Popular digital professions: moderator

Social networks and other online resources designed for communication have become part of our lives. And, as with everything in life, in online communications, you need to know the limits:

• Do not let negative emotions flow.
• Refrain from insults and personalities.
• Remember what you are communicating about or addressing somewhere.

Many people find it difficult: if the interlocutor is inadequate, the support service is “stupid,” or the whole discussion has long deviated from the original topic. So exceptional people – moderators – are called to maintain order wherever communication takes place in the online mode, like in online casino India or chat of the blog. So let’s say who a moderator is and what moderation is in simple words.

Moderators and moderation: what are they?

The word “moderator” in most European languages has the same root word translated as “regulator,” “arbiter,” “restraining,” and “controlling.” So, in turn, “moderation” translates to “moderation,” which perfectly captures the essence of the moderation process: one should be moderate about everything.

Moderation is the monitoring of compliance with the rules of communication on a particular site on the Web, checking the material posted by users on the online resource in the mode of pre-moderation (before publication) or post-moderation (after publication).

A moderator is a person who moderates content and also communicates with users about conflicts, appeals, and content.

Alternatively, a group or community can have automatic moderation with filters and programs that check content according to specific criteria. Again, however, the requirements are set by moderators, not the program, and here a lot depends on the moderator’s outlook and level of education.

Now let us take a closer look at what a moderator does and does. Based on the above definition, we can distinguish two main areas of moderation, which have standard features but differ in the level of complexity and the ultimate goal of the process.

Directions in moderation:

• First, it is monitoring compliance with the rules generally accepted and established in a particular group, community, chat, and actions to bring the content in the group, community, or chat to normal.
• Secondly, it is the moderation of all kinds of online events – conferences, workshops, training, and any others involving feedback and discussion.

In the first case, the moderator ensures that there is no profanity, insults, flooding, spam, prohibited advertising, or content that contradicts the current legislation and allows discrimination on national, gender, and religious grounds on the subordinate online venues. Such content is immediately blocked, and the author receives a warning and a ban from the moderator in the case of a repeat violation.

In the second case, when it comes to moderating events, the moderator’s task is to ensure that speeches and discussions do not deviate from the topic, that the audience is involved in the process, and that the event’s goal is achieved. The moderator serves as the moderator, introducing speakers and giving them the floor, reminding them of timing, asking questions of the audience, and summarizing what participants have previously said.

Online event moderators can ban the offender who insults the participants, advertises their goods and services, or violates other rules established by the organizers of the event. For example, at many online events held on social networks, it is forbidden to introduce themselves by unsound names, to “throw” in the general chat links to extraneous resources, to discuss politics, to speak disrespectfully about the participants and visitors of the event, as well as third parties.

It is a brief theoretical literacy on what moderation is, why it is needed, who the moderators are, and what functions they perform. In practice, the concept of “moderation” often includes a much broader functionality, and the job description of a moderator covers the duties of several related professions.

Moderator: from theory to practice

To begin with, let us say that the profession of a moderator and moderation skills are highly sought after in the labor market. Demand is large enough; many of these jobs also involve remote work. So you do not need to be tied to the region.

Now actually, about the work. The position of “moderator of social networks” can be very different. First, we should divide the main groups of employers: firms and companies running pages on social networks and looking for someone to do it, and the Internet giants themselves: Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, YouTube, Tik-Tok, and others.

Of course, the creators of Facebook, YouTube, and other social networks are vigilant about content to eliminate reputational risks and legal problems. But, considering that legislation varies from country to country, there are nuances that social media moderators hired to work with them are informed about.

In general, if the employer is Facebook, YouTube, or any other social network, the actual duties of the moderator will be as close as possible to those formalized ones described above. But if the employer is a private firm or company, the variety of functions is much greater here.

We will talk about the work of the Internet giants a little later but now dwell on more accessible options to the majority of applicants when the employer is a domestic company, leading pages in social networks. Available because the work in a foreign company requires knowledge of English.

Even if you are hired to moderate a Hindi segment of Facebook, you will have to communicate with the hr manager. Facebook also publishes job postings in English, explicitly highlighting the requirement of knowledge of English as a critical requirement:

Given Facebook’s multinational and multicultural workforce, English is the language of international communication within the team. Therefore, it is necessary to know English to avoid incorrect translation and understanding different phrases during messaging. To play the Andar Bahar cash game, you need to learn English, so it is worth paying attention to this.

Moderators for social networking companies

So, what should you pay attention to if you intend to get a job at a domestic company that maintains its pages on social networks and is, in fact, the same social network user as everyone else?

First, very often on job sites, the position of the moderator is called “administrator of social networks.” However, the description directly says that the job description includes moderating comments on social networks.

It may be that the administrator will also have to answer questions in messengers, so it requires not only literacy in writing but also oral speech. You can find vacancies for the administrator of social networks, where you only need written communication, detection of spam (think moderation), and administration of the page. Note that the job title can only have the word “administrator” in it, without any specification about the administration of social networks.

Second, on the expanses of recruiting sites, you can find a vacancy with the intriguing title “copywriter-moderator.” It is assumed that the specialist will moderate not only the posts of users but also create original content for the blog or page of the firm-hire, and the latter even more than the former.

If the requirement “to work with a lot of information” is universal for moderators and copywriters, then “to explain the complex in simple terms” is more common for copywriters.

In general, you can always find a job to your liking and the specialization of the moderator that “responds” to you the most. So, if you take a job as a moderator of a page of an art school, jazz studio, or literary club, the probability of inappropriate content and insults to the discussion participants is minimal.