Staff Application: Helper -> Moderator

IGN: The_Squirrelman

Skype: The_Squirrelman

Teamspeak: The_Squirrelman

Age: 16

In game hours (weekday): Per Day: 2 – 13; For all five days: 20 – 40 hours

In game hours (weekend): Per Day: 5 – 13; For both days: 12 – 24 hours

Introduction: Hey, you may all know me in game as The_Squirrelman, but irl, and for those who know me in person, I’m Edward, and I’m a 16 year old sophmore / rising junior in high school. I live in the Bay Area, near San Francisco, and I played for JV on my school’s basketball team, and I played Varsity on my school’s water polo team these past sports seasons. I’m a half black – half asian American born student, and I currently hold the Events Coordinator Student council position at my school, and have held President, Captain of Sports teams, and a few other minor positions at my school. I’ve been working at camps – part time jobs since I was eleven, and I enjoy spending that money on games I play, like Minecraft. I thoroughly enjoy watching NBA basketball. Other games I play are NBA Jam, NBA 2k13, Call of Duty World at War – BO2, Battlefield 3, and League of Legends. That’s enough about me, let’s move on to the important part of the intro. I’ve been playing on this server for about four to five months now, and I’ve witnessed a lot in my time here. I served my way up from Helper to Officer, and for a very brief moment, Overseer, until the rank was changed. I’ve seen the server and it’s staff inside out, and I’m here to show you why I should rejoin them.

Why:

Experience: I started my staff tenure right about the end of the first major revolution. When the staff positions became open, opportunities arose, and I thought of joining. I’d seen the ones before myself, the ones I felt did real good for the server. Fluffbearrct, _MrJones, theEditson, LR_Davius, and Sarahdisme are just a few to name. Their work was really for the good of the server, and I filled out my first application with the intention of living up to their names. I was recruited by the infamous Cmonster, interviewed by Cmonster and popemall25, and promoted by Fuzzlr himself. In a time where there were twenty one other helpers with a total of thirty seven staff members, I averaged 30 – 50 modreqs a day, and soon had three hundred by the end of the week. I was incredibly familiar with commands and community problems, so I knew how to address those situations. In the time I spent as helper, I began to realize that the way staff was being recruited was in a terrible fashion, with anyone being promoted left and right, and instant promotions being made here and there. I felt that on the road towards moderator, I had to make the staff members aware of the bad apples, and proceeded to create the first MN Staff Evaluation format as a Helper. It was revised a few times, but if you’d like to look at it, feel free to look at the uploaded document below. I worked with Scott11B showing him my documents, my reasons for my evaluation, and asking him for advice. I thank him one hundredfold for the great amounts of time spent helping me, coaching me, and overall bringing me to where I am. I was recommended by jmchugh2014 as a promotion to Mod, and was promoted about a week after my promotion to helper. I proceeded to continue writing my staff evals, created the first notes format that was used by quite a few staff members, and continued up the modreq chain, until I was at about 650. I was recommended for promotion on the second week to Officer, and was instated with fellow staff member CaptaineAli. I began in my work to catch several dupers, cheaters, and hackers. I held down forums, and lead in forum posts, dealing with page after page of Reports, Supports, and Refund requests. I created an Official Guidebook to all the roles of staff, and coached many New Helpers and Moderators in their responsibilities, what we expected of them, and many of those I coached are staff members above me you see today. I created the interview process used at MN, and I’m not sure anymore, but I believe the interview format I wrote is still used in some ways today. I helped Scott11b write out an official rulebook, and wrote a few other guides that many told me were quite useful. When staff was divided into several teams, I helped organized who went where, and helped moderators and helpers alike develop specialties that some in the current staff still carry today. In this new system, I was accepted into the staff by the Admins. I took up my job, and tried to take it to the highest level I could. A few hours before my two week mark as a staff member ended on the new server, I hit 1000 modreqs, a number I’m told that’s very hard to achieve. I’m still going, I think I’ll hit 2000 shortly. In total, I’ve dealt with close to everything. 900 modreqs on MN, staff management, document writing, forum work, staff application work, coaching of staff members, involvement with community, financial aspects of the server, and overall working with many of the staff members here today.

