New Staff Member Possibilities

[looneymoon]

why would I nominate kat, brooke or belle

i hate those bitches

 

[Max Payne]

I agree that it's a shitty job to get into and you can't afford to be unprepared for it, but it's dangerous to go around assuming people who are self-promoting have no idea what they're in for. I know we're a forum of cynics but we are trying to do this tabula rasa shit, yknow.

And I certainly think we all saw what the mods have gone through these past few days. I know you're speaking from experience but you don't have to be so negative about it.

Maybe so but self promotion isn't the way to go imo.

This just doesn't seem like the place for it.

 

[Vendel]

Maybe so but self promotion isn't the way to go imo.

This just doesn't seem like the place for it.

Then I guess MOG is out.

Would anyone object to me returning, albeit in a limited, consultant like role?

Sorry sailor.

 

[Hisako]

Self-promotion maybe awkward if no-one has an initial backing for it but it's like politics: people don't (although they do, ) just dismiss new candidates for being new; they have a look at policies and behaviours and formulate their judgement on that.

All those issues aside, I think Arianna's a solid choice although I think there are some misconceptions that might need ironing out. I haven't seen many serious posts of hers that have been confrontational or aggressive in attitude in discussions with other members, and like I mentioned in the other thread I certainly think she has the emotional maturity for the job. No sarcasm or anything, just straight-up (boring ) conversation.

I would question the intestinal fortitude in handling member bullshit, though.

edit: a poll for this voting thing would allow multiple choices in voting, yes?

 

[Max Payne]

Then I guess MOG is out.



Sorry sailor.

That says nothing about him becoming a mod again. He was offering help, not begging for a staff position.

 

[Hisako]

Woah woah woah

No-one begged for anything

 

[looneymoon]

Looneymoon for mod.

Officially make TLS stand for "The Lesbian Stream."

Bitches for everyone.

 

[Vendel]

That says nothing about him becoming a mod again. He was offering help, not begging for a staff position.

The man is already on the forum. What exactly would he be returning to?

 

[Max Payne]

Woah woah woah

No-one begged for anything

SIGH FINE.

Poor choice of words.

The man is already on the forum. What exactly would he be returning to?

Helping out with staff problems? You don't need to be a mod to do that.

We have plenty of site staff that help out.

 

[Hisako]

Negativity, dude
chillax

 

[Vendel]

Helping out with staff problems? You don't need to be a mod to do that.

We have plenty of site staff that help out.

Humm.

Would anyone object to me returning, albeit in a limited, consultant like role? I am constantly getting deployed so I won't be able to be around as much as I should, but maybe it would be good to have me around in reserve. But that should definitely be an afterthought to better qualified, fresher faces.

So he is going to return as a reserve staff helper? That is if we don't want fresher staff helpers.

 

[Max Payne]

Negativity, dude
chillax

If I chilled out anymore I would be mr freeze

I'm being practical

 

[Hisako]

well you still gotta break the ice

So he is going to return as a reserve staff helper? That is if we don't want fresher staff helpers.

I think even if Mog was made an advisor we'd be adding fresh mods as well iirc?

 

[Tetsujin]

Since when does it say 'staff emeritus' in my postbit?

 

[Max Payne]

well you still gotta break the ice

Go break yoself fool

 

[Ⓐaron]

Since when does it say 'staff emeritus' in my postbit?

Since today. I remembered you used to be staff and noticed you didn't have it in your postbit. If you want it removed I can get rid of it though

All of the people I can think to nominate have already been nominated, I think.

 

[Tetsujin]

Since today. I remembered you used to be staff and noticed you didn't have it in your postbit. If you want it removed I can get rid of it though

Nah it's okay. Just thought it might have been there for a while and I only noticed it today.

 

[Octo]

Gonna make a few suggestions before I scuttle back under my rock, this might be a bit tldr but please bear with me:

I think if people are willing to put their heads above the parapet and volunteer they should get fair consideration, if they genuinely feel they have something to offer then that can't be a bad thing. Once this thing gets underway and people get to post their 'manifestos' or Q&A then we can decide who has what it takes.

I think we risk overlooking people if we just rely on those who have been nominated, and that popularity, while good, is not necessarily the number 1 quality we need in a mod. It could be argued that the more popular you are, the more reluctant you'll be when it comes to tough situations and you have to rock the boat. You can't please all of the people all of the time. (This is one of the reasons I declined)

Now I've also lost track of how many new mods we're talking about here (excluding old staff coming back) In my opinion we need at least 2.

These are my ideal qualities when it comes to new mods, in no particular order:

1) Must be active, and by this I mean able to be here at least once a day for at least an hour or two. Post count irrelevant.

2) Must be affable and able to get along with everyone - this doesn't mean being BFF with the entire memberbase, or even having a high number of members on the friends list.

3) Must be impartial - not to let existing friendships/feuds colour moderation decisions. Also, I would prefer someone totally unconnected with the 9000+ years of history, a pair of fresh eyes if you will.

4) Must be articulate and unafraid to voice their opinion - both on the forum and in the staff section

5) Must be unafraid to 'lay the smackdown' when needed**, not to pass the buck and wait for someone else to deal with it. Also to be pre-emptive, oftentimes things can be nipped in the bud with a polite PM or reminder before they escalate into something worse. Don't always wait for shit to get to the reporting stage.

