You guys are hysterical... lmao.
Those words I've highlighted by unvmyplecos reminded me of two things. One being a fairly obscure quote attributed to Oscar Wilde.. the other is what being a mod (and how to become one) means to me. This question does come up a lot from members quite often, so I'll share that here.
I don't have the reference handy, but I remember reading that Oscar Wilde was once asked during an interview: "How does somebody become a 'star'?" His answer was, simply... "Twinkle." That's really all it takes to get noticed by others and the same advice applies to becoming a star, to getting that promotion in your job, to attracting a love interest, or to become a mod... if that's what your goal is.
So, anyone who wants to become a mod here (or anywhere else). My advice would be - don't just sit around waiting for someone to invite you to the team before you start acting like one. Instead, start BEING one on your own while you're still a regular participating member of the group.
The members who set themselves apart from the others by being generally helpful, friendly, tolerant, even tempered, and welcoming toward other members are the ones who'll get noticed. Then, it's just a matter of time. Eventually that person will end up being a candidate who'll get recommended for the job once the timing is right and there's a section that needs another staff person to help the rest of us.
The first time I was asked to help moderate a forum I was friends with the guy who created the group before it even existed. (His name was Randy.) He'd talked on and on about what he wanted to do and why he thought having that group was important. I agreed with him and decided to help with whatever I could. (This was a long time ago.) I didn't know anything about forums, online communities, or mail lists back then. He set all that up, took care of the techy stuff, and set some general rules. I didn't know that side of it, so I went out looking for people to invite. Then by the time we reached 85 members.. Randy asked me to be a moderator. Still being new.. I didn't even know what that meant. So I asked, uhh... gee, Randy, what does a moderator do? He laughed.. then said for me not to worry about it. Then he told me that a mod does all the stuff I was already doing anyway. All I had to do was say "yes" and just keep doing the same things. So I did. It isn't really complicated.
That was over a decade ago, but the very same things still hold true. Most of this boils down to really simple things..... personality, level of interest, helpfulness, and encouragement. Aside from those qualities, it also helps to be patient and to have enough of a sense of humor to get you through the stressful times and some of the tedious work that needs to be done.
I don't know if this answer from me is gonna help anyone... but these are the things I think are the most important. And this applies to everyone (whether it's a newcomer, a regular member, an expert in some area, or someone who's on staff at the site).
Those words I've highlighted by unvmyplecos reminded me of two things. One being a fairly obscure quote attributed to Oscar Wilde.. the other is what being a mod (and how to become one) means to me. This question does come up a lot from members quite often, so I'll share that here.
I don't have the reference handy, but I remember reading that Oscar Wilde was once asked during an interview: "How does somebody become a 'star'?" His answer was, simply... "Twinkle." That's really all it takes to get noticed by others and the same advice applies to becoming a star, to getting that promotion in your job, to attracting a love interest, or to become a mod... if that's what your goal is.
So, anyone who wants to become a mod here (or anywhere else). My advice would be - don't just sit around waiting for someone to invite you to the team before you start acting like one. Instead, start BEING one on your own while you're still a regular participating member of the group.
The members who set themselves apart from the others by being generally helpful, friendly, tolerant, even tempered, and welcoming toward other members are the ones who'll get noticed. Then, it's just a matter of time. Eventually that person will end up being a candidate who'll get recommended for the job once the timing is right and there's a section that needs another staff person to help the rest of us.
The first time I was asked to help moderate a forum I was friends with the guy who created the group before it even existed. (His name was Randy.) He'd talked on and on about what he wanted to do and why he thought having that group was important. I agreed with him and decided to help with whatever I could. (This was a long time ago.) I didn't know anything about forums, online communities, or mail lists back then. He set all that up, took care of the techy stuff, and set some general rules. I didn't know that side of it, so I went out looking for people to invite. Then by the time we reached 85 members.. Randy asked me to be a moderator. Still being new.. I didn't even know what that meant. So I asked, uhh... gee, Randy, what does a moderator do? He laughed.. then said for me not to worry about it. Then he told me that a mod does all the stuff I was already doing anyway. All I had to do was say "yes" and just keep doing the same things. So I did. It isn't really complicated.
That was over a decade ago, but the very same things still hold true. Most of this boils down to really simple things..... personality, level of interest, helpfulness, and encouragement. Aside from those qualities, it also helps to be patient and to have enough of a sense of humor to get you through the stressful times and some of the tedious work that needs to be done.
I don't know if this answer from me is gonna help anyone... but these are the things I think are the most important. And this applies to everyone (whether it's a newcomer, a regular member, an expert in some area, or someone who's on staff at the site).
