To become a moderator, you should have an exceptional understanding of the rules and traditions of Fluther. You can get a lot of information by browsing through the blogs and by reading the material in the links found at the bottom of every page.

Use the contact tab above and ask for more specific information.

You must also have a brownish tone to your nose giggles

To become a mod, you have to have been bitten by one…

Seriously though, Auggie makes the call and ultimately only she knows what she wants in a mod, but I can say that how much lurve you have doesn’t figure into it. As for writing standards, It’s one of those “glass houses” situations: if you’re going to be calling people out on their spelling, punctuation and grammar, then you’d better not be posting a lot of counter-examples in your own comments.

My sense is that the most important assets for a mod have to do with character. Patience and diplomacy are crucial. You’ve got to be able, as far as humanly possible, to disregard your ideologies and personal friendships in enforcing the guidelines. You can’t be a hell-raiser either; no picking fights once you’re a mod, of course, but even before becoming a mod it would be best if you hadn’t already made a pack of enemies. So yeah, cool headedness. Overall, you don’t have to be everyone’s friend, but you need to be widely respected as a good Fluther citizen.

Oh, and a tough skin, for sure. Most of the work you do will be invisible to the members at large, and what they do see will be you deleting their comments or sending their questions back for editing. So you can expect more resentment than gratitude. And some people will always think you’re pursuing all kinds of nefarious machinations and indulging preferences, etc. You can’t take any of that personally.

Last year, Auguslan advertised it here. I’d say the best thing to do is contact her.

@thorninmud “And some people will always think you’re pursuing all kinds of nefarious machinations and indulging preferences, etc.”

And brown-nosing, apparently.

Out of the three new mods who volunteered and were appointed last December, only one valiant and intrepid soul remains. It is not a job for the fainthearted.

I have offered for years.. So maybe do the opposite of what I do.

@thorninmud covered it pretty well, I’d say. :)

Why in God’s name would anybody want to do it?

I think becoming a mod would be the only thing that could sour Fluther for me.

I know everyone thinks being a mod is glamorous and important, but it’s more like being a janitor. People yell at you when you don’t mod something the way they wanted you to or if you mod something that they didn’t think should be modded. If anything goes wrong it’s your fault. If you post something even slightly off, people yell at you for not following your own rules.

It’s not worth it.

Life is too short to waste it on dealing with jerks. Forgive them their trespasses and walk away.

Rudeness is a sign of immaturity and low self esteem, imho.