How Was Moderating Atmosphir?

[Sebastian Lawe]

So, I've decided that I would tell the community about my experience as an Atmosphir Moderator, and both good and bad of it.

My story is here
http://bit.ly/12bOJ21

Since I've brought the subject up though, if you've been any sort of moderator for any fallen game, what did you like about the job? What did you hate about it? How was the overall experience?

So many people seem to wonder what its like to be a moderator, and I think it would be nice to share the overall experience of moderation through different points of view.

For me, moderation and its authority was more for enforcing guidelines, rather than actually providing power.

[MasterJBW]

I remember applying for Moderator... 5 times? Hahaha.

To be honest, I'm glad I didn't get the position. I had little idea of what a forum moderator actually was supposed to do and really just wanted it because it was shiny. Typical logic for me, someone who got everything I asked for when I was a pre-teen. That took a turn when one tragedy after another occurred in my life. Of course, I would still love to have the position of moderator if Atmosphir was still around. However, after reading your article, I would fear for my mental health. I wouldn't be able to take being insulted incessantly, and in fact I see therapy because I have such low self-esteem. Well, really no self-esteem. Thank you for sharing, though. I'm sure many others, like myself, will appreciate getting an insight to the life of a moderator.

I had experiences on the Atmosphir Editorial Staff. It wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. We had no organization whatsoever, and people just posted level reviews. I actually tried to push for a more organized team by setting up a weekly chart for who'd review what. That didn't succeed though- people just stuck with throwing random reviews in the editorial section. I had 2-3 reviews? Mine were much shorter compared to others and I don't think they described the level too well. At the time, I had a failing English grade, so maybe it wasn't the brightest idea to start writing those reviews for several hundred thousand community members to see. Also, being obligated to play levels is completely different from playing them to have fun. I really couldn't take it. My fuse lit the first time I died in any level. Of course, the staff had to deal with Atmosphir becoming more and more unstable at the time, making levels even harder to play. I left after 2 months of serving on the team with 3 level reviews and 1 Player of the Month, whom was PlasticFunnel. I did get the DevBuild at some point but I forgot what I was testing. Overall, I'd rate my time on the AES 3/5 stars. I'm sure many other editorial staff members had a blast, but myself in particular had a hard time as I lost enjoyment in playing Atmosphir levels. Of course, it was not the AES entirely that made me not enjoy playing levels, and I'm not sure what it was. One day I just didn't like playing Atmosphir anymore.

[Magmar]

JBW, were you around the AES when I was still there? I'm just curious because of your short tenure there, because I honestly can't remember.

I as well applied for the mod position at lease twice, and just the same, I'm glad I didn't get it now that I think about it. However, one thing that was a bit frustrating to me, was what happened shortly after receiving the then-called simply Editorial Staff position. Back then, the ES had access to the Mod's private section, and i'm certain the mods had access to our's as well. It felt so great to just be a part of something, to get to know a small group of people similar to myself a little bit better and to work with them. Everyone was so kind, although, back then, Atmosphir was just going up. About 1-2 weeks into my new job, the ES lost access to the mod's section(If a former mod could fill me in on why that was, if you remember, that would be great). It felt like I lost something, or was being kept away for something. It didn't feel good.

But, a job is a job, and I had to continue working. The job was great in the beginning months. We had a very solid schedule, where certain writers had to have a review written and posted to the ES Board by a certain day. If they were unable to post their review on that day, other members could post their review for your day or someone would help you out and post your's to your credit. It was a great system, and there was little to no pressure, because all you had to do was just play the game you love then write about a favorite level from your play session. Back then, it didn't feel like a job.

When Dave left, people knew it was because of family and understood his need to take leave. But I was a little suspicious, I felt as though there may be something more to it. People were very sad and the community was in a down period for a bit. When cars came out though, and they were to only be for Club members, there was an enormous uproar. I had never seen such bitterness and hatred thrown around. Several people begun blaming this on Dave's leaving and whatnot. It was awful. I was a Club member, which was able to help me out a bit in finding more levels. It didn't seem right though, to the now AES; we unofficially decided I believe that car levels would not receive LOTD awards until there was a free car for everyone. It was broken a few times, but only for the very best car levels. It had to be a perfect car level, at least, to me.

