Hello,
Wondering how does wht hire moderators ? Plus are there any special requirements like say " u have to be human " to be a wht moderator ? :stickout:

Is there a page where one can upload their application to become wht moderator/administrator ? Plus does the moderator get paid or something ?

If say some bunny wanted some moderation experience and wanted to volunteer their services to wht, how would that be possible ?

PS: do moderators get to drive bmw's for daily commute ?

Hmm... interesting.. :)

/subscribes. ;)

Plus does the moderator get paid or something ?

Moderators get paid in :beer:, I believe. It would explain a lot. :D

Edit: From the helpdesk, "How do I become a staff member? (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/helpdesk/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=20)"

In all seriousness, you have to be a part of the party line to be a moderator at WHT. Regardless of how little you know about the internet, web hosting or even computers, your best bet is to work your way into that small clique to become a moderator.

Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_line_(politics)

I think they make announcements here and then if there is any need of volunteers.

Moderators get paid in :beer:, I believe. It would explain a lot. :D

Edit: From the helpdesk, "How do I become a staff member? (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/helpdesk/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=20)"

Hmm.. so no interviews or application procedures ? Its just whenever they feel like it ?

In all seriousness, you have to be a part of the party line to be a moderator at WHT. Regardless of how little you know about the internet, web hosting or even computers, your best bet is to work your way into that small clique to become a moderator.

I guess because you are a born expert, you can't apply then ;)

Hello,
Wondering how does wht hire moderators ?
We occasionally ask for spplications from the general members. Here is one example post that was stickied at the time.

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=499236

In all seriousness, you have to be a part of the party line to be a moderator at WHT. Regardless of how little you know about the internet, web hosting or even computers, your best bet is to work your way into that small clique to become a moderator.

Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_line_(politics)

It seems who you know is more important than what you know.

I hate the fact that that is true, but nothing I can do about it.

It seems who you know is more important than what you know.

Yeah, that's for sure!

I know Jan (anon-e-mouse) thinks I'm being a smart ***, but a large chunk of the moderators around here are only moderators because of the "party line" ideology and a few lack any serious understanding of the web hosting industry ... which is ironic given this is Web Hosting Talk.

Oh well... WHT is still #1. :)

I know Jan (anon-e-mouse) thinks I'm being a smart ***, but a large chunk of the moderators around here are only moderators because of the "party line" ideology and a few lack any serious understanding of the web hosting industry ... which is ironic given this is Web Hosting Talk.
I suppose you could call this "party line ideology (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/helpdesk/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=20&nav=+%26gt%3B+%3Ca+href%3D%27index.php%3F_a%3Dknowledgebase%26_j%3Dsubcat%26_i%3D2%27%3EWebHostingTalk+-+General%3C%2Fa%3E)":
How do I become a staff member?

WebHostingTalk staff (Community Leaders, Community Liaisons, and Community Guides) are volunteer members who have been chosen because of their overall willingness to help, knowledge of forum guidelines, and representative of good netiquette.

WHT occasionally solicits members by creating a thread asking for volunteers or through private invitation.

What do you think that WHT moderators need to understand about the web hosting industry to be able to moderate the forum effectively?

Lois

I hate the fact that that is true, but nothing I can do about it.

Can you back up that statement?

It seems who you know is more important than what you know.

Nope.
For me, I saw a thread that was asking for applications, and wanted to give something back since I'd learned so much from reading here. Didn't know a soul on staff at the time, but I did have a clean record (pretty important), and fairly often would report things I saw that were "off".

What do you think that WHT moderators need to understand about the web hosting industry to be able to moderate the forum effectively?

I have several real world examples I could use where the moderators were blatantly wrong, despite being told repeatedly (in a polite and informative way!) why they were wrong, even using the the forum descriptions to back up what I'm saying and they still would not budge until another moderator intervenes thanks to a friendly PM.

Here's a scenario:

A user posts under the Dedicated forum asking about the best place to purchase hardware for his servers that he has colocated in a data center near him.

I report the user and point out that it needs to be moved to the Colocation forum so it can receive proper answers as some users from the colo forum do not frequent the dedicated forum. The original moderator says no, I'm wrong and that it's fine under the dedicated forum. I clearly point out how this is a colocation question and I'm met with even more resistance and tickets abruptly closed.

