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ResetEra Ownership Update
- Thread starter Cerium
- Start date
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Congrats to Cerium's payout and who knows what the future will bring.
Moderation is a thankless job, and although it would be nice if all y'all received soem bonus from the payout, I am sure a lot of the frustration about "volunteers need to be paid/need to become employees" has some latent envy energy in it (moderators who get paid can get fired/controlled by the company/community; moderators getting paid means that by proxy the other members of the community can get paid in some way).
Anyway, not too invested in the current arguments about that, but hoping investments do go back into ERA for increased QoL items, more stability/security, and even resources such as borrowing senior/experienced moderation volunteers from other sites if need be.
Moderation is a thankless job, and although it would be nice if all y'all received soem bonus from the payout, I am sure a lot of the frustration about "volunteers need to be paid/need to become employees" has some latent envy energy in it (moderators who get paid can get fired/controlled by the company/community; moderators getting paid means that by proxy the other members of the community can get paid in some way).
Anyway, not too invested in the current arguments about that, but hoping investments do go back into ERA for increased QoL items, more stability/security, and even resources such as borrowing senior/experienced moderation volunteers from other sites if need be.
OK but part of the job description (volunteer description?) is to deal with all of the trolls and bigots and KiwiFarms assholes who will inevitably slip through registration and try to shit up the site. Ugly low post count account suicides are going to be an issue no matter how well behaved us regular posters are and as a non-mod I truly do appreciate the amount of emotional labor that's required to clean up all that crap.If I were properly payrolled yes. But... I'm not. I'm a volunteer. If you want me to be payrolled, that is a different discussion for the long haul, and it's not a discussion I am above having. But right now you all are asking volunteers to be compensated.... Like...volunteer has a very specific definition.
The entire argument also underscores the fact that staff really aren't being listened to. What we want most is for our members to just treat us more kindly.
That's it.
That's all we want.
Seems to me like the next best thing after not having to deal with bullshit would be to be compensated for said emotional labor in a way that will pay for mental health treatment at least, cause I'm sure I would want some after having to read some of the shit y'all put up with. If anything, the problem is going to get worse in the future if/when MOBA group makes changes to meet their stated revenue goals.
That ignores the larger problem, which is that the owner makes 700k a year + 4.5mil to make sure the site is up and running (with the paid tech team), while the people running the site are unpaid volunteers. I mean, if they don't think they deserved/wanted to get paid while the owner was making 700k a year + 4.5mil on their thankless unpaid work, then I'm glad that they're not feeling like victims in this situation, but I know I would be mad if I was a mod. It's not because there was an expectation of payment, but rather a lack of realization at just how much the owner was making while we who are running the day and day of the site get nothing.
Apparently.
I Googled them earlier and was instantly disgusted. I think it's only a matter of time before someone unearths something horrendous about them and THEN sparks will fly. I'm actually surprised no one has started a thread regarding some of the trash (aka Era's "sister sites") they host.
Not sure how I feel about this to be honest.
One of the nice things about ERA is that it was build from good will by former GAF members after the events most of us know. And what was nice about GAF before these events came out was that is was built and owned by people from the community.
So now having this place owned and ran by a company is...well let's just see how that goes. Congrats Cerium on the life changing amount of money you made from this, I'd lie if I'd say I wouldn't have done the same.
One of the nice things about ERA is that it was build from good will by former GAF members after the events most of us know. And what was nice about GAF before these events came out was that is was built and owned by people from the community.
So now having this place owned and ran by a company is...well let's just see how that goes. Congrats Cerium on the life changing amount of money you made from this, I'd lie if I'd say I wouldn't have done the same.
Yeah, like a tipping system without the salary. Totally normal.
I don't have a horse here. I don't really care if mods are payed or not, I think it's kind of douchey that they don't get a cut of the action, but it's not my life and we're all adults here. I do take issue with the business man like approach to the situation, like a community in turmoil was solidified into an asset and was flipped at the first opportunity of profit. This is kind of getting lost in translation. We've come from hating corporations, to worshipping certain corporations like Disney and making it a lifestyle and now we're shepherded into an actual product. I get that this is normal nowadays, but it fucking sucks and it makes me sad to see it getting repeated over and over and over again.
Man, the conversation in this thread just keeps getting muddier and muddier lol.
Are we talking something specific here?
Are we talking something specific here?
Ok this is pretty ridiculous.
The reason this place makes half a mil a year is precisely because of its members (us) being active here. The reason Isamu Fukui made a cool 4.55 million was precisely because of its members being active here and the new owner feels they can continue to profit from active members.
If people are suggesting that mods get paid is because the powers that be (that are profiteering from its members) should be sharing some of its wealth.
Now you're trying some type of flip the script and suggest that the very people whom are providing all the profits also be the ones to pay you.
Get the fuck out of here with that.
I'd have been like "Oh neat," but then also asked a myriad of questions. Am I forced to be on every day? If so, how long? Will the code of conduct change? How much will I be allowed to participate in conversations? How will this affect the intersectional approach of staff? And on and on. I can tell you from prior experience that pay doesn't necessarily make things easier or more worth it in the long run.
Also, as for that Ko-Fi link?
Surprise.
Those of you who gave enough of a damn inadvertently just helped a bunch of people in Brazil, and if you continue donating, you will continue to do so: https:///post/Change-of-Plans-G2G46LEP2
And the thing is, while I knew mods weren't being paid, I kind of got the impression that the revenue was enough for Cerium to keep the site running comfortably, because it's not like the site was his life or something (he's not even on here as often as your average era member). We were happy to have ads and even memberships in order to ensure the server costs get paid and maybe even a little extra money to make it worth his while. I couldn't have IMAGINED he was making upwards of $700,000 a year (minus the server and tech team payout costs which were very likely a fraction of that). And then when we saw that he was getting $4,500,000 to sell the site, and still nobody else was getting paid...man it just rubs me super the wrong way when we think about the founding of this website.
