really are is the assurance that we will always have a fun, safe place to write our characters and build our worlds.
My hat is off to you all today and all the mods elsewhere doing the labor of love that most of us common folk rely so heavily on. Thank you. Thank you all for what you do!
Love and Light,
Ath
(´♡(oo)♡｀)
Quote:
All in all, mods are less simply authority figures and more human meat shields.
"Meat-shieldwall!"
Thanks so much for all you mods do here!
I do respect mods greatly because they have to put up with a lot of s**t. Sometimes they have to make decisions, and you can practically guarantee that somebody isn't going to like it, and start bi**hing. Props to you mods.
(Sanne is awesome ✨👍😎👍✨)
(Sanne is awesome ✨👍😎👍✨)
Mods always get too much stress, so it’s good to appreciate them and what they do
Mods always get too much stress, so it’s good to appreciate them and what they do
Thanks for tolerating my extremely pedantic bug reports and/or suggestions.
The mods here are the best! You are all the best, don't forget it.
I will say it again, so y'all won't forget.
You. are. all. the. best.
There! The way you handle situations, kindly inform others, offer advice, interact with others, keep the site safe.. etc.. Gosh it's wonderful.
We all appreciate what y'all do for us and the site
I will say it again, so y'all won't forget.
You. are. all. the. best.
There! The way you handle situations, kindly inform others, offer advice, interact with others, keep the site safe.. etc.. Gosh it's wonderful.
We all appreciate what y'all do for us and the site
Thank you so much for all your hard work mods!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for all you do, mods! You're excellent at making sure this place is welcoming and safe. The mods are welcoming themselves, never making you feel uncomfortable to bring an issue to them.
Thanks, mods!
Thanks, mods!
Love you mods! You are a big part of what makes this place safe and wonderful for everyone. You deserve the world really.
silentruth
July 4, 2023
4:30am