Jimbob1989 as moderator (somewhere)

Hey all,

I dont know many of you so this might be the first time you've heard from me as I'm new so anyway.

In the past, I have had a few runins with mods on different forums, not this one though. I want to be a moderator, however my broadband doesnt get connected for a few days. When it does get connected, I would like someone to give me a moderating post on their forum for a trial period or just get there through loads of decent posting. Does anyone know of anyone who will give me a trial mod post? or is there anyone who will themself?

Jimbob

 

I wish you luck also jimbob
Rita

 

Jimbob1989, It takes a bit of perserverience and the ability to understand what people are trying to convey to the problems they are having. My advice is to watch the post's and see how questions are responded to and what protocol is accepted on the forum. Just don't give up, it could happen in time.

bigc

 

Hi, Jimbob1989

Yes, you will make a different kind MOD.

Please keep trying.

Take Care,
TheQuest

 

So You Wanna Be A Moderator...
Sounds easy… a bit of checking here… a bit of checking there, but being a moderator is one thing, and being a "good" moderator is another. I've been moderating on several forums now for some time, and am a senior moderator on one of the forums I frequent most. Usually you ask if you can be a moderator, or in many cases are asked by the Admins or staff if you would like to moderate, mainly due to your knowledge and activities on the forum. In asking you, the Admins then become dependant on you as a moderator to make the correct and sensible decisions at all times.
Moderating is not just a matter of looking for profanities or items that may offend other members, but having the forethought to be able to read a thread and see a little way into the future and know if this thread is going to cause a problem that may effect the smooth running of the forum. A few harsh words may be the only signal you get at this time, so if you are wise in your decision, you would post a small polite warning that will let the members involved know that you are monitoring the situation, and it also allows them to cool down slightly and reconsider what they may have said. Saying.."Come on you guys, cool it down a bit" is far better than saying, "Look you two… I'm watching you so you'd better stop it." Use a bit of diplomacy… read the thread carefully to see which way it is heading, and study the members, know their characters if possible, and try to feel if the situation is going to explode, and "always" be polite in your warnings. By reading the thread carefully you may be able to discretely divert the subject by mentioning something else that may be related to the topic, but avoid direct confrontations where you might get pulled into a heavy debate.

Watch out for the ones that "fly in" and spam the site with multiple postings showing their link, which may be a commercial one and not fish related, then they "fly out" and disappear, never to be seen again. You may also get the obvious "manure stirrers" that arrive at the site with one thing in mind, and that is to start trouble by various means. Their whole object here is to usually degrade the site in some way. This is usually apparent in their first posts due to their attitude towards the members or the site, so these should be watched. You also get the members that have a bad reputation, so they enroll by a different name, or several different names, in order to "cover their tracks" so to speak. Many sites only allow one alias per member, so you should watch out for these, as the person in question may have been banned from the site. Again, reading the posts these people make will quickly tell you who they "really" are. There is little action you can take against this, unless the member has been previously banned, so it is best in these situations (if you have proof of this) to inform your advisors.

If you moderate forums "X" and "Y", and do this in conjunction with other moderators, don't rely on them by thinking, "Oh, it'll be ok, because so and so will have checked this". You have been given a responsibility, and that responsibility is to check "all" forums you moderate for infringements in new posts. Work together, share the load, but don't neglect your duties as a moderator.

Your position as a moderator may be a joint one, along with sometimes many others that cover the same forums as you do. One major rule in moderating is never to over-rule a decision made by another moderator on the open forum.

By this I mean… If moderator "one" takes action against a post or thread, then moderator "two" should not over-ride that decision just because they think "their" opinion is the correct one. The Senior Moderators or the Admins can of course do this if they feel the action taken was an incorrect one, and this is sometimes unavoidable, but generally the senior staff would inform the moderator in private regarding the matter. Never allow your personal feelings about another moderator or member affect the decisions that you might make. Allowing this to happen will become like a disease inside you, and because you have these harsh or bad feelings against someone, they will certainly hinder your judgment in taking any actions as a moderator, so clear you mind of your personal feelings first, before taking any action.

The open forum is "not" the place to discuss your grievances with a fellow moderator, and should be kept away from the open forum and discussed in private. Any grievances that occur between moderators that are made public on the open forum create a bad image, not only for the moderators in general, but for the whole site. Visitors arriving for the first time are usually instantly put off by this type of thing, and invariably never return once they leave. Resident members also see this, and if it happens on a regular basis, again will invariably find another site to frequent.

As a moderator you become an ambassador for that site, and should promote it to the best of your abilities at all times. You can do this by working with other moderators as a team, and by helping the members in any way you can. You don't have to answer every post in an attempt to look good or feel good, just be there if you are needed, and help out if you can. A good start to this is by making all newcomers welcome, which is a thing in my view that is neglected on many sites. Nothing makes a new member feel "more at home" than a good rousing welcome from the other members and moderators, so by doing this you are creating an image that all newcomers like to see. Make "your" posts mean something, and avoid "one liners" that have no substance.

We don't have to go far to see the "Power Hungry" type moderators, that throw their weight around the forum because "they were here first" or they feel that "they know better than you." These types of people are not fit to moderate in my estimation, but there seems to be many of them on the various forums. Pointing out that "you are a moderator" and "this is your forum", or "I was here before you so I'll make the decisions" is never a good policy on the open forum, and will generally cause problems and create a bad image. If you work together as a team and envisage what "really" should be done "before" you take action, then invariably your decision will be the correct one.

Finally, members sometimes look at moderators with varying degrees of either like or dislike, and it is up to you as a moderator to create the best image you can for yourself and for the benefit of the site, as your example will reflect not only on your own performance, but on other moderators and the whole forum also.

Good Luck My Friend
G.

 

Quest,

I noticed that one too! Don't know what the chap is thinking - with!

 

I think the reason I want to become a mod is because, generally the general members dont get on with the mods or dont feel they can ask them for help. I want to work for and with the members, not above them.

Jimbob

 

Hi Jimbob,

I surely don't have that problem. I moderate the forum and help as much as I can and above all I make new friends.
Of course there are problems which we can't answer as we don't have the knowledge to find the solution, but we can always offer our input. Sometimes we don't respond to a question, simply because there's no answer, so we rely on other forum members who may have a clue.
We also moderate the forum, so the forum members stay within the guidelines. Wrong posted topics are moved/split to the appropriate section.
btw I was a forum member for about a year, until the company asked me to become a moderator. We also make fun from time to time with the forum members and with the other moderators/admin. It doesn't have to be serious all the time, you need to have fun at what you're doing too.

My sole objective has always been to help whenever I can and always remain friendly, so in short I work for and with the members. I don't care how much posts I made, it surely isn't a competition.
Every new forum member gets a special welcome from me, sort of a trade mark.

If you offer genuine help/advice to other members, it will be seen by the company/admin/moderators and maybe you'll get chosen to become a moderator.

Good luck on becoming a moderator.

 

Sorry, I Steryotyped a little.

 

No problem, I know what you meant.

 

Hi Jimbob, and best wishes,

I've been a mod with a head-injury group at Yahoo (interactive mailing list) since it was formed about 4 years ago. The agreement with the list owner, and we're both quite happy with it, was that I'd help members with "mechanics" like problems with mail delivery or posting options, but he'd have sole responsibility for group policies and "keeping the peace". The other mod and I are quite happy to kick ideas back and forth with him if he's unsure about something, but he has the final say.

I was highly flattered a couple of years ago to be offered a position as mod with a huge neurology forum-group (60,000 members at the time), but declined with thanks because over there, 95 percent of the mods' work is in effect "law enforcement", and I didn't want to get into that. It takes too much time and effort away from being helpful and supportive in other ways that (in my eyes) are far more productive.

Best,
Mike

 

One more comment, and this is more of a compliment-plus-thanks to the existing mods and admins here.

When you find it necessary to move a thread to a more apppropriate forum (probably the most common "visible" intervention we see), or remove it for admin review, or just plain dump it, the brief explanatory note (and link to new location, if appropriate) you leave in its place are very useful and greatly appreciated.

Over at the neurology forums I mentioned, they never heard of doing such things, and I've asked them to pretty-please consider putting in the extra effort to copy the way you work here.

Thanks and best,
Mike

 

Do Jimbob a favour? (aka. Jimbob becomes a Mod at...)

Hey All,

I have become a moderator at http://datacentertalk.com/index.php? if you would be kind enough to have a look and if you like, register. But of course dont forget this forum

Jimbob

 

Re: Do Jimbob a favour?

Congratulations, Jimbob.
Your wish came through. Moderate well.

 

Re: Do Jimbob a favour?

Major league congrats to you ____

 

Re: Do Jimbob a favour?

This post has been deleted as it is considered spam which is against our TOS.

 

Re: Do Jimbob a favour?

JIMBOB


very best wishes that you are a big success.........I took a quick look at the website................unfortunately this..which is at the website


*********<whcirc.com/ads/adview.php?n=ad38ce19>******


is actually

***********/ads/adclick.php**********



JimBob thanks for your kind offer........registering at websites is not my thing..............an when adclick is present at the site....or anything like it.....well, lets just say I will pass......GOOD LUCK JIMBOB

 

Re: Do Jimbob a favour?

Snowman guy
what is adclick?thanks

 

Re: Do Jimbob a favour?

************************************


RITA

for me to answer your question in this thread would be off-topic an I do not wish to be impolite..........lets just say its a "tracker"

 

Re: Do Jimbob a favour?

If I'm honest, the forum needs redesigning but the admins want to wait. But there tactics dont make sense.

They want to get more members then make changes, does it not make sense to do it the other way around?

Jimbob

 

Re: Do Jimbob a favour?

OK, thought it might be allowed as the subject of me becoming a moderator had been mentioned before on this forum, recently.

Jimbob

 

Jimbob, moderator... again

Hey all,

I have been made a moderator on yet another site and I'm loving this new site. Working my way up in the world. If you want the address pm me as I shouldnt realy post it here, dont want to annoy any staff.

Jimbob

 

Re: Jimbob, moderator... again

Hi Jimbob1989,

I have moved your thread from the General Topics forum since that particular forum is for board-related topics only.

Congratulations on your continued success as Moderator.

We do appreciate your consideration with using the PM feature.

Again, all the best to you in your new duties.

Regards,

snap