Due to recent events, it has been decided I will reinstate the mod rotations (with some changes to the mechanics). Hopefully, this will do away with a lot of the clique and conspiracy issues some Guilders have been complaining about, and also, freshen up our mod list with new, eager blood.
All current mods are being un-modded -- feel free to reapply. This includes perma-mods (most of which have not been active in the Guild recently anyway). There will not be perma-mods at this time, though this may change in the future, with such mods elected via a Guild-wide voting system.
This is a trial period, where we will be working out kinks in the mechanics and methods, so this is all subject to change.
Mod Rotation System
New mods will be chosen once per month by the admins.
A mod's term will begin approximately the first of the month, and end approximately the last day of the month. This may vary by up to a week, depending on holidays and so on. The admins of the Guild will choose among the applicants. Yes -- this is a frequent rotation, and we'll see how it goes. It may be changed in the future. A short rotation period may help with the problem of inactive mods as well as some other problems that the admin and other Guilders have observed.
An individual cannot mod two months in a row.
Every month, entirely new mods will be chosen. Current mods can't apply for the next month. However, they can apply for the month following. (One month on, one month off.) This does not apply to the first month. See below for information regarding this first rotation. At this time, there will be no perma-mods (mods who are not subject to rotation).
Call for applicants will usually go up some time on the third week of each month.
The application thread will be posted to Admin Annoucements. It will be left open for a week, and then closed. The admin will use the last week or so of the month to choose the next month's mods. You must reapply each time; old call for applicants threads will be permanently closed and archived.
The ModList is being replaced by a mods- and admin-only forum on the Board.
At the end of every month, it will be archived into an admin-only forum. This will deal with the problem of old mods having access to the ModList, as well as better insuring privacy. It also encourages mods to be active on the Forum, and does away with the notoriously buggy Yahoo! group.
Mods will be Board-wide.
Mods will not be assigned to specific forums. In the past, the Board was high-traffic enough to warrant this. At this time, it is not necessary. If traffic rises this policy will be re-examined; there may be particular exceptions. Moderators will be expected to browse all new posts to see that things are running smoothly.
Moderators who wish to will recieve ops in the IRC channel.
Currently there is no Board chat. It may or may not be turned back on (if so, moderators will be chat mods). Because we will be moving (see the Yuku thread), we will likely be making the IRC Channel (accessable through Java, like the old chat room, or an IRC client) our permanent official chat.
Around ten (10) mods will be chosen each month.
This number may vary, and is a trial number of moderators. We will see if this is a good number for the amount of traffic to the Guild, and keeps enough ops in the channel at any given time.
The Admins reserve the right to deny moderator powers to anyone.
This includes removing moderator powers from someone to whom they have already been granted. Complaining about not being chosen will likely guarantee that you will also not be chosen any time in the future. Not everyone is cut out to be a mod, and Guilders must respect the judgement of the admins and their vision for the Guild.
Eligibility
* You must have been a Guild member for three months prior to applying. If you are at two months, twenty-seven days when the call for applicants goes out, please wait to apply until the next month.
* You must be active at the Guild, whether on the Forum or in the chat (avians.net IRC channel, or java chat). If you only make a couple posts every month, you will not be chosen as a mod. Lurkers are not eligible.
* You must be 13 or over.
* You must reasonably expect to have internet access for the month you are applying for, and to be active in the Guild during that month. Don't apply for a month you have a long vacation planned, or will be busy starting school or moving, etc.
Responsibilities
Moderating is a lot of responsibility. You should only apply if you can commit to the effort required by a moderator.
* Moderators must check Admin Announcements and the mods-only forum for announcements, information and conversations as often as possible. I suggest moderators do so at least five days a week, if at all possible. Moderators are expected to reply to any relevant topics.
* Moderators must commit to visiting the GryphBoard at least three times a week, and looking over new posts. Reading new posts can take several hours, depending on how often one visits. Moderators should check posts and threads to see that they follow the rules. Posts may need to be moved or deleted, topics closed, and members warned about their behavior. Serious violations should be reported to the admin (tserisa at gmail dot com, or through the mods-only forum). If you have a question or are unsure about what to do in a situation, it is your responsibility to ask other mods for advice, or direct the problem to the admin.