*Disclaimer on uploaded files: They are pdf's, and are the two documents I was allowed to release. I will not release my interview format due to giving interviewees an unfair advantage, and some of my old guides have been lost to the crash of the old forums.

Attitudes towards staff work: I have always been a hard worker. The list of long accomplishments was always there because of my initiative. Working part time jobs, balancing schoolwork, along with student council positions and sports responsibilities, I know how to manage time. In three months of staff work, I’ve always been able to get jobs done, while having free time to mess around. I’m not one to blow off something saying that I’ll do it later, or we can deal with it later, I usually like to resolve issues upfront, and get things done. My goal in staff work is to implement and create a balance of what’s right and what the community wants. I’m always willing to listen to new ideas, but I’m there to be the firm hand that is needed when closing cases in staff work. I am very willing to work with new staff members, and I’m always open to criticism. As some of you may know, I take this as a job, and I take it pretty seriously, so my standards should never be in question. I honestly think that the most satisfying thing about being staff is when you get that “Thank you” for resolving a case or completing a modreq. Too many staff members in the past and present are concerned about their position more than the server. In my opinion, we do our work to impress the people, not our superiors. In total, I believe in a time managing dedicated staff member who’s community involvement and staff work standards are boundless.

Perspectives and new ideas: I always have something to bring to the table. Be it a reasoned explanation arguing against a ban, a new idea backed by it’s pros and cons, and a promotion recommendation or demotion, I’ve got a lot of material on me. A few ideas:


A. Ultimate Shop ./hat ideas: Make the fire item, laval item, or water item a ./hat! It can be expensive, and there’s no illegality of it. After all, if someone really feels the need to place it, it can be instantly put out with a left click, or picked up by a bucket.

B. Ultimate Shop pack-a-punch idea: Ever too lazy to use a grinder, but want that perfect god enchant? Go to the ultimate shop, and for a certain price, right click the sign with item in hand to receive your pack a punched god item!

C. Ultimate Command: ./thaw. Ever building in a snow biome, but just don’t want to get rid of that snow? ./thaw does it quicker than ever?

D. Ultimate Command: ./ignore. Honestly, that guy in ./shout who you just cannot stand, or that one dude who spams you incessantly for donations. Get rid of his ./msgs, his local chats, his town chats, nation chats, shout chats, and everything you possibly don’t want to see him in!

E. Ultimate Command: ./spawner specifics. It’s more than known that Elites were stripped of old spawner rights to make Ultimates seem better. My perfect setup?

a. Elite: ./spawner zombie, skeleton, spider, cave spider

b. Supreme: ./spawner above, enderman, pig, chicken, cow

c. Ultimate: ./spawner above, sheep, wolf, ocelot, blaze

F. All command: ./lb. Honestly, what room for abuse is there in lb? Reports would be much more efficient in that way. Instead of waiting for a mod who might be afk to get your modreq, why not do it yourself, save the proof, and post it on forums? My only con to this is that criminals may understand it more and find ways around it.

G. Supreme+ command: /drain. Want to build your town, but is that pesky pool getting in your way? Building an undergound base, but there are too many leaks to keep track of? ./drain will take it away! However, there must be a limit on the radius, too large in the middle of an ocean can cause lag. Also must make it so you can only do on your own plot.

H. Exclusive+ command: ./waterwalk. I don’t know if this is still there, but on a server I use to admin on, they had that plugin. Essentially, when you walked over water, it gave you the ./mc effect, making water travel a ton faster.

I. All perk: Find a way to let people teleport with their horses. Self explanatory.

J. All perk: Decreasing plot tax, and fixing the 20 plot claim issue. This server is supposed to allow players to build and run a town community, why not make it easier? Also, the above issue has been posted in a thread by fluffbearrct, and for the moment, has been neglected. Hopefully I can assist in getting this fixed.

 

On to staff suggestions:


A. Throw away this appeal ban policy. A ban is a ban, and honestly, all this appeal ban policy does is that the people who are good writers get away with everything. Worrying about the playerbase is one thing, but instead of loosing policies on those who should leave, why not entice those who should join?

