the CAN I BE A MODERATOR? question

Yes, we all have seen and some have been annoyed by the question but we all know that we want to know what it takes to become a moderator even if we do not show it. So, I have created this guide to help you on becoming a moderator here and/or the chat box for the forum. By following these simple instructions, you can get closer and may one day be a moderator.

You may be wondering, ''Billboard, your not even a moderator so what do you know?''
I have been a moderator on several forums and currently, I am a moderator on TheImportantSnakes which is a chat box. I have a large amount of experiance and I believe that I can probably help you out also.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Apparently this guide works. It worked for me and it can certainly work for you also.

How long will it take?
It will not happen tomorrow, I can tell you that but if you follow the rules, you will get closer and closer.

Now on with the guide.


Following the Rules: A good member of a forum always listens to the rules and it is very rare that they ever break any of them. Your chances are better when you have no infractions than if you had some but I bet that if you work really hard with your infractions, it will show in bright colors that you have what it takes to turn around and possibly be a good moderator.

Spamming: Try not to do it. Spamming can be summed up as (Please report me for swearing) Pointless Annoying Message. Pretty much meaning, if it doesn’t make since, has an overloaded amount of smiles, or it is not in the topic of the main thread you are posting in, it can be considered as (Please report me for swearing). Try to stay away from this.

Double Posting: It is a mistake we have all done. Double posting is when you post right after one of your posts before someone else has posted after you. This can be (Please report me for swearing) and an infraction will be handed out to you if you do it. “Note that this does not apply to the 'count to 5000' thread.’’ A good way to fix one of these problems if you double posted is deleting the extra post you created pressing the X button on the upper right hand corner of the box that contains your post.

Flaming: Do not flame people. Flaming is being rude, mean, or even yelling at a person. This is not the kind of behavior that administrators like to see in a moderator and will not like someone like that to be one. Be patient with other people if they happen to make a mistake. Don’t yell at the person; help them by calmly correcting the person. Tell them what they can do to post better.

Hacking Discussion: If someone threats to hack the forum, DO NOT FREAK OUT A ABOUT IT! Instead, tell a moderator, or an administrator and they will take care of it. Freaking out only gets other people freaked out and it creates a large mess that no one wants to clean up.

Respecting Current Moderators: Respecting a moderator is important. It shows that you listen to authority and it tells the administrator that you would listen to him or her whenever he or she tells you to do something. Don’t cuss out a moderator if you want to become one in the future.

Cussing: Cussing causes a post to look sloppy and some people find it evincive so I do not recommend you cuss while you post here.

Grammar: Try to use the best grammar possible. You look more professional when you use larger words.

Report and Ignore: If you see someone posting (Please report me for swearing) threads, report it and ignore it. There is no longer need to post there. Posting there only bumps the thread back up to the top and creates attention which is what the spammer wants to do. The spammer wants to get everyone’s attention and (Please report me for swearing) the forum creating a mess of people freaking out and posts to get back in order. It is easier to delete a thread when no one else has posted in it.

Post Count: Don’t post just to raise your post count. Post counts do not matter. If you are trying to get 5000 posts by spamming, you are not going to make it before you get banned and getting banned lowers your chances of becoming a moderator even lower.

Positive: Be positive! Don’t tell someone their artwork is horrible! It crushes the person’s feelings. It doesn’t make that person like you anymore and it doesn’t help to be a moderator with members of the forum hating everything you do because you are rude.

Hissy Fits: Don’t be a baby if you don’t get your way. You look like a spoiled good for nothing jerk that demands attention. If you want to be a moderator, don’t do this. If you want to be a moderator, DON’T DO THIS!

Staying in the Subject of the Thread: Don’t post something completely off topic in a thread. It just creates (Please report me for swearing). It doesn’t help anything for that useless post to be there. All it does is take up unneeded room and causes people to freak out about it.

Welcoming Others: When you welcome someone to the forum, say hello THEN gently push the rules their way. If you see someone that has already posted the rules to someone, don’t do it again. It makes you look like all you care about is rules and the new person may not want to be in a forum that takes rules so seriously. I am not saying rules are not important but there is a limit on how much you can shove them down someone’s throat.

PG 13: Don’t be a sexual talker. It is not something anyone likes to see. Don’t post pictures that are wrong or even look wrong. Don’t tell jokes with a sexual meaning. It isn’t a good thing for anyone to see. There could even be younger people that are browsing the forum as a guest.

Showing Off: Don’t show off your post count or even that you have made it to mod-ship. It makes you look like a jerk.

Advertising: Don’t advertise. Why would someone respect you as a moderator if you cannot even respect the “no advertising rule’’. I mentioned this because I see people doing this all the time. On the forum and on the chat.

Listen: The best way to help is to answer Private Messages sent to you here or even on the chat box. The members may need help or want to chit chat. Either way, it is important to answer them so the person feels welcomed and is a part of the community.

Joking Around: Joking around is good because it makes it so people are not as bored but be sure to make it so you don’t goof around so much, you miss a rule break.



