How moderators for the forums are chosen

[Englishuser]

Hi,

Could someone let me know how moderators for the forums are chosen? What responsibilities does a moderator have?
I'd appreciate if some of you would throw some light on this.

Regards.

[Torsten]

Hi Englishuser,

Many thanks for asking this question. An english-test.net moderator is a person who

has a passion for languages

is interested in other people and their thoughts

can answer language related questions

can explain complex issues in a straightforward manner

helps build an online community

makes a commitment to post messages on a regular basis

starts new discussions by asking questions and sharing experiences

knows the english-test.net story and sees the potential of this project

So what about you? Would you like to join our team and become a moderator?

Regards,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Englishuser]

Hi Torsten,

Thank you very much for your suggestion. Would you please tell me a bit more about the steps involved in becoming a moderator.

Regards.

[Torsten]

Hi Englishuser,

Could you please describe your role as a moderator? How will forum users benefit from your support? How much time are you willing to spend answering forum questions, guiding discussions and suggesting new forum topics?

Also, what is your definition of 'learning' and 'success'?

Regards,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Englishuser]

Hi Torsten,

I think that users of the forum would benefit from me as a moderator at least in the following ways:

I tend to be here quite often. Therefore people would receive replies soon, something that many users would appreciate. I also think that I'd change my manners a bit should I become a moderator. I would start to reply other people's questions in the forum I would moderate, and perhaps start discussions of a more general character that many users would find both useful and fun. I would also need to consider which forum I could moderate. I certainly would not agree upon moderating a forum dealing with something that I have no or little knowledge about. No one would benefit from having an incompetent person as a moderator of a forum, so I need to see my own limits.

Your question about 'learning' and 'success' seems philosophical and interestinga. I see the process of learning as something ever lasting. Learning is, to me, not only to acquire knowledge, but also to develop ourselves as members of a global community. Learning should, in my opinion, be goal-orientented and motivated: this is where success comes in. When a person is reaches a goal and is happy with himself/herself for achieving something, I call it success. I think that this is especially true in language learning. Every step towards a more complete command of a new language is a moment of success in an individual learner's life.

Please tell me what you think. Best wishes.

[Torsten]

Dear Englishuser,

Many thanks for your positive response. Please tell me if you want to run this project: How to learn English? (30 Day Challenge)
As the project manager you will have to:

create a list of participants (so far we have only introduced the idea of the project, we now need to have a list where users can enrol in the program)

make sure every participant posts their daily update

publish your own daily summary so our course participants have an example to follow

create and maintain a list of authentic audio resources

suggest interesting radio shows (BBC) or other recordings

advise users on how they can use the Internet to listen to radio channels and other audio files

This project will help lots of people gain more self-confidence. I know that listening to authentic audio resources every day is absolutely essential to success. I would even go as far as to say that if you don't listen to authentic audio resources every day you will not be able to reach a level at which using English is fun. Now, the biggest challenge here is not the listening itself. As a matter of fact, the only thing you have to do is switch on your DVD player and select the English audio version. The greatest obstacle for learners of English as a second language is to reach the point where listening to English audio recordings is fun. Once a person has reached that point they will learn English very fast.

So our job is to make sure our forum users get their daily dose of English audio input until they have changed their information consumption in such way that English has become an intergral part of their lives. That's why we are running this project and we need a person like you who leads and guides our users.

What do you think?
Regards,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Englishuser]

Dear Torsten,

First of all, my apologies for the late reply. And thank you for asking me to lead the "30 Day Challenge"-project. I definitely agree with you when you say that listening to authentic audio resources is important in language learning. As I see it, it'd be important to refer our users to audio resources that they find interesting. Nothing can possibly be better than combining language learning with fun. For instance, someone who likes sports might like to listen to sport related programmes on the Web. Therefore I think it's a good idea to try to list topic-specific websites with audio material in addition to news channels. Also, it might be interesting to suggest radio channels in South Africa, Malta, and New Zealand (among others): this way people would learn world English.

Please let me know what you think.

Best wishes.

[Torsten]

Hi Englishuser,

Your suggestions are very good, there should be some type of media library that contains audio resources.
If you want to run this project then you can start sharing your experiences and asking our users to join on in. That's the role of a leader. I can give you some additional pointers and if you are ready, you will become an english-test.net moderator.

Let me know what you think,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Englishuser]

Hi Torsten,

Yes, I'd very much like to run the project. Do you think it's too late for me to join? Which forum do you think that I could moderate?

Best wishes.

[Torsten]

Hi Englishuser,

You can start running The 30/30 Learning English Challenge today. This means you will become a moderator of our What do you want to talk? about forum. In addition to mananging the 30/30 challenge you should also start new discussions and answer user questions.
More on that soon and congratulations.

Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Fan of Arabian horses]

I incidently have read this topic! I must say, Englishuser, I can?t discover anything else at you than your wish to be a moderator. What are your goals. I?m confused about you.

I mean every of the members here have told something about his daily life and I think that is what this site makes really something special. Now you joined this site and complain that you?re not immediately became a moderator? Puh, babe, hard stuff. And something else, you probably have read, who are you?

Sorry, I can?t accept you as a moderator just now. I mean, have a look at Amy, who did a good job and also where a human, showed lots of humor and not at last is a native English speaker. She replied and explained about 700 times before she became a moderator.

Although your formal English skills seem to be well, I think that you are not capable to teach people like Tamara, for example.

Excuse my open mind at this point.

Michael

[Torsten]

Hi Michaeal,

To be a moderator you have to meet a number of requirements. Of course it is good if somebody shares some personal information with other users but then again, I'm sure Englishuser is quite capable of being a good moderator even without giving away all their personal information.

It is true that Englishuser has joined our community only recently but Englishuser has been the first to ask how to become a moderator. Englishuser also has started a number of interesting and controversial discussions and, most importantly, Englishuser has agreed to run our new project 30/30 Day English Listening Challenge. Other moderators such as Conchita and Amy have accepted Englishusers into the team and so will many users.

Again, it is perfectly fine if you express your opinion here on the forum as can any other user.

Regards,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Englishuser]

Hi Fan of Arabian horses,

Please find some comments of mine below.

[Dark magician]

Hi Torsten
Welcome Englishuser & congratulation from me to you.
That it's very nice. you are Moderator now and I start with project (30/30 Day English Listening Challenge) before two days and Mr. Torsten helps me to improve my language skills –write & listen & speak- and I am very instating with our project.
I am very marveling about (number posts) so, if that truth… I'll sent a lot of posts and after one week I'll become Site Admin …lol
frankly … I think Tamara will be pretty Moderator in this website and of course Amy I can not forget to her kind and her help to me and to all members (all members admire Amy).
Englishuser I read some of posts and I think you can be Moderator because you have the trust in yourself and language skills and a lot of good things… etc
Finally

[Englishuser]

Hi Dark magician,

Thank you very much for congratulating me. And thank you for participating in the 30/30 Challenge, too. Hopefully we'll meet very soon regarding our project. Just like you I find it interesting to check how many posts different users have accomplished. Alan is still number one with his 3,139 posts while Torsten is number two with an impressive 2,507 posts. I'm currently number 21 on the list which has to do with me joining the english-test.net community so recently. And you're a very frequent contributor on our site as well, which is nice.

I agree with you and Torsten: we all have the right to express our opinions freely on this website. But that doesn't mean that degrading treatment of other people is appreciated.

All the best to you, and talk to you soon.