[bhayden]

My issue is most subreddit moderators are young guys who, for the first time in their life, have some small authority over a group of people and are total shitheads about it. They have no credentials other than having thought to make the subreddit before anyone, and have done nothing to deserve a cut of profits of anything. If I owned reddit, I wouldn't want these people to work for me.

[Phlarp]

This is essential-- mods already have way too much power, and are constantly found to be doing naughty things on a very reliable basis. Selling sidebar links, keeping funds from "charity drives", squashing certain domains, outright selling mod accounts to industry marketers (/r/android) and these are just the things we know about! Moderator powers need to be restricted with constant vigilance by the admins and community.

Adding the potential for monetary rewards will not move this problem in the correct direction.