2020-07-30 15:52:33

Hi all,

Over the last few months, we've found ourselves in a situation where it's fallen to only a couple of people to run the day-to-day administration of the site. One of those people has been me, and while I'm okay with it on a personal level, it's been suggested that we could do with another moderator or two to help out.
As such, we're going to throw open the floor to the users of this forum, with the intention of adding one or two moderators to the staff team.

A few ground rules before we start:
1. Your opinions are welcome, but only if they are constructive. Infighting, unfounded accusations and character assassination will be dealt with appropriately.
2. While we do welcome your opinions, this is not a vote. There is no need for nominations and we will not be counting or in any way directly tabulating the number of positive responses any given user gets. Feedback toward a particular candidate will serve only in a general capacity to give us a gauge of the public's feeling toward that candidate. It matters, but is not the final say and does not make up a majority of the evidence we will use in order to come to our final decision.
3. If you wish to prove someone as unsuitable for a moderator position, please be courteous and respectful. Do not use hearsay evidence to qualify your objections, and do not inform your choice to speak with a personal grudge. In other words, tell us the facts in a straightforward way, and if necessary, explain to us why these facts should disqualify a candidate from consideration.
4. Non-candidates should in no way attempt to influence the applications of candidates except in the manner prescribed above. In other words, don't help them make a case for themselves, and especially don't give them help in attempting to process the case study (see below for more details). If you are caught doing this, you may receive punitive action, and will very likely permanently invalidate yourself from ever being a member of the staff team going forward.

For those of you who have previously indicated an interest in becoming moderators, we thank you for your interest, but we're going to do this more formally to give everyone a fair shake. Prior moderation appointments were done quietly and with little to no community involvement, but it is time we changed this.

So here's how it's going to work.

Potential applicants must:
1. communicate their interest in the position themselves
2. explain why they wish to be a moderator
3. qualify why they believe they would make a good choice as a moderator (enumerate personal strengths which lend themselves well to the role, discuss prior history in this role if appropriate)
4. communicate any weaknesses or challenges which might cause problems in their role as a moderator (rule conflicts, previous bans, difficulty in coping with strong personal bias or beliefs, interpersonal problems, etc)
5. indicate, in rough, their level of commitment/availability
6. indicate their familiarity with, or willingness to learn, the use of Discord (our primary interface for off-forum discussion at present)
7. propose their solution to the following fictional scenario

John, Jill and Juan are engaged in a heated three-way argument on the forum. For context, Jill has received one ninety-day ban for repeated personal attacks in the past, John is a transgender male, and Juan's first language is Spanish, but his English is fairly good.
The thrust of the argument appears to be thus:
John is getting angry because Jill keeps criticizing the things he says; she takes care never to mention his status as a trans male, but in John's opinion, Jill is targeting him unduly and picking on him. In one of her more recent posts, Jill says, "You created four different projects and all of them sucked. Maybe this would be a good time to realize this isn't a good fit for you. I mean, I'm only a girl so what the fuck do I know about gaming, right?" John's most recent post reads: "Jill, seriously, piss off. I'm reporting your post to the mods. I don't care what you think or how you feel or whatever, but leave. me. alone. You're a fucking waste of space around here and I wish you'd just leave. Or hey, maybe you'll get banned again. That would be cool."
Juan, for his part, has taken it upon himself to play armchair moderator between the two. His posts in this thread indicate that he's trying to speak to each person as if he is a neutral party somewhere in the middle, but unfortunately the language barrier, and other things, are sort of complicating the issue. One of Juan's posts reads, "John you can be whatever you are and it doesn't matter if I think it's wrong, but even if Jill attack you like this you can't attack back. Jill you got to learn to shut the fuck up because nobody cares that you hate John. Seriously sick of this guys, so just stop okay? Why can't everybody play nice?"
This is only a cross-section of the problem, but you are the first mod to see this thread, which has exploded since you were last on the forum. What do you do? How do you handle it?
Please note (and this is very important): non-candidates should not discuss the proposed problem in public. This is to test the suitability of a prospective moderator by assessing their ability to disseminate pertinent information, problem-solve and employ the rules in a fair and nonbiased way.

A final note: prior experience in a moderation role - whether here or elsewhere - is an asset, but not a guarantee of admittance. Conversely, while warnings or bans against you will be taken into account, they are not grounds for immediate disqualification, particularly if the problematic behaviour or actions are no longer present.