If a moderator can't distinguish between what is dedicated and what is colocation, they shouldn't be moderating those specific forums. I'm not saying they are a bad moderator, just maybe not the "right" moderator for every single forum on WHT.

I have several real world examples I could use where the moderators were blatantly wrong, despite being told repeatedly (in a polite and informative way!) why they were wrong, even using the the forum descriptions to back up what I'm saying and they still would not budge until another moderator intervenes thanks to a friendly PM.
Yup, nobody knows everything. If you aren't happy with a moderator's response, you can always open a ticket in Contact Admin, which only admins view.

Then again, members sometimes open tickets telling us how wrong we were by taking a particular action. They suddenly cool off or disappear after we point them to the forum rules and descriptions. :angel:

I suppose the perfect moderator would know everything and have the moderator qualifications listed above and be perfect in those areas too as well as having perfect people skills and the ability to make perfect brownies. But I don't know if I'd want to work with anyone that perfect. :blush:

Personally, I see the above qualifications (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/helpdesk/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=20&nav=+%26gt%3B+%3Ca+href%3D%27index.php%3F_a%3Dknowledgebase%26_j%3Dsubcat%26_i%3D2%27%3EWebHostingTalk+-+General%3C%2Fa%3E) as the most important for forum moderators. They're the foundation of being able to interact effectively in a moderator role.

Lois

one of the clique let me in on the secret. m0ds are chosen from the most persistent wht'ers.

you have to PM every one of the m0ds and ask to be like them. be flattering, and don't let their angry responses deter you. you have to keep at it. but don't overdo it, ya know? no more than twice per week, per m0d. that should do it, over several months time.
:popcorn:

starting a wht wiki page to document your m0dquest, and updating it with your contributions and stuff, would be so fantastically web 2.0-ish that it could not be ignored.

remember, only the most persistent will make the cut, and get their deserved promotions.

:beer: :flamethr:

Then again, members sometimes open tickets telling us how wrong we were by taking a particular action. They suddenly cool off or disappear after we point them to the forum rules and descriptions. :angel:

I know you're not talking about me! I'm almost at 1,000 reports and the overwhelming majority have been correct and I always follow up if required. :)

I suppose the perfect moderator would know everything and have the moderator qualifications listed above and be perfect in those areas too as well as having perfect people skills and the ability to make perfect brownies. But I don't know if I'd want to work with anyone that perfect. :blush:

The moderators don't have to know everything technical and no one is expecting them to.... it's just a matter of ego's (maybe even my own!) getting in the way of what's right & what's wrong and not wanting to listen.

If a moderator is being told they are wrong, given a forum description to prove without reasonable doubt that they are still wrong, they shouldn't argue and close the ticket... they should consult with another moderator for a second opinion.

Just my two cents Canadian... :caflag:

I should say, I once complained about the moderation once and the next day I was a moderator.

So much for those freaking party lines.

one of the clique let me in on the secret. m0ds are chosen from the most persistent wht'ers.

you have to PM every one of the m0ds and ask to be like them. be flattering, and don't let their angry responses deter you. you have to keep at it. but don't overdo it, ya know? no more than twice per week, per m0d. that should do it, over several months time.
:popcorn:

starting a wht wiki page to document your m0dquest, and updating it with your contributions and stuff, would be so fantastically web 2.0-ish that it could not be ignored.

remember, only the most persistent will make the cut, and get their deserved promotions.

:beer: :flamethr:

Sounds like a WHT reality tv show! I'd pay to watch it. :D

:popcorn:

I should say, I once complained about the moderation once and the next day I was a moderator.

What happened to your moderating privileges anyway?

What happened to your moderating privileges anyway?
Well my latest role was a community guide. But I retired from both moderating and being a guide. I enjoy the lone-gunslinger role much better.

I believe my exact words to SWR (in retiring as a guide) were something like, "Dennis, I freaking suck at being a guide. I make fun of people, I swear, and I often make old people jokes directed at you. Fire me, baby."

