How would you like your player moderators to moderate your forum?

Dude, there is a difference between free speech and annoying people with bullshit. Why does someone want to wade through five pages of nyah nyah just to get the information they are looking for?

I would like to see, cleaner threads that actually are on subject. I don't think that is unreasonable.

Don't over-moderate, just keep the forums fairly calm and free of abuse. If people want to hijack, just give a warning to keep it on topic. Don't delete posts in the middle of topics unless you have to.

Delete multiple threads, though. Hvaing 5 threads whinging about karma is just silly.

I don't see the problems with topics changing after one's been exhausted, myself, but it seems I'm in the minority on that one. I see nothing wrong with a little leniency on it, mind.

I am all for free speach, etc. etc. etc...
With the following premise: That what people say doesn't sum up to annoyance and abusive comments, or insultive. Also, to the knowledge that whatever someone says will generate consequences.

In other words, moderate to keep the contents on boards moderately rational.

What Des said. Off-topic posts are -not- as bad as insulting/abusive ones. (And yes, I know this is me speaking, so you can take it with a pinch of salt *cough* But still.)

I agree with Shiri, Quigyboo and surprising Desdemona too.

Just use common sense without going too far. And -try- to be objective.

The question was not about following the rules that allready exist. I think that is obvious.

My question was more along the lines of streamlining posts to make them less spread out and keep them on topic.

Those who directly insult the staff should recieve a warning, thats a serious thing, as a mod in the past, I can say that personal insults or threats against the moderators or the site staff need to result in a warning first offense, a tempban second offense, and a permaban if it continues. Just my experiences.

Since I'm not an administrator, and never have been, I don't know how productive that is. Personal insults in one thing, but I would hate for the Admins to live in some bubble where they never hear a negetive comment towards the work they do.

All artists need Critics.

Basically there's one golden rule, then a lot of bronze ones.

The golden rule:

If the contents of a post could get another forum reader arrested, fired, or divorced -or- the contents of the post could seriously harm another forum reader's computer (like 1000000x1000000 pixel gifs or scripting attacks), then it must go immediately.

The other rules are all bronze. There are highly successful forums where flaming, trolling, and the like are the accepted norm (although not many). Here, I'd suggest that you make an effort that posts stay on-topic (meaning posts in the Life in Lusternia are somewhat related to Lusternia, posts advertising stuff go in the Trading Post section, combat logs into Combat Logs), but avoid any sort of thread micromanagment. If a thread is derailed into worthlessness, then it will fade into obscurity as it should since the original topic obviously wasn't important enough to live on. Let it die.

The best moderators are normal posters except for when, very rarely, the rest of the forum goes 'Man, thanks for getting rid of that obscene image/moving my thread to Combat Logs/deleting my double post'. The rest of the time you don't even know they exist.

Having run a few forums in the past, my advice for moderators always has been: Don't think of your promotion as that big a thing.

You're still normal forum users, except you have a few extra buttons to help us keep abuse and policy violations away. Your promotion means you're considered mature enough to do the job, don't abuse your moderation privileges for personal advantage and you'll be fine.

One thing that might be useful - if you do snip things out, send a PM to the person involved with the reasoning behind it, that way they know it was done for a purpose and not just because a mod might not like them. Makes your work a bit more lengthy, but it can nip the bud of a whole lot of confusions before they happen.