Quote:1. Have you previously held the position of administrator on a web forum? If so, when, how long, and for what software?

 
I am a board owner of a vBulletin 4 community software suite, and have been since 2011. I have installed two of that specific type of software twice, plus I've installed, set up and managed various phpBB3 forums back when I played Travian.

 

Quote:2. Do you have knowledge of programming languages?

I don't have any specific knowledge, although I am a quick learner and can generally follow tutorials: I've generally avoided customising my forums unless I have a more experienced hand on the same team to teach me and guide me in doing it.

 

Quote:3. Do you have experience with HTML, CSS, and or JavaScript?

I have some HTML knowledge, nothing massive. I have the free time to learn more, if needed.

 

Quote:4. Do you have knowledge of IP addresses?

I have some knowledge, with the free time to learn more and brush up on what I already know. I'm aware of how to use the vBulletin IP searching tools and I don't believe IPB is much different or more complicated. I'm also able to use geoipwhois sites to look up the location of IPs and compare them with other IPs using the same tools. (http://www.geoiptool.com/ - site that I sometimes use)
 

Quote:5. Have you ever been a moderator on our forum or another NS forum? If so, have you had to moderate a difficult situation and what was the outcome?

I was, from November 19th '12 until the 13/14th of July 2013 a moderator for the FA section on the Osiris forum, and for briefly in June, I was a global moderator. Opportunities for difficult situations in my area were few and far between.

I did, between 2010-12 work for Travian Games GmBH in a variety of roles, from a Forum Moderator controlling embassies, the "academy" and creative writing, to a senior moderator (Global Mod) and then a Forum Administrator for Travian Games briefly in late 2011. Travian forums generally held between 500-1000 active members (per 30 days), and I worked on two of the smaller domains: .in and .pk. I have also managed my own forum, a vBulletin which was a roleplay community. I'd be happy to discuss experience, etc as needed - I'd rather not write an epic length text on it.

One thing I will mention is that in March 2010, I had to handle a case of racism on the Travian India forum. An NDA prevents me from giving any names in the matter, but a player in-game had named his world wonder, "Polish Bitch". When he posted it on the forum, he was banned under a 6 pt infraction for Racism and offensive language. The user became rule and threatened violence, not just against me, but "my family", as well as calling me some very cruel terms linked with my nationality and referring to events that happened between the British Empire and India. I escalated the situation by contacting the Forum/Domain Administrator for assistance and after much prodding - as the Domain Admin was reluctant to ban one of his own countrymen for such actions to begin with, the person received a six month ban, of which he served two months of. This is why I am strict on the importance of neutrality when dealing with conflicts and how to resolve them - you need to support your staff and ensure the staff know the line of propriety: they cannot ban for no reason and expect admins to back them, they must be prepared to catalogue and record their actions.
 

Quote:6. What is the most important part of being an administrator on a forum?Continuity, activity, approachability, neutrality.

As an administrator, you need to be active; you need to be able to work in a team - with the administrators, global moderators and the section moderators, and you need to be able to present a unified front - working on a level of board security and the needs of the board, and community above your own feelings. You need to be able to constructively handle your concerns, and not fire them at the nearest target, and most of all, not do it publicly, when it's about a serious security matter. Above all else, the administrators need to be approachable, and friendly to the users/staff of the forum. In order for an administrator to be properly intune with the community, they have to actively take part in it, and respect it - and in turn, they will be respected and trusted by the users.
 
 

Quote:7. Will you have a considerable amount of time to dedicate to administrative duties if selected? When are you most free?

 
I can easily spend two to three hours a night, plus an hour or two throughout the day as needed. I have very few commitments on my time but do like to keep it free so I can adapt if needed, or if something important comes up.
 

Quote:8. If you are not selected to be an administrator are you open to being a Global Moderator?

I am, yes.

-ignore-

In light of the applications being reopened, I'd like to re-submit my application.

Noted.