BAD moderators in the Steam community

[kaboomboom]

There was recently a thread called 'Abusive Moderators in the Steam Community' that got locked almost instantly. I am posting this because I think this is a topic worth discussing and I loath the attempt at censorship by the mod who locked the topic.

Mods should be eager to hear criticism and comments so they can reflect and improve.

I for one have never been abused by a moderator, but I have recieved heavy handed treatment once. I was banned for a day for breaking a rule. At the time I did not know that I was breaking a rule (which is no defense I admit, I should have read the rules more carefully).

However, the offense was mild and a polite warning from the mod would have set me straight. However, I would have asked a question because I regulary see others doing the same thing and not getting banned. People who post see what others are doing and think it is OK because others have not been banned...but when someone who is critical of Steam does the exact same thing they get banned. Hypocrisy and double standards are never good, and mod behavior of this sort only hurts Steam.

As I said, I do not feel that I have ever been abused by a mod. However, Mod(s) have done the following things that I find to be bad behavior:

1. Heavy handedness and draconion application of the rules. Warnings would be the respectful thing to do before you ban someone.

2. One sentence...BAN!. That is like having only one punishment for all crimes, execution. How about a warning before you decide to go nuclear?

3. Playing favorites. The rules are not equally enforced. Friends of the mods, industry agents (AKA-Shills), other mods, or groupees of the mods often break the rules with no consequences. This is hypocrisy and definetely causes Steam to lose credibility. Users will not trust the mods/Steam when rules are not applied correctly to everyone.

4. It is not always clear who the mod is in a thread. This is more Valves fault than the mods.

5. I have tried asking the mod a question but never could get a reply. What are they there for if not the help out? I guess answering questions is not part of the job on Steam. On other sites the mods are generally very helpful. Here, they are generally aloof, or worse...hostile and unfriendly.

6. There have been times I have seen mods act in an unprofessional manner.

I would be very curious to hear more comments on this topic, and I will be very sad to see the topic locked.

[Lathrim]

Utage の投稿を引用：

My only major complaint about them is that there are periods when there aren't any mods on and spam/etc is up for hours, and that reporting threads seems to do nothing despite being encouraged.

Same here. Guess we need more mods.

[shiel]

Utage の投稿を引用：

Elly の投稿を引用：

I disagree. I think it's great that moderators are volunteers because it ensures the community will see them with a certain level of neutrality, rather than:

"omg i got banned unfairly but thats what u get paid to do isnt it, BAN PEOPLE FOR NO REASON".

Not to mention anyone breaking rules that happened to talk about Valve in their posts would pull the "mods are getting paid to censor the forums" card.

Honestly, I've already seen both of those things said about the moderators here before.

My only major complaint about them is that there are periods when there aren't any mods on and spam/etc is up for hours, and that reporting threads seems to do nothing despite being encouraged.

All I do is report and when they get on they will take care of it. Mods aren't always awake/not working when spam happens. Just something that we have to deal with and trust it will be dealt with when a mod comes on.

[Utage]

shiel の投稿を引用：

Utage の投稿を引用：

Honestly, I've already seen both of those things said about the moderators here before.

My only major complaint about them is that there are periods when there aren't any mods on and spam/etc is up for hours, and that reporting threads seems to do nothing despite being encouraged.

All I do is report and when they get on they will take care of it.

Except this isn't the case. I've seen mods lock threads while they're online, while stuff that I've reported that's spam or otherwise is ignored or missed.

[Hwkiller]

Utage の投稿を引用：

shiel の投稿を引用：

All I do is report and when they get on they will take care of it.

Except this isn't the case. I've seen mods lock threads while they're online, while stuff that I've reported that's spam or otherwise is ignored or missed.

We aren't robots. Sometimes we are just perusing the discussions as users, you know? We are in off topic, or steam-for-linux (in my case), or the TF2 forums, and we moderate incidentally.

It's common for me to go to my favorite forums, do some incidental moderation, read others' posts, and not view reports at all. Other times, I only look at reports.

I'm guessing that's the case for other mods too.

