After more than four years as a Site Moderator, I have decided to parole myself. I never really wanted the role, but once I agreed to it, I did it to the best of my ability. But enough is enough. When it reached the point I dreaded logging on to the site and chasing down the few malcontents and downright troublemakers, I knew I needed a vacation from it. And now that I have taken a break, I have decided it needs to be permanent. Since I have started that break, I've been less stressed, happier, and more productive. Moderating was eating up a lot of my time, and worse yet, a lot of my energy. It was stunting my creativity. I like most of the people here. When I spoke of malcontents and troublemakers, I referreed to a small number who make the most noise and foul odors. They are the few leeches who feed on attention and ruin things for everyone else. But I will be delighted to be able to file those few as Not My Problem. My advice is, don't feed them. Don't debate them, don't yell at them or take shots at them. Just ignore them. I'll continue to be around, but I will remain on break for now. Keep on writing!
I have not been here long, but thank you for all the hard work! I wish you the best in all your future endeavors.
Hey Cog, sorry to hear about your break. Thank you for all that you have done, and I hope that your break serves you well and helps with all of that creative flow. Good luck with your writing.
aaaagggghhhhh!!!! NO, not YOU, cog! how can the site go on without you at the helm? ... i'd been wondering why i haven't seen your standard advice posts being dealt out to newcomers lately... i'm glad to know you'll be using your now-freed time to work on your own stuff, but your firm hand on the wheel will be sorely missed... is anyone taking your place?... thank goodness we still have banzai to keep us on course and maintain order, but how can one person handle what wasn't easy for two?... love and grateful-for-your-years-of-service hugs, maia
Cogito. I mean this sincerely. Thank you for everything you have done for this site and it's community. Have a well-deserved break. You have earned it.
Thanks for being a Site Moderator, I appreciate your efforts in keeping this a nice and friendly place for writers. Enjoy your break.
I had been wondering where you'd gone off to. Thank you for all the work you have done here, and thank you also for being a friend to me. I think you deserve a lot more credit than you have really received. This site has been very successful in part to all the time and effort you've devoted to it. We will miss you, but I am happy that you have taken a break and are enjoying life more outside of moderating. It is a big job! I wish you all the best in your creative projects and your life, and perhaps we shall meet again soon.
I've also been wondering where you had gone, and I suspected exactly this. Life's too short, Cog. I really appreciate all the effort you've put into this site with no rewards, and it's nice to see you going off to better things. It'll also be good seeing you around as a regular member for once. Here's hoping this leads to some great creative ventures and a novel on the shelves. Well done for all the work, Cog! x
Well I haven't been around for as long as some of these other guys but I'm sorry to see you go Cog. Hopefully you can pop in now and then to hand out sage advice. I appreciate how hard the job can be though and I wish you the best of luck with all your endeavors.
Cogito, though I'm another who hasn't been here very long I value your wisdom and, as others have said, firm hand in the moderator seat. One of the reasons I came here and stayed is the tone of civility and mutual support among the members (unlike other sites I've visited). So, thank you for that! That said, your writing is more important. I wish you compelling plot lines, vivid characters, and well-placed metaphors! Good luck! [Edited for typo, as usual!]
Luck you wish, a wish of fish. I'll miss you and your amusing typos in your generic responses. They were helpful and direct and I respect that greatly. Have fun in real life. Be careful of the Day Star. I salute you.
Thank you Cogito. I have been a mod on a couple boards and I know it can burn you out after awhile. Enjoy your freedom and welcome back to the fold of people who can get excited about logging on.
Hmmm...since it is entirely up to the moderator of any forum to decide how much time to spend on what it is they are moderating, it's kind of hard for me to see how anyone can get "burned out" from this activity. I mean, obviously if they have other priorities in their lives then they are perfectly free to spend their time in other pursuits. I actually have my own semi-private forum up and running, and I hardly moderate that. To be fair, there are only a small number of members on it right now, so I don't have to be too concerned about anything getting out of hand, but I have to say that even if I had as many members on my site as there are on this one, I would not be spending more time than was comfortable for me in doing that. The whole online forum concept is after all an extracurricular type of activity, not a serious career or work related thing. I mean, the reason people go on, and this should include any moderators on that forum as well, is for debate, edification, and fun. I commend Cogito on finally realizing the nature of this truth, even though it took him four years to do it. Hopefully, if he mods another forum sometime in the future, he will be less inclined to police it so heavily, giving him much more time to enjoy himself and also allowing others greater space to express themselves freely. I respected his dedication and the time he put into this forum, and he carried a level of professionalism in his duties and responses, which I also respect, but honestly he did police the site a little bit too assertively.
I don't understand how you can seriously complain that someone went above and beyond that was expected of him. For free I might add. Just because you do not have the dedication or desire to do what he did, does not mean he should be faulted for it. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't half-ass anything I do in life. I give it my all. And from what I have seen of Cogito, he is the same way. Plus, you have already self professed to being lazy. Did you ever think that is why you cant see how someone could get "burned out" on a activity such as this?
Please don't make this a debate. I don't even think Cog liked me that much, but he was a super diligent moderator, who really kept the site intact.
Thanks for sparing your time for us, Cog. It's gladly appreciated. You earned the break, im sorry if i caused an infraction earlier. Were all human, aren't we? Anyways, i'll be glad to see you around when you decide to make a short visit!
Just to say that I disagree with this, even though I've had a few close calls with the big guy myself! Thanks for everything, Cog, and I hope you'll continue to visit sometimes.
Let's not spoil his departure. It's considered disrespectful to criticize on something like this. He did not police the website too much, or too little. He did his job. That's all.