How To Become A Moderator - Inquisitive Members, Look Here

How to become a moderator - By Cipher_Wizard

I visit a great deal of forums every day and moderate three. What I have noticed is that no matter where I am, there is that occurence that seems to be growing daily: a member approaches me and inquires, 'How do I become a moderator?' I've created this guide to hopefully settle this down a little bit before it results in spam after growing too much. I have listed below the chapters of this guide that relate to individual points about moderation:

1.How to become one
2.Priveleges


Chapter 1: How to become a moderator

How often do you see someone with a 'moderator' status? Most of the time you will. And I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to become one yourself. So you decide to make a thread regarding this matter, and you get a brief answer, which usually tells about an application link. This is not always very informative and sometimes can lead to further questions about moderation as is. So, let's cover, first of all, how you can get the chance to apply for a position:

# You will have to be a frequent poster in the forum you wish to moderate
# An application link has to be open in the forum you wish to moderate
# You will have to be relatively experienced with the forum and not a new member

Basically, you have to be me. *record scratches* Okay, maybe not me, but I was suitable enough to land myself three positions, right? Now, by 'frequent poster', I don't mean that you could have 20 posts, 16 of which were in the forum you applied for. No, that won't do much. What I mean is to be reliable for frequent activity in the forum. I'm talking about a number of posts that show you're not new, at least 30 of which were in the forum you applied for. And the posts have to be helpful, topic-related and informing. Nobody wants a moderator who tells the members of a Pokemon forum that he or she has recently bought an iPod, then brags about how he/she has captured Deoxys but won't divulge any information.

Application links - the one plane that lands you in the moderator world in the first place. Every forum will need a moderator. Without a moderator, multiple spam posts would disrupt a thread and remain there until they are deleted. This is what you will see:
"Apply to be a moderator for this forum"
It will be directly below the current moderator list for the forum, or below the forum name if there are no current moderators. When you click on this link, it will direct you to a page where you will fill out an application with all of the material that you feel will land you a spot (i.e. references to your helpful posts, a link to submissions that have been highly praised, etc.)
The following format is preferred in applications:

My SuperCheats user name is ________

I am requesting a moderator position for the _________ forum

(INFORMATION)

Personally, I don't care whether or not you use that format, but what you are reading now is very important. It can, on its own, determine your promotion or rejection. Let's say, for example, that you would apply for the Pokemon Fire Red forum. In your application, you can't say that you're a champion in the game and not provide any proof. You need:

High-quality submissions that prove you know what you're talking about
Informative and friendly posts that show you are always open to answer questions
Frequent activity on the forum
Support from others; if there's a lynch mob of people that despise you and you only have one friend who's your alter ego account, you will be rejected 40% of the time.

In Pokemon forums, you will be given a higher chance for approval if you can rate teams well.

Chapter 2: Priveleges

With a moderator position comes requirements. This chapter is rather short, but bleepman expands on the matter in a link below.

When you are a moderator, you are the 'manager' for your forum. You're in charge of closing topics that need not be open, deleting topics that have no purpose or are too obscene, pinning topics that are crucial, and moving topics to another forum that would be better suited. That's not all - you get to visit the SuperCheats Staff Forum. It's more like a council between all the moderators of SuperCheats and isn't really a discussion place. From my perspective, it's a place in which moderators can voice their opinions without always being eyed by members. Often enough the spammers are new members who can't access this forum, thus making it easier for a moderator to report him or her and keep it secret. Posts in the Staff Forum are confidential and do not appear in your user Bio. There are moderators for the Staff Forum, too, to keep things balanced out. Though it may not seem hard in a serious place, there is the occasional thread (such as one named Epitaph created on Dec. 28th; it is now deleted) that needs to be 'adjusted'.

To learn more about moderator duties once you have become a moderator, visit the following links for information:

http://forums.supercheats.com/topic.php?topic=20848

"In Pokemon forums, you will be given a higher chance for approval if you can rate teams."

if you can rate teams WELL.

Right... Done.

I love it. Stickied.

yay! no more answering questions! *does penguin dance*

great work Cipher, i too am sick of answering those questions.

i'm not a mod and i'm sick of seing them questions.

grate work mate.

Thank you. Everybody seems to be bothered by these questions, which is another good reason for opening this thread up. Any other questions about moderation can also be forwarded here.

how many mods can there be to a forum,like pokemon emerald 4 ex.

Four Moderators per forum, sometimes exceptions are made if the applications are very reasonable and sent in by reasonable members.
(Ex: There were six Moderators for General Chat once; ozzo was given a special privelege for something she did)

Very good work Cipher.
Now i'm going to be mod.
Yeah!!!!!!!!!

That's just the info I needed, Cipher. Hope I can be a helpful mod at Supercheats someday. :D

Please can you post in something other than blue?

Yeah that's a great help to members. I'm sick of seeing those questions to.

wow!!! now i am going to be a mod
thanks alot

I am going to be a mod woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol