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Moderators - who becomes one and why

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2003 10:46 am
by Bamfette
there have been some.... grumblings... about who we choose to be mods, and i want to clear a few things up.

we recently made someone a mod who i wont name, but then agian i probably don't have to, who hasn't been a member here for very long, and some people have been complaining about being 'overlooked' they've been here longer, blah blah blah. If you are one of these people, let me clear a few things up for you.
  • How long you've been here means zip. - I don't care if you've been here since Wizard World, or if you joined a few months ago. Everybody here has an equal chance of becoming a mod, within reason. obviously we wont make someone a mod who has only beenhere a week. We don't know enough about them in that time to make that decision, but in 2-3 months, and the person in question has been active and we know them pretty well, then they have as much chance as anyone.
  • This is not a popularity contest! - We don't choose you to be a mod based on how much we like you personally. There are people i love to death who i would not make a mod. our friendships don't enter the equasion.
  • being a mod is not a status symbol - some people ask to be mods and the impression is quite clear that they want it just because it is a position of authority, or a status symbol. this is a job. it is work. our mods get certian perks because of the work and time they devote to the site, but they do have to WORK for those perks.
  • Not all 'mods' actually have any power - when you get a gallery in the fan art section, or we choose you to be a reviewer, you *technically* are made a mod, becuase uploading pictures and posting in the review forum requires that you have moderator status. But these people don't actually have any power. they can't delete, move merge or edit anyone's post like our 'real' mods can. they just have the status as a technicality.
ok. hope that cleared up a few things. now here is what we DO look for when choosing a mod:
  1. Moderators enjoy helping out users.
  2. Moderators have the time to help a community.
  3. Moderators are respectful to other users; they do not abuse their privileges.
  4. Before moderators become moderators, they display a firm understanding of our rules. Not breaking them, and maybe sometimes reporting posts by other users that break the rules.
  5. Moderators are active in the community. This means they don't just enforce the rules; they participate in the community like regular users do.
  6. Moderators are able to communicate clearly and intelligently.
  7. The have earned respect from the members already.
  8. They are not just here to suck up to the Admin.
  9. Promote forums with new threads and stimulating discussion.
  10. Willing to admit their mistakes and not doing "I'll quit" ultimatums.
other than those guidelines, it is just who we think may be suited for the job best. in the case of the new mod, they were already practically doing the job, they were the perfect choice for that particular forum. Active, intelligent, very very clear understanding of the rules, well liked and respected... everything on the above list. we just made it official.

and one more thing. ask to be a mod, and you are severely lessening your chances. if we need mods, WE will do the asking.