We need mods

Good morning (or wherever you happen to be in time),

Some of you will undoubtedly notice that the subreddit is operating in restricted mode as of yesterday. I want to apologize for that. We needed some time to discuss our options and write this post, which has been a struggle if we're also taking incoming traffic. We're in a bit of a situation here. For a few months now, we've been down to three people moderating this sub. At 3.4 million subscribers, that's too small of a crew to do anything but limp along in the most basic sense. We need moderators. We don't usually solicit applicants, but we're open to trying it.

What we're looking for in moderators:

• An account that's at least one year old
• A posting history in this sub that demonstrates helpful content
• A willingness to do the job

If you have never moderated before, I'll describe what the job looks like a little. The two most basic jobs are responding to the mod mail and answering questions, helping people adjust their posts to meet requirements, and directing people to other subs if they have found us in error. The second part of the job is responding to the reports queue. Users generate reports, as does the automod. You look at posts and comments that have been flagged and make a judgment call (based on established criteria) to approve, remove, and redirect content as necessary. That's the daily work. I am hoping to add enough people that this is a fairly small time commitment for any given individual.

The job that exists above and beyond the daily grind is looking at the bigger picture of the sub and adjusting policy by way of consensus to create the quality of sub you want to run. Slang is going to change, trolls come up with new and more interesting ways to participate, and reddit is a constantly evolving place. So, ideally, you work collaboratively to come up with the best ways to tackle new and old problems as they come up.

Sounds interesting? It is! It can be really rewarding and fun. It can also require you to have good conflict management skills, the ability to walk away from arguments, and a stomach for temper tantrums. I'd say that if you're sensitive about what you read online, you might think twice about whether this is for you.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, please do one of two things:

• Respond in the comments
• You can PM me personally here

If you have any questions about what we're asking for or you want some insight into what the job entails, please feel free to ask. I'll be happy to answer.

Regards,

Exis