*boss gets a golden parachute*
onlookers: "that's awful, they deserve some of that for doing the work!"
moderators: "first of all how dare you."
onlookers: "that's awful, they deserve some of that for doing the work!"
moderators: "first of all how dare you."
Nephente: fuck you, give me money.
What an embarrassing, pathetic show.
First of all, you could at least copy and paste my name if you couldn't be fucked to spell it right.
Second of all, I just donated the money to a worthy cause. Y'all can continue being mad. Good night!
I understand your feeling, this forum has been in a decline for a couple of years now. I think that forums are a reflection of the overall mood of people in real life. We live in shitty times and people tend to go with the flow. Forums less and less are a refuge for people and more a battleground for angry people who want to vent their mood to the world. Yes, there is a lot of hypocrisy, cynicism and contradiction with this negotiation but like I said capitalism always wins. You can't expect otherwise in a world so full of contradictions. forums are destined to disappear and most of the money is on sites that post crap that only promotes hatred and fighting. Because those types of behaviors are highly addictive. Large-scale anonymity is never good, this is why mods and admins get so much hate. So try to seek places that give you more solace. I'm not even mad with this change because I'm a pessimist and Murphy's law always win.
Yes, you are right the owner is making a lot of money will people are volunteering and making his job more easy. Capitalism sucks. This isn't a win-win scenario, is a slap in the face for many people how are willing to take the shit that others don't. But a lot of mods and admins want to do it for free, like you said and are fine with this change. The guy didn't pay them shit that's why maybe the community can help?
I would like to say I'm a prominent member thus I am owed more
I'm not sure I buy the idea that people are actually concerned about this now when it has been reality for four years. I'm not sure why any of this matters now.
I mean sure I'd love for this community to be non-profit and independent, but it doesn't always work out that way when a website like this costs a lot of money to maintain.
I like to think of it like a restaurant. We pay for our meals so the rent and lights stay on but then we slide $2 to the server for their work. This way owners don't have to. It is a better system.
User banned (permanent): Hostility. Numerous prior bans for hostility and trolling
I don't care enough about you to spell your "name" correctly, in fact, I didn't even know who you were until I saw off-site that you were trying to get the community to give you money and felt the need to tell you what a pathetic move that is.
Good night!
Yep, super weird dynamic. Almost wonder if a couple of the Admins are in on the grift and are trying to downplay it so the ones not in on it don't bail.
This is so pathetic lol. "Rent and lights", yeah sure!
I know it shocked me to hear how much the owner was making. I would never have guessed that. Wouldn't be surprised if most other people here didn't expect that, either, judging by the response.
It's honestly stupefying
And that doesn't even include the part where the buyer is sus as hell
Hilarious to see the l mods clown over themselves to defend not getting something for the work they do. This isn't a non-profit, in fact it's made a nice profit. You don't need to defend the factory owner. Volunteering for a non profit is great, volunteering for a place that actually makes profit is just mind blowing.
We, the people that generate the value, are saying you should get something and y'all just happy to defend not getting shit. Moreover fighting against us saying we should be paying you instead of the guy that just made off with 4 years worth of cash plus a payout of the giant corp that now owns this place.
We, the people that generate the value, are saying you should get something and y'all just happy to defend not getting shit. Moreover fighting against us saying we should be paying you instead of the guy that just made off with 4 years worth of cash plus a payout of the giant corp that now owns this place.
new maxim: never trust the owner of an internet forum. They seek profitability over a sense of community.
The new ceo is part of some online gambling joint. Our new sister forums now resembles neogaf political side after the exodus.
Yes it has been acquired by a company that can do all that. But do they want to? Do the current people running the forum want them to take a proactive management role on the forum? There are different types of ownership. Once an owner takes a hands on approach to an acquisition, it also means exercising their full right to change and the business to what best suits their needs. You can't have hands-off freedom to manage a forum after being acquired and continue things as they are, and also want the business owner to bring in a HR team and invest more in that. Like I said, I can totally imagine community managers being paid roles and that'll be a good thing, but that also comes with a different cost to the community, and that would be a totally different discussion.
It's easy to play armchair management when one has zero responsibility and investment in something. Posts are free (for now)!
Why did you feel bad about it ever? They never told us where the money was going.
The same people who are complaining that the mods are getting paid 100% would be the same people who would then complain that their shills.
You started off going: "What do the mods think?"
Then the mods told you
Then you went: "Oh sorry, did you think I give a shit what you think?"
Why the hell pretend that you care when it's clear you don't.
You started off going: "What do the mods think?"
Then the mods told you
Then you went: "Oh sorry, did you think I give a shit what you think?"
Why the hell pretend that you care when it's clear you don't.
Never played MOBA. If I post here, does that mean I'm playing MOBA?
It doesn't even have to be like that.
The vast majority of issues I've had with staff have not been disliking individual staff members or thinking they're bad at moderating in general. It's been bad policies, bad decisions, repeating mistakes, etc. It's not inconsistent to think another way of handling how the team works may be better, because that's already been the argument.
Tons of people enjoy their jobs and are passionate about them and earnest in their effort and everything despite being paid. I don't see how money would necessarily be a corrupting influence here unless for some stupid reason mods were, like, getting paid by commission per ban or something lmao
Money doesn't have to trump passion. Also there have already been incidents with moderation even with these volunteers (issues with communities, moderation not being equal across the board or overly heavy handed). Saying money would affect the system we have now doesn't really have that much validity.
Lol yeah. They're all adults who can make their own decisions but the attitude is pretty amusing yes
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