A chat room moderator or monitor, as they are also known, has a unique responsibility. They are in charge of making sure the chat room is a safe place to chat. Every day thousands of people log into the most popular chat sites. A room moderator has to see not only what is being said on the chat room lobby page, but if the chat room allows webcams, they must also click on each individual camera to make sure what is being said. broadcasts publicly in the room is allowed. This special role is not as easy as many people think. But how do you become a chat mod?
Before being appointed moderators, they must submit an application. The first step in becoming a moderator is that you must be a babbler in the room you want to supervise. So if you want to moderate for a room called “teen chat”, you need to chat in the teen chat room. You also need to make sure you meet all the age requirements before applying. If you are a teenager, you cannot request a room for people over 18 years old. The same is the case if you are an adult, you cannot request a teenage room. Spend a lot of time chatting in the room of your interest. Make sure other people know you really well. They can only do that if you constantly chat and interact with others in the chat room. It helps if the other chat moderators and administrators know you. If you can befriend them, your application will most likely be approved. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the rules of the chat room and watch how other moderators do their job, this will help you when you become a mod.
Once you are ready to apply, you will need to contact the chat room administrator; if there are none, contact the site administrator. You can do it by private message or email. Some sites have forums or message boards. Create a nickname, preferably the same nickname you use in the chat room. Once you join the forums, find the name of the chat room administrator you want to modify and send him a message. Look in the forums too, as there is sometimes a thread explaining who to contact and what to include in your app. Don’t make a thread or post about wanting to moderate. This is frowned upon. What do you say in your application?
Some important things to mention are your nickname that you use in the chat room. Mention how much time you spend chatting in the room. This will show your level of activity. Administrators usually look for the most active. Tell them an approximate number of hours that you can dedicate to moderate. Don’t lie about the amount of time you can modify for them. Tell them which country you are from. Sometimes they may need people from different time zones who can cover different hours. And finally, tell them why they should choose you. Why do you distinguish yourself from others? You have experience? What skills do you possess that can make you a better mod than the applicant before you?
Will they pay you? No. All moderator positions on chat sites are voluntary. You will not be paid. It will help when you have free time. What are some of the things that the chat mod does?
A chat mod as mentioned above is in charge of a particular chat room or side room. They quickly scan the chat lobby and webcams to make sure everyone is chatting properly. If you see something that breaks the rules, such as someone posting your email address on the front page, you will have to issue some warnings asking the person to stop. Include the person’s name in your warning and tell them what you are doing that is not allowed. Here’s an example: “Tom, stop sending your email address, that’s not allowed and if you continue, I may have to kick you out of this room.” If they persist and you have issued multiple warnings, you can proceed to kick the user out. A kick is a temporary ban. Once a person is banned, they will not be able to re-enter the chat room until an administrator removes the IP from the banned list.
Hopefully this guide will clear up any questions you might have about moderating a chat site. Remember, it is not easy, it will take time and patience on your part. Don’t expect to join a site today and land a moderator position tomorrow. It just doesn’t work that way. It may take anywhere from a few weeks to a month before you can submit an application, because if you do it sooner, no one will know who you are and your chances of being rejected are almost 100%.
