For roleplayers: How long do you spend being a mod per day?

[Machati-sama]

For people running or staff of roleplay forums: how long do you spend doing mod duties per day or week? What is a healthy amount?


Context:
For maybe 8 years now I've been wanting to make a roleplay forum but then I chicken out last minute and the big reason why is because I end up telling myself "I don't have time to run a roleplay anymore," but since I keep wanting to, it's definitely something I want to do if I can...

Before this huge mental blockage of mine, I ran an rp forum where I had 1 - 2 mods (who mainly handled rule breaks and questions), while I handled updating features/world details like character exp, who owned what territory, if anyone had gotten sick, etc etc... This took me roughly 3 hours every day. It was practically a part-time job! I can't remember how many people were on the forum exactly but at most, it was maybe 30 members, probably more like 12 - 20.

I tried training one of my mods to help me but they were confused by it, so I'm sure how I organized my info was at least confusing to look at, but was the time I spent doing mod work highly unusual or is that the norm?

[Kami]

I have been roleplaying for nearly 20 years now; it is absolutely almost a part time job, if not more, if you have the kind of RP that requires a lot of moderation  (eg: people need to submit profiles, or there's a point / participation system, etc).

I may not be the best person to ask, but nothing about your work seems odd — I've spent weeks on updates and themes and codexes / site information, etc. I've written several world building stories, canon character profiles... it's definitely Work.

Lately, I have moved away from this style of moderation, but it's still a not insignificant amount of work. My rules have been boiled down to the most basic rules possible, but I still have to check profiles, do post moderation, help people, and then actually participate in the RP on top of my full time job. It takes even longer now because I don't have a lot of spare time anymore.

Bit of a ramble, but yeah — this is definitely within the realm of normal for RP sites. You may have more luck with experienced mods if you visit RPG resource forums like RPG-D, Pixel-Perfect (animanga mainly), and so on.

[Machati-sama]

While I wish it was unusual, it is comforting to know the time I spent doing all that work before wasn't a huge waste haha! Thank you for the insight! Even if it's a lot of work, I do miss running a forum... It was a lot of fun. 

Do you have any tips for picking good mods? Like qualities to look for..?

Mar 11, 2023 21:31:44 GMT -8 Kami said:

I have been roleplaying for nearly 20 years now; it is absolutely almost a part time job, if not more, if you have the kind of RP that requires a lot of moderation  (eg: people need to submit profiles, or there's a point / participation system, etc).

I may not be the best person to ask, but nothing about your work seems odd — I've spent weeks on updates and themes and codexes / site information, etc. I've written several world building stories, canon character profiles... it's definitely Work.

Lately, I have moved away from this style of moderation, but it's still a not insignificant amount of work. My rules have been boiled down to the most basic rules possible, but I still have to check profiles, do post moderation, help people, and then actually participate in the RP on top of my full time job. It takes even longer now because I don't have a lot of spare time anymore.

Bit of a ramble, but yeah — this is definitely within the realm of normal for RP sites. You may have more luck with experienced mods if you visit RPG resource forums like RPG-D, Pixel-Perfect (animanga mainly), and so on.

[Kami]

Mar 12, 2023 6:19:33 GMT -8 Machati-sama said:

While I wish it was unusual, it is comforting to know the time I spent doing all that work before wasn't a huge waste haha! Thank you for the insight! Even if it's a lot of work, I do miss running a forum... It was a lot of fun. 

Do you have any tips for picking good mods? Like qualities to look for..?

Mar 11, 2023 21:31:44 GMT -8 Kami said:

I have been roleplaying for nearly 20 years now; it is absolutely almost a part time job, if not more, if you have the kind of RP that requires a lot of moderation  (eg: people need to submit profiles, or there's a point / participation system, etc).

I may not be the best person to ask, but nothing about your work seems odd — I've spent weeks on updates and themes and codexes / site information, etc. I've written several world building stories, canon character profiles... it's definitely Work.

Lately, I have moved away from this style of moderation, but it's still a not insignificant amount of work. My rules have been boiled down to the most basic rules possible, but I still have to check profiles, do post moderation, help people, and then actually participate in the RP on top of my full time job. It takes even longer now because I don't have a lot of spare time anymore.

Bit of a ramble, but yeah — this is definitely within the realm of normal for RP sites. You may have more luck with experienced mods if you visit RPG resource forums like RPG-D, Pixel-Perfect (animanga mainly), and so on.

Honestly, despite my suggestion, I generally either find staff from my friends who RP (I have been RPing with some of the same people for years on end, including my fiancé), or from active members of the RP site who are clearly experienced in the nuances of RP forums.

The qualities I look for (not an exhaustive list but kind of the general gist):

- someone who is kind and has shown a willingness to help others, whether by explaining the forum rules, or by helping people get jump started in the game by offering to thread with them
- someone who embodies the qualities i would expect of a mod if something negative were to happen: keeps a cool head, redirects any public fighting to PMs, etc
- someone who has demonstrated decently consistent activity both in the RP itself and in the OOC community
- someone who can communicate by text clearly without coming across as sanctimonious or rude (this one is subjective, and I don't expect perfection in this trait)
- someone who has a history with the forum and is invested in its success; I don't promote new members, or people who ask me to be staff

I hope this helps!

[Machati-sama]

Mar 12, 2023 6:48:14 GMT -8 Kami said:

Mar 12, 2023 6:19:33 GMT -8 Machati-sama said:

While I wish it was unusual, it is comforting to know the time I spent doing all that work before wasn't a huge waste haha! Thank you for the insight! Even if it's a lot of work, I do miss running a forum... It was a lot of fun. 

Do you have any tips for picking good mods? Like qualities to look for..?

Honestly, despite my suggestion, I generally either find staff from my friends who RP (I have been RPing with some of the same people for years on end, including my fiancé), or from active members of the RP site who are clearly experienced in the nuances of RP forums.

The qualities I look for (not an exhaustive list but kind of the general gist):

- someone who is kind and has shown a willingness to help others, whether by explaining the forum rules, or by helping people get jump started in the game by offering to thread with them
- someone who embodies the qualities i would expect of a mod if something negative were to happen: keeps a cool head, redirects any public fighting to PMs, etc
- someone who has demonstrated decently consistent activity both in the RP itself and in the OOC community
- someone who can communicate by text clearly without coming across as sanctimonious or rude (this one is subjective, and I don't expect perfection in this trait)
- someone who has a history with the forum and is invested in its success; I don't promote new members, or people who ask me to be staff

I hope this helps!

It does, thank you! I feel like I have some hope and know what to keep an eye out for!