6) Must be tactful - this means remaining civil even when laying the smackdown. Serious point - snarkyness/agressiveness when moderating is only going to breed resentment, resentment leads to hate, hate leads to suffering, yadda yadda yadda

Also on point 6 there, it also means being aware of your conduct when you're not moderating, following the rules and not endorsing poor behaviour from members, the important thing is to remain neutral.

Phew. So yeah, a pretty fucking tall order there isn't it? I want the moon on a stick!

Now I'm not totally mad I know its humanly impossible to possess all of those qualities all of the time, which is why I think we need more than 1 new mod, possibly even 3. That way we should be able to get all bases covered.


Also (don't worry I'm almost done!) I think it might be a good idea if newly voted in mods have a trial/probationary period of a few months? Just to see how they handle things, and also how they feel themselves settling into the role?

**Regarding smackdowns/mod intervention. In my experience its usually the same couple of mods who are the ones actively intervening in threads, namely Mako, Aaron and Road (and Yop) Now from what I can tell people have/have had issues in the past with Aaron and Mako, and I can't help feeling that if all of the mods (new and old) were more willing to intervene, as opposed to just particpating in the staff section, that tensions could be eased a little?

Ok all done. Thanks for reading

*Scuttles off*

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I seriously think there needs to be at least 1 more mod from the Uk region to cover the massive lapse in time that all the yank mods are a snoozing.

 

[Octo]

I seriously think there needs to be at least 1 more mod from the Uk region to cover the massive lapse in time that all the yank mods are a snoozing.

Also this, though not necessarily just UK, Europe would be good.

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

I love Octo and everything Octo just said above. One particular piece of that post I wanted to comment on beyond simple "I agree" statements was:

I think if people are willing to put their heads above the parapet and volunteer they should get fair consideration, if they genuinely feel they have something to offer then that can't be a bad thing. Once this thing gets underway and people get to post their 'manifestos' or Q&A then we can decide who has what it takes.

Now I'm not super fond of the idea of self-nominating myself, owing to my whole "the best people to handle authority are those who want it least" philosophy. But, I agree that anyone who self-nominates the way Vendel and Arianna did should get a spot on the list and full consideration, the same as anyone else. If it turns out they are the only person who thinks they can get the job done as needed, oh well. They'll be the only person to vote for themselves in that case won't they? But still, list them (maybe Vendel in particular could do without that "self-nominated" bit in his listing? Seems unnecessary to me) and let 'em have a fair shake like anyone else, right?

 

[Tifabelle]

I think we risk overlooking people if we just rely on those who have been nominated, and that popularity, while good, is not necessarily the number 1 quality we need in a mod. It could be argued that the more popular you are, the more reluctant you'll be when it comes to tough situations and you have to rock the boat. You can't please all of the people all of the time. (This is one of the reasons I declined)

I don't think people nominated folks just cause they like them. They really believe they can do a good job. Probably because they've done something that shows that person that they could be a good mod.

I would hope that people wouldn't vote for someone just because they're friends.

Now I've also lost track of how many new mods we're talking about here (excluding old staff coming back) In my opinion we need at least 2.

Yeah I would agree with this. Someone to replace Tenny, and someone to add on. But more than that, it's about quality over quantity (which I'm sure we all agree with). The forum probably doesn't need 10,000 mods to run it. It needs a handful of active, not cba mods.

Also (don't worry I'm almost done!) I think it might be a good idea if newly voted in mods have a trial/probationary period of a few months? Just to see how they handle things, and also how they feel themselves settling into the role?

I'm all for this. I think it's a great idea. And just to expand on it, I think that it should go for all the mods. Imo, just because you've earned/been given a position doesn't mean you've earned it permanently. I don't really think anyone is exempt from that (save for yop ).

*Scuttles off*

lolol +1


And just to throw in, I'm not a fan of the self-nominating thing either. (And I also don't think Dacon was wrong for giving his opinion on the matter either.) But GLD is right. It won't make a difference in the end either way.

 

[Octo]

I don't think people nominated folks just cause they like them. They really believe they can do a good job. Probably because they've done something that shows that person that they could be a good mod.

I would hope that people wouldn't vote for someone just because they're friends.

Oh I'm sure that is how people feel about those they nominated- that they could do a good job, and it wasn't an arbitary decision. Tbh I was thinking more about something Yop said on the Irc about popularity. I just wanted to say that just because someone isn't popular or percieved as such doesn't mean they couldn't be a good mod

And just to throw in, I'm not a fan of the self-nominating thing either. (And I also don't think Dacon was wrong for giving his opinion on the matter either.) But GLD is right. It won't make a difference in the end either way.

Well being a massive introvert like I am, I'm not really one for self nominations, but at the same time I admire people who are unafraid to volunteer. 'ask not what TLS can do for you, but what you can do for TLS'

 

[Masamune]

The problem is that you're all voting on the basis of moderators you WANT instead of the moderators you NEED. That's not to say some of the nominees aren't there on merit but the old prejudices are there for all to see. Which is why this amounts to another glorified popularity contest and why people like Arianna have been deterred from self-nominating, because she's not down with the kids. This quasi-democratic rule sure as hell didn't work on ACF and it won't work here. And just like ACF, the moderator role will become a poisoned chalice because too many Indians are constantly questioning the Chiefs and people will realize it's not worth the hassle. IMO, the problem with TLS isn't the staff structure, it's the overriding attitude of the site. Changing moderators in the hopes of fixing that is akin to shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Prove me wrong, kids. Prooove meee wrooong!

 

[Octo]

Oh you cynic you!

But seriously, what is the 'overriding attitude of the site' in your opinion?