WHT is one of the best moderated forums on the net, from my experience. They have some solid mature folks as Leaders, and a good mix of other folks as guides and Liaisons, all nicely color coded too. It's an impressive and diverse moderator structure, that with help from the community reporting posts, keeps WHT humming along very nicely indeed. :)

I've noticed lately that moderators are "appointed" and they haven't been taking applications at all lately. SWR told me the last time they took applications that he looked forward to seeing my application next time - but apparently they aren't doing applications anymore. It's OK SWR, I get the hint ;).

I would think that we all do consult other moderators when we may have been wrong with regards to a moderation decision. We're not perfect - after all, we're just human. If we do make mistakes, as we do from time to time, we man up and admit our mistake. Several times I have personally asked for input from other moderators. It happens all the time. :angel:

Like Lois said, if you have an issue with a moderation decision, simply open a Helpdesk ticket for the Contact Admin department. She isn't kidding - only admins can see it. ;)

I decided to apply to be a moderator similar to why bear chose to - I learned so much about hosting and the internet industry from WHT that I figured I could contribute something to the forum, and I like to think I have. That's the reason we're all here - we're volunteering our time (and it's a lot of time - trust me!) to benefit the forum. We have the best interests of the forum at heart and we're not executing our own agendas. When I applied to be a moderator, I didn't know a single person on the moderating staff. I checked on the status of my application several times a day for a few weeks until I noticed that it was put on hold. :cool: A few days later I got a call from Dennis, and the rest is history.

I'm still here today, and I still operate in the same way I did on day one - I objectively moderate in the interest of the rules of the forum. I ain't in no party line! :D
If a moderator is being told they are wrong, given a forum description to prove without reasonable doubt that they are still wrong, they shouldn't argue and close the ticket... they should consult with another moderator for a second opinion.

Just my two cents Canadian... :caflag:

Nope.
For me, I saw a thread that was asking for applications, and wanted to give something back since I'd learned so much from reading here. Didn't know a soul on staff at the time, but I did have a clean record (pretty important), and fairly often would report things I saw that were "off".

Damnit so having 10 pages of infractions/bans and what not is a bad thing ? After all how do you learn from mistakes right ? So having a clean record i find rather tad odd :blush:

By the way Fight Fight Fight (dougy + pat vs wht mods team ) whohooo Round 2.

Damnit so having 10 pages of infractions/bans and what not is a bad thing ?
If anyone racks up that many, there is obviously a problem with simple understanding of the rules. We may overlook one or two mistakes (depending on the type) if it is obvious that the member has learned from it, but serial offenders need not apply ;)

I've noticed lately that moderators are "appointed" and they haven't been taking applications at all lately.
Appointing members is certainly not new. We occasionally discover a member who stands out as great member with a healthy respect for the rules.

I think the mods on WHT are only as good as the normal members. We're all contributing towards the moderation of WHT everytime we hit the report button, the only difference is we don't have the green title...

There was a point where I thought the mods were out to get me, everytime I got an infraction or a POC etc. I always thought "damn those WHT mods always trying to spoil things".. But then after I let my common sense prevail and took a step back, I realised these guys have much better things to do than just pick on someone. Haven't had any infractions for a while and all my existing ones have nicely expired. I think these guys do a damn good job. Countless times they've helped me out, sided with me on various aspects and put in a good deal of time in some requests I've sent.

Whatever selection process they are using, be it a party line, private invitations to people standing out, applications etc. I really couldn't care any more or less because whatever it is - it works well. It doesn't have to be a fair selection process, so long as it does the job - I'm happy.

So in summary, I agree with Bob :D

... how does wht hire moderators ?We have a rather complicated formula that's based on cloud cover and the relative position of the moon, that's ranked against the member's Astrological sign in relation to their posting typo history. Of course, this is the simple version. If I say any more, I'll likely be deported. :(

If anyone racks up that many, there is obviously a problem with simple understanding of the rules. We may overlook one or two mistakes (depending on the type) if it is obvious that the member has learned from it, but serial offenders need not apply ;)

Serial offenders :blush: . I think i am a serial offender :stickout: I have had only 21 offenses , it does make me serial offender right ?

Right. :P

Now get in there and study them rules (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/rules.php)! :bkick:

Right. :P
! :bkick:

Sweet.Too bad there is no WHT Jail to sent serial offenders to (if there is are there hot she bunnies also locked up in here? if so bunny can commit more crimes at wht .... :blush: )