Having previously managed some forums myself, I favor a moderation style that maintains a very high signal-to-noise ratio. Sometimes this requires being a bit heavy-handed, but I want this forum to be a powerful resource to help you grow.

What does moderation involve?

Basically you check the forums at least once a day and use the built-in moderation functions to handle any problems that come up. You’ll automatically receive an email whenever a forum member reports a problem, so in many cases you’ll be alerted to problems before you even visit the site.

Your privileges will include the ability to delete, close/re-open, and move threads and posts. The forums will require registration with an image-based verification process for all members, so you shouldn’t have to worry about automated spam attacks. But it could happen. Your job will be to ensure that the community members follow the rules. Most of this will be pretty obvious — no spam, no sexual content, no harassing people, and so on. But written rules will ensure that all moderators are on the same page and the community has a fairly consistent moderation style throughout.

Depending on how many people apply to be moderators and how popular the forums become, we could have multiple moderators per forum or multiple forums per moderator. I’ll aim to maintain a good ratio that keeps the moderation duties fairly light. On most days moderators shouldn’t have any problems to address at all.

If you decide you no longer wish to moderate, you can quit at any time. I just ask that you give us reasonable notice (two weeks would be great) to find a suitable successor.

Why become a moderator?

Anyone who’s moderated a forum already knows how rewarding it can be. If your goal is to fill an ego-based need like status or popularity, you probably won’t make a good moderator. A good reason to become a moderator is that you love helping people and are looking for an outlet to contribute. Great moderators are active in their forums, and they love seeing their communities blossom. An active moderator has tremendous influence over the type of community that evolves. If there’s anything you’ll get out of being a moderator, it’s that you’ll build stronger communication and leadership skills.

How to apply

If you’re interested in becoming a moderator, just contact the Sports Manger (Collector) and send the following info:

some basic info about yourself (who you are, what you do, your main interests, your web site if you have one)
your previous history with elitesportcardforum.com (how long you’ve been visiting and how often)
previous forum moderation experience you’ve had (or why you’d make a good moderator)
which particular forum(s) you’d most enjoy moderating (see list below)
your city and country (ideally I’d like to build an internationally diverse group)
why you’d like to be a moderator?
When selecting the message subject type “Apply to become a forum moderator,” Feel free to ask me questions about forum moderation as well.

I’ve no idea how many people will apply, so I don’t know how selective we will have to be.

The only reason we are being so picky about all this is that this site gets a significant amount of traffic already, so I think it’s wise to establish good moderation .

We are looking for people in all areas:

Baseball Moderator —> Filled
Basketball Moderator —>Filled
Football Moderator —>Filled
Hockey Moderator —> Filled
Non Sport Moderator—>Filled
Comic Book Moderator—> Wanted
Designer Moderator —>Filled

Dear Members,

Again, I want to thank you for using Elite Sport Card Forum. Once a month I try to give our members an update on the sites progression and updates. Please feel free to send me an E-Mail if you have any questions.

If you are interested in Donating your time to the forum please check out this thread.

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