Thanks for reading, and good luck to all candidates!

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

Thumbs up +3

2020-07-30 17:55:59

I wish Defender be a mod or an admin, I dont think he got any wornings or coshins, and he really fits the rules above, IMO

Thumbs up

2020-07-30 18:02:37

i want defender to be a mod.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.

Thumbs up

2020-07-30 18:13:09

Moderation:
Meatbag and Soren, consider this an official caution to each of you.
What did I say about not nominating people? If Defender wants to be a mod, he'll have to apply. He's actually said more than once that he does not wish to be a mod, however.
Please do not further fill up this thread with nominations for who you'd like to see as a moderator. If (and only if) a person applies, it's perfectly fine to say that you do or don't support them (though if you say that you don't, remember what I said about being courteous or framing your objections fairly). Until they apply, however, please don't do this. I will issue a caution the first time any given user does this in this particular thread, and a warning if it's kept up. This is an official thread meant for official business. Please respect that.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

Thumbs up +1

2020-07-30 18:38:20

Hi!
For clarity as I'm not sure if it was mentioned, and if it was I'm dumb and missed it, should applicants write their answers here?
Or should they email it to someone?
or what's the plan?
My concern here was more focused on answer stealing and such if it is to be written here.
Thanks a lot

Nathan Smith
Managing Director of Nathan Tech
It's not disability
It's ability!

2020-07-30 19:42:03

hello
I'd like to be moderator because of the following reason's:
1: i'm 24/7 online and checking the forum
2: as I remember, I hadn't any warning, maybe 1 or 2
3: if a flamewar starts, i'll try to control the hole topic as fast as possible by first cloasing the topic for some hours, then warning who started it
4: I totaly agree with rules above and forum rules
best regards

Thumbs up

2020-07-30 21:50:09

Good question, about where should this stuff bee sent? I want to try to help out if I can.

Add me on Skype, search for The Evil Chocolate Cookie

2020-07-30 22:24:43

You know, that's a good question, so thanks for asking.
My thought was to have you simply post your answers here. Answer-stealing would be very easy to spot, and the community itself is not voting, so there's an internal process that will decide how this is going to shake down. I won't explain precisely how that works, but suffice it to say that if it looks like you're just piggy-backing on someone else, we'll catch it and it would count against you.
However, if anyone has a problem posting publicly with the information in the application, they can also submit this privately, ideally to Carter, Aaron and myself, but to at least one of us (I am probably the most active). If you do this, please also at least make a post in this thread letting us know that you have signed up.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

Thumbs up

2020-07-31 01:24:11

I'm curious. In your example scinario, what is the purpose of stating that John is a trans male? It doesn't seem to matter.
Also, I like how Jayde wrote this whole several paragraph post, and then we're probably gonna get a bunch of six line answers. I feel that it's probably a good thing to state that longer, more detailed posts should be prefered.
Also, not sure if this is as big of an issue with me, but I'd like my mods to have good English and grammar.

----------
“Yes, sir. I am attempting to fill a silent moment with non-relevant conversation.”
“You don’t tell me how to behave; you’re not my mother!”
“Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.” – Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Thumbs up +1

2020-07-31 02:08:27

Redfox, I won't discuss the scenario for obvious reasons. Suffice it to say that it was quite carefully crafted. It's up to the applicants to decide what matters and what doesn't. Let's not make their job any easier.
Also, I deliberately did not write down the exact criteria we're after, but I figure this application process should weed out a lot of individuals who sorta kinda want to be a mod but either can't follow instructions, don't have the qualities we're after or aren't committed.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

Thumbs up

2020-07-31 02:36:46

I nominating my dog.

Thumbs up

2020-07-31 02:45:58

Moderation:
Swigjr23, I did mention this before. This is an official caution. Do not make this thread any larger than it has to be with meaningless posts or attempts at satire. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't matter at all, but I laid down guidelines in the first post, and if you can't follow them, just stay quiet and let others handle the conversation, please.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

Thumbs up

2020-07-31 04:08:24

Greetings. I am interested in the moderator position for the following reasons. To start with, we've been experiencing a downhill decline in civility of late, as well as an up tick in drama. These things do not make for a very welcoming place. We must understand that not only do we get new registrants daily, but also, we receive guests who are developers. As these developers are on the outside looking in, it should be incumbent on us to put our best foot forward, as it were.