The downfall after cars and other particularly bad updates was horrible. This is when several large members of the community began leaving and resigning from their AES or Mod positions. After applications, we were only able to find two good enough writers to fill in the blanks. We didn't have seven people at the time. People had to double up, which was incredibly difficult on everyone. Our writers wouldn't even bother posting their reviews to the AES Board anymore, it was written straight up in the Atmosphir section to be posted. And when the bugs started rolling in, it only made it worse. I remember having to write reviews of older levels from memory because some of the bugs were so hard on me. I specifically remember being on vacation in Hawaii and having to write a review for a day because no one else would do it. That's when I knew it was over.

I resigned soon after.

I apologize for the depressing write, but it seems like us mods and writers are going to get stuff out from our perspectives here, and... that was my perspective. :/

[MasterJBW]

JBW, were you around the AES when I was still there? I'm just curious because of your short tenure there, because I honestly can't remember./

I believe you were there both when I came and when I resigned. Of course, I remember you shortly resigning afterwards.

[Phantomboy]

I honestly hope none of this burden has carried over to moderating One More Block, I wouldn't think that it has as this community is a bit more relaxed. However, I think anyone who feels this way (Regardless of moderation or not) should speak up if they feel a certain "expectation" of their behavior. Sebastien, although I may have never insulted you - I do wish to sincerely apologize for my fellow peers in the community. I feel responsible for their actions and hearing this now is honestly very disheartening. I remember watching the criticisms the mods weathered every time that they were forced to lock, divert or restrict on the forum. I like to think that such a response isn't occurring anymore. If it is, I am wholeheartedly and sincerely sorry. I really am. Let's not take the efforts given by our moderation team (speaking directly to you, community.) take into consideration why they might have done something.

[Magmar]

I honestly hope none of this burden has carried over to moderating One More Block, I wouldn't think that it has as this community is a bit more relaxed. However, I think anyone who feels this way (Regardless of moderation or not) should speak up if they feel a certain "expectation" of their behavior. Sebastien, although I may have never insulted you - I do wish to sincerely apologize for my fellow peers in the community. I feel responsible for their actions and hearing this now is honestly very disheartening. I remember watching the criticisms the mods weathered every time that they were forced to lock, divert or restrict on the forum. I like to think that such a response isn't occurring anymore. If it is, I am wholeheartedly and sincerely sorry. I really am. Let's not take the efforts given by our moderation team (speaking directly to you, community.) take into consideration why they might have done something.

I agree that this community is a lot more relaxed, which makes me very happy. We don't have a game that this community is built around which I think relieves a bit of stress or whatever it may be. I always imagine OMB now as a very small town, a place where everyone knows and respects each other, and in some ways cares for each other, which is very special. Not too many gaming/tech online communities are this way anymore, and I hope that stays.

[ElectroYoshi]

I agree that this community is a lot more relaxed, which makes me very happy. We don't have a game that this community is built around which I think relieves a bit of stress or whatever it may be. I always imagine OMB now as a very small town, a place where everyone knows and respects each other, and in some ways cares for each other, which is very special. Not too many gaming/tech online communities are this way anymore, and I hope that stays.

To elaborate on this, I think it's because of all the things we've been through together as a community. First there was Atmosphir. The game really worked its way into all our hearts, and it had great effects on all of us and our lives. But then came the downfall. Dave leaving, big name members leaving, pay to play, the devs giving up; One by one, every reason to be hopeful faded.

But did it end there? No. We lived on in Voxelus, which was basically a last ditch effort to repair what probably couldn't be saved, aka the spirit of Atmosphir. Everything got derailed there, so much so that we felt the need to execute a community preservation effort. And thus, this site was born.

