I'm not really sure what Phat was trying to convey in your chat dialog, but it sounds to me like there was a miscommunication/misunderstanding. Board administration here is an entirely voluntary endeavor. Usually mods are selected based on nomination by another moderator, then the name is raised on the flagpole in the PAF looking for "seconds" and/or "hell no's". The individual is then contacted by either Percy or The Moose and asked if they are willing to serve. Often, they are turned down - it's not often a lot of fun to be second-guessed by every poster on the board.
As for the actual moderation, there are some fairly clear guidelines - but every moderator action is in essence a judgement call. As to what threads get attention, many of us tend to concentrate on threads concerning subjects in which we have interest. For instance, I almost NEVER even read (let alone moderate) any of the Bible threads. I simply don't have the expertise or interest to follow 100 posts of biblical verses and exegesis. The really active mods (like Purple, for instance - long may she wave) do much better at managing multiple threads. Since moderating here is voluntary work and fora are not assigned to particular moderators, sometimes the moderating is uneven unless someone brings a problem to moderator attention. In addition, some individual posters have shown they require constant moderator attention - and ultimately those posters are usually the ones that get suspensions. Finally, given the voluntary nature of moderation on this board, individual judgement is paramount (within the rather loose guidelines provided by Percy). This seems to work pretty well. There is a certain courtesy amongst admins not (in most cases) to try and second-guess each other, although there is often a great deal of discussion in the PAF. What may be an egregious violation of topic or civility to one, may not seem so bad to another. All-in-all the system seems to work pretty well. I think that's what Phat was trying to convey.
As far as prestige goes, consider this: what "prestige" could possibly accrue to an unpaid, voluntary position that only serves as a focus for everybody's wrath?
™ Version 4.2
