And perhaps you could just add a tag on the profile (or have them mention it). Don’t think anything too formal is required.
I think it would be ok as long as they did not handle complaints against themselves or someone who currently is or used to be their client. It would be nice to have a moderator who knows what we go through.
@SunsetSnuggles My first thought was what you said. Mods have to be very level, neutral, fair. Too many strong opinions from some Pros. The reason is totally understandable but can leave subconscious resentment in some. Best to get over it and move on, and prevent and be better.
Let's all take a step back and review what it means to be a moderator. And FYI, we're all volunteers. We don't even get chocolate chip cookies. Just the satisfaction of being a part of this growing and transformative community.
What is our focus as moderators? Safety and harmony. We keep non-platonic activity off this site. We are vigilant about abusers, rapists, and reported thieves. We encourage Pros and enthusiasts to practice vigorous and unapologetic vetting practices: just because they say they're Brad Pitt (for example) doesn't mean they are, and it's up to the collective you to prove it before you agree to meet anywhere. Harmony is what we strive for in the forums, and you're all well aware of locked threads due to personal attacks, trolls gone wild, and assholism outbreaks - we're not a fan of these things happening either. Practice kindness. No, really. Practice kindness.
What are qualities we do look for with moderators? The principles moderators strive for are the maintenance and safety of a welcoming and peaceful environment here. We encourage openness and respect, and we refer to the Terms of Service and Forum rules as our guidelines. We are expected to use our moderation powers responsibly, and not receive free sessions or incentives - it is a voluntary position. Tempt us with chocolate chip cookies, and we have to pass. What's that K word again? Kindness goes a long ways. Some folks reading this should know that they are still here BECAUSE the moderators have conferred and agreed to let them stay. But I digress.
What do moderators do? Some of the operations we do include:
Moderators are human too. We get our one feeling hurt sometime like everyone else. At the end of the day, we use safety and harmony as our guides, and if that means Banned Camp, Timeouts, or Warnings, we'll pass it around generously to make peace.
We'll be opening nominations for Moderator roles sometime soon.
Thank you @Mark for asking us the community for feedback. I like the idea of having professionals being able to be moderators. (Of course paying attention to obvious check and balances as many posters have already brought up needs to be considered .)
We have a lot of amazing members here and professional cuddlers are a large part of our diverse community. I personally would like to see what a well chosen, professional cuddler would bring to the moderator team 👍
I think there should be a Pro Mod on the panel (and another female). I think we have talked extensively in the past of how to bring this line of therapy to something more widely publicly acceptable, and a good business person ProMod could help in the opinions they give. I also think the above mentioned stipulations are great suggestions. I would add that they should not be able to ban other Pros in a hundred mile radius of their location for fear of "eliminating the competition "
Too many strong opinions from some Pros.
@carrieanne I agree. I know a couple that would be excellent but I know they have other things going on in their lives than to moderate some of the nonsense on here.
I’m very much in favor of having professional cuddlers participate as moderators.
Fairness and inclusion are central themes in many discussions on this site. This is another opportunity to put these concepts into practice. I’ve been away for a while, but I’m sure the existing moderators are excellent in their roles. So why add pros? Because their unique experiences and vantage points can only enrich the moderation process.
Some argue that there could be a potential conflict of interest if someone with a financial stake is allowed to be a moderator. In reality, any position of authority is subject to potential conflicts of interest. All you can do is put the right safeguards and people in place. And have some faith. In fact, I would argue that pros are naturally inclined to uphold the standards and expectations of the site. When you make a living doing something, you tend not to jeopardize your source of income. Anyway, that’s my approach at work.
This is a biased OP.
@PeopleLikeUs he owns the site.....
@PeopleLikeUs I believe @Mark is being genuine here . If you notice he rarely ever posts threads in the forums . He has no reason to If he wanted he could ask whoever he wishes to be a mod . He doesn't have to seek input or ask for recs. I feel like you are just being contrarian for the sake of it .