[Utage]

Hwkiller の投稿を引用：

Utage の投稿を引用：

Except this isn't the case. I've seen mods lock threads while they're online, while stuff that I've reported that's spam or otherwise is ignored or missed.

We aren't robots. Sometimes we are just perusing the discussions as users, you know? We are in off topic, or steam-for-linux (in my case), or the TF2 forums, and we moderate incidentally.

It's common for me to go to my favorite forums, do some incidental moderation, read others' posts, and not view reports at all. Other times, I only look at reports.

I'm guessing that's the case for other mods too.

Don't get me wrong - I appreciate what you guys do. Steam's a massive platform and I can only imagine what the forums would look like without you guys. Moreso that you aren't paid for it.

You guys do feel like robots sometimes, though, being honest. It'd be nice to see you guys interact with us a bit more.

Granted, it seems like you guys have a lot more of a presence than when I first started posting back in early 2014, so that's a nice change. I'd rarely see posts from mods outside of forum locks.

[shiel]

Hwkiller の投稿を引用：

Utage の投稿を引用：

Except this isn't the case. I've seen mods lock threads while they're online, while stuff that I've reported that's spam or otherwise is ignored or missed.

We aren't robots. Sometimes we are just perusing the discussions as users, you know? We are in off topic, or steam-for-linux (in my case), or the TF2 forums, and we moderate incidentally.

It's common for me to go to my favorite forums, do some incidental moderation, read others' posts, and not view reports at all. Other times, I only look at reports.

I'm guessing that's the case for other mods too.

This^

To be completely honest though Hwkiller. I was shocked a couple weeks ago. Someone posted openly admitting to pirating(couldn't figure out why his pirated version wouldn't work online) TWICE! The first was immediately deleted. The second one, to my knowledge, was never even locked. I know for a fact several of us reported it too.

I realize that sometimes things fall through the cracks and that is definitely the exception and not the rule but it DOES happen. I really don't mean this as a rip on you guys as considering the amount of work put on you, you do an exceptional job(I don't care if this sounds like kissing ass, it's the truth).

[Gus the Crocodile]

Elly の投稿を引用：

I think it's great that moderators are volunteers because it ensures the community will see them with a certain level of neutrality

Well, I don't think it's healthy to encourage people to think of authority as "neutral". They're not neutral, they're human beings.

As I see it, being volunteers doesn't eliminate biases, or the perception thereof, it just changes the angles. I mean, take your example of pro-Valve bias. Consider that if someone is paid to be a moderator, then you have the possibility that they're only doing it not out of love but "because it's their job". Take that payment away and you have, among other possibilities, the perception of mods as a group of people who are so enamoured with the idea of working for this company that they'll do it for free.

Or from another angle, the perception of them as a group of people who so enjoy the power moderators have that that's payment enough.

Those aren't allegations, of course. Just potential perceptions, equally as (un)reasonable as those you presented as far as I'm concerned.

[Spawn of Totoro]

<.<
>.>

I'm all for being paid to moderate.

Lathy の投稿を引用：

Same here. Guess we need more mods.

Yes and no. More Game Hub moderators are needed for those forums that lack them. That would remove a very large portion of the reports we get. That, however, is up to the developer.

[~Ren~]

@ Mods

I'm curious, you give up your free time which you're willling to do to help the community, as a thanks for that, does Valve offer you any game discounts/free games as a kind of payment?

I'm not saying it should become the norm, a free game every day/week but maybe once in a while wouldn't hurt as a way of saying thanks.

[shiel]

~Ren~ の投稿を引用：

@ Mods

I'm curious, you give up your free time which you're willling to do to help the community, as a thanks for that, does Valve offer you any game discounts/free games as a kind of payment?

I'm not saying it should become the norm, a free game every day/week but maybe once in a while wouldn't hurt as a way of saying thanks.

They don't. They do it because they care about the community.

[~Ren~]

shiel の投稿を引用：

~Ren~ の投稿を引用：

@ Mods

I'm curious, you give up your free time which you're willling to do to help the community, as a thanks for that, does Valve offer you any game discounts/free games as a kind of payment?

I'm not saying it should become the norm, a free game every day/week but maybe once in a while wouldn't hurt as a way of saying thanks.

