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humorist-workshop
Advicenators Frequently Asked QuestionsBeing A ModeratorHow do I rate a question?
If you're a moderator, when you browse public questions you'll see a little thing that says Rate This Question:    . Click on a symbol to rate the question.
Can I just rate everything a to be nice?
No. In fact, if you do that, don't count on being a moderator for very long. We look at average question ratings, and if you are giving everything a or everything a , you're not doing us much good. Please even out your ratings - really think about what deserves what.
What are some types of questions that get s?
First, the inherently stupid questions always get 1s. People who are like, "I had sex with 49 guys in two hours and none of them wore condoms, could I be pregnant?" don't need an advice columnist, they need to be clubbed over the head. Then there are the questions by people who want us to analyse this one e-mail their friend sent them ("I just don't know what she means by this!") so they copy-paste the WHOLE e-mail into the question box. There are also people who'll tell their entire life story and include seven hundred tiny details that have nothing to do with their questions, just because they like talking about themselves, I guess. Uhg. People who aren't asking for advice are annoying... questions like, "I like chocolate, who else likes chocolate?!" are bad, as are the "I eat toenails for breakfast, am I weird?" variety. And then of course there are the people who can't spell: "LIK OMG MY FREND SEZ I LOOK LIK JOOLIA ROBARTS WAT DU U THINK?" Painful. I know we learn in school that there's "no such thing as a stupid question" but in the advice column business this isn't really true; we get plenty of stupid questions and that's why there's a rating system in place.
If a question is stupid in a random, funny way, it's okay to rate it up. But it should at least make you smile.
What are some types of questions that get s?
Originally, we had said that not many questions should be rated as . Only use this if you're really not sure.
However, as we're getting more and more people involved in the moderation process, and because questions that receive the rating are elligible for display as a featured question on the main page, we see more and more questions that have a ranking. Also, because questions that receive enough 's are automatically hidden by the system, it only makes sense that not everything should fall under the or categories. If something is absolutely wonderful, by all means, give it a . If a question has been approved, that means it didn't fall under the rules set up for automatic deletion, so if it still looks pretty bad, give it a . If the question is simply OK, but nothing to write home about, then a rating is absolutely justified.
The system only works if people moderate the questions. People won't always agree, too. So, a questions will receive all three ratings by different mods, and it all averages out. Many questions will have ratings, and that's fine.
What are some types of questions that get s?
If you don't think the question is an embarrassment to our site, go ahead and give it a . Questions that earn these usually have complete sentences and proper grammer. They can be shown on the main page. They do not contain sexual content or foul language. They are interesting questions that people will have answers to, but that haven't been asked ninety times already.
What are some types of questions that get deleted?
Repeat questions, really painfully awful questions, and outright offensive questions should just be deleted. Only level II moderators can do this.
When should I suspend an account?
If you are a level II moderator, you can suspend a user's account for up to five days. Try not to do this very often. When you click the "suspend account" link, you will see a list of the user's last ten question (public and private) that you can use to decide if he/she is being really abusive. If the user is repeating questions, using unnecessary vulgarity for shock value, or breaking any of the site rules listed in the terms of service, you can suspend their account. Only a level 3 moderator can restore accounts before their time or suspend an account permanently. We keep track of who suspends what accounts, so if you cross the line and suspend like crazy, you won't be a level 2 moderator much longer.
Do people see what rating I give their questions?
Who rates what is in the database, but we don't show it publicly.
Can I rate a question twice?
No. But if you click on a different symbol for a question that's already rated, it will change your rating.
I still don't know what to do.
Concentrate on finding questions that deserve s because we actually use those on the main page. The other ratings aren't that important, they just help people sort through the muck a little more.
Can I lose my moderator privileges?
You lose your privileges if you're banned or if your columnist rating falls below 3.8. Don't forget to keep your column up to date, because your rating is based on activity over the last 30 days.
How many questions should I rate?
As many as you have time for. We have some moderators who rate 50 questions a day and others who rate 4... the more you rate, the more you help our site visitors narrow down questions. Don't worry about how many answers a question has or how many times it's already been rated... just rate.
We will mention here that when we look to promote a level I moderator to a level II moderator, the first thing we look at is how many questions they've rated lately. So if you're rating fewer questions than most everyone else, you won't be considered. Visit the moderator list page to see how many questions other people rate.
My rating fell below 3.8 and I lost my moderator status. What's up?
We want our moderators around not just to rate questions, but to serve as examples of good columnists for other members to see. For this reason, if you don't keep you rating up, you won't be a moderator anymore.
If you were a level I mod, just get your rating back up and click on the Make Me a Moderator link and you'll get your status back.
If you were a level II mod, you'll have to work a little harder. Get back to level I status, then rate questions like crazy (if you aren't rating questions as a level I, you're not even on our list of people we could promote). If you really think you deserve your job back and we aren't noticing, you can post something in the moderator discussion forum and any of the level IIIs can promote you.
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