I am a person who believes that experiencing such hard times surrounded by others who are having the exact same experiences strengthens not only you, but also your relationship with those around you. I believe that this has made us closer as a community. Even if we lost members, we still held on long enough to see this site launch. You know why? Because this a great community of great people, and we all care about each other. [/speech]

Few communities are like this one. This community is a perfect example of a person/people going through hard times and coming out stronger and closer in the end.

[Sebastian Lawe]

I honestly hope none of this burden has carried over to moderating One More Block, I wouldn't think that it has as this community is a bit more relaxed. However, I think anyone who feels this way (Regardless of moderation or not) should speak up if they feel a certain "expectation" of their behavior. Sebastien, although I may have never insulted you - I do wish to sincerely apologize for my fellow peers in the community. I feel responsible for their actions and hearing this now is honestly very disheartening. I remember watching the criticisms the mods weathered every time that they were forced to lock, divert or restrict on the forum. I like to think that such a response isn't occurring anymore. If it is, I am wholeheartedly and sincerely sorry. I really am. Let's not take the efforts given by our moderation team (speaking directly to you, community.) take into consideration why they might have done something.

A moderator will always get sticks thrown at them every once and a while, but its to be expected. Think of a parent. They must direct their children, whether their children will like it or not. We've all had a time in which we hated the authority that was above us (government, province, state, parents, etc).

At a young age, parents seem like these very strict and very mean people some of the time. As we get older and more like them however, you start to see everything you thought as justifiable in the past, as wrong.

When you apply this logic to moderating, you can see that its common for a moderators actions to be misunderstood, especially when a person thinks what they did wrong was justifiable. For example, a person writes a rant about cars not being free, and is throwing insults in this rant. A moderator then deletes the thread because it provides no solutions or value to any forum section, and the thread is also throwing insults. This person who spent time on this rant, will now be really angry (because they had a reason for writing the rant).

The bottom line though, is that apologies don't need to be made. I chose to continue moderating despite things getting worse, It only hurt knowing that the effort us moderators were putting in was getting massive backlash when things were going down. After a while, I eventually began doing level of the week videos on my own time in order try and re-engage the community in positivity, and when things were evidently over (the site died for at least a week or two), I created a memorial for Atmosphir. Rohan then came and ran the game for at least another few months after that.

[Swords761]

My story is too long for me to have the patience to recount and fully describe, but just know this: every decision and thought I ever had during my one year time as Editorial Staff (and then Editor in Chief) was done out of love, passion, sweat and tears for that damn game, and I wish I could show/prove to everyone who still cared just how much I fought for all of you nonmods in the ES/Staff sections I had access to. I was always trying to revolutionize the system and revitalize the community, and I grew tired of the constant garbage and slacking off of the Mods and ES members. Now knowing how it all would end though, in reality it really wasn't their fault, because the entire staff (dis)organization and autonomy was just a poorly placed defensive barrier set up by the actual developers who were too busy (or for some, especially the bigwigs, frankly lazy and careless) to deal with the heart and soul that made the game- its community. Instead, the community was caged up like sheep as we were fed propaganda and false authority.

[tta]

My story is too long for me to have the patience to recount and fully describe, but just know this: every decision and thought I ever had during my one year time as Editorial Staff (and then Editor in Chief) was done out of love, passion, sweat and tears for that damn game, and I wish I could show/prove to everyone who still cared just how much I fought for all of you nonmods in the ES/Staff sections I had access to. I was always trying to revolutionize the system and revitalize the community, and I grew tired of the constant garbage and slacking off of the Mods and ES members. Now knowing how it all would end though, in reality it really wasn't their fault, because the entire staff (dis)organization and autonomy was just a poorly placed defensive barrier set up by the actual developers who were too busy (or for some, especially the bigwigs, frankly lazy and careless) to deal with the heart and soul that made the game- its community. Instead, the community was caged up like sheep as we were fed propaganda and false authority.