Secondly, and this is probably the simplest of all, I recognize the need for moderators who are committed to making the forum a better place. This requires commitment and dedication from all staff, but it also requires teamwork and cooperation as well.

Finally, just a desire to keep up with the things that tend to fall through the cracks, such as staying on top of the restricted topic. I've always been good at that type of clean-up work for some reason. I generally am good about coming behind people and doing the work that sometimes gets forgotten about by others.

I believe I have suitable qualifications for the position of moderator. I'm determined to make a difference and to do well. I do my best to make things as fair as possible. I am tough on transgressors. I do make mistakes like everyone else, but I will not shy away from admitting when I'm wrong. Finally, I have a passion for turning this place around and making it something we all can be proud of.

There are a few things that would serve as challenges for me. The most glaring of which would be my two bans. Next, I would say that I'm not overly fond of rules related to piracy. I would probably be slower to act in cases like this, simply because I'd want to be sure it's actually going to take place. Blatant things, such as posting links to illegal torrents would not be a problem.

I would say that I tend to have strong opinions. I recognize that as a moderator, it would be to my best interest to really think through whether or not it's worth posting them and getting into debates. Basically, I would treat it more like a paid position, but with my personality still in tact, just not the rougher edges, if that makes sense.

There are a few people who regularly come here that I am not a fan of. I realize that both of my previous bans were related to how I expressed my displeasure to the people that were behaving not in a way I would have liked at the time. That said, I think I have gotten to a point where I can not be so close to things, and realize that upholding professional standards does not permit that sort of hostility towards other users.

As far as a time commitment goes, I'd like to say 21 hours per week. This is three hours a day, and it's not that I couldn't do more, and wouldn't be willing to do more, I think this is a good base line. It is a good pace marker for me, because I have the habit of not pacing myself in my endeavors and sometimes getting burnt out. This can happen even if the activity in question is something that I love doing. Pacing myself is a good way to prevent this from happening though.

I am very familiar with Discord and use it daily. I am participating in the accessibility server, and am on roughly 17 servers at the moment. I love Discord as once you figure out how to navigate through it, it really is a feature rich platform.

As to the hypothetical scenario, it doesn't seem like there is enough evidence to suggest that Jill might be attacking John because of his transgender status. She has antagonized him though. Her prior attacks on him have probably resulted in at least one caution by the staff, so she deserves a warning. If she had feedback for John, she could have delivered it in a more constructive manner.

John deserves a warning as well, because calling Jill a waste of space is a personal attack. Juan doesn't deserve punishment in my opinion. The whole situation would then require closer monitoring to make sure it doesn't get even further out of hand.

Facts with Tom MacDonald, Adam Calhoun, and Dax
End racism
End division
Become united

2020-07-31 06:43:37

With this new change of public applications, a new form of communication between the staff, and a new member or 2 on the team to hopefully give the forum the spark it needs again, will the team look more into the physical condition of the sight? We all know that the webmasters have been strict with the amount of control they give to the admins, and that you have tried to get them to realize that this forum needs a makeover badly. Will y'all try to make progress with that, or consider finding an alternate way to host audiogames.net in the near future? I realize this is not your immediate concern, however I think a lot of us can agree at this moment we are fighting a losing battle with the current software. Sorry if this question comes off as inconsiderate or not relevant, however personally speaking I do think it should be more of a priority once things start moving again, now that we have new communication and a stronger staff.

2020-07-31 12:21:24

I'm confused, you said you welcome opinions but then gave posts 2 and 3 cautions for suggesting who they think would make a good mod. Please clarify

Thumbs up +1

2020-07-31 13:40:38

at15
he wants who wants to be moderator say himself, not people suggest and vote
at jade, did you saw my request (post6)?

Thumbs up

2020-07-31 16:31:38

Zakc93, we welcome constructive opinions about who should be a mod, if they're supporting someone who's already been nominated. What we're not after (and this is what we saw) is people essentially nominating others. I specifically said that this must not happen, so a caution was given for a first infraction. I hope it doesn't have to go further than this.

I am going to be largely absent over the next forty-eight hours or so. Carter is on vacation at the moment, so it will fall to Aaron to look after this thread if it needs looking after. I want you folks to not get up to trouble in this thread while I'm gone. If it explodes in the next two days, and if that explosion is caused by stuff that doesn't belong here, cautions and even warnings will be doled out as appropriate. On the other hand, of course, if we get even more applicants, and if lively discussion of those applicants pops up, or if there are legitimate questions asked, then have on. I'll be extremely pleased if this is the case and will eagerly read the results.

We're going to be keeping this application open until Wednesday, August 12, after which we'll deliberate over the results and post an update in this thread.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

Thumbs up

2020-07-31 21:48:27

I want to apply. I would like to help with this sight because I have been here for almost six years, and this site has helped me a lot. I believe I could give something valuable back to the community. I have had prior experience with forum administration. I have a small forum of my own, which I keep a close eye on. I also like to help others as much as I can. I try to be fair and solve problems in the best way possible. I believe in fair treatment for everyone, regardless of whether or not I agree with everything a particular person says. As for challenges, I'm aware that I've done some really dumb things in the past. I'm aware that these things have made it harder for people to trust me, but I am working to change that. I won't go into specifics out of respect for other users here. I've also had some personal issues with other users in the past, but I believe I could put those aside. I believe I could devote some time every day. I log in here several times each day, so time really won't be a problem for me. A rough estimate would be around thirty-five hours per week at the minimum. I use Discord on a daily basis. I have a server of my own, and I haven't broken it yet. As for the fictional situation, Jill's behavior merits a caution  and John should be given a warning for personal attacks. Juan should be given a caution. He hasn't completely broken any rules, but his level of frustration did get a bit out of hand. Jill didn't directly attack John, which is why her punishment is less severe.

Add me on Skype, search for The Evil Chocolate Cookie

2020-07-31 23:00:47

I support @ironcross. I do not have any big reasons to why i do, however ironcross's behaviour in certain places made me believe he's a trust worthy man and a good administrator and moderator.

Proud contributor to the manjaro project! www.manjaro.org

Thumbs up

2020-08-01 01:35:31

19 said exactly what I wanted to say. As someone mentioned in a previous topic, I really believe iron cross and JAYDE would balance each other out very nicely

Is this the real life?
Or is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality

Thumbs up

2020-08-01 02:59:59

@Jayde ok that makes sense I guess, but I don't think this is apparent from your first post, at least not to me. What I got is you're not supposed to help someone with their application by for example giving them advice on how to solve your test problem, but not that you're not supposed to post that you think someone who haven't stated that they've applied might make a good mod. This would have been my first instinct to do as well which is why I was surprised when I read post 4.

Thumbs up

2020-08-01 03:10:40

2. While we do welcome your opinions, this is not a vote. There is no need for nominations and we will not be counting or in any way directly tabulating the number of positive responses any given user gets. Feedback toward a particular candidate will serve only in a general capacity to give us a gauge of the public's feeling toward that candidate. It matters, but is not the final say and does not make up a majority of the evidence we will use in order to come to our final decision.

You ain't done nothin' if you ain't been cancelled
_____
I'm working on a playthrough series of the space 4X game Aurora4x. Find it here

Thumbs up

2020-08-01 07:43:17 (edited by defender 2020-08-01 07:43:52)

I appreciate the support, and I might apply once I settle in to my new home, which is 1500 miles away in New Mexico.  Things are just too complicated right now for this kind of responsibility.
If the applications are still open in some capacity by say, mid September, I might apply then.

Thumbs up

2020-08-01 13:59:13

Hey.
I wouldn't like to be a mod because I don't think I can face all of these chalenges yet and my english is also not great, but I do have a curiosity:
Would people accept mods under 18, basicaly kids as they say?
I am asking because there are people under 18 that are better than some older ones, not giving any names because I don't have any and I wouldn't anyway, but speaking from what I see in general in other places.
Also, I fully support @Ironcross32 because I believe that he and Jayde would balance each other out nicely and he has the spirit to moderate places, in my opinion at least.

I am myself and noone is ever gonna change me, I am the trolling master!

Thumbs up

2020-08-01 14:19:50

@Angel that is an interesting question. It's something I haven't even considered. I think as long as communication skills are clear, and they can follow instructions, I don't see why not, but at the same time, I would like Jayde and Carter to elaborate over this particular question, I'm not the only admin on the team.
In regards to the restricted topic, I will have to speak to the staff because for some reason, the moderator position can not unrestrict. It would require the staff managing the restricted topic to have admin status. Would the community really be OK with this, more importantly, would the new staff be OK with this? Unless we say something like, you have been made admin so you can unrestrict. Or we make people a moderator for a while and then upgrade them if they wish to start unrestricting and if or when we think they're ready?

Thumbs up