What Makes You A Unique Forum Moderator?

Have you ever seen a forum owner make an announcement that he or she needs a few moderators? Maybe you passed the offer on by or maybe you were suddenly interested in having special leader-status as a member of an online community. If the second choice is yours, this may help.

So, you've decided to give forum moderation a try? Maybe it will be fun, right? Surely, you always have room for adding a new website into your favorites. And, to boot, you can be a mod.

You'll have to tell the forum owner why you can fill the position as moderator. Then, you think to yourself... Oh, I am not sure what to say. I can't brag on myself. How can I answer the admin's questions without making too many promises?

It can be hard to take this challenge if there isn't already a team of moderators in place that you can compare methods with. Obviously, this is the norm with a new online forum.

Here are some ideas to help you figure out what type of presence you will make on the forum.

We will use basic forum behavior as a guideline. You will be able to write your own answer to the administrator's inquiry based upon your agreement or disagreement with the following traits.

- I am an experienced moderator and like to participate in communities all across the net.

- Along with spam checking, I have something to say in most topics.

- I don't have anything to say in most topics, but I read and moderate them.

- I don't pussyfoot around, members should read the rules or else.

- I am a soft toned person, very diplomatic. I take time to evaluate the member's ignorance of the forum rules.*

- When volunteering as a forum moderator, visit the site at least a few days a week. But, if the position is paid, more dedication is needed (this will certainly vary).

A good moderator will do some promoting as time permits. This can be anything from linking on a blog post, to writing and submitting an article on the forum's behalf. Don't be spammy, as that would jackpot your efforts and provide only temporary traffic - not to mention it might tarnish your own reputation. If the forum has tutorials, awesome videos, pretty themes, or free stuff, you shouldn't have any problem linking to it from other sites.

Moderating is a team effort. It's a pool of ideas that are weighed, decided upon, and carried out as terms are agreed upon. Forum promotion comes from those pool of ideas. Of course, unique or individual efforts are *just that*. It's not cool to be competitive with another mod just for the sake of making them look stupid. Sometimes you just have to listen and keep your mouth shut.

*note: A forum full of this type of moderation can be sickly. We need a mix. There always has to be a hard nose in the bunch for the members to obey and hate. It's true. Theres probably a hag on every forum, and yes - it is probably a necessary ugliness for dealing with trolls.