It's that time again: Democratic Underground is looking for new moderators

EarlG ADMIN

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Mon Apr-27-09 04:32 PM
Original message

It's that time again: Democratic Underground is looking for new moderators

Edited on Mon Apr-27-09 05:30 PM by EarlG

DU NEEDS YOU...

If you are interested volunteering to serve as a moderator on Democratic Underground, please read on.

The next moderator term will last three months, from the beginning of May until the beginning of August. If you have never served as a moderator before but would like to volunteer some time to help keep our discussion forum running smoothly, now is your chance.

Here are some things to bear in mind before you apply:

- Your political ideology is not important... We need centrists and leftists and everyone in between to serve as moderators.

- We prefer people who have been members for a while, and have made at least a few hundred posts. You must be at least 18 years old. You must have donated at least one time to Democratic Underground using your own name.

- You must be able to log on to DU regularly, and should not take any long vacations between now and the end of the term.

- We prefer people with a generally positive outlook on life, who can be fair and evenhanded, and who don't get easily frustrated. If you sign up to moderate, we expect you to stay as a moderator for the full term. You must understand that it is perfectly normal for the admins to occasionally overturn your decisions, or to make specific requests regarding the manner in which you participate on DU while you are a moderator.

- We prefer that moderators avoid highly controversial topics, or at least moderate their behavior significantly when participating in such discussions. If you have a history of rhetorically hot postings on controversial issues, we may not choose you to serve.

- If you know that you aren't very good at controlling your behavior or your emotions, or if you know that you can't be fair to a particular group of people, please do not sign up to be a moderator. There is no obligation to serve as a mod, and we won't hold it against you if you choose not to.

Here's how to volunteer:

STEP 1: FILL OUT, SIGN, AND SNAIL MAIL THE MODERATOR CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

IMPORTANT! If you mailed us the form before, you might need to mail it again. The form was updated on August 26, 2005, and we need the most recent version from all of our moderators.

The moderator confidentiality agreement is here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/moderator_form.html

Double-check to make sure the page says "Updated August 26, 2005." That way you will know that you are looking at the correct form. If it doesn't say that, click reload/refresh on your browser to reload the page.

Fill it out and send it in to the address provided ASAP. We hope to receive completed forms from all applicants *before* the new moderator term begins in the beginning of May. If we do not receive your form before that date, we may not be able to give you access to the moderator forum at the beginning of the moderator term.

We will keep the moderator confidentiality agreement forms on file in our office, so once you mail us the form you should not have to send it again if you apply to serve in future terms. (This time, we promise.)

STEP 2: SEND US AN APPLICATION EMAIL WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

Send an email to earlg@democraticunderground.com with the word "moderator" in the subject line. By volunteering to serve as a moderator, you are giving us permission to take all necessary measures to verify your identity. Include the following information:

- Your real name

- Your forum username

- Your address

- Your telephone number

- How much time you spend on Democratic Underground

- Which forums you'd like to moderate, or would not like to moderate (if you have a preference)

- A brief statement which generally outlines your political views

- Are you taking any extended vacations during the the next three months?

- Have you read, and do you agree to follow, the Message Board Rules and the Moderator Guidelines?

- Have you filled out, signed, and mailed the Moderator Confidentiality Agreement (Updated August 26, 2005)?

We hope to select a new group of moderators on Wednesdsay May 6, 2009. There will be a free conference call for moderators on the following night.

EarlG
DU Admin