MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Interested in becoming a MovieChat Moder...

Interested in becoming a MovieChat Moderator?

posted 7 years ago by jim (136)
261 replies | jump to latest

Looks like we've just had our first troll attack! We all knew they would come, and I had been anticipating it and had already put IP-banning measures in place. I view it as a sign that our site is growing and attracting more attention, which is a clear positive.

We are now looking for a small team of moderators, one or two from each major timezone, to help keep the trolls at bay. As I've stated before, freedom of speech is truly important to our community, but clear and obvious trolling will not be tolerated.

If you're interested in becoming a MovieChat moderator, please reply directly to this post and let me know.

Note: We're looking for established members with a long posting history. No new members or members with only a few posts will be considered at this time.

UPDATE: Thanks for everyone's interest. We will be contacting candidates shortly at the email address associated with your MovieChat account. If you don't have an email associated with your account, please add one, or alternatively drop me a line at [email protected] stating your username here. Thanks!

[–] jim (136) 7 years ago

Thanks for everyone's interest. We will be sending emails to candidates shortly.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 7 years ago

What if I didn't post my email...? Is there a way to do it on-site? No offense, but I prefer not to give out my email, just a little pet peeve of mine... Sorry. 😬

[–] MarilynManson (33) 7 years ago

I certainly don't want suspect people to be moderating

[–] jim (136) 7 years ago

No problem, Leia. We will be sending emails to the address associated with your account, but if you don't have an email associated with your account, just drop me a line at [email protected]. Thanks!

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 7 years ago

Don't want to rush you or anything, but what if we used Private Messages? Or maybe even a private group for mods to talk about who is or isn't a troll, whether they should be banned or just have posts deleted, etc?

[–] MarilynManson (33) 7 years ago

We hope to see a website which has hundreds of thousands of users.

"for mods to talk about who is or isn't a troll? "

What is this i am reading ? Totalitarian

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 7 years ago

Chill. I meant to say for discussing if the post in question was actual spam/troll material or just someone who got in a heated argument. Other people have been complaining about what constitutes a "troll" and so a place for mods to discuss such things without the trolls seeing it would be useful.

[–] MarilynManson (33) 7 years ago

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

Private forum for mod deliberation is a good thing. I think it's better to have a consensus among mods after discussion , rather than each mod just acting alone. Discussion and consensus can be a check and balance against things like personal grudges or a mod having a bad day or not understanding a joke.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 7 years ago

Exactly! Thank you!

Woah... That just made me feel like Matt/ Kylo in that SNL skit. When the military person says he respects Kylo for trying something as new and risky as ruling the universe (or something) and Matt responds with an enthusiastic "Yes! Exactly! Exactly."

[–] Apis (1624) 7 years ago

Hey Leia, I also didn't use email at all. I thought I was the only one. Btw, I think you would make a good moderator.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 7 years ago

I thought I was the only one, too! It's a small world after all, eh? 😱😉

And thanks. It seems I'm pretty popular around here. 😇

[–] wheelin176 (2026) 7 years ago

Jim makes the decision about the final outcome right?

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

I would assume he would have veto power, but might not want to be involved in every day to day decision of every flagged post. I mean that's the point of having mods, so you can delegate some of the work to them.
I am just guessing though. I don't know how he's organizing it.

[–] wheelin176 (2026) 7 years ago

I'll put it this way. He's the one pushing the button. Right ?

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

I have no idea. Do you mean the Ban button or delete/hide post button? It might be a different answer for each.
If he has to personally do everything himself, then what's the point of mods?

[–] wheelin176 (2026) 7 years ago

I was thinking the mods would tell him there's a troll he should look at his behavior and he has the final say.

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

Well that wouldn't help if he was at work or asleep or otherwise offline when a troll attack happens. If they have to wait for him to come online to do anything, then I don't see much use for mods. I thought the point of having mods in dif time zones was to always have someone on duty who can handle issues as they arise.
But Maybe it will be like you describe, I just have no idea how he will structure it.

[–] wheelin176 (2026) 7 years ago

We'll find out soon enough.

[–] Apis (1624) 7 years ago

Usually mods do that. The owner only reacts in special situations when mods can't decide what to do.

EDIT: But since Jim isn't exactly familiar with new mods to be, it may be different at first

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

Which ever way he does it, he can make an admin action log that tracks who does what and can review it later to see if anyone is being too heavy on censorship or whatnot.

[–] Apis (1624) 7 years ago

I wrote the answer to this, but then I deleted it, cause I think it's best if we leave this question open for now and not speculate too much.

[–] wanton87 (934) 7 years ago

Moderator and Administrator logs would typically be a standard feature at most sites Popcorn Kernel.

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

Yup that is why I mentioned it. I know it's a standard feature at most message board platforms, but jim is building this site from scratch rather than using a pre-made template, so I don't know what kind of logging he has built on the back end.

[–] wanton87 (934) 7 years ago

"but jim is building this site from scratch rather than using a pre-made template"

That's true. We use the PHPBB platform at the site I Mod at.

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 7 years ago

That is a good one, I've used boards with that platform. I've used quite a few different ones, including some that don't exist anymore. :)

[–] wheelin176 (2026) 7 years ago

I've never done this but I didn't apply for the job either.

[–] wanton87 (934) 7 years ago

Yes LeiaOfLothlorien, there is always a private subforum that only moderators have access to, so as to discuss such matters. I shouldn't say always, because it's possible that there are sites without one. But I've never been a mod at a site where one doesn't exist.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 7 years ago

Ah, okay. Thanks. That is good to know.

