EarlG ADMIN (1000+ posts) Thu Jun-19-08 01:37 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3483907Have you ever wanted to moderate at DU? Now's your chance!
Advertisements [?]Edited on Wed Jun-25-08 03:02 PM by EarlG
You may have noticed that the current moderator term has lasted longer than the standard three months. In fact, it's lasted a LOT longer than three months. The last time we asked for additional moderators was in February, and at that time we only asked for veteran moderators to help us get through the primaries. The last time we asked for brand new moderators was October of 2007.
Now that the primaries are over, we would like to give our overworked and, er, underpaid team of moderators a break and take the opportunity to open up the moderator forum to new applicants. If you have never served as a moderator before but would like to volunteer some time to help keep Democratic Underground's discussion forum running smoothly, now is your chance.
The next moderator term will last three months, from the beginning of July until the beginning of October.
Here are some things to bear in mind before you apply:
- Your political ideology is not important... We need centrists and leftists and everyone in between to serve as moderators.
- We prefer people who have been members for a while, and have made at least a few hundred posts. You must be at least 18 years old. You must have donated at least one time to Democratic Underground using your own name.
- You must be able to log on to DU regularly, and should not take any long vacations between now and the end of the term.
- We prefer people with a generally positive outlook on life, who can be fair and evenhanded, and who don't get easily frustrated. If you sign up to moderate, we expect you to stay as a moderator for the full term. You must understand that it is perfectly normal for the admins to occasionally overturn your decisions, or to make specific requests regarding the manner in which you participate on DU while you are a moderator.
- We prefer that moderators avoid highly controversial topics, or at least moderate their behavior significantly when participating in such discussions. If you have a history of rhetorically hot postings on controversial issues, we may not choose you to serve.
- If you know that you aren't very good at controlling your behavior or your emotions, or if you know that you can't be fair to a particular group of people, please do not sign up to be a moderator. There is no obligation to serve as a mod, and we won't hold it against you if you choose not to.
Here's how to volunteer:
STEP 1: FILL OUT, SIGN, AND SNAIL MAIL THE MODERATOR CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT
IMPORTANT! If you mailed us the form before, you might need to mail it again. The form was updated on August 26, 2005, and we need the most recent version from all of our moderators.
The moderator confidentiality agreement is here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/moderator_f...
Double-check to make sure the page says "Updated August 26, 2005." That way you will know that you are looking at the correct form. If it doesn't say that, click reload/refresh on your browser to reload the page.
Fill it out and send it in to the address provided ASAP. We hope to receive completed forms from all applicants *before* the new moderator term begins in the beginning of July. If we do not receive your form before that date, we may not be able to give you access to the moderator forum at the beginning of the moderator term.
We will keep the moderator confidentiality agreement forms on file in our office, so once you mail us the form you should not have to send it again if you apply to serve in future terms. (This time, we promise.)
STEP 2: SEND US AN APPLICATION EMAIL WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
Send an email to earlg@democraticunderground.com with the word "moderator" in the subject line. By volunteering to serve as a moderator, you are giving us permission to take all necessary measures to verify your identity. Include the following information:
- Your real name
- Your forum username
- Your address
- Your telephone number
- How much time you spend on Democratic Underground
- Which forums you'd like to moderate, or would not like to moderate (if you have a preference)
- A brief statement which generally outlines your political views
- Are you taking any extended vacations during the the next three months?
- Have you read, and do you agree to follow, the Message Board Rules and the Moderator Guidelines?
- Have you filled out, signed, and mailed the Moderator Confidentiality Agreement (Updated August 26, 2005)?
If you apply but are not selected this time, please don't be offended. We typically have a fairly large number of applicants, and we obviously can't pick everyone who applies. Also, if you have served as a moderator in the past please feel free to apply again, but bear in mind that this time around we are going to give precedence to brand new applicants.
We hope to select a new group of moderators on Tuesday July 1, 2008. There will be a free conference call for the new moderators on the following night.
Finally, on behalf of the admins I'd like to publicly express our gratitude to the outgoing mod team, who did an exceptional job during a very difficult primary season.
EarlG
DU Admin
