New criteria to become a moderator

Hey Polly!

I think the 1000 post deal is irrelavant. It should be quality based,not quantity.

The nomination proccess seems unequivocal at face value.However,I can see it running into biasness.

RW, I will take your thoughts under advisement. I do see your point of view, because in my mind you would be a great moderator.

Please understand that we had to have a starting point.

My 2 cents worth... (not that it's worth much more) lol
I agree with Road also, anyone can post useless post to get to the 1000 mark but most dont' have time to do this. I've gotten loads of good, helpful information from people here with way less than 1000 posts and also gotten great advice from some with more than!
Good Luck Polly,
Ang

I an with you Polly 1000 is a starting point.. But the private emails will help with weeding out useful post. IF the emails are read and reviewed.

Mike started a thread back in March on this same issue. Maybe we can pull it out of the archives and take a peek...



Now what was the point in putting it up for discussion back then, when the ultimate outcome is really only up to Polly now???

I don't like it. I have already stated my position back then, as did other members/mods, and so I won't waste my words again in this post.

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My opinion for what its worth.Moderators are designated by the management team to help keep the board running.Post number,time here,and other issues are irrelevant. If this person has good information to share with members and demonstrates maturity along with a willingness to do the task,then admin makes the decision to add them or not.

From my perception going back to when I first joined, a moderator was also someone who had substantial knowledge/experience in the boards they moderated and could provide structure and benefit to those discussions in addition to housekeeping.

Since the mission statement portrays moderators as mere housekeepers, whose construction is mainly to remove spam, I agree with Cajun that all the credentials (# of posts, membership term, etc) really are not necessary. Under this scope a mod really does not need to know anything about "debt" or even actively participate, in order to press the delete button and 'can the spam'.

While I think it's good that the community is looking at criteria for moderators, I do have some concerns with what's been proposed. First off, being on the boards for 6 months is fine--but 5 nominations would lead to it being a popularity contest, I feel. And that wouldn't be proactive for anyone!
Also, who's to say what posts are helpful and what are not? What I'm trying to say is, I can see a subjective area opening up here which can't be good.

I can see everyone's points here. I think one of the main problems we've had on this board are people simply not understanding what a mod does. I think people have gotten the wrong idea..Let's face it, we really DON'T have any special privileges, basically we DO just clean up. One thing that wasn't mentioned was the locking/deleting thing. In the past some have gotten too delete/lock happy. It seems at times things were taken away because they were not agreed with. As long as it's not an attack, it needs to stay. Everyone can take a post as they wish, no moderator can dictate what is appropriate..Unless it is excessively negative and hurtful.

I wholeheartedly agree with the nomination thing...Sure, someone could petition for nominations, but the final call is going to be up to Polly and Mike. I trust their judgement.

Debtcruncher,

I agree with you 100 %. That's all I am going to say on the matter in the open area.

I will add that I have edited,deleted,& locked threads in the past and caught heck from people about it.Moderators need support from other mods as well as admin. I only changed one thread that admin thought I locked too early. As long as we have guest posting and the drama going on here,I see no point to being a mod without support.

Brownsugar, I have always said you should be a moderator. You are intelligent and really know how to handle the storefront pdls as well as the ipdls. You would be an asset as a Moderator.

Hold up! Debt cruncher there is absolutely nothing that is ultimately up to me! I reviewed a thread from last March that was full of suggestions from all of you and Mike, Vikas and I discussed this at length!

We want the title of moderator to have more honor in the title, thus making the criteria a little higher so that it has to be earned.

Of course if you have suggestion for specific changes, share them with us. We always listen.

Cajun,

You brought up a very valid point about mods supporting mods. I have been quilty of not doing it myself. I'm a big girl and I can admit that. I agree that the accusations need to stop flying around here. Thanks for bringing that up!

I think all of us have been guilty in one way or another. Personally, I think every single mod here is talented and has something to offer. Cajun, you have always given terrific legal advice, your research skills are wonderful. I miss your posts. We have all also contributed to drama at some point. I agree that the board needs to be cleaned up. The only way for that to happen is for all of us to be on the same page.

I have learned many things from Cajun and every other moderator on the boards and believe deeply in my heart that we all have something positive to offer the community. We all bring great skills to the table--and I for one hate the junior high crap on the boards and will not participate in that. I recently decided to make my recovery from debt my highest priority in life and will be devoted to helping others to the best of my ability--and the drama takes away from us doing that.