* Moderators who request IRC ops (chat mod powers) must spend at least three hours in the chat room four times per week (a total of 12 hours per week). Preferably more. This must be time spent active in the chat room (reachable by IM if not actually talking), not idling. This is probably the most time-consuming and difficult duties of a mod, and you should be certain you can commit to this if you intend to apply. Mods are responsible for enforcing the chat rules, and may need to mediate, warn members, redirect conversations, ban and kick people from the channel. Chat mods are encouraged to download an IRC client such as mIRC that can be set to auto-log.
* Moderators must report all actions taken. Whenever someone warns a member, closes a thread, moves or deletes a post, bans someone from the channel, etc., they must post what they did to the mods-only forum. The post should include as much detail as possible, such as logs of their conversations with members warned, links to posts, copies of posts deleted (they can even be moved to the mods-only forum instead of deleted, effectively removing them from the public board but preserving them for mods and admin), logs from chats, and so on. However, this doesn't mean the posts must be long or take a lot of writing. For example, for a warning about improper language in the chat, a copy-paste of the chat log, and a copy-paste of the private conversation warning the member is sufficient.
* Moderators must post up to date information on the mods-only board if they will be absent. If you expect to be unreachable or off the Board for more than three days during a mod rotation, please let the other mods and admin know.
First Rotation: September 2006
Anyone who is eligible as a moderator may apply for this first rotation, including people who are current mods. We're hoping for a balance of new mods and experienced mods to get the rotation started off. There will be a seperate application thread (also in Admin Announcements) to apply -- don't apply here! If you previously applied for a mod rotation, please re-apply in the new thread, and follow the given application format.
The application thread will remain open until the 24th. New mods will be given powers and announced on August 31st. Until then, current mods will hold their positions.
We are looking for Guilders who are responsible, diplomatic, follow the rules, and who are willing to enforce the Guild rules. A set of rules for moderators, to help them with situations that violate Guild rules, will also be posted soon.
All current mods are being un-modded -- feel free to reapply. This includes perma-mods (most of which have not been active in the Guild recently anyway). There will not be perma-mods at this time, though this may change in the future, with such mods elected via a Guild-wide voting system.
This is a trial period, where we will be working out kinks in the mechanics and methods, so this is all subject to change.
New mods will be chosen once per month by the admins. A mod's term will begin approximately the first of the month, and end approximately the last day of the month. This may vary by up to a week, depending on holidays and so on. The admins of the Guild will choose among the applicants. Yes -- this is a frequent rotation, and we'll see how it goes. It may be changed in the future. A short rotation period may help with the problem of inactive mods as well as some other problems that the admin and other Guilders have observed.
An individual cannot mod two months in a row. Every month, entirely new mods will be chosen. Current mods can't apply for the next month. However, they can apply for the month following. (One month on, one month off.) This does not apply to the first month. See below for information regarding this first rotation. At this time, there will be no perma-mods (mods who are not subject to rotation).
Call for applicants will usually go up some time on the third week of each month. The application thread will be posted to Admin Annoucements. It will be left open for a week, and then closed. The admin will use the last week or so of the month to choose the next month's mods. You must reapply each time; old call for applicants threads will be permanently closed and archived.
The ModList is being replaced by a mods- and admin-only forum on the Board. At the end of every month, it will be archived into an admin-only forum. This will deal with the problem of old mods having access to the ModList, as well as better insuring privacy. It also encourages mods to be active on the Forum, and does away with the notoriously buggy Yahoo! group.
Mods will be Board-wide. Mods will not be assigned to specific forums. In the past, the Board was high-traffic enough to warrant this. At this time, it is not necessary. If traffic rises this policy will be re-examined; there may be particular exceptions. Moderators will be expected to browse all new posts to see that things are running smoothly.
