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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be surprised MN is moderated by volunteers at night?

106 replies

brasty · 01/10/2017 20:12

I am surprised that MN is largely moderated by volunteers at night. MN is a business, should it really be using volunteers?

OP posts:
bitchpleaase · 01/10/2017 21:43

Do you understand the meaning of the word ‘volunteer’?

tippz · 01/10/2017 21:48

Some people are beyond help.

Someone is actually saying on another thread that it's disgusting and unethical for Mumsnet to use volunteers, and when I said 'do you not understand what a VOLUNTEER is?' (Someone who willingly works for free, BY CHOICE) I was told I obviously don't know about employment law.

One person said these volunteers could sue mumsnet for wages! PMSL!!!!!!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/3047417-Overnight-moderation-on-voluntary-basis?msgid=72324105

This is the gift that keeps on giving!

How do they cope in real life?!

BoneyBackJefferson · 01/10/2017 21:49

brasty
I am shocked that there used to be no moderation at night.

It used to be moderated at night but there was a particularly nasty night where loads of posters turned on the mod and the place got locked down.

User843022 · 01/10/2017 21:52

'Just because people volunteer for it does not mean they are not being exploited'

It does mean just that in this situation. Volunteers generally are unable to commit to paid work, so what if they can do something they enjoy? Stop trying to find problems when there isn't one. I'm sure if anyone doing voluntary hours felt 'exploited' they'd volunteer elsewhere?

Original poster
brasty · 01/10/2017 21:52

tippz you are being very aggressive.

OP posts:
tippz · 01/10/2017 21:59

@myrtlemaracas

It does mean just that in this situation. Volunteers generally are unable to commit to paid work, so what if they can do something they enjoy? Stop trying to find problems when there isn't one. I'm sure if anyone doing voluntary hours felt 'exploited' they'd volunteer elsewhere?

Exactly.

People are talking utter rot and making an issue out of nothing

No-one is being forced to do anything they don't want to do, they are doing it willingly and happily for free, and people are talking utter nonsense saying Mumsnet should be paying them.

And still none of these whiny naysayers are answering the question I have asked....at least twice......

DO YOU KNOW WHAT A VOLUNTEER IS?

Do you???????????

Obviously not! Hmm

As I said, some people are beyond help. No matter how many times we show them and tell them they are wrong, they will still keep banging on as if they are right.

As I said, report mumsnet to trading standards, see how far you get with your petty drivel about mumsnet 'exploiting' people. Wink

FakePlasticTeaLeaves · 01/10/2017 22:10

Is NW literally just hiding comments? Do you have to work to any set hours? If it's just hiding comments and doing it as and when you like, I know loads of people who would volunteer to do this, to have it on their CV.

Butterymuffin · 01/10/2017 22:26

Hi tippz! I see you're enjoying yourself getting into a huff again. The capital letters are always a bit of a giveaway. Have fun! Smile

Fake I don't know exactly what the requirements are - my knowledge of that comes from what they and other people have said about it. But it does seem fairly clear it's just a night time role. Some people doing it seem to be not in the UK so for them it's not night time though.

tigerdriverII · 01/10/2017 22:30

tippz

GrinGrin

You are a treasure.

Happydays21 · 01/10/2017 22:36

Some people obviously know tippz.

I do know what a volunteer is but I also know that volunteers can be exploited.

IMissSmashHits · 01/10/2017 22:36

I get that they volunteer but it's not like MN is a charity.

I have a friend who runs a successful online venture, she needs moderators 24/7 and she pays for them. They work to strict guidelines and as far as I know she is extremely pleased with how they handle the issues that crop up.

Bambamber · 01/10/2017 22:41

Surely the volunteers aren't bothered by not being paid or they just wouldn't volunteer

BananasAreGood · 01/10/2017 23:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ANightWatcher · 01/10/2017 23:50

To be honest I wouldn't like to be paid as such because then I'd need to commit to specific hours etc.

We're mostly UK based though. Personally I'm a night owl and jump on and off here lots late on. I'd far rather have the facility to remove threads etc when trolls are around than them to be left.

We're under no obligation to be here any time. There are a number of things I'd like to see implemented or changed mind you but that's not for this thread

It's been nice to see over the last few days that people do appreciate it. We get pretty much no feedback on how were doing

shouldnthavesaid · 01/10/2017 23:52

I used to moderate a forum including overnight. Was teemagers wirh sexual health problems, relationship issues ane occasionally suicide/self harm.

Wasn't exactly taxing - most of the time was spent weeding out obvious wank fodder seekers or arseholes. Anything serious - obvious abuse, threats of suicide , were passed onto senior staff (always one available) who were trained and able to access IP addresses etc, or to signpost users to samaritans, police, rapecrisis, etc etc.

I used to do it in my pyjamas watching tv and doing uni studying. It wasn't terribly hard work, just a bit tedious.

Guessinf its very very similar for moderators here.

DixieNormas · 01/10/2017 23:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

shouldnthavesaid · 02/10/2017 00:00

I do remember I used to worry sometimes as some people weren't responded to very quickly , although the forum host had a flagging system for suicidal posting, but stuff like aexual abuse , domestic violence , coercive sex/rape was sometimes further down the list. We used to get anonymous posts that we had ti screen before they were posted. And if there weren't enough moderators on , some posts were waiting 4-5 hours (although I think the computer flagged that too). I suppose that's a risk with small moderating teams overnight and at weekends that some stiff gets missed. MN is a hell of a big site too but I suppose you get to know where and when problems are likely to be, as I did. Friday nights, school holidays, exam periods and freshers week were a bloody nightmare.

Migraleve · 02/10/2017 00:13

I have moderated for a charity.It is not the task that is the issue. This is a business. That is the difference

You are being very naive. A charity is also a business.

DancingLedge · 02/10/2017 00:15

Unsure exactly how I feel about volunteers working for free at a commercial venture.

But very clear that the Night Watchers do really useful stuff, and would like to say "Thanks".

BelleandBeast · 02/10/2017 00:16

It's not like the Ads are being turned off is it?

Its kind of cheap, Mumsnet still earns income and does its main shift on the cheap. Hmmmmm.

Mumsnet is a for profit business, it doesn't really look after us does it?

RJnomore1 · 02/10/2017 00:17

It may be a business but it doesn't create profits which go to individuals.

Do you understand the difference between a charity and a profit making business?

RJnomore1 · 02/10/2017 00:19

I actually wasn't too fussed until ANightWatcher popped by to say they get little feed back.

Good practice in volunteer management doesn't seem to be being followed here.

Cantseethewoods · 02/10/2017 00:24

a charity is also a business

Not really. A charity must be set up as a non- profit entity meaning that there is effectively an asset lock on it- no-one can take money or assets out of the entity through distributions of surpluses. It doesn't have an owner. A 'business', whilst hard to define, typically means a sole trader, partnership or company. The owners can take the profits out of the business as they see fit.

Butterymuffin · 02/10/2017 00:53

Good to hear from you @ANightWatcher. I do appreciate what you do, and as I said on the other thread, I didn't start it with the intent of criticising volunteers / Night Watchers themselves. I have no such criticisms.

It is interesting to get a volunteer's viewpoint though and as RJ says, there are some concerns coming out of this. If Night Watchers don't get much feedback, how are they to know how they're doing? Also, if they're not obliged to be here at any particular time, is there actually any guaranteed monitoring presence? It does create the impression that volunteer moderators are working without guidance and that as long as MN can say 'the Night Watch are there for when core staff aren't' they're not much interested in what they actually do.

Ceto · 02/10/2017 00:56

Isn't the issue that it's potentially dangerous for MN? The whole point about volunteering is that it's, well, voluntary. If they all bugger off for the night or just aren't very on the ball and that just happens to be the night someone posts overt threats or some massive contempt of court, MN are left exposed by the fact that they made no realistic attempt to withdraw the posts in question at the earliest opportunity.