I'll take this one....
We were granted rights to moderate forums etc. because we all have one thing in common...The best interest of the community held above our own. Secondarily, actually having the time to spend perusing the threads and policing them accordingly. I was granted the ability due to my experience (I'm one of the oldest of the moderators) and my love of space sims. I did actually ask at one point early on if I could be considered as a moderator by Gibby (which is actually a no no) but he made a judgement call on it and I don't think he's regreted the decision for a moment. Keep in mind, no conversations took place publically. Emails were the only proper way of communicating.
Many of us have been around for quite some time. Gibby and EB certainly the longest since they were here form day one. Some of the other newer moderators were grant mod status based on their longevity here and their obvious presence on the forums as being helpful to others (Chips, Wizard, Fear Factor). Tachyon, Mustang and Boscoe have just been around for so long Gibby decided to just give them some power to shut them up.
(jk) Other moderators were asked because they posses unique skills such as Eraser, bakedpotato, and HCl which each contribute in their own way to the betterment of the community by knowing how to "code."
How do you become a moderator? Pay your dues by helping out others. Keep a level head with the irate posters and generally develop a good repuation here and some day you might be asked to a moderator.
We do all work together well, we do all get emails that are sent via the "Submit News" link on the front page, we do have differences of opinions (that's when Gibby steps in but that really is rare it comes to that). Gibby's got a mature, dedicated crew in place and we all make it easy on each other by covering each others 6. Oh, and one more thing we all have in common. We dearly love space sims...it's in our blood.
Rob "Stinger" Lordier
Creator of the original
Privateer FAQ
3+ years here and still lovin' every minute!
Favorite saying - Life is a journey, not a destination
Edited by - Stinger on 7/29/2004 10:28:41 AM