Other [Issue 25] So, You Wanna Be a Mod, Eh?

[MadDog21 230]

So, You Wanna Be a Mod, Eh?

When taking a break from the furious combat, core to the construct of Tanki, one might loiter in the lounges to engage in some sparkling repartee. There one may find mates, compatriots, folks from around the world and, of course, “them.” Them are the work of the Moderators, the game cops as it were, and those, running afoul of the rules, will encounter the Mod Squad, them. In chat it’s common to see “I wanna be a Mod.” Sure about that?

Moderators (Mods hereafter) own substantial responsibility and conditional authority. I speak from experience having done the job. Mods hold the charge of maintaining order and rules, compliance in the chats and matches. Look at the membership count for Tanki account. Given that multiple accounts exist, there are millions nonetheless. Go to the Forum, and note the number of Mods. Then do a little ratio figuring, and realize, also, that the game never sleeps. Players from around the world play as the game churns on 24 hours a day 365 days per year. That small count of Moderators can, by no means, be everywhere all the time. It ain’t possible, simply put. However, dedicated Mods can bounce between servers to keep an active presence throughout the game.

Mods can observe matches without entering, allowing them greater latitude to sting the stinkers who play foul, cheat or try and soil the chat exchanges. During candidacy, Mod Candidates, like Consultants, are restricted to giving five minute bans, and more recently, hour bans. Of course they’re closely associated with full Mods, and there they can alert Mods of the need for more severe bans. You’ll know these are coming when you see “(reported)” as a tag on the information line of the ban. Mods also use that tag to advise that the ban is going to Administrators for consideration of more or most severe sanction. When you see that, you may rest assured that the ban-hammer will fall justly.

When curious as to what brings the hammer down, all one needs to do is visit the Forum, the Rules section, specifically. All reasons for bans show there. By the way, every single player who enters and plays the game gave consent by actual fact or implication, to follow the rules of Tanki when signing in. That’s each and every one of us. Now, some will plead ignorance. “Wah. I didn’t know that was against the rules. Wah, wah, wah.” Well, fellow turret turners, you know in school, on the highways and everywhere order is expected and/or enforced, “Ignorance is no excuse.” Good advice is read those rules. If one doesn’t understand one or several, ask more seasoned Tankers, or, even better, ask a Mod.  Explanations will come. The Forum also defines and explains. For any lazybones reading, I’ll sneak you a handy, li’l tip. Apply “The Golden Rule,” and nearly every rule’s covered. You know that rule, right? “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Cures lots of issues.

Moderators may or may not identify themselves or announce their presence in servers. Some Tankers may feel frustrated when trying to converse with Mods when it’s apparent that they’re present. Understand, fellow Tankers, the Mods are working. Conversational entanglements can get quite involved if enjoined by the Mod. Among other reasons, that may be primary for their reticence, nothing is more pointless than a child’s debate over principle. “Did not. Did too!” Did not!” Mods are not in the game to socialize, at least not when they’re working.

As previously noted, Mods are in the game to maintain order and enforce rules for those who scoff at those rules by their words and/or conduct. In fact, were the rules respected and followed by all Tankers, the game and chat would be far more enjoyable for all. Tanki is a community of players, Tankers. Functional communities support and nurture all members. Dysfunctional communities don’t. I spent some time working in bars and nightclubs as a D.J and as a bouncer. I can tell with certainty that I didn’t stay long at places that failed to understand the nature of community and rules. In public, those rules might be called manners. As club staff we monitored the patrons as well as serving them and providing them entertainment. When some knuckle dragger(s) started to bully, intrude and intimidate, we fell on them like a wall. They either became agreeable and polite, or they became vanished. Rest assured, the majority of folks do not go out for a night of entertainment only to encounter some Cro-Magnon thug(s) to spoil their fun and ease. Healthy persons seeking relaxation do not seek confrontation. Only thugs, bullies and drama queens seek that. People stop coming to such establishments that permit thugs to roam. It’s the same in Tanki. Most Tankers come to Tanki to interact with persons from around the world, compete and climb the rank ladder to Generalissimo. They don’t come to be cursed, bullied, embarrassed or cheated. Enter: the noble moderator. S/he comes to assure as much as possible that all may enjoy what Tanki offers. And, you can help!

