A chat room moderator or monitor as they are also known has a unique responsibility. They are in charge of making sure that the chat room is a safe place to chat in. Each day thousands of people log into the most popular chat sites. A room moderator has to watch not only what is being said in the chat room lobby page but if the chatting room allows webcams they also have to click on each individual cam to make sure that what is being broadcasted 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 they are appointed as moderators they must apply. The first step in becoming a moderator is you must be a chatter of the room you want to monitor. So if you want to moderate for a room called “teen chat” you must chat in the teen chat room. You must also make sure that you meet all age requirements before you apply. If you are a teenager, you cannot apply for a room that is for people 18 years old and older. Same goes if you are an adult, you cannot apply for a teenage room. Spend a great deal of time chatting in your interested room. Make sure that other people get to know you really well. They can only do that if you chat consistently and engage others in the chat room. It helps if the other chat moderators and administrators know you. If you can become friends with them your application will most likely be approved. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the chat room rules and watch 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 isn't any then contact the site administrator. You can do so via 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, search for the name of the administrator of the chat room you want to mod and message him or her. Search the forums too as sometimes there is a thread explaining who to contact and what to include in your application. Do not 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 demonstrate your activity level. Admins usually look for those who are most active. Tell them an approximate number of hours you can dedicate to moderating. Do not lie about the amount of time you can mod for them. Tell them what country you are from. Sometimes they may need people from different time zones who can cover different times. And lastly, tell them why they should pick you. Why do you stand out from others? Do you have experience? What skills do you possess that can make you a better mod than the applicant before you?
Will you be getting paid? No. All moderator position on chatting sites are voluntary. You will not be getting paid. You will be helping when you have time out of your day. What are some of the things chat mod do?
A chat mod as mentioned earlier is in charge of a particular chatting room or side room. They quickly scan the chat lobby and webcams to make sure everyone is chatting appropriately. If you see something that breaks the rules such as someone posting their email address in the main page, you will have to issue a few warnings asking the person to stop. Include the person's name in your warning and tell them what it is that they are doing that is not allowed. Here is an example: “Tom, please stop sending out 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 may proceed to kick the user out. A kick is a temporary ban. Once a person is kicked they will not be able to enter the chat room again until an admin removes the IP from the kicked list.
Hopefully this guide clears out for you questions you may have about moderating for a chat site. Remember, it's not easy, it will require time and patience on your part. Don't expect to join a site today and get a moderator position tomorrow. It just doesn't work that way. You may have to spend anywhere from a few weeks to a month before you can send an application, because if you do it sooner no one will know who you are and your chances of being rejected are almost 100%.
