Ah, Moderators. The most trusted of a Streamer’s family. The many tasks that are assigned to Moderators make them one of the most important pieces to the success of a stream as well. You want to choose someone that can be trusted, upholds all standards, and understands the rules and general vibe of the channel. It also helps if the Mod knows about who the Streamer is and how their channel is run. I have seen many channels that chose Mods that tend to take things out of control. Lets go over some specifics to what your Mod will do and what he needs to be.

A Supportive Mod is a Good Mod

  The Mod should support the channel in its fullest. They should be able to have a schedule that works with the channel and can be there 9 out of 10 times. This shows that the channel is just as important in the Mod’s life as the Streamer’s. I know that sounds ridiculous but it needs to be some what a priority. The Streamer needs a constant group that helps to keep control in the crazy environment that is Twitch. It also makes sure that the Mod is enveloped into the community that is forming around the Streamer  and become a recognizable figure in there. It helps in the future when the Mod needs to enforce their power or talk to someone if they are already well known.

Tough and Level Headed

  The mind of a Mod needs to be on the higher end. The Streamer need someone that respects people and doesn’t troll. In fact, a trolling Mod is about the worst thing they could ever place in their channel. It almost assures that the Streamer will have a hard time with this Mod as well. The Mod will need to be able to enforce the rules in all situations. No freebies to friends. They need to be able to treat everyone on a level ground and in a fair manner. They also need to have a level head. What I mean by that is they need to make proper decisions in tough situations. Sometimes, just timing out a person is the right move to keep the channel in control. Other times, banning someone before the situation escalates is the right move. The Mod needs to understand the difference between these two and be able to make the right call.

Accepting Mistakes and Learning

  We all make mistakes. It’s human nature. This can be expected of Mods as well. They will make a mistake or two from time to time. Maybe banning that person was the wrong thing to do. Or maybe the meaning of a sentence was misunderstood and apologizing is needed. I can’t tell you the times that a sentence was misinterpreted by a Mod and some of the Mods took offense to being wrong and even defended their wrong stance. This isn’t needed and will put your channel in an uproar every time. Make sure that the Mod will accept his/her faults and learn from them. Even teaching a Mod what is acceptable and what is not can go lengths to avoiding these mistakes. It’s up to Streamers to make sure that their Mods understand the rules as well.

Responsibilities and Hard Work

  Everyone tends to volunteer to be a Mod. Why? I find that Mods are the most noticed people in a channel. This might be why or the power that comes with the job. Very few truly understand how exhausting it can be and how much hard work the Mods really do, both on stream and off. Let’s just take some basic functions of the Mods for a view on what they do for a small time streamer :

– Moderate chat, making sure to keep the good people in and the bad people out

– Entertaining and greeting people, to make sure that everyone feels welcomed

– Informing and answering any questions asked that the Streamer can’t get to, so that the channel stays well informed.

– Running commands at certain times, so viewers have access to the information in these commands (like !social to bring up all the Streamer’s social networks)

– Running Giveaways, to make sure that everyone has a fair chance.

– Recording times for Highlights, so that they can go back later and highlight a section of the stream that stands out

– Sending messages to viewers, whether it be Giveaway related or just stream related.

  This is just a portion of what the basic Mods do. Some do more, some do less. These Mods give a good part of their time to make sure every stream runs smoothly. Make sure that they know what they are getting into before they get the position.

Applications: A way to thin the field

  So you’re ready to get some Moderators. What’s the best way of going about this? Well, if you have someone in mind that fits the position, ask them if they would be interested in the job and take it from there. If not, I would head into your g-mail account and set up an application from their “docs” program. The next stream that you run, make sure to announce that you are looking for a Mod and would review everyone that applies. Then post the link to the application. The reason I stress an application is it really gets rid of the lazier people. Everyone wants to be a Mod. Not everyone has the drive to be it. The application is the start of the work that comes with the job. To the people that are lazy or don’t feel like doing the work, this will look like a giant mountain in their way. They will not want to provide any of the information that you have asked or don’t feel like going through the questions. Good! You’ve eliminated the people that you don’t want in this position. So, review the applications and take it from there!

Reward your Mods

  Make sure that you show your appreciation for the people that have worked so hard to make you successful. Throw them some games or some support. If they stream, make sure to advertise some for their channel. Have them be a feature and Host them when they stream. Let them know that you support them just as much as they support you. It will create a bond that will last long after the stream is over.

Halios00

Streamer/Writer for Streamer Square

www.twitch.tv/halios00