How To Become a Chat Avenue Moderator

Chat Avenue has been around almost twenty years offering free chatrooms to cover all kinds of lifestyles and interests. Even though the world of technology has changed almost completely since it was launched, this site still has a large and enthusiastic audience. If you’re a part of that and want to pay something back, this tutorial will cover how to become a Chat Avenue moderator.

Being a moderator is cool but it is also hard work. Most forums and website that allow freeform discussion will have their fair share of toxicity and it will be your job to handle it. You will need to be calm, professional, objective and make sure everyone can use Chat Avenue without fear of being bullied or insulted too much.

You will have the backing of fellow mods, some basic training and some guidelines. You may also have some pro-forma response templates to particular situations you’ll come across on the site. If you feel invested in an online community, becoming a mod is a great way of contributing to that and keep the next generation of users there for as long as you have been.

Become a Chat Avenue moderator

Mods are volunteers so don’t expect to get paid for your time. Instead, think of the continued health and happiness of your favorite chatroom as payment. Thanks to the popularity of Chat Avenue, competition to become a mod is tough. You will need to demonstrate a long history with the site, the kind of values that a mod needs to display and the ability to maintain your cool when under pressure.

The actual application process is very straightforward.

Visit this page on the Chat Avenue website.
Select the name of the admin of the board you want to moderate.
PM that admin with a mod request and brief bio of yourself.

Even though the page is eight years old, it is still live and still maintained as it was last edited in May 2019.

It’s useful to provide a sentence or two about who you are, how long you have used Chat Avenue, whether you have mod experience and why you want to become a mod. Keep it brief as the admin will always ask you questions or set up a private chat if they want to learn more.

What makes a great moderator?

Some people want to become a moderator so they can tell people what to do. Others want to clean up a toxic hangout to make it better for everyone. Regardless of your motivation to become a mod, you’re going to need to be a particular type of person to make a success of it.

There are some key skills a good moderator will have, including a thick skin, the ability to put the needs of the forum and users before their own ego, the ability to avoid being baited and an element of stubbornness. The ability to see things from different perspectives and to dedicate time to the ask are also important.

A thick skin

You will likely know all too well how discussions in chat rooms or on forums can go when people become passionate or opinionated about something. If you have to step in as referee and calm things down, that passion can often be directed at you. You’re going to get called all sorts of names and hear all sorts of threats. You will need the ability to ignore all of that and not let it affect your work.

Control over ego

It’s not about you, it’s about your users. The ability to take your ego out of the conversation and handle any given situation professionally makes for superior moderators. Think of a doorman at a club. They see a situation, step in, deal with it and move on. No emotion, no getting involved, no becoming embroiled in slanging matches. Calm, professional, competent. That’s the same approach a good moderator has, just without the bad haircuts.

Troll feeding

The same as above, you’re going to be baited and trolled and you have to handle it dispassionately. It’s still not about you, it’s about your users. Trolling is a huge problem and as an authority figure on a forum or website, you’re a prime target. This feeds into the thick skin and control over your ego but also an element of not joining in. You’re there to do a job and not to feed the trolls.

Different perspectives

One thing that differentiates an okay mod from a great mod is the ability to see things from all points of view. A wider perspective means you can better assess any given situation and handle it effectively. Not all conversations are going to be linear or black and white so the ability to take a wide view and make an informed decision is something that really stands out in a really good moderator.