I need some clarification.

briseis • 12 July 2012 at 5:03 PM

I really don't want to post this, but I feel that I must. I hope that a mod will kindly respond to this thread before locking it.

Recently, three new mods were added to the mod team. I know many of us applied for the positions. However, when I looked up the users who had received the position, all of them had accounts over 2 years old. I found that strange. After all, I believe the prerequisite for becoming a mod was a 6 month account or older.

I voiced my concern on the blog, and a mod responded, saying that perhaps Ian chose these users because they were more experienced because of the age of their accounts (or something like that). I responded back, claiming that if Ian thought users over 2 years old were more experienced, why make the minimum age requirement be 6 months? It seemed like a large portion of applicants were breezed over because their accounts weren't older, even though they could still apply.

Well, I checked that blog post today, and found that my comments were deleted. I was peeved about this. It only seems to confirm my suspicions. Of course, I can't be sure; no one contacted me after, or even answered my question.

So, I come to the forums. I have made a public thread about it, and I can guarantee it'll be closed. If so, consider me gone. The past few months on Eggcave have not been for the best. I wish it did not have to be this way, but I cannot stand favoritism. Feel free to prove me wrong. Hopefully someone can clear up the situation for me.

stellie • 12 July 2012 at 5:08 PM

I have noticed that too, @briseis

Perhaps you are right, Maybe Ian chose them because they were more experienced. It kind of like getting job, The manager is going to hire somebody that had more experience with the task than somebody with little.

briseis • 12 July 2012 at 5:10 PM

@stellie that's the problem. I believe the prerequisite for being a mod was a 6 month account or older. If he didn't think users with 6 month accounts were qualified, why make that the minimum age? It seems blatantly unfair to skip over a vast majority of applicants simply because of account age, especially when the prerequisite was so low.

stellie • 12 July 2012 at 5:12 PM

@briseis

Maybe it was just simply coincidental, Maybe the over 2 years old applicants put something in their form that Ian liked, But the mods all being over 2 years pf age makes me think otherwise...

pebblestar-nightclan • 12 July 2012 at 5:14 PM

@briseis
Or maybe their applications explained that they were better for the job. They probably deleted your posts because they didn't want users thinking that what you said was true, whether or not it was.

cotton • 12 July 2012 at 5:23 PM

I haven't noticed this, but now I see it. That isn't fair. Although the 2 year accounts do have more experience, the 6 month accounts do need to be treated the same. Several users, like me, have moved accounts so their new account is younger than their old one. If this is the case, some users who have moved accounts could also make great mods.

briseis • 12 July 2012 at 5:30 PM

@pebblestar_nightclan Just because an opinion is unpopular or "out there" doesn't mean it should be stifled and stigmatized. That's equivalent to stifling my opinion because of race, gender, religion or orientation. It's absurdly unfair and gives other users an advantage that should not be present in the first place.

Deleted • 12 July 2012 at 5:30 PM

@briseis

I have also noticed. Even tho I am over 2 years it still isn't right to me. Many people say it is favoritism used. I agree with this

Deleted • 12 July 2012 at 5:43 PM

@briseis

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the people who applied did have to be a certain age in real life, too. 😊

Orderedchaos • 12 July 2012 at 5:50 PM

This is something that is kind of hard for us mods to answer, because we don't know what Ian was looking for in the applications when he chose us. So any answer you get from us on this topic is going to be our best guess.
I know I had prior moderating experience listed in my application. Perhaps that's what he was looking for or it could have been my silly mention of my cooking hobby, who knows. I don't think account age was the only thing he looked at though. There were several things that needed to be filled out on the application other than account age. But then again, that's just my best guess.

Don't worry, I'm not going to lock/delete this since it's just a simple discussion. 😊

linpug • 12 July 2012 at 5:51 PM

Personally, I don't care if the people Ian chooses are two years. Ian was nice enough to make this sight, and even let users apply. 😊

lonewolf • 12 July 2012 at 5:59 PM

I think he chose by maturity, age(of both the person and the account), experience, and how active you are. For you 6 month people out there: maybe you didn't have previous experience? Maybe he just chose people who had all of those things, instead of those who had only one or two. I don't know. I used to be a moderator for a game server with over 10,000 users and that's what they seemed to be looking for. It's okay guys, I'm sure there'll be more chances. 😊

rileytibbles_side • 12 July 2012 at 6:03 PM

@briseis
Smells fishy....

pipkitten • 12 July 2012 at 6:22 PM

Truthfully, I see no favoritism.
Who cares if the users chosen have 2 year old accounts?
I applied for the first round, and my account is over 2 years old. Was I chosen? No. Most likely because I have no moderating experience.
I don't believe that Ian would play favorites.
The new mods probably had more experience with moderating than other applicants.

sunshinecat • 12 July 2012 at 6:22 PM

Maybe the people who had accounts over 2 years simply had better applications, so they were chosen. Older members might have been preferred since if they've been active for two years, since it proves they can stick around and gives a more long lasting impression of them.

Of course, if there was an outstanding application from someone who had an account of 6 months old, then sure. Lots of younger members could be just as good and/or dedicated. But maybe they haven't been around long enough to prove it via experience? It doesn't mean he's cold-heartedly rejecting them out of pure favoritism.

I'm just guessing, since I'm not Ian and I don't know what he's thinking. These are just general statements.

#otf

stellalunagirl • 12 July 2012 at 9:29 PM

I agree with @sunshinecat
Plus, we do not know for sure HOW he chose his mods and we have to keep in mind that MANY people applied but Ian had a set amount mods he could choose.

I imagine it would be a tough decision as there would have been many great applicants as well as some other ones which did not seem suitable for the job.

I think Ian's choice was a good one, the new mods have already started making their presence known in the forums which is a good thing.

Zac • 12 July 2012 at 9:37 PM

@briseis A mod didn't post that response to your comments, I did. 😉

I understand where you're coming from, but I think you misinterpreted my point. When I said that users of 2 years had more experience, my point was that it just so happened that users that have been here longer were better fits for the position. There was no "favoritism" for older users -- account age was barely even looked at since the system won't even let you send in an application unless you meet the 6 months.

I can tell you that the main things taken into account were previous experience and how the users presented themselves on the site.

If there was a user who was a better fit but was only 6 months old, I can assure they would have been chosen no questions ask. But like I said before, the older users just so happened to meet what Ian was looking for because they have spent more time on the site and with the community.

mrsgiggles • 12 July 2012 at 10:23 PM

Another consideration may be that users who have been around 2 years are far less likely to quit compared to users with accounts less than 6 months.

zafeyry • 13 July 2012 at 11:54 AM

@briseis
How do you know that those applications were breezed over? I don't think this was the case, since it took Ian 2 months to pick the new mods. I seriously doubt favoritism was used if it took that long. Older users probably know the site better and are more mature, which in turn would make them better moderators.