They do it because they care about the community.

Exactly, so Valve wouldn't miss a game or two ;)

[ KARR™]

~Ren~ の投稿を引用：

Exactly, so Valve wouldn't miss a game or two ;)

How many times can you give Left4Dead2 to someone...

[~Ren~]

⎛⎝ KARR ⎠⎞ の投稿を引用：

~Ren~ の投稿を引用：

Exactly, so Valve wouldn't miss a game or two ;)

How many times can you give Left4Dead2 to someone...

lol good point, I just think it would be a nice thing for Valve to do, it's not expected from the mods but it's nice to show their free time is appreciated even though they enjoy what they do.

[Hextravert]

If you think your punishment was too severe, you should've commented on the ban.

That would've been the so-called respectful thing to do. Whether they reply or not.

Instead of making a mountain out of a molehill; i.e., the sob story that you call a topic.

kaboomboom の投稿を引用：

BAD moderators in the Steam community

There was recently a thread called 'Abusive Moderators in the Steam Community' that got locked almost instantly. I am posting this because I think this is a topic worth discussing and I loath the attempt at censorship by the mod who locked the topic.

Mods should be eager to hear criticism and comments so they can reflect and improve.

I for one have never been abused by a moderator, but I have recieved heavy handed treatment once. I was banned for a day for breaking a rule. At the time I did not know that I was breaking a rule (which is no defense I admit, I should have read the rules more carefully).

However, the offense was mild and a polite warning from the mod would have set me straight. However, I would have asked a question because I regulary see others doing the same thing and not getting banned. People who post see what others are doing and think it is OK because others have not been banned...but when someone who is critical of Steam does the exact same thing they get banned. Hypocrisy and double standards are never good, and mod behavior of this sort only hurts Steam.

As I said, I do not feel that I have ever been abused by a mod. However, Mod(s) have done the following things that I find to be bad behavior:

1. Heavy handedness and draconion application of the rules. Warnings would be the respectful thing to do before you ban someone.

2. One sentence...BAN!. That is like having only one punishment for all crimes, execution. How about a warning before you decide to go nuclear?

3. Playing favorites. The rules are not equally enforced. Friends of the mods, industry agents (AKA-Shills), other mods, or groupees of the mods often break the rules with no consequences. This is hypocrisy and definetely causes Steam to lose credibility. Users will not trust the mods/Steam when rules are not applied correctly to everyone.

4. It is not always clear who the mod is in a thread. This is more Valves fault than the mods.

5. I have tried asking the mod a question but never could get a reply. What are they there for if not the help out? I guess answering questions is not part of the job on Steam. On other sites the mods are generally very helpful. Here, they are generally aloof, or worse...hostile and unfriendly.

6. There have been times I have seen mods act in an unprofessional manner.

I would be very curious to hear more comments on this topic, and I will be very sad to see the topic locked.

[Tito Shivan]

~Ren~ の投稿を引用：

@ Mods

I'm curious, you give up your free time which you're willling to do to help the community, as a thanks for that, does Valve offer you any game discounts/free games as a kind of payment?

I'm not saying it should become the norm, a free game every day/week but maybe once in a while wouldn't hurt as a way of saying thanks.

We get an orange name and a steam badge.
We also get troll insults for free and you can't beat free!

Utage の投稿を引用：

lol good point, I just think it would be a nice thing for Valve to do, it's not expected from the mods but it's nice to show their free time is appreciated even though they enjoy what they do.

I get that fuzzy warm feeling when I get positive feedback from the community. That's when I know using my free time here is appreciated.

Utage の投稿を引用：

You guys do feel like robots sometimes, though, being honest. It'd be nice to see you guys interact with us a bit more.

We're always working on that. The warning system is one of the new ways we use to interact with users. But sometimes time & stuff gets in the middle of our ability to interact with the community.

Time is a limited asset. You sometime have to take the compromise between using it on leaving a note or removing a toxic user from annoying the other forum users, for example.

That said, we're always up for discussion. Either on the forums or via the warning/ban notices. As long as it's done in a polite manner and within the discussion rules.