As a moderator, one of your jobs is likely to enforce the guidelines, standards, rules, whatever of the community. As such, it makes sense that you wouldn’t push them yourself. And yet, it happens. People get lazy, people forget or – worse – people think they are entitled to push them because they are moderators. This is completely backwards.

I’ve known people who have become a moderator (on sites I didn’t manage) who had the attitude that it was their actions as a member that earned them a moderator role and, as such, they were going to keep doing what they have always done. The fun line is something like “I’m not going to change who I am.”

Problem is, who you are has nothing to do with it. For example, you probably act and dress different at your home than you do at your job. Are either of those people “not you”? No, they are both you, just different flavors.

When you step to the moderator level, your existence on a community is changed. You are no longer just another member. What is required of you is higher than normal members. You are a staff member and you must show everyone how an exemplary member in the community participates. You can no longer think of yourself as a normal member. You have to understand and be comfortable with your responsibilities.

If you aren’t comfortable with changing or adjusting, you aren’t ready for any new role, not just in forums, but in life. No matter what it is, when you do something new, you must adjust that the demands of that endeavor. And those adjustments become a part of who you are, if they aren’t already.