[–] MarilynManson (33) 7 years ago

This decision will make or break your site

[–] wanton87 (934) 7 years ago

Yes, we'll have to hope for the best. Personally I thought that the ignore/block/report post feature that IMDB had worked just fine.

[–] MarilynManson (33) 7 years ago

"Personally I thought that the ignore/block feature that IMDB had worked just fine. "

Agree

[–] allypie (92) 7 years ago

Ingore/block works fine for logged in users who know how to use those features, but what about people just lurking the site (not logged in)? Those people would be inundated with trolls. Plus it's going to be hard to attract new users if the first thing someone sees is a ton of troll posts.

[–] MarilynManson (33) 7 years ago

they need to login then

[–] Catbookss (13664) 7 years ago

Lots of people didn't log in to IMDB, especially if they're just checking it out. Ignore/block is a good tool, but it's not enough.

[–] MarilynManson (33) 7 years ago

We need contributors not lurkers

[–] Catbookss (13664) 7 years ago

We need both.

I've been repeatedly surprised by how often posters here have said they were lurkers on IMDb, and how articulate they are.

I was a lurker for a year on one IMDb board before finally joining and joining in on the conversation. I doubt I'm alone in that.

Regardless, we don't need a lot of people who are new to the site seeing a bunch of stupid and off-putting posts. Why would you (or anyone) argue against that if you want to see this site succeed?

[–] Bella-UK (1282) 7 years ago

I too was a lurker on IMDb before I joined back in 2011 coming up for seven years. It took me two years before I braved it to post a comment, now it doesn't bother me, but I do think of all those lurkers out there who are too frightened to post. I did slowly become friendly with a few who sadly didn't come back. How do you encourage these types to post these are the types we need, not trolls who just make people miserable and work them up. I love posting, and the art of discussion and to help this place grow we need mods in place to help those who struggle. I wouldn't mind being a Mod, again if it's not too late.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 7 years ago

I was only a lurker on IMDb, and only for a year or two before the boards shut down, but here I'm posting everywhere I can think of. It wasn't necessarily that I was afraid to post, just that I wasn't sure if it was worth it to go through making an account. It really is fun to get into intellectual discussions online.

[–] Bella-UK (1282) 7 years ago

It is, as it gives you so much confidence not just to hold a debate and keep it going there are so many other factors that come with posting too. I have had some amazing memories that stay with me and the friends that I've made make it all worthwhile when you look back.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 7 years ago

Mmhm. I've made many online friends over the years, which is amazing because in real life I'm extremely shy and quiet. Here, it often seems easier to strike up conversation and debate than with real people in some cases.

[–] Bella-UK (1282) 7 years ago

I so agree with you on that score. A friend recently told me that the 'Internet is your friend' she is so wise, and I have never forgotten that and it's helped me. I used to be shy, but I think posting helps you branch out from that and helps you get over those initial fears. You are doing so well so far. People are friendly most of the time and encourage you to say what you feel. I have since started my own blog, and even my own forum since those early IMDb days and am chuffed I have.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 7 years ago

Great to hear! I have slowly started to come out of my shell in real life, being in college clubs helps a lot. 😊

[–] Bella-UK (1282) 7 years ago

Good for you girl, you go for it. You will feel so much better. It's hard to start with remember little small steps. Clubs are a good start because there are things I still hate to do like if I go into a bar on my own and by a drink, or go into a garage because I don't understand car talk. So there are still things I am shy about but do try and beat those fears. I even last year went to a concert on my own, and that was scary sitting in between people you don't even know. How will they react if you do or say something wrong? But I was so pleased I did it, I would go again. I am 51 and still struggle with those little things.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 7 years ago

That's comforting to hear. I think part of what actually helped me a bit was that last semester in my English class, participation in class discussion was mandatory. I'm a straight A student, so I really had to push myself to talk in class, lol.

[–] desepticon (165) 7 years ago

It definitely didn't work as IMDB became littered with trolls. Ignore only worked on a per-username basis. They would just create another sock account. The only way to fix it is with IP bans. I'd also rather not have to deal with seeing troll threads everywhere and have to take it upon myself to block them all. I'd like to just have movie/tv discussions without having to worry about all that nonsense.

[–] wanton87 (934) 7 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bwbphile (471) 7 years ago

jim I have my email in profile but no one can see it. How do I show it. Thanks for this site again.

[–] bwbphile (471) 7 years ago

jim I'm in to moderate. I'm retired on disability. Have nothing but time on my hands.

[–] Information-Police (4078) 7 years ago

I don't have the time to be a moderator (I think it's a very good idea to have them), but I'm wondering what you mean by established members with a long posting history. I thought this site was only a month old. ..

[–] batman89 (263) 7 years ago

Am I too late? I'm also interested. Eastern time zone. Been here since the very beginning!

[–] Jesus Christ (38) 7 years ago

Sent you an email, hope I'm not too late.

[–] Cookie.L.A. (2117) 7 years ago

Jesus, you have a whole planet (and perhaps universe) to save. Don't take on too much!

[–] Jesus Christ (38) 7 years ago

Bless you child. You don't need to worry about me, I'll manage.

[–] StonerWithaBoner (53) 7 years ago

only if i can go mad with power.

[–] neverstandinalone (641) 7 years ago

That is what we don't need.

[–] StonerWithaBoner (53) 7 years ago

dont tell me what we need!
IP Banned...
muhahahahahahaahaha!

[–] neverstandinalone (641) 7 years ago

LOL. 😜