What to do:

Be helpful
Positive Attitude
No spamming
Rule Listening
Obeying Authority
Being nice
Active
Post Often

What NOT to do:

Spamming
Complaining
Being mean
Not helping others
Posting often but spamming
Worrying about post count
Saying no to moderators- Ill bring this up again, When a mod tells you to do something, do it unless it is breaking a rule.

HELPFUL EXTRAS

I would like to add that whenever a threat of hacking occurs. Remain calm and whatever you do, do not go onto the other chat and start spamming them. It does not help at all. I saw several people doing this including moderators and Administrators. I have dealt with things like this in the past and the best way to take care of it is ignoring the people that say (Please report me for swearing) the other chat. It just doesn’t help. It makes the other side want to fight even more. A moderator needs to be responsible and only kick or banned when a person has broken a rule. Not because someone on another chat banned the moderator. It doesn’t make you look very good. Also, let a person explain something in detail if they feel like it is necessary, it might just fool you how smart some of the users around here are. You never know if they can do something to help out.

If you are a moderator and you are cussing openly, you are not giving a good example. It takes a hypocrite to ban someone for doing the same thing you are doing.

The placement of lol’s is important when it comes to being a helpful user. I try to use mine as a tone of voice because you can say something and mean it and it comes out a totally new way that can offend people. I try to use mine towards a joke or a funny comment.



FAQ

Q: I have done so much for the forum and I am still not a moderator. What gives?

A: Like I said before, it won’t be easy to become a moderator. Sometimes the administrator isn’t looking at the way you post on this forum, but the way you post and respect people on other forums.


Q: What is one thing I should consider when being asked to be a moderator?

A: Do you have the time to look through the forums every day for a few minutes or even hours and getting rid of (Please report me for swearing) posts? Do you know how to handle a (Please report me for swearing) attack well? Those are just a few and I bet you can probably think of others yourself.


Q: I am thinking of making a thread about something but I don’t know if it will get me banned. What do I do in this situation?

A:If you think there is a problem with it, do not post it. If you think it could break the rules and get you banned, don’t take the risk. If you want to ask a moderator or even an administrator, that would help you get your answer.


Q: I am already a moderator and there are still things I am having trouble with. How can I become a better moderator?

A: It’s really simple, just moderate longer and you will gain experience in it and you will become much better at it. Anyway, if you made it this far, you must be a good person.


Q: I have read this guide and I have so many questions. What can I do to get them answered?

A: You can either talking to a moderator/administrator and they can help you or you can post in this thread and I will add the answered question to this thread.



Tip: Banning or kicking people for insulting staff is something that you may want to stay away from “Unless it involves cussing, flooding, or sexual content.’’ A person has a right to an opinion of someone. The President of the United States has to deal with people calling him a name or something along that line. He cannot simply put the person in jail. Freedom of speech is something that can be painful and it is an amendment that we have to accept and even when it hurts, deal with.



Double posting is aloud on the chat box but not on the main forum. I am not sure if everyone is aware of this.

By following these tips, not only will you get closer to being a moderator, but you will be a great user!

HAPPY POSTING!

If there is anything to be added by a moderator, please do so!

Wow, what a long and useful guide! I'm sure if everyone did the correct things just like the ones you mentioned, they'd be a mod in no-time.

Leango™ wrote:

Wow, what a long and useful guide! I'm sure if everyone did the correct things just like the ones you mentioned, they'd be a mod in no-time.

Thank you. I have been looking for a guide and I couldnt find a good one. I felt that Chewy's could use a little extra. I hope that this helps everyone on their quest to be a moderator.

this should be sticked.

Very usefull, I agree with the part where you say we shouldn't spam back but everyone gets mad and than... Well than everything gets spammed, they spam us, we spam them, we even spam our self because we "PANIC!!!!!!!!"... Stickied.

INsanityPenguin wrote:

Very usefull, I agree with the part where you say we shouldn't spam back but everyone gets mad and than... Well than everything gets spammed, they spam us, we spam them, we even spam our self because we "PANIC!!!!!!!!"... Stickied.

We need to have a thread on that also. What to do in a situation of a spam attack.

I saw how the moderators were so freaked yesterday that they banned 6 guests that were not from the other chat box. I actually messaged most of the people and they said they followed the link I was talking about on snakes and they were upset because they got banned for no reason.

Im not blaming the moderators, a spam attack was coming and they were protecting everything but going and attacking the other guys 2 hours later and actually causing them to have to shut down their forum like ours was uncalled for. Thats when I got ticked. Looks like we are all back to normal now and everyone is back to the way I like it. Calm, funny, and nice. Its why I joined in the first place.

Billboard wrote:

INsanityPenguin wrote:

Very usefull, I agree with the part where you say we shouldn't spam back but everyone gets mad and than... Well than everything gets spammed, they spam us, we spam them, we even spam our self because we "PANIC!!!!!!!!"... I'll ask an admin if I can sticky this.