THANK YOU

[totaldile]

To elaborate on this, I think it's because of all the things we've been through together as a community. First there was Atmosphir. The game really worked its way into all our hearts, and it had great effects on all of us and our lives. But then came the downfall. Dave leaving, big name members leaving, pay to play, the devs giving up; One by one, every reason to be hopeful faded.

But did it end there? No. We lived on in Voxelus, which was basically a last ditch effort to repair what probably couldn't be saved, aka the spirit of Atmosphir. Everything got derailed there, so much so that we felt the need to execute a community preservation effort. And thus, this site was born.

I am a person who believes that experiencing such hard times surrounded by others who are having the exact same experiences strengthens not only you, but also your relationship with those around you. I believe that this has made us closer as a community. Even if we lost members, we still held on long enough to see this site launch. You know why? Because this a great community of great people, and we all care about each other. [/speech]

Few communities are like this one. This community is a perfect example of a person/people going through hard times and coming out stronger and closer in the end.

I think, indeed, this is something all of us can be truly proud of. It's kind of funny. There are those familiar faces you see everyday, your work colleagues, or school mates, maybe the shop-owners you often visit. Then there are those who you see not quite so often, such as somebody who walks past you on Fridays. It continues down the line, until there are those who we only see every once in a blue moon, but still, we remember them, and think 'I know that avatar, I know that name' or something along those lines. We're not all particularly close, but there's a deep sense of recognition, and a shared sense of respect, care and empathy for all we've been through the remain as we are, a community. In a sense, we are merely a digital version of a real community. We often see digital forums advertising themselves as such, but is it really true? I find most often not - but here, we're a community if there ever was one. It's beautiful, tragic, and heart-warming all at once, don't you think?

In regards to your experiences as moderators, I must say I'm not surprised. It must have been difficult to escape the emotional assault that was constantly being thrown at you for you merely acting as you should, being responsible, logical and dutiful. I'm glad you guys have learned from such an experience; I myself have never had the opportunity and guts to step up and take responsibility as you all did, but I think it's a lesson that, though it may be trivialised by others who demean moderating as without true authority, and incomparable to 'real life', is just as important. You guys are, or were, the policemen and women of our little community, keeping us in check, making sure nobody breaks the rules or does something to hurt others or fill our community with pointless garbage. Littering, perhaps, a better analogy for the spamming you all dealt with. How frustrating to have to be responsible for picking up, organising and disposing of the trash careless others have so neglectfully spilled into our community. I think all of you deserve a massive thanks for your efforts, whether they still continue, or you have retired in your duty. So, thank you, for all you've done!

[ElectroYoshi]

I think, indeed, this is something all of us can be truly proud of. It's kind of funny. There are those familiar faces you see everyday, your work colleagues, or school mates, maybe the shop-owners you often visit. Then there are those who you see not quite so often, such as somebody who walks past you on Fridays. It continues down the line, until there are those who we only see every once in a blue moon, but still, we remember them, and think 'I know that avatar, I know that name' or something along those lines. We're not all particularly close, but there's a deep sense of recognition, and a shared sense of respect, care and empathy for all we've been through the remain as we are, a community. In a sense, we are merely a digital version of a real community. We often see digital forums advertising themselves as such, but is it really true? I find most often not - but here, we're a community if there ever was one. It's beautiful, tragic, and heart-warming all at once, don't you think?

Indeed it is. It's very strange how you can develop such a strong sense of recognition and respect towards someone you've never even technically met. It definitely can happen, there is no question about that, but out of every online community I've ever been part of, this community was the only one where it happened with almost every single member. I'm never gonna find a community this great again, that's for sure.

As for my opinion given the actual topic of this thread (maybe I should've said this in my first post, but whatever), you all had some...interesting experiences as mods. Can't say that really surprises me. It's hard for me to imagine that it would've been an easy job during Atmosphir's decline. I'd like to give you all a huge "Kudos" for thy efforts. :3

[Phantomboy]

Indeed it is. It's very strange how you can develop such a strong sense of recognition and respect towards someone you've never even technically met. It definitely can happen, there is no question about that, but out of every online community I've ever been part of, this community was the only one where it happened with almost every single member. I'm never gonna find a community this great again, that's for sure.

