mods using custom sigs

uck51js9zml2yt

What is it with the latest trend among mods to replace the word "Moderator" under their names to the use of custom signatures which give the uninformed user no idea as to their role.

I'm a long term user of boards and there are still mods I don't know as mods due to this practice.
Is it being done to hide their presence on a forum ?

Beasty

I've hardly ever had the standard title "Category Moderator". I pay my annual subscription which permits me to have a custom one, which indeed I only changed today. Anyone viewing via the full site can see quite clearly below my name what forums/categories I have responsibility for (and indeed mods and CMods are listed within each forum).

I accept this is not readily visible on the touch site which I'm guessing is increasing in popularity. However I don't think there can be any suggestion mods, cmods or admins change this in any attempt to hide their roles.

Tom Mann Centuria

Custom sigs are definitely a lot more common in recent months, if mods could all be asked to post in bold when modding that would be handy. I know most do, but consistency is always nice.

Little CuChulainn

Does it matter? If they are operating in a moderator role it's customary to add something like "mod note" before an instruction.

Stheno

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

Custom sigs are definitely a lot more common in recent months, if mods could all be asked to post in bold when modding that would be handy. I know most do, but consistency is always nice.

Actually based on feedback from posters most mods have toned down the posting in bold. E.g. often when I am missing I will just post MOD in bold and use normal text the rest of the post.

If I've to post an entire post in bold it generally means the **** has hit the fan

uck51js9zml2yt

Beasty wrote: »

I've hardly ever had the standard title "Category Moderator". I pay my annual subscription which permits me to have a custom one, which indeed I only changed today. Anyone viewing via the full site can see quite clearly below my name what forums/categories I have responsibility for (and indeed mods and CMods are listed within each forum).

I accept this is not readily visible on the touch site which I'm guessing is increasing in popularity. However I don't think there can be any suggestion mods, cmods or admins change this in any attempt to hide their roles.

So why are they doing it? It makes them less visible on a thread.
If I were a new user , I wouldn't know a mod is a mod except by their signature. Let's face it, how often to people look at the mod list at the bottom of the forum?

Never realised mods were toning down the bolded text. Wish they would revert back as it makes it easier to see a warning ..But the topic is Sig's not posts

Beasty

Yahir Bald Pantry wrote: »

So why are they doing it?

Why am I doing it?

Because I can. Similarly I've changed my location - it's been "drafting tanks" for over 2 years now. No-one has ever suggested they did not know I'm a mod and this is the first time I've seen anyone raise it as an issue on the site

Beasty

Yahir Bald Pantry wrote: »

But the topic is Sig's not posts

Just to confirm - the topic seems to be "user titles" - sigs are something different around here;)

Nody

Yahir Bald Pantry wrote: »

So why are they doing it? It makes them less visible on a thread.

Orders from Cthulhu directly in one of my fever dreams.

If I were a new user , I wouldn't know a mod is a mod except by their signature. Let's face it, how often to people look at the mod list at the bottom of the forum?

How often would it matter if they knew it was a mod posting in the forum if they are not taking a mod action? If they are modding there's usually something added such as "Mod:" etc. to flag it accordingly for all the users.

uck51js9zml2yt

Beasty wrote: »

Just to confirm - the topic seems to be "user titles" - sigs are something different around here;)

Hence I explained what I meant...Knew I got it wrong:)

Stheno

Yahir Bald Pantry wrote: »

Hence I explained what I meant...Knew I got it wrong:)

It's one of the problems with the fact what you have the legacy site, the touch site, and the responsive site, boards needs to move to the one platform tbh

looksee

Beasty wrote: »

Why am I doing it?

Because I can. Similarly I've changed my location - it's been "drafting tanks" for over 2 years now. No-one has ever suggested they did not know I'm a mod and this is the first time I've seen anyone raise it as an issue on the site

Might be the first time you have seen it Beasty, but I have raised it a couple of times, I agree with the OP.

I don't think there has been an increase in mods using custom user titles. What has changed in recent months is that the user titles were changed on the touch site to match the legacy site, whereas before that it simply showed the user group. This was done to hide the "closed account" tag, which was still showing on touch.

Stheno

Karsini wrote: »

I don't think there has been an increase in mods using custom user titles. What has changed in recent months is that the user titles were changed on the touch site to match the legacy site, whereas before that it simply showed the user group. This was done to hide the "closed account" tag, which was still showing on touch.

I agree tbh on this, something has changed, but most mods are still mods under their title.

MadDog76

Beasty wrote: »

Why am I doing it?

Because I can. Similarly I've changed my location - it's been "drafting tanks" for over 2 years now. No-one has ever suggested they did not know I'm a mod and this is the first time I've seen anyone raise it as an issue on the site

You're a Mod?

Black Swan

The "Moderator" or "Category Moderator" titles immediately below the usernames can also be a bit misleading, especially if the mod or Cmod is posting only as a member in a forum that they do not moderate or Cmod? This confusion has occurred in the past, especially with new members.

The Hill Billy

Yahir Bald Pantry wrote: »

...Is it being done to hide their presence on a forum ?

You are suggesting that there is something underhanded going on. Why would you think that? Especially when a list of the forums a mod is responsible for is displayed under the user tagline.

Pawwed Rig

It really is not relevant to a user who is a mod or not so long as mod posts are clearly identified as such.
If you need a specific mod of a forum for some reason the tag line is not overly helpful.

evolving_doors

I think it's good as it allows mods like me to post inane drivel and poorly constructed retorts whilst at the same time it rules out the post killing attempts of "Ooooo and you a mod, i'd have expected a better standard from a mod, it's obvious now that all mods are biased, using your mod status to push your left of centre views...etc."
Mods in other forum... get treated tee same as any other poster.
Mod in yer own forum.. post in bold etc.

Beasty

MadDog76 wrote: »

You're a Mod?

You live in The Dog House?

That's Mad!


:pac:

Beasty

We are first and foremost users. At some stage someone thought we would make a decent mod. We only mod the forums we are responsible for. I would guess that 95%+ of my posts in open forums since being made a mod have been as a "regular" user, even if the vast majority of those posts are in forums I have mod or cmod responsibility for. I post in bold when issuing instructions/warnings.

On the full site my status as a mod and cmod is quite clear. It may be argued that on the touch site that's not so clear. However as Black Swan highlights above if posters were to see I was a cmod on the touch site that risks posters believing I am a mod in a forum or category I have no responsibility for.

uck51js9zml2yt

The Hill Billy wrote: »

You are suggesting that there is something underhanded going on. Why would you think that? Especially when a list of the forums a mod is responsible for is displayed under the user tagline.

Not suggesting that at all.i just asked the question!

If I were a new user I'd have no idea you were anything more than someone who liked dumb tag lines.
Clarity as to a person's function on site makes for a better site and better interactions.

Insect Overlord

"Clarity" and pedantry and red tape and over-regulation and civil service Newspeak are sucking the fun out of this place.

Custom tag lines are one of the few ways left of expressing a bit of personality around here. Sigs are pretty much extinct, everyone has a Boards logo avatar, anyone with a unique posting style is shut down for being too attention-seeking, and any time people start to have craic on a regular basis they're warned to stop forming cliques and excluding others.

Leave it alone.

Peregrine

They're no more common than they used to be. What has changed is that they've been visible on the touch site for a few months now whereas they previously weren't.

I don't see what difference displaying the fact that I'm a mod would make on the touch site without identifying which forum I'm a mod of. It would be misleading, if anything. When posting as a mod in a forum I moderate, I make sure that it's visible.