It is claimed on another thread that some Mudcat members are/were under the impression that this is an unmoderated forum.

1. Does anybody believe this now?
Who knows what anybody believes? It's apparent that this forum is moderated

2. Do you think it should be moderated?
Definitely.

3. Did you join believing the site to be unmoderated?
No.

4. Does moderation make you want to leave again?
No, I believe in "all things in moderation".

5. How many unmoderated sites do you know of? {Please supply URLs to confirm} None, but I've never done a survey. I'm guessing that small groups of like-minded people manage without anyone removing their posts, or posting editorial comments about them.

I've been a moderator and/or administrator on chats and message boards since 1996. I've watched sites grow from a handful of like-minded people, who trusted one another completely, to communities of thousands of members with great diversity of backgrounds and beliefs. As problems arose, more rules were added, more moderation was required, members and guests who thrive on conflict got better at avoiding the measures in place to prevent them from interfering with others use of the sites as intended. More "protective" measures were introduced. Tension increased.

"Moderator" can be a very difficult and thankless job. In a large community, it's impossible to please everyone, all the time. A successful moderator learns to accept this. It takes a great deal of maturity and self confidence to follow through in enforcing the rules fairly and evenly, while treating *all* site users with respect and dignity. "Disciplinary actions" should be conducted in private, remain confidential, and be allowed to be forgotten.

A moderator may have access to information about site users which is to be kept private and confidential. In my opinion, disclosing that information to anyone, other than the site owner and other staff members who need to know that information is irresponsible and a breach of trust.

A moderator who feels the need to disclose privileged information in order to gain an advantage, in what he or she may view as a competition with a member or guest, should take a good long look at her/himself and ask if it's time to take a break from moderating. That person is destroying something that a site can never get back.