This is Yuletide, everybody make a scene

[coalcube]

I am the sock with the tear-away face

Low-effort with your gift and gone without a trace

I am the "who" when you call, "Who does an exchange without acknowledging their gift?"
I am the wanker blowing through your fics comments
I am the coalie dragging your letter at night
Filling your exchange to the brim with fright!

This is Coaltide!

Nominations: Tuesday 22 September to Thursday 1 October

Sign-ups: Friday 16 October to Monday 26 October

Assignments out: between 26 & 28 October

Default deadline: Friday 11 December

Assignment Deadline: Friday 18 December

Yuletide Discord for Hippos. Google Group for PHs. F_F wiki for history.

NYR Info | 2020 NYR Collection | yuletide_admin | yuletide

 

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Comments

Skills needed for modding

[(Anonymous)]

A broader discussion.

(Personal skills, research skills, computer skills, etc.)

Re: Skills needed for modding

[(Anonymous)]

1) The ability to puzzle through only mildly difficult computer things. Modern Ao3 based exchanges just aren't that tricky to do from a technical standpoint. Having a basic understanding of the matching algorithm is pretty important. (For instance: I remember some flash mod on ffa not realizing why having unmatched for freeform tags in sign-ups still helped gaming.)

2) The ability to think through logical problems and ruleset issues. Similar skills--on a vastly different scale--to being a lawyer. How is this rule going to be interpreted, how do I decide conflicts between rules, and what are the implications of these rules? This isn't only important for the literal rules, but also thinking through matching stuff--especially if you're doing anything different with noms.

3) Organizational skills. Responding to emails, keeping track of pinch-hits, etc.

4) Most important: social skills and networking. If you're really good at this, you can be an excellent mod even if you're deficient at the rest. A mod who is really good at rules can partner up with an organizational mod. A mod who is well-networked can get apps made, and get help with ao3, and get help with the suite of spreadsheets that have been made. Good social skills keep your participants happy and when you have to say no, make that go down easier.

Re: Skills needed for modding

[(Anonymous)]

Ha, I've been modding AO3 exchanges for 7 years and I only learned last year that the unmatched-for freeform tags in sign-ups helped gaming. It was interesting to know, and won't affect me that much going forward, but there are all kinds of little bits of knowledge floating around about how AO3 works that are not... intuitive... at all.

It also took me many years to learn how to reassign an assignment that had already been completed.

Not knowing these things was never a dealbreaker, but I'm glad I know them now.

Re: Skills needed for modding

[(Anonymous)]

Being a good communicator is hugely important- writing out a clear set of rules and expectations, giving clear answers to questions that remain consistent, keeping participants informed of deadlines or what's going on if there's a hiccup, etc.

Being willing to take feedback, but also able to make a firm decision and stick to it.

Re: Skills needed for modding

[(Anonymous)]

This is such a good question!

Here's my (overly-long) two cents, keeping in mind that I started modding stuff way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth in the HP fandom so I am old and grumpy. I've modded alone and in pairs or teams and both have their pros and cons. Working with other people is always a mixed bag: sometimes its great and everyone gets on well most of the time, but it can also resemble tedious office politics, complete with allegiances, rivalries, etc. Any change in the people involved can also bring shifts to the dynamic, sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes both.

Whether you're modding a forum or message board or exchange or whatever, I think mods also definitely need good research skills, good personal skills and good computer skills, although you can probably split this across different people. But I've found the most valuable skill in modding is being able to deal with dickheads in as calm, measured and just a manner as possible. You might have a troll infestation, annoying participants, rule-breakers, hysterical stickybeaks, someone/s trying to cause trouble, or another mod who is either incompetent, lazy, having a power-trip, succumbing to hysteria or stress, or pissing off participants. So being able to deal with dickheads is always essential. But being able to carry this off, year after year, without burning out is really hard.

Personal skills are important if you have to speak directly with participants, and are essential if you're speaking with them in real-time. You need to leave your ego at the door. I do think mods need decent computer skills including at least spreadsheets, some HTML, etc, although I know AO3 is fairly idiot-proof. Computer skills are also important so that your exchange can move with the times: DW, Tumblr and Discord didn't even exist when YT was first launched. You need to be skilled enough to be able to adapt to new platforms as quickly as possible. I don't think you need to have computer skills to the standard of a professional programmer but you need to be competent.

Re: Skills needed for modding

[(Anonymous)]

I've found the ability to deal with idiots a lot more necessary and useful than the ability to deal with dickheads, personally. There are just a lot more idiots out there.

Re: Skills needed for modding

[(Anonymous)]

90 percent of modding is

1 - Determine X
2 - Post about X in no less than three different places
3 - Post X reminder
4 - Some participant, who MAYBE has the excuse of being a noob, right as X becomes relevant: "Wait, X? I thought C!"

Then hoping you built in enough buffer space at 1 to deal with 4.

Re: Skills needed for modding

[(Anonymous)]

AYRT. When I said "dickheads", I admit I was including "idiots" in there as well.

Re: Skills needed for modding

[(Anonymous)]

cat herding skills

my cat walks on a leash