Hello folks,

Some of you may have noticed that my name has recently turned blue. Here's a little background on that.

When the site launched, we had GobO_Admin in charge of everything, then beneath her two Mod Leads, GobO_Althalus and GobO_Fire. This helped to distribute the work of running the moderation team, as well as adding accountability, since issues with one Mod Lead could be resolved by the other. Unfortunately, since then, Admin has disappeared off the face of the Earth, and Fire hasn't been around in quite a while. We still have contact info for Fire should a need arise but he's no longer involved in maintaining the site, which puts all that work on Althalus's shoulders. Althalus is, as we all know, superhuman, and he has done an incredible job keeping things moving, but even superheroes get tired, and the volunteer workload, combined with having a life outside of the forums, added up over time to the point where it became clear that having someone else to help carry it would be beneficial. I volunteered, no one else did, and now I'm a Mod Lead. It was a very selective process.

This doesn't actually change all that much for you folks. The only difference you'll likely see is a faster response rate on high-level moderation issues, because there are now two people empowered to make those sorts of decisions. It also means that, if you have an issue with a moderator, you should message both Althalus and myself about it, although I don't expect that to be a major thing, we have a pretty solid moderation team. There are some other changes I'm looking to make in terms of behind-the-scenes stuff, and when those affect you folks I'll be sure to keep you apprised.

Thanks,
Lazarus

Good to hear, I guess? I'm not really sure about the logistics involved in this, myself. Would it be too forward of me to ask how many active mods you have around right now? (I know that Commodore Gruff, Ravenclaw, and Dale Cooper are all technically around, but have, as far as I know, stepped down from moderating, for instance, and wouldn't count them myself.)

No, of course not. Actually, we recently went through and removed mod permissions from anyone who hadn't logged into their mod account in months, which gives us a pretty accurate reading of how many we have, and to be honest it's lower than I'd like. The answer is 6: Myself, Althalus, Scarlet, Mastergear, Kheldar, and Stasis, although if we're being completely honest Kheldar is very rarely active anymore. Welder is also an active GobO, but isn't involved in moderation.

This is actually one of the major reasons I felt it was so important to get a second Mod Lead. If Alth is the only one who can approve new mods, then the entire process gets slowed down if Alth is busy, or if other things need to be addressed. With me there as well, I can pick up that slack and keep us moving forward quickly toward a more reasonably sized staff.

Seems like sound logic to me.