Possibly for me:
On SF I battled trolls & spoke for what is best for the forum or for other members many times, when no one else said anything. I showed that I would be willing to speak when necessary. From the way I post, I never troll or post whore & I write clearly too. IMO, if you can't post well, you should not mod.
I don't moderate because it gives me a higher status.
I don't think it does at all.
The highest status people are the ones that are the most helpful & knowledgeable & ACCURATE--the contributors.
The reason why I moderate is because it is another way I can help the community -- that I may need help from one day.
I really wonder if people think of it that way, because if they don't, why do I even bother? I am not doing it for myself because I see it as giving & not getting.
To me, "mod power" (as I once heard on SF) makes no sense at all. I feel like I have more power at SF than here at SM because I can say what at I want at SF & don't have to represent something that the admin will always approve of over there. You get more freedom as a regular member & when you're solo. You get power when you can back up what you say, speak well, carry your idea & argument, & know what is right. Knowlegde & the ability to sell your idea = forum power. It takes no title or being a mod to have it.
Also, I know the admin & they know me from the chat room & IM. It helps if people know you or who you are vs. someone less known.
As you know it is not as a high paying job (or any pay for that matter) that may have 3 interviews & a month or so of that process. Basically when the admin tried to get the site up, a big concern was to get it up & running in a very timely manner. So don't assume that it took months of careful analysis in that decision making. I may have been the first to ask & got it because there is no basis for me not to be a mod.
People have asked me a couple of times "how did you get to be a mod?"
I think that is a weird question because as I already stated, it is a position that you give & not get. You give your time. What do you really get if people don't see you as someone who is helping the forum/community?
Also, it is a position that can lead to conflicts when you are just doing your job.
Many don't see it that way as I have just described. They are under the false impression that you get to sit on a throne. A good mod would not be one if he/she had that misconception.