Moderators who wish to will recieve ops in the IRC channel. Currently there is no Board chat. It may or may not be turned back on (if so, moderators will be chat mods). Because we will be moving (see the Yuku thread), we will likely be making the IRC Channel (accessable through Java, like the old chat room, or an IRC client) our permanent official chat.
Around ten (10) mods will be chosen each month. This number may vary, and is a trial number of moderators. We will see if this is a good number for the amount of traffic to the Guild, and keeps enough ops in the channel at any given time.
The Admins reserve the right to deny moderator powers to anyone. This includes removing moderator powers from someone to whom they have already been granted. Complaining about not being chosen will likely guarantee that you will also not be chosen any time in the future. Not everyone is cut out to be a mod, and Guilders must respect the judgement of the admins and their vision for the Guild.
* You must have been a Guild member for three months prior to applying. If you are at two months, twenty-seven days when the call for applicants goes out, please wait to apply until the next month.
* You must be active at the Guild, whether on the Forum or in the chat (avians.net IRC channel, or java chat). If you only make a couple posts every month, you will not be chosen as a mod. Lurkers are not eligible.
* You must be 13 or over.
* You must reasonably expect to have internet access for the month you are applying for, and to be active in the Guild during that month. Don't apply for a month you have a long vacation planned, or will be busy starting school or moving, etc.
Moderating is a lot of responsibility. You should only apply if you can commit to the effort required by a moderator.
* Moderators must check Admin Announcements and the mods-only forum for announcements, information and conversations as often as possible. I suggest moderators do so at least five days a week, if at all possible. Moderators are expected to reply to any relevant topics.
* Moderators must commit to visiting the GryphBoard at least three times a week, and looking over new posts. Reading new posts can take several hours, depending on how often one visits. Moderators should check posts and threads to see that they follow the rules. Posts may need to be moved or deleted, topics closed, and members warned about their behavior. Serious violations should be reported to the admin (tserisa at gmail dot com, or through the mods-only forum). If you have a question or are unsure about what to do in a situation, it is your responsibility to ask other mods for advice, or direct the problem to the admin.
* Moderators who request IRC ops (chat mod powers) must spend at least three hours in the chat room four times per week (a total of 12 hours per week). Preferably more. This must be time spent active in the chat room (reachable by IM if not actually talking), not idling. This is probably the most time-consuming and difficult duties of a mod, and you should be certain you can commit to this if you intend to apply. Mods are responsible for enforcing the chat rules, and may need to mediate, warn members, redirect conversations, ban and kick people from the channel. Chat mods are encouraged to download an IRC client such as mIRC that can be set to auto-log.
* Moderators must report all actions taken. Whenever someone warns a member, closes a thread, moves or deletes a post, bans someone from the channel, etc., they must post what they did to the mods-only forum. The post should include as much detail as possible, such as logs of their conversations with members warned, links to posts, copies of posts deleted (they can even be moved to the mods-only forum instead of deleted, effectively removing them from the public board but preserving them for mods and admin), logs from chats, and so on. However, this doesn't mean the posts must be long or take a lot of writing. For example, for a warning about improper language in the chat, a copy-paste of the chat log, and a copy-paste of the private conversation warning the member is sufficient.
* Moderators must post up to date information on the mods-only board if they will be absent. If you expect to be unreachable or off the Board for more than three days during a mod rotation, please let the other mods and admin know.
Anyone who is eligible as a moderator may apply for this first rotation, including people who are current mods. We're hoping for a balance of new mods and experienced mods to get the rotation started off. There will be a seperate application thread (also in Admin Announcements) to apply -- don't apply here! If you previously applied for a mod rotation, please re-apply in the new thread, and follow the given application format.
The application thread will remain open until the 24th. New mods will be given powers and announced on August 31st. Until then, current mods will hold their positions.
We are looking for Guilders who are responsible, diplomatic, follow the rules, and who are willing to enforce the Guild rules. A set of rules for moderators, to help them with situations that violate Guild rules, will also be posted soon.