I may be known as the blockmeister. When I moderated, I wasn’t allowed to block users from what I saw of the chat lobby. Can’t moderate what can’t be observed. Now, serving my intolerance for fools and their ilk, I use the block command prodigiously. I do not suffer fools gladly, and the block command enables me to vanish any player who is simply not worth one’s attention. Seek peace. Make it your own. When I do it shows like this. “Welcome to my block list. You are vanished. Buh-bye.” There’s reason behind my repetition of that stock phrase. Remember the lopsided ratio of Mods to Tankers? Well, if we’re to be responsible community members, it stands to reason that we help each other. When observing rules scofflaws, cursers, bullies and assorted ne’er do wells, I let any mods know what they may have missed. When we help Mods, we help our community.

Okay. Let’s call the previous remarks editorializing. Now to the nitty gritty. Some of us think we’d like to be a Mod. We fancy ourselves as the cavalry captain leading his charges over the hill and into the fray to rout the nasties, save the good guys and, perhaps, get the fair damsel or, for parity’s sake, the square jawed fellow. Visiting the Forum will allow any to peruse the requirements, get an application and find to whom the application may be submitted. BUT! Are you Mod material? Let’s consider that.

1. Do you have a work ethic? Moderating is work. When doing it, you’re not permitted to play. You may not be blending work time and play. There are lots of servers, and they need constant scrutiny, surveillance and enforcement. There are hours demanded. If you can’t or won’t work enough, you will be dismissed. Enough is defined by Administrators.

2. Are you mature? Seriously, now, are you actually mature? Can you exercise objective conduct? Can you avoid biases, prejudices and dislike for Tankers you might’ve met and found dislikeable?

3. Can you work devoid of outside influences aside from Administrative direction? If you’ve a mate who begs you to ban someone for what they saw, thought or perceived, can you ignore that unless you directly observed it yourself?  Additionally, if you’ve a pal whom you observe violating rules, can you, will you, fairly enforce the rules at his/her expense?

4. Are you literate and language competent? Can you properly perceive slang, abbreviations and inferences that intend to offend, insult, defame, shame, exploit, mislead and on?

5. Are you fair minded? Mods have access to Tanker records. They can assess if a Tanker is a chronic violator meriting greater sanction, or if a Tanker is ignorant as a newbie might be, thus more in need of help, correction and simple warning?

6. Are you fastidious regarding record keeping? Certain bans, more hefty ones, require reporting and record keeping so a Tanker’s “karma,” his/her record, informs other Mods as to how severe the sanctions might be for repeated violations. Also, Administrators need records of chronics to determine if game expulsion is merited. Yes! These do occur. So do “fines,” removal of rank, garage items and/or crystals. Tankers who chronically violate rules, chronics, do rise to penalties that really hurt. Moderators’ records assist Administrators in determining when such harsh penalties are called for. Community Tankers will never need to fret and stew over these. Such penalties don’t befall Community Tankers.

 

7. Is there compensation? Yes. That will be worked out as your do the job and if you do the job well. You won’t get rich, but you will be fairly paid in crystals. Believe me, you WILL earn it.

Tanki is a community of players from around the globe. Moderators are those who are charged with the chores described herein. Tanki always needs good, responsible, committed staff to help the project continue growing and improving. So, do you have the right stuff? If so, remember talk is cheap. Deeds, not words. If you could do the job, step up, and prove it. Community members will appreciate it. Scoundrels will howl. They always do. :D

Edited July 31, 2017 by Hexed

[Meliora 1,652]

Informative, however you shouldn't put capitals for moderators. Absolutely no need.

[r_davinson46463a0 147]

Nice! I will give the answer soon

[Guest Maserati]

So far pretty good - keep coming the articles :)

[Tofu 6,773]

thats a long article

[Dhruv_007 30]

any where to appply and any jobs avaliable ? im 100% applying for any job 

Edited August 8, 2014 by Dhruv_007

[aperaiderpistol 459]

Hmm, nice. This has definitely given me something to think about.

