Mod app draft

[Tyler]

I'll polish this up over time. Looking to post this by May 1st, likely sooner.



T3G fam,

As we approach our one year anniversary and the community continues to grow with activity, it is time to recruit some forum moderators! Our first year was very smooth in the way of moderation, with myself and @Malcolm, and then @Mr. Nobody later on, holding it down as the staff team. Our community has been very respectful to each other and there has never really been a need to have additional moderation on the forum, which is something we are proud of. Hell, there's hardly any official written rules anywhere because there just hasn't been a need for them so far. I work on a quality over quantity system; why add extra fluff if we don't need to?

Now, that's not to say adding some moderators to the team is pointless. In fact, duties of a moderator are much more important than just dropping a ban-hammer on someone that can't behave. That's actually only happened once here at T3G, so it is safe to say moderator priorities in our community might be a little different than traditional forums' expectations. So, if you've read this far and this sounds like something you may be interested in, here are some cliff notes for what we would ask of you:

• This is a volunteer position. We are looking for members who have the motivation to put extra time into a community that they have pride in. This position isn't meant to feel like a job. We hope that in this position, you will proudly guide and educate like-minded folks however necessary. With that being said, while there are no direct payments or rewards for this, we can guarantee you will feel a sense of satisfaction each time you contribute to making a great community better. Lastly, you will have occasional special access to vendors' products, though we hope that isn't your driving force to applying.
• An average to above average level of relevant knowledge is required. This is in regards to the Tacoma and off-roading lifestyle. You do not need to be a mechanic, or a seasoned overlander, but we feel this position is not suited to absolute beginners. A big portion of the duties as a moderator involves passing on knowledge and troubleshooting advice to the members. We say at least average because that is where the three of us started at and as with anything, there will always be something for even the most experienced to learn.
• Your post history will be reviewed. This is not meant to scare you, nor is it that serious. I will briefly look through your post history just to get an idea of your writing style and previous contributions to our community. That being said, there is no static requirement to how many posts you need to have. Like I said earlier, I believe in quality over quantity.
• Forum moderation experience and many other factors are irrelevant and not required here. I do not need you to know how to operate the tools that you will gain in this position. I can teach you how to use that stuff later. Other factors that are not relevant: post count, join date, regional location, age* (must be 18 years or older, however), gender, 3rd gen Tacoma type, modifications you have done to your personal truck, ability to be at real-life meets, etc. None of this stuff is disqualifying/qualifying information.

If this still sounds like something you are interested in, here are some of the duties expected of a T3G forum moderator:

• Visiting the forum on a near daily basis.
• Providing well-written helpful responses to the members.
• Moving threads into the relevant forum they should be in if they were posted in the wrong area.
• Enforcing good order within the community, though this is never much of an issue here.
• Engaging with members on a regular basis, perhaps more often than you do now.
• Being aware of additional, non-required duties that will be discussed later. This includes helping us make decisions and thinking of new features and content to improve our community.

Now, if you're still with me, here's how you can apply. Simply send a message to me and I will then add Malcolm and Andy to the conversation. I'll then ask you some very basic questions in regard to the things I mentioned in this thread. The three of us will review our conversation and we will get back to you with a decision shortly after. At this time, we are only looking to bring on 1-3 solid applicants, so please do not take offense if we do not select you. You will likely be first priority next time we are looking for moderators.