I love that the community opinion is valued regarding this consideration. Personally I would love to see more mods because that means less work load for the existing mods which work hard to protect and promote the magic of platonic connection. More female mod presence would also be stellar and pro moderators could also bring perspective and balance. Since this type of role or crossover hasn’t been done before and could have unforeseen implications one option might be to pilot the role for a period of time to ensure it would be a good fit. Just my thoughts 🤷♀️✌️😊
I think it’s an extremely dangerous idea. Major conflict of interest in multiple directions.
Money always gets in the way. If mods are strictly volunteers, there shouldn’t be someone getting paid amongst their ranks. Too much potential for corruption.
Recent history proves that case.
How would the new Mod be chosen, especially if it’s a Pro? If that process is by nomination or vote by only the current Mods and or Mark & Gary, can you imagine all the opinions from the forum crowd? That would be an entertaining read.
@carrieanne - I wonder how many will apply for it. It seems like a stressful job that they don't get paid for. Imagine all the dick pics they have to go through.
This will be interesting.
@Mike403 you're actually more likely to run across shirtless pics or full body nudes on someone's profile than an actual dick pic
Or their sex toy collection displayed on the wall in their "cuddle room"...
~ Sunset Snuggles
...and the stories they have.. Guy gets banned for sending a dick pic... Sends appeal message that reads, "F*** you. I did nothing wrong."
Thanks everyone for your feedback. If this were to happen, I can see that beyond what I mentioned in my post, there would likely need to be additional technical measures and rules put in place for the role.
I voted no. @AintMisbehavin hit it spot on.
Money changes people and if a pro were to be a mod the only way it would work (imo) is if they were retired from doing paid sessions.
As long as the pro is recusing themselves from situations they may be personally involved in, I can't see the issue. I don't doubt that if CC decides to do this, they will make sure to find a pro with integrity for the job.
There are people who have integrity… even when money is involved. Having mods from both perspectives can bring good wisdom to the table. Being a pro who moved that direction to allow time for the ones who were serious about valuing my time, it can be brutal in here from enthusiasts at times. Nurturing a community with all perspectives would only be an asset, in my estimation.
Since a Pro making money seems to be repeated in being brought up, I did want to reiterate saying this...
A Pro being a Mod would not be paid by the site, as no Mod is paid, but the Pro would be paid by Clients for sessions like they currently do. Outside of a corrupted Pro/Mod banning or otherwise sabotaging other Pros or attempting to extort Clients for money to not be banned, money wouldn't be an incentive or a factor. A Pro/Mod would still have to pay the standard booking fee like all other Pros on the site, be required to keep communication on the site at least until a booking was proposed and agreed to, and all the other rules set in place. The only rule a Pro/Mod wouldn't have to follow they currently do is not messaging a site member who hadn't already messaged them first or at least visited their profile as long as it wasn't to solicit themselves to booking a session.
I believe pros have no more potential to be corrupt than anyone else and truly think if someone is reported and bannable why would ANY pro want to keep that client let alone a mod. It doesn't seem worth the money to me. Seems like doing something like that could jeopardize the safety of others which would be a horrible thing to have over your head. However, my vote might be changing to no. I think it might be too polarizing for our community.
@netrunner - Extorting clients for money is what I think people are worried about if a corrupted pro gets the role that has the power to ban people.
@Mike403 - all bans are viewable and shared amongst the mods. All bans are auditable and documented. No mod could ban unilaterally without oversight. We have standards and guard rails in place to prevent scenarios you're suggesting.
@Sideon do you still get the cool t -shirt? 😂
I think @stormydaycuddle may be correct in stating that this may be too polarizing for the community.
Nonetheless, some parting thoughts: Anyone with authority can attempt to leverage that authority to their benefit. This is true whether or not money is even involved. An unpaid person may have incentive to bend rules, because after all they are doing the work for free.
I consider myself a pessimist by nature. On another thread, I’d love to share my thoughts on the fate of humanity. Yet I’ve seen a number of good people here. People that are open and giving and optimistic …Sometimes I think, “this is a better human being than myself.” I don’t think they fall strictly within the domain of enthusiasts. Whether they would like to be a moderator, that’s another matter entirely.