[falcosenna1 8,320]

so well written :o a pleasure to read

[avimin 295]

Sir - A very well written article.

 

I joined the chat moderator community very recently and from the experience I have gained so far, I can support and probably add a little color to a few things that my colleague has written here:

 

Mod to player ratio: – With the game being played 24/7, we try to maintain a round-the-clock follow-the-sun model to cover all the time zones but it is true that we can’t be everywhere all the time. This is where the community can assist us by reporting violations using the violators section in the forum. It is important to remember that even in real life, not everybody joins the police force but you still have people who are good Samaritans.

 

What brings the hammer down: – Tanki is a virtual world but played by real players. The expectation from every tanker is to maintain the same good decorum in the game that you would follow at your home, your school/college or your work place. Ignorance of these rules is not an excuse and if you disagree with these rules which you agreed to at the time of registration, you are always allowed to leave the site and not use the game. Respecting fellow tankers is a necessity. 

 

Trying to converse with moderators: - As much as we would love to chat with the entire community, as a result of the Mod to player ratio mentioned earlier, it is important for our Tanki friends to understand that our time would be much better utilized in finding chat or game violators. Also, if you are not happy about a moderator’s action, you can always bring that to the attention of the chat administrators but trying to get the moderator’s attention in the chat lobby will not help your cause. Abuse of the /vote command is also a drain on moderator resources, especially if you call a moderator to drop a gold box or to ask about Godmode_on or to complain about a player who is using supplies. I have seen certain members of the community complain that they never see the “Player X has been disconnected from the server” message on the lobby chat indicated that moderators are not looking into game violations. If a player is found violating the rules, usually the moderator will kick the player from the game itself in which case the message will not appear in the lobby chat and will appear in the respective in-game chat alone. 

 

Work ethic and play time: - Ever since I joined the moderator community, I have played probably for 2 hours in a month. For moderators, this is more than a game and we are at the front helping all of you. It is a very demanding and time consuming process and all of us here consider it just like a regular job that you would go to in real life – except that we are volunteers here. So, calling moderators for duels in the battle chat isn't helping the community.

 

Record keeping: - You will be surprised at the amount of work that we put in for every ban and warn. The more serious an offence, the more paperwork happens behind the scene and it is a process that needs to be repeated for each and every violation. Moderators do not ban at random or at whim – there are lots of people discussing violations behind the scene to make sure we are fair. 

 

At the end of the day, as my fellow moderator Ajayraj once told me during my candidate days – “Chat moderators are not policemen – we are here to assist and help provide a better gaming experience on the Tanki platform. Our work here is to help and not to punish. By giving a ban to someone, we are actually helping other players and we must always keep this in mind while dealing with every situation”.

[MadDog21 230]

Avimin, thanks much for expanding and modernizing my scribe. I haven't moderated for some time, hence my information, while accurate in the time perspective of my service, lacked some of what you so articulately provided. I'm appreciative of you taking time to elaborate.

Further, I appreciate and support you leaning hard to the helper perspective. Good, honorable players covet a clean, pleasurable gaming experience, articulate, courteous chat and camaraderie which can and does build between like-minded leisure seekers. I celebrate that you and your comrades do the detailed, conscientious work you do. Thanks again for expanding and, hopefully, encouraging all to enjoy the experience whilst assuring others won't diminish the enjoyment of fellow Tankers.

[mitropam 18]

Iconic. As is expected from you, @MadDog21. Also, @avimin does a good job of providing us with the perspective of 'then' and 'now'.

[jokersus.cava 1,503]

Special thanks to violators section and question and answers topic, because of them, I am not serving tanki.

[Rob 141]

Awesome...

[rokar123 11]

Nice.

[nexx_mowarek 35]

A nice and very well-written article!

[applications_tanki 129]

hey i reconize you.... from those gold box videos

[qinwan9 125]

Well written!!! :)

 

Useful for those who just recently got rejected :(  

[shayanshiny 1,925]

My thinking was that the mod work is easy, but my reading this now I know how difficult there job Is.

