Continuing with this challenge set by keeper in this blog...onto day 4!

Day 4: Craziest thing(s) I've done on AFF

Easily...easily...agreeing to becoming a moderator, and then head moderator, from August 2010 - April 2011.

Holy crap. Best mistake? Worst mistake? I can't say I regret agreeing to it, but I can't say I enjoyed it thoroughly. But I'll be frank about it, because it's truth. I was once a mod. I was a mod when the site had just barely exploded, when the user population was about 200,000~ or so (probably less), when there were karma rankings posted for the public (oh boy) and when so much in moderating was very experimental and relatively new. During this period a LOT of crazy stuff happened. Users became aware of the fact that they could open multiple accounts (and wow did we have an issue on some fronts with that), people started to figure out how to rig the feature system so their story would be on the front page, and who was a mod was unknown, then known, and then we were stuck on this list where people could contact us.

And my name was under this cute little title of Head Moderator.

My job was to basically make sure all the mod ducklings were in line, to train any newbs, to welcome new users on the site (I could just go into that tab and post a welcome message, and then user population exploded and welp), and to answer to any users and mods who came my way. I was VERY active on the site. Spent all day on it, for the most part, and most of my weekend. AFF was a huge part of my life.

Of course, you encounter drama. You run into users with an agenda that goes against the mission of the site. You meet good people and you meet some, uh...characters. You get told about the dumbest, stupidest stuff and are expected to resolve it. People forget you're not getting paid for the job you do and demand the same kind of service a full-scale, fully sponsored, wealthy with resources site. That was not going to happen, and it never would have. Outside of the site, I had college, a social life, and other obligations - this was something I did for fun, but a lot of folks tended to forget that.

That was, ultimately, why I took such a long hiatus from the site in 2011 and didn't come back until that fall. Everything got stressful, I allowed the drama to get to me, and I had to walk away. All of that is why I have such a solid respect for moderators who have stuck around since "my time," and for our wonderful admin who gives his all and expects little from us in return. They do a great job here with what they have, and it is because of them and the good users that AFF continues to thrive.

Like I said...I won't say I regret that stint. It wasn't the most fun thing I've done, but it helped shape a lot about who I am as a person, personally and professionally. So thanks, AFF, for even those crazy times.