As for my opinion given the actual topic of this thread (maybe I should've said this in my first post, but whatever), you all had some...interesting experiences as mods. Can't say that really surprises me. It's hard for me to imagine that it would've been an easy job during Atmosphir's decline. I'd like to give you all a huge "Kudos" for thy efforts. :3

Very very true! I honestly feel very indebted to those who served as moderators, or even as kind helpful community members. They made this community great, I do my best to give back as much as they've given me. As it is really us in the community, chatting, collaborating and having fun that makes it all worth while - I really hope everyone understands that

[Yanahma]

Was alright. Too many moderators smelling their own farts and being nice guys to really do anything of any relevance. If I had my way half the community would have been banned. Mostly the half of the community that ended up here...

Awkward.

[bionicnacho]

Yanahma? You're back?

[tta]

Was alright. Too many moderators smelling their own farts and being nice guys to really do anything of any relevance. If I had my way half the community would have been banned. Mostly the half of the community that ended up here...

Awkward.

OH MY GOD

YES YANNIE

I KNEW YOU WERN'T BANNED

[totaldile]

Indeed it is. It's very strange how you can develop such a strong sense of recognition and respect towards someone you've never even technically met. It definitely can happen, there is no question about that, but out of every online community I've ever been part of, this community was the only one where it happened with almost every single member. I'm never gonna find a community this great again, that's for sure.

Indeed - we all know something about each other, whether it be a level we created, a particular trait or quirk we have, or simply an admirable skill. Moreover, the community is not particularly jealous, and even the small fries get noticed. I remember way back when, lemon sent me a lovely message telling me he thought I was the most talented block artist in Atmosphir, and he wanted me to do a block-art of a logo for something - regretfully I was away at the time so I couldn't help, but the sentiment was still there. It's kind of like we relied on each other - there were top players, top level designers, but also those who were fantastic at racing levels, great at designing environments, great at thinking of new and original concepts, great at triggers, etc. We all had our strengths, and they were different, and we all were interdependent on each other to bring our own individual strengths to the table for everyone to marvel at and appeciate. I remember reading numerous tutorials from 'famous' level designers, and applying some of their techniques to my own levels.

This kind of interdependence is what founded the human race, but we're more distilled version of that. We rely on each other because that's the way we developed - as a community in the truest sense of the world. It took me quite a while to realise simply how special this little fragment of the internet is. It's a shame that our original common interest crashed and burned, but the community itself remains, and for a community to a game that no longer exists, I can say that's something that's nigh unheard of. In fact, we're no longer a community for a game that doesn't exist, we're a community for each other. For the disappointment we've shared, for the fun times we've had, for the surprising amount of respect and amity that we feel towards each other, it's hardly different at all from friends who meet up in real life - we don't all have that luxury, though, so this is our compromise, and to me, it's barely a compromise at all.

[tta]

Was alright. Too many moderators smelling their own farts and being nice guys to really do anything of any relevance. If I had my way half the community would have been banned. Mostly the half of the community that ended up here...

Awkward.

Wait I didn't even read your post when I replied to it

Nazi Dictator.

[ThatOneFox]

Was alright. Too many moderators smelling their own farts and being nice guys to really do anything of any relevance. If I had my way half the community would have been banned. Mostly the half of the community that ended up here...

Awkward.

Considering that I didn't really use the forums, you can't exactly count me in that

[freekboy31]

I remember I applied for Atmosphir Moderator twice when the game was alive and I wasn't really serious in applying for moderator back then. I knew being a moderator was about clearing spam threads, stuff stuff, etc. but it doesn't actually work like that. You don't have to be a great writer to become a moderator but it's just an advantage because wrong grammar is equivalent to misinterpretation.

At least I didn't become mod that time my mind was too young and couldn't judge the right things back then, something I learn from my mistakes.