Are GMs still GMs beyond forums and in-game chats? Including Forum Moderators.

[Neblim]

... it's best to find such individuals who are going to cause problems before they actually do ...

I wish there was a way to get such miracles done. So many problematic situations would have been averted.

GMs shouldn't be seen or heard from unless there's a problem. They act on behalf of the server and their words & actions should be interpreted as such.

Completely agree with this. Personally, as a player, a game doesn't feel like a game if I see members of the staff with their flashy headgears running/sitting in the main town all the time, often engaging in completely out of the server conversations. I believe there can be roughly two types of staff:

1) Friendly and close staff that may feel better for the older members of the community as they can establish bonds with the authorities. As a result, however, new players may feel themselves distant upon joining the game and often drama is followed in various forms - inside the staff and between the players and staff.

2) "Distant" and professional staff. I'm not saying that #1 type cannot be professional, but from experience I feel this is the more appropriate way to work. Players should be left with each other in order to play the game unless there's a problem that needs staff assistance. Staff should stay invisible. Always. PMs, support tickets, emails, forums... are invented.

These are my few thoughts.

[DavionFuxa]

Whenever your in your 'GM', or whenever people know that you are the 'GM', you should not be conversing with players about other players; at least, for those who are still allowed to play.

A GM should probably not do it outside of his GM persona either as if they are found out to be a GM then drama can unfold quite easily; though it is possible to do so and not get caught.

[Smoke]

I'd always prefer to talk to a human as a human but its blatant in an online environment some people think that if you are "friends" with a GM you're more "special" than the others. This could result in the ones feeling less "special" breathing fire on staff.

[Peach]

That is the exact reason why I don't give out my personal information(MSN, Skype, etc..) to players while I'm a GM, because those are the areas where I relax and joke around with my friends. I kind of just expect myself to be professional whenever I feel I'm representing the server. If I want to just fool around on the actual server, or on the server forums, I do so through a separate character/account as to conceal my identity~ (That's also why my character names are different from my GM name.)

[laklaker]

As probably all would say, GMs/Forum Moderators have to act accordingly and professionally in-game and on server forums/chatboxes/ventrilo/IRC/TeamSpeak/etc that is a public representation of the server.

However, what would you consider beyond all of that? Does a GM/Forum Moderator still have to talk professionally and not share strong, personal, emotional feelings with fellow players and other people on other ways of communication such as MsN, emails, private ventrilo servers (of the GMs and such), and the like?

Furthermore, should such proofs be used in proving the bad behaviour, etc of the staff member (another question)?

What do you all think?

This would be depends on your co-staff or players in the server. Sometimes people are too boastful that you can't talk to them because they always trashtalk but in if the people is kind or always in a good attitude you can share your private things but just to keep it on the limit.