Hi everyone,

We appreciate your feedbacks and understanding the importance of a mods role. After all, it's you in the community who handle this role and you should be comfortable with it. The person who deserves the role will definitely have it. Polly has already added a note about some exceptional cases as it comes by. This is an open community, so please keep putting your suggestions.

Regards
Mike

You know, we're talking about qualifications for being a mod..what about being a debt sam? That's also important. I think Tania Alvarez would make a terrific debt sam. She is always positive and supportive, and is probably the biggest morale booster on this board. I'd love to see this happen!

Fins, I agree with you. Debt Samaritans too play a very important role. In my opinion, it????????s like someone coming to the website for the first time, learning from other's stories, feeling confident and later, they start sharing their own experiences. It's a good feeling that makes them continue their stay. Besides, there are few new people in the community who are very informed and have huge experiences on how to tackle different situations. This is all good when we read their suggestions in different boards. They definitely deserve the role and maybe, a prospering moderator in the future. Everyone's contribution is worth in making this place big. :)

For moderator support there should be a locked sticky post on each forum that says that if a thread or post is deleted or locked there is to be no discussion about it other than whatever the mod stats the reason for the deleteion and locking. If someone wants to complain about what they feel is abuse they should do so by PM to a higher moderator or site admin.

Also I don't know if there is but there should be a hidden or password protected forum just for the site admins and moderators to discuss board topics and their views on a problem or ideas for a solution.

I like that idea FYI. I have seen that on ezboard before. Admin and mods can resolve issues independently.

I think Vikas hasn't implemented this because it is his desire for the community to have a say in all matters pertaining to the board. Every person's voice gets heard and every person's voice matters regardless of their title. Guests can be just as much of an impact as a site admin this way, if logic and reason are presented.

I think it is all well and good when it comes down to ideas and suggestions and even some problems. However there is a sort of relaxing atmosphere and no fear of persecution where there is an area that the upper managements can actualy add more of their own opinions in.

I,for one, disagree, and think time here is very important. I think it takes some time on the boards, to see how things run,wha'ts acceptable,etc. I didn't become a moderator for probably a year-didn't bother me- I was just honored that someone thought I had something to offer! Fins is right- we are just a clean-up,well, that's not all, but basically. Being a moderator to me means I try to encourage everyone,new or old. It also means I point them in the right direction concerning their problem. If I don't know anything about what they are talking about, I just welcome them and tell them to contact so-and-so, they have knowledge in that area. I am no better that a first time poster, guest, or long time member-just someone who wants to give back what was given to me..Karen

I moderate too many forums,(I love to kill spam) even if I did qualify here. The mods we have here now are fantastic. :)

i agree with bossy, i think time is very important. I havent been here long, but i showed up with just a debt story. Scince then i have learned many things and are learning everyday. I believe a moderator should be pretty knowledgeable in atleast 1 area.

I commend the moderators here for always being on top of things. considering the type of forum that it is they are pretty quick, and take alot of abuse. Frankly im not sure if this a position that i would ever want.

Are only the first pages of posts visible unless you make a comment??

I cannot see the entire thread or page 2 of the thread without making a comment.

Then the entire thread pops up.

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In a recent post to me, Moderator Skydiver asked me the following questions which I have answered here:
1. Have I ever set foot in a courtroom without being dressed in orange and wearing handcuffs?? Answer: I've never been dressed in orange and wearing handcuffs. I have set foot in a courtroom as a juror and as a jury foreman.
2. Am I so ignornant I don't understand the importance of being properly prepared before taking someone to court?? Answer: Actually I'm getting fairly educated about it since I'm in the middle of working with my attorney outlining a case against a CA.
3. Do I think I'm playing games sitting behind a guest post and don't I understand IP addresses?? Answer: I just log on the quickest way to read and post, which is guest. I haven't seen any rules against that or seen anyone else who thinks guest status is derogatory. I understand IP address and that your IP and identity could be tracked down as well as mine.
Regarding your admonishment for me to be more mature and respectful to moderators, I have printed out your post to me as a guideline for the epitome of maturity and respect.

I can't see the second page of this thread without posting a comment. Then the rest of the thread pops up. Thanks for the suggestion to use F5, but that didn't work either.

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