Hi everyone!
As promised, we've come up with a new moderator application process, which we feel is a lot simpler than the previous system, and should allow us to evaluate candidates for moderator positions in a much more timely manner. If you have any questions, please post them here.
Please send one e-mail for each board you are applying for (so if you are applying for two boards, send two separate emails). Posters may apply for a maximum of
three boards at one time.
Please note that an existing moderator can only moderate a maximum of three boards, so you can only apply for a set amount of boards that won't put you over that three board limit. Therefore, if you currently moderate two boards, you could only apply for one additional board that has an opening, even if there are several boards that have an opening at any given time.
You can only apply for a board that actually has an opening for a moderator. You can't apply for a board that doesn't have an opening yet, or for a board that hasn't been started yet.
Please send e-mails to
mod_apps@fanforum.com
Please send each email with a subject line of
Board Applied For - Currently Displayed Name (so if poster John_Smith applied to mod the music board, his email would have the subject "Music Board - John_Smith"), and include the following information:
1. Your displayed User Name.
2. Your Age.
3. Your Gender (this way, if you get appointed, we can post our welcome thread for you properly, as many posting names are ambiguous, and it's hard to tell if someone is male or female)
4. If you are a current moderator here, please indicate the message board or boards that you moderate. If you were a former moderator here, please indicate the message board or boards that you used to moderate.
5. A link to your profile here at Fan Forum. This will enable us to check your posting frequency on the board that you want to moderate.
Please note: A correct link to your profile will look like this:
http://www.fanforum.com/member.php?u=5865
If you click on your name as the last poster on a thread, it will say
'last poster' in the link and will go to the last poster at that particular thread. So when another person posts at that thread, it will go to their profile, not yours. Therefore, do not click on your name as the last poster on a thread to get your profile link, because it won't work.
6. A brief paragraph describing why you want to be a moderator, and what you can bring to the board that you want to moderate.
Please note the following: If you want to apply to moderate a message board here at Fan Forum, you need to be an active poster on that message board, and you also need to be an active member of Fan Forum for at least six months. We want moderators to post on their boards at least every other day, unless you post that you're going to be away. We've had people apply in the past that don't even post on the message board that they want to moderate, or who hardly ever post on the board they want to moderate, and it wouldn't be fair to the posters that are active on their message boards to appoint someone who hardly ever posts there as their new moderator. Therefore, your application will only be considered if you're an active poster on the message board that you want to apply for.
Within 24 hours, you will receive a confirmation PM letting you know that we have received your application. If you don't receive a confirmation Private Message within 24 hours after you send in your application, please send a Private Message to Chris.
The Qualities We Look For in an Applicant
The Management Team has often been asked what kind of qualities we look for in a candidate applying to moderate a board. Listed below are a general list of questions that we commonly ask when reviewing each person's application:
1. How long has the candidate been a member at Fan Forum?
2. How many posts does the candidate have?
[This is important, we feel, because we want any potential moderator candidate to be an active poster here.]
3. What did the candidate say about himself or herself in their application?
4. Does the candidate start threads on the board that he or she wants to moderate?
5. Does the candidate participate on a variety of threads on the board that he or she wants to moderate, or do they mostly post on just one thread, like a shipper thread?
6. Does the candidate post regularly in a variety of discussion threads on the board that he or she wants to moderate, or do they mostly post in game/off topic type threads?
[This is important, we feel, because a moderator should lead a board by example in being more active in discussion threads than game type threads.]
7. Has the candidate been posting on the board that they want to moderate for a long time, or did they just start posting after the Moderator Opening Announcement was posted?
[We consider this to be very important, because some people will apply to moderate a board simply so they can have the title of Moderator under their name, even though they had never posted on the board that they applied to moderate. We think that appointing someone to moderate a board who had never posted on that board would be extremely unfair to the regular posters who did post on that board, especially if one of the regular posters applied for that board. Ideally, we want moderators to post on their boards as often as possible, or at least every other day, unless you post that you're going to be away.]
We hope all this gives you a better idea of how the moderator application process is performed.
What is expected from a Moderator
Moderators should be leaders on their boards, and they should do more than simply close threads. Moderators are expected to participate in the discussions on their boards as much as possible, and they should post on their boards at least every other day, and participate in a variety of topics on their boards. Moderators should be approachable and professional, and they should try to answer posters' questions as quickly as possible. Moderators are also expected to start discussions, welcome newcomers, help resolve disputes between posters, and make sure that posters are adhering to Fan Forum rules. It's fine for a moderator to be a member of a 'shipper' group, but they have to deal with any issues that may arise on their boards in an impartial manner. Moderators should also visit the Moderators Message Board on a regular basis to keep abreast of mod issues and to socialize with other people in the community.
Moderator appointments are usually announced on the Sunday following the deadline.
Thanks, and we'll be looking forward to hearing from you