You should mention the working hour also.
Do mod work 12 hours daily ? If so then its very difficult.

[EatYourMeat 27]

Well written MadDog! Now this article makes me more aware of how hard moderating is. But I think that forum moderators have less of a job than chat ones. They still get time to play I think!

[patriotsssss 0]

uhh the mod have a hard work to do, but ''How to become a consultant?'' i want to know :s

[lordmostafa 3,821]

This is a wonderful article, you asked questions, I will be delighted to answer them:

 

1. Do you have a work ethic? Moderating is work. When doing it, you’re not permitted to play. You may not be blending work time and play. There are lots of servers, and they need constant scrutiny, surveillance and enforcement. There are hours demanded. If you can’t or won’t work enough, you will be dismissed. Enough is defined by Administrators.

 

I don't play Tanki always, but what I always do is being on the forum, helping, answering questions, guiding people that don't know where should they post a question a topic or a game, what ever hours my admin gives me, I will gladly do them, why you may ask? Because Tanki is more than a game for me, it is a community of people that like to play this game enjoy there free time playing a social game, together. 

2. Are you mature? Seriously, now, are you actually mature? Can you exercise objective conduct? Can you avoid biases, prejudices and dislike for Tankers you might’ve met and found dislikeable?

 

Yes I am mature, I won't take biases, I will be honest, fair and I will be among the honorable.

3. Can you work devoid of outside influences aside from Administrative direction? If you’ve a mate who begs you to ban someone for what they saw, thought or perceived, can you ignore that unless you directly observed it yourself?  Additionally, if you’ve a pal whom you observe violating rules, can you, will you, fairly enforce the rules at his/her expense?

 

I will do what ever it takes to insure that the game is a healthy community, with no violations what so ever, including banning someone because my mate asked me too, or ignoring that my pal has just broke a rule, I will gladly enforce the rules on anyone who breaks them.

4. Are you literate and language competent? Can you properly perceive slang, abbreviations and inferences that intend to offend, insult, defame, shame, exploit, mislead and on?

 

Yes, I can.

5. Are you fair minded? Mods have access to Tanker records. They can assess if a Tanker is a chronic violator meriting greater sanction, or if a Tanker is ignorant as a newbie might be, thus more in need of help, correction and simple warning?

 

of course, I will judge how to ban someone from his previous history, I wont give a month ban to someone who is a WO1 because he flooded, I will give warnings to the players that don't need to be banned from the first time.

6. Are you fastidious regarding record keeping? Certain bans, more hefty ones, require reporting and record keeping so a Tanker’s “karma,” his/her record, informs other Mods as to how severe the sanctions might be for repeated violations. Also, Administrators need records of chronics to determine if game expulsion is merited. Yes! These do occur. So do “fines,” removal of rank, garage items and/or crystals. Tankers who chronically violate rules, chronics, do rise to penalties that really hurt. Moderators’ records assist Administrators in determining when such harsh penalties are called for. Community Tankers will never need to fret and stew over these. Such penalties don’t befall Community Tankers.

 

Yes I am a fastidious regarding record keeper, aren't you? I record almost every high battle fund I get :PP, but seriously I am.

 

7. Is there compensation? Yes. That will be worked out as your do the job and if you do the job well. You won’t get rich, but you will be fairly paid in crystals. Believe me, you WILL earn it.

 

I don't want to be a mod because of the crystals, in fact, I applied to be a mod before I knew they get payed in crystals. I want to be a mod, a consultant actually, because, you know that feeling that you get for doing the right thing or helping someone in need for help? That felling that makes you heart feel like it is flying? That is why I want to be a consultant, just because of that feeling :)

 

Note:

 

this is not a way for me to be a mod, I just wrote this for fun, I am not trying to get the admins feel bad for me and make me a staff, please don't misunderstand this article. :) hope you enjoyed :P

 

[robbiealdo 373]

I don't see why people want to become mod. 

[403giggity 15]

I don't see why people want to become mod. 

Precisely. +1 to that...

[lukey0 27,543]

Wow a very long and well written article well done I enjoyed the read.

[dubookari91 0]

i wanna be a mode