[MOD] Moderated posting, helpers needed!

[acidae.livejournal.com]

Following the voting results in the poll posted a week ago, arashi_on will remain on moderated posting. Accordingly, I will be recruiting two moderators to help out with clearing the moderation queue. It's not as simple as just raising your hand and offering to help, so please make sure you fit the following requirements before applying!

- Timezones: Since I'm in North America (EST to be exact), I need one person in an opposite timezone (such as an Asian country), and one more somewhere in the middle (perhaps Europe?). Please state where you are from when you comment!
- Availability: You don't need to be around the computer 24/7, but you do need to frequent LJ on a regular basis, preferably daily or every other day. Again, please try to state your general availability if possible.
- Responsibility: You need to let others know if you won't be around for an extended period of time or lose interest in moderating so someone else can take over. You also need to know the rules inside and out.
- Good judgment: This may seem trivial, but it's a very important requirement; not only do you need to know the rules, you need to be able to judge whether posts adhere to them. There are many that border on breaking certain rules, such as ones that are half-question and half-request, or advertisements and memes that may not be allowed (eg. if they break the 6-month minimum rule).

Applications to be a moderator will close in three days.

You are more than welcome to add other reasons for why you want to help out if you want, because it doesn't matter how long or short your comment is, or who will see-- all comments to this post will be screened, and only comments unrelated to moderator applications will be unscreened. Even if you weren't picked to be a moderator this time around, you will still be considered in the future if new moderators are ever needed, such as if someone bows out, disappears off, or receives several complaints about them.


I also figured it might be helpful to some if I compiled a bit of an FAQ based on the concerns expressed by several members of the community, and you can read more about it behind the cut:


Maintainers vs. Moderators - what's the difference?

Just to clear up any confusion, I will be adding moderators, whose sole duty is to manage entries in the moderation queue. Moderators will not be able to change any of the settings in the community, or delete posts once they have been approved. Despite most people using the terms "mod" or "modding", LJ states a distinct difference between the two, and you can find more information about that here.


How will post approval/rejection be decided?

The only posts that will be rejected are the ones breaking one or more rules, or ones with specific questions that can be answered quickly and adequately by the maintainer/moderators; outside of enforcing the current rules listed in the profile, there will not be any attempts to police what else members can post. Reasons for rejection will always be given, and if you feel that a moderator had handled your pending post wrongly, feel free to PM ames_909 about it. Likewise, if you're a moderator and you're not sure if a post should be approved, you can either PM me or leave the post alone in the queue, and I will get to it eventually. Posts may also be deleted from the community despite being approved by a moderator if it was found to be breaking a rule.


Can regular posters be cleared to post without having to await approval?

Yes, there is an option to add members to a list of pre-approved users for the community each time their post has been approved. Members who have posted to the community at least two or three times without breaking any rules will be added to the list, but the pre-approved status can also be revoked at any time if need be.


I don't like the idea of having to be 'approved' in fandom.

I don't think anyone likes the thought of being approved/rejected by complete strangers in any situation, but those are the terms Livejournal itself uses to describe the corresponding functions, and I am simply using their own terms. Even before moderated posting started in this community, any post that appeared on the community and wasn't deleted had already met unspoken approval from a maintainer; likewise, if it was deleted without warning, it's equivalent to being rejected on the moderation queue.


Things such as approving posts about breaking news or new releases quickly should be resolved with the addition of new moderators, but feel free to comment here if you have any unanswered questions or concerns, and I can add them to the list accordingly. :)


Lastly, I'm also in need of someone to help out with the monthly posts of requests again-- would anyone like to volunteer? The only requirement is that you need to be able to make update posts on time; it doesn't matter where you're from or if your journal is empty, I just need someone reliable who isn't going to randomly disappear on me. You can check out the previous requests posts here for an idea of how they should be formatted. Thanks!

Comments

[mynamelessname]

I can't help you with your request for moderators, since I'm also in a North America time zone. XD However, I'd be more than willing to help with the monthly request post if you still need someone. I have some experience making similar posts since I would make round-up posts in a comm that I used to mod. :)

[acidae.livejournal.com]

That would be really great, thank you so much for offering! The posts are generally made on the 1st of every month, but since it's still early November, would it be possible to ask you to make a post of all the October requests by the end of this week?

EDIT: Er, just in case that caused any confusion, by "end of this week" I meant by Sunday night, not Friday XD; Sorry about that!

[mynamelessname]

Sure, it's not a problem. I could definitely get an October post up soemtime this weekend if not sooner. :)