Top 10 Staff Mistakes?

Yes, this is something I am guilty of. When it became all too apparent to everyone that I had a career troll in my midst, the forum was already transformed into a cesspool. Fortunately, me and my fellow administrator finally got over our hesitancy to ban, and the forum was easily turned around once he was gone. To be clear, me and my fellow staff were not afraid to do our jobs, but nothing we did would be sufficient so long as he was there, as he eventually made it clear that he considered it a holy crusade (quite literally) to destroy my forum.

 

subjective moderation I think encompasses anything that I'd say

 

1. Trying to please everybody
2. Not trying to please anybody

 

- Maybe this falls under "ego" - within a day or two of promotion to staff, the new staff member makes an uncharacteristically inflammatory and bigoted comment in a thread that many members are visiting. One tries to select someone who posts sensibly, doesn't expect a surprise like this.

- Simply not understanding the rules they are enforcing, but thinking they do. New staff member does not know what they don't know, and the other staff also don't know what they don't know. Until it comes up in some mod comment.

This staff member knew the rules but in the moment went too far toward pleasing the member ("yes I'll edit and re-phrase the old post for you.") Forgot or did not realize that was outside the rules and just isn't done on this forum.