I was a trial mod on an anime forum. I tried really hard at first, too, and wanted to make a difference because I did not like that the ruling faction of admins looked out for their core group first and foremost. Veteran users could get away with just about anything but new users would get banned if they argued back. Even as a veteran, I thought it sucked.
However, when the admins started the "trial mod" system and I was picked to participate, they forgot to hide the admin thread where they talked trash about users they didn't like. I read a good chunk of it before they remembered. My name was in there a lot, since some of the admins hated me, but that was fine. What got me, though, was how fucking juvenile the thread was, like a gossip thread with admins bitching about users left and right and making obnoxious comments. It kind of sickened me, and I completely stopped being a mod. Soon after, I left the site for good.
I have no interest in being a mod after that. I don't want to be a part of something like that.
