Every forum has its own rules and if you buy software like vbulletin (the one this forum uses) then moderating is not hard. Unfortunately spam is something you cannot avoid and will always be here but vbulletin has a feature that requires users to validate their registration by clicking a link in their email. Helps keep a lot of spam out and prevents automated bots from registering automatically and posting bulk spam.
I plan on having moderators here one day. The problem is most people don't stick around long enough here to build enough credibility and as soon as I think about asking someone to moderate they stop posting.
I used to own another forum back when I had an entertainment/TV site. I made a huge mistake and appointed moderators right of the bat and entrusted someone to moderate who went on a power trip and thought he owned the board. I finally had to remove him from the forum and then he kept harassing me through email. It was a mess.
That's why I haven't appointed any moderators yet. When I finally do, I want to make sure they have been around here a while and seem to be responsible posters looking to help, not take over the board.
So sometimes it's easier to just do everything yourself in the beginning until you get enough responsible posters you can trust to moderate. It does kinda suck though when I'm on vacation (and I travel a lot) because I have to keep checking here for spam. etc.
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