I suffer with depression, anxiety, BPD, a possible eating disorder and have aspergers/autism. I have been an inpatient for a year or so and have just been discharged from my section. I am recovering and feel like I'm in a good place at the moment and have the time to help others who are struggling. My CPN and I think volunteering would be a good stepping stone to get back into work and I was trying to think of something I could do and I thought of RYL. I have also worked as a dispensing assistant in a pharmacy for 8 years so I'm very clued up on medication. So basically how do you become a Mod/Volunteer on here?
I believe a first step would be to PM the head of supporters or head of community team and let them know that you're interested, so that they'll consider you next time they're recruiting.
There's also talk of a role of 'chat supporter' being created, if you take a look at the thread about it on this board.
In the meantime, supporting people on the boards, just as a 'normal' member would totally count as volunteering, and will be of great assistance to the community.
And you'll have to check the rules in detail first as to how much you're allowed to say, but I'm sure your medical knowledge would be well-recieved in the First Aid Board.
As for being a mod, I'm not sure. I imagine you have to be super-amazing in every way and be head-hunted by Harley himself, or something equally heroic!
If what you're wanting to do is support people you can contact the supporters (can someone include the email, I'm on my phone and can't). That's the department on he that deals with offering support on a voluntary basis. You can put forward your interest via email
The mods here are the ones that moderate the forum, deal with spam and rule breaking and keeping the site lovely and prettyful as well as handling any site issues and community problems.
The community team deal with things for the community. So things like group events and threads and such.
What sort of area would you must lemme to help in?
Head hunted by me for the chat mods :p i cant reply fully as im on my phone but i shall come back soon!x
There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you.
But there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.
I aint no abacus but you can count on me.
If what you're wanting to do is support people you can contact the supporters (can someone include the email, I'm on my phone and can't). That's the department on he that deals with offering support on a voluntary basis. You can put forward your interest via email
The more you want to be a mod, the less you should be a mod. As we say on wikipedia:
Quote:
People who announce early in their Wiki careers that they want to be admins, probably shouldn't be. Adminship is better approached as a duty taken on by an established Wikipedian, than as a trophy for a newbie to aspire to. The best admins are those who are drafted, and not those who eagerly await a three-month threshold or a certain edit count. Adminship is not a trophy and beware those who want to pin it on like a shiny badge.
Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;
If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,
Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,
I must have you!"
Thomas Parke D’Invilliers
I figured it might be a case of the current mods suggest people who might be suitable for the role, does that happen with the supporters and community team?
I would agree with that. Modding done well is a bit of a grind that can really alter your relationship to (and enjoyment of) a site. I've seen good posters who were popular and had a lot of enthusiasm become mods and then turn quiet and perfunctory. Never turn good posters into site police imo
In a few weeks I'll be adding the next batch so if interested thats all you have to do.
For other teams there is a much more detailed process
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
No - you dont need to have any specific qualifications to be chosen as an RYL moderator, nor do you need to be a certain age .... but due to the responsibilities and difficult issues that a moderator often has to deal with, a person's maturity is always an important consideration when choosing a new mod.
The way we currently choose mods at RYL is that the existing members of the mod team (and Harley) nominate those people from the RYL community that we think would make good moderators, and then the current mods take a vote on those nominees, and then depending on how many new mods we need, those people who get the most votes from the existing mods are offered a moderator position at RYL.
The sorts of members who tend to get nominated for new moderator positions at RYL are usually based on the following qualities -
* members who have a good understanding and respect of the RYL rules, which is is often identified by the types of post reports or Private Messages that members send us, and whether the threads / avatars / signatures etc that are reported to the mods, shows that the member has a good grip on what is and isnt breaking the rules at RYL.
* members who are actively participate at RYL, trying to help out and contribute where they can in various staff roles and projects that this website offers, and who have some regular time that they can dedicate to the website.
* members who show an interest in making this support community work and who take the time to post supportive replies and help out their fellow members.
* members who manage to keep their own behaviour within the RYL rules, and who avoid initiating, contributing, or exacerbating any arguments, bullying, or fights with other members.
* members who seem to be very diplomatic and fair, and whose posts in a tough situation seem to have a calming effect on the community
* members who have a high level of maturity, are trustworthy, respectful of their fellow members, and are reasonably emotionally stable.
* members who have been active participants at RYL for some time, who are reasonably well-known and respected by the community, and who are here to stay for a while.
These are the sorts of things we look for when we are choosing new mods ... and due to the intense pressure, responsibilities, and triggering material that the moderators often need to deal with, we need to be very careful when appointing a new member to the moderator role.
