Democratic Underground Needs YOU!

[EarlG]

It's that time of the year again - when old moderators fall from the trees and gather in clumps on the ground, and new moderators burst into bloom. Yes, it's time for a moderator switch. And we need YOUR help!

DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND SITE MODERATOR

POSITION TYPE

• Part-time volunteer

REQUIREMENTS

• An unswerving dedication to fair play
• The ability to work well with others
• Good communication skills

BENEFITS

• Flexible work schedule
• Unlimited access to the moderator hot tub
• Free pictures of donuts on Fridays

Our moderators are a fantastic group of people - they freely volunteer their time and effort to keep the site running smoothly, and it's fair to say that Democratic Underground would not be able to exist without their assistance. If you would like to become part of the team for the next three months, read on.

Read this message carefully, it has changed since the last time it was posted. Failure to properly follow application instructions will disqualify you to serve as a moderator.

The next moderator term will last three months, from the end of June until the end of September.

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.


• Because primary season is drawing ever closer we are asking all of our moderators to tell us their candidate preferences for the Democratic presidential nomination, so we can try to plan a balanced team. If you do not have a candidate preference, or if you prefer more than one candidate, just say so on your application. You are not required to choose a candidate in order to be selected to serve as a moderator.

HOW TO APPLY

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 last updated on August 26, 2005; we need this 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. If we do not receive your form before the term begins, you may still be selected to serve as a moderator but you will not immediately gain access to the moderator forum.

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.

STEP 2: 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


• Your preferred candidate or candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination (if you have a preference)


• 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)?

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 Tuesday, June 26, 2007. There will be a free conference call for the new moderators on the following night.

EarlG
DU Admin