We need to have a thread on that also. What to do in a situation of a spam attack.

I saw how the moderators were so freaked yesterday that they banned 6 guests that were not from the other chat box. I actually messaged most of the people and they said they followed the link I was talking about on snakes and they were upset because they got banned for no reason.

Im not blaming the moderators, a spam attack was coming and they were protecting everything but going and attacking the other guys 2 hours later and actually causing them to have to shut down their forum like ours was uncalled for. Thats when I got ticked. Looks like we are all back to normal now and everyone is back to the way I like it. Calm, funny, and nice. Its why I joined in the first place.

Wait we made them shut down their forum??

INsanityPenguin wrote:

Billboard wrote:

INsanityPenguin wrote:

Very usefull, I agree with the part where you say we shouldn't spam back but everyone gets mad and than... Well than everything gets spammed, they spam us, we spam them, we even spam our self because we "PANIC!!!!!!!!"... I'll ask an admin if I can sticky this.

We need to have a thread on that also. What to do in a situation of a spam attack.

I saw how the moderators were so freaked yesterday that they banned 6 guests that were not from the other chat box. I actually messaged most of the people and they said they followed the link I was talking about on snakes and they were upset because they got banned for no reason.

Im not blaming the moderators, a spam attack was coming and they were protecting everything but going and attacking the other guys 2 hours later and actually causing them to have to shut down their forum like ours was uncalled for. Thats when I got ticked. Looks like we are all back to normal now and everyone is back to the way I like it. Calm, funny, and nice. Its why I joined in the first place.

Wait we made them shut down their forum??

Yep, just like ours. It didnt help anyone at that point. Thats when I was ticked and people saw it yesterday. I didnt want anything like this to even happen but telling a dog to stop attacking you is hard also.

yeah

INsanityPenguin wrote:

Billboard wrote:

INsanityPenguin wrote:

Very usefull, I agree with the part where you say we shouldn't spam back but everyone gets mad and than... Well than everything gets spammed, they spam us, we spam them, we even spam our self because we "PANIC!!!!!!!!"... I'll ask an admin if I can sticky this.

We need to have a thread on that also. What to do in a situation of a spam attack.

I saw how the moderators were so freaked yesterday that they banned 6 guests that were not from the other chat box. I actually messaged most of the people and they said they followed the link I was talking about on snakes and they were upset because they got banned for no reason.

Im not blaming the moderators, a spam attack was coming and they were protecting everything but going and attacking the other guys 2 hours later and actually causing them to have to shut down their forum like ours was uncalled for. Thats when I got ticked. Looks like we are all back to normal now and everyone is back to the way I like it. Calm, funny, and nice. Its why I joined in the first place.

Wait we made them shut down their forum??

he means lockdown.
shutdown is when u close a place forever.
lockdown is the same except for a certain amount of time.

Louis0785 wrote:

INsanityPenguin wrote:

Billboard wrote:

INsanityPenguin wrote:

Very usefull, I agree with the part where you say we shouldn't spam back but everyone gets mad and than... Well than everything gets spammed, they spam us, we spam them, we even spam our self because we "PANIC!!!!!!!!"... I'll ask an admin if I can sticky this.

We need to have a thread on that also. What to do in a situation of a spam attack.

I saw how the moderators were so freaked yesterday that they banned 6 guests that were not from the other chat box. I actually messaged most of the people and they said they followed the link I was talking about on snakes and they were upset because they got banned for no reason.

Im not blaming the moderators, a spam attack was coming and they were protecting everything but going and attacking the other guys 2 hours later and actually causing them to have to shut down their forum like ours was uncalled for. Thats when I got ticked. Looks like we are all back to normal now and everyone is back to the way I like it. Calm, funny, and nice. Its why I joined in the first place.

Wait we made them shut down their forum??

he means lockdown.
shutdown is when u close a place forever.
lockdown is the same except for a certain amount of time.

Thank you, I knew I was saying the wrong word, I just couldnt remember the other one.

lol wow

I am going to add a FAQ section. If you have any questions that you think would be good, PM them to me and Ill go ahead and add them.

hey look its sticked!
congrats

FAQ and Color added to help reading.

Nice guide! Good post.

Thank you. I saw that a lot of people were asking to be a moderator and kept getting yelled at. I decided to help out those people and others by making this thread. I cant believe it became a sticky. That is just telling me I did something right. I will make more guides and I will post them in the future.

Wow! Great job, this definently deserves to be stickied

I appreciate your guide. Hopefully, other forum users will read and follow it.

I will add to this guide as I see needed. This will only get larger and larger so I ask that it DOESNT get locked.

You deserve to be a mod billboard

good post

kOoKi wrote:

You deserve to be a mod billboard

. It would be an honor but at this point in time, I would be able to help out more being a member. Besides, I bet there is someone else considered way before me and I wouldn't want to take anything from that person.

Congratultions that you are a sticky. Ok, I'm going to follow every single thing your guide says. This is so ultimate.

Thank-you for this organized, informative guide.