Democratic Underground needs volunteers to serve as moderators!

[Skinner]

Please read this message carefully -- the moderator application process has changed. Failure to properly follow instructions will disqualify you to serve as a moderator.

The current moderator term ends soon, and we're looking for volunteers to help us out for the next term. DU is bigger and busier than ever and we're looking for dedicated people who have a little extra time on their hands.

In the past, moderator terms have lasted two months. But we are currently considering increasing the length of the term to THREE MONTHS. Please check your schedule for the next three months.

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 mid-September.

- 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: SEND US AN APPLICATION EMAIL WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

Send an email to [e-mail] 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?

- Moderators have access to privileged information which is not available to the regular members of Democratic Underground. This privileged information includes, but is not limited to: Registration information provided by visitors to the Democratic Underground website, such as real names, email addresses, hometown, etc.; Discussions in the private Moderator Forum; Records of behavior, deleted posts, locked threads, and posting habits of visitors to Democratic Underground; Alerts or other correspondence with moderators and administrators; and Information about how Democratic Underground is moderated and administrated. Moderators and former moderators are not permitted to use any of this privileged information for any purpose except their duties as a Democratic Underground moderator. Moderators and former moderators may not save or use any of this privileged information for their own personal use. Moderators and former moderators may not discuss or share privileged moderator information with anyone except currently serving moderators in the Democratic Underground Moderator Forum. Moderators and former moderators who use or share privileged moderator information risk being banned from Democratic Underground and may be subject to legal action. Do you understand this Moderator Confidentiality Agreement, and do you agree not to use privileged moderator information yourself or share privileged moderator information with anyone except currently serving moderators in the Democratic Underground Moderator Forum?

STEP 2: FILL OUT, SIGN, AND SNAIL MAIL THE MODERATOR AGREEMENT FORM

The moderator agreement form is here:

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

Fill it out and send it in to the address provided ASAP. It is likely that we will not receive your completed form before the new moderator term begins -- that is fine. moderators will have access to the private moderator forum on Wednesday when the new group of moderators is selected. However, you will not have access to any special moderator functionality until we receive your completed form in the mail. If we do not receive your completed moderator agreement form in a timely fashion, we will be forced to remove you as a moderator.

We will keep all moderator agreement forms on file in our office, so once you mail us the form you will not have to send it again if you apply to serve in future terms.

If you apply but are not selected this time, please don't be offended. We typically have a fairly large number of applicants, and we obviously can't pick everyone who applies.

We hope to select a new group of moderators on Wednesday evening. There will be a free conference call for the new moderators on the following night (Thursday).

Skinner
DU Admin

[trumad]

1. You know you have a rep

when you volunteer and they politely say no. LOL