B. File a formal apology and thanks to all previous staff, old and MN generation alike. Honestly, there has been no real effort to express gratitude for their work. Old Meepcraft staff worked for hours and months on end, only to be kicked out by a new owner, perm banned, and come back on the owner free server but with new policies, and a lack of recognition. The ranks they had been promised and earned in their long tenure as staff members were revoked, and few were reinstated. They made the server popular, and their work kept our playerbase at a solid 1k per day. Advertise all you want, and you can get every Minecraft player in the world to come on the server, but the good solid staff team that was are so far the only ones to successfully keep that many on the server. They essentially made this the “largest towny server in the world”. The MN staff, who I worked with myself. Many were hated, disliked, insulted, and overall treated poorly. People think of that reign of CG and his staff that carried out his dirty deeds, but honestly, they were a loyal bunch of guys. The ones who stayed did a lot of work without recognition, and did what they felt was the right thing throughout the hate. When Cruelty essentially stole the server from Fuzzlr, many of those loyal hard workers were against it, yet when the new system implemented, they were dumped, and given no thank you for their hard work. They used to thank staff who went out on a good note with a Supreme rank, and I’ll be damned if staff who stood up to CG then were dumped, or staff who worked hard under terrible management to be dumped as well ended on less than a “good note”. My pleas for giving them Supremes, Elites, or at least some sort of rank or in game reward, have been denied. Even a request for one heartfelt forum thread thanking them for their work was denied as well. It starts with that one forum thread, those monthly gifts, or just making some kind of effort towards it, but we’re not thanking them enough. My father served in Vietnam only to be spit on in his home coming parade by peace activists. I’m not against peace, but I take lack of recognition for hard work and dedication personally. Make an effort.

C. Reinstate three old staff members, can be decided on by a community poll, or by a staff meeting. Honestly, the old staffers are under voiced, yet their opinion is usually the majority’s. Those who care, and those who are willing to undertake on the difficult task of rebuilding should be let in, to represent their old fellow old staffers, and to use their experience to show us how THEY made the server stable.

D. Allow lack of mic for being a staff requirement. Honestly, one does not have to talk all the time. Often times, what I’ll do late at night when I don’t’ want to wake my parents is type responses to spoken words in teamspeak. Everyone’s ok with it, and we get the insta communication we all wish for when teamspeak is involved.

E. An Admin’s position on a new staff position should be no higher than a Moderator’s. Helpers are exempt, but the rest is plain and simple in one word: corruption. Every guy earns his way to the top. In this system, I don’t believe of slip bys just because you know an Admin very well. Recent promotions were made that were overridden simply because an Admin supported it, and everyone else quickly changed their opinion to follow suit.

F. Encourage current staff members to have their own opinion. Honestly, too many staff members just sit in calls and agree with admins. Too few are out there to say what they really need to say. To be honest, when I sat in that Officer/Supermod position, we don’t promote suck ups. Speaking with your actions is a whole lot louder than with your words. If every staff member agrees with everyone, there will never be any debate, never any consideration of pro’s and cons.


Weaknesses: I’ve got quite a few. Sorry to keep this up, but let’s begin.

A. Over-involvement. . Maybe it’s just because I’m used to a high staff position, but I will follow through with cases until it’s out of my jurisdiction, at times where it seems like I’m treading on peoples toes. Staff members have indirectly addressed my inability to deal with a lack of involvement, and I apologize for it, and hope to work with it.

B. Strong opinions. Honestly, when I feel strongly about something, I can be stubborn about it, to the point of annoyance. An example of this is when a player with the ign with the F-word was banned, yet a player with the ign containing the N-word was let loose.

C. Nosiness. Often, I know more than I should, and honestly, I enjoy it. It helps me with staff work, and gives me a better awareness than I should

D. Hopefully I’m beyond this, and I hope that I’m the only one who can admit it, but I done sucked up. I went into my staff position as a Helper with innocent aspirations, but through the hard work, I agreed with things I really didn’t feel were right. I admit it here, and hope the community can forgive me for it.

E. I can take mess ups or losses too seriously, sometimes to the point where it’s not easy for me to let them go.


Additional information before conclusion: Many of you may be wondering: Why am I even filling out this application? Were you not mod before? The answer is yes. And the reason for my different position here today is because of a demotion. I was demoted for inappropriate language in local chat, and it was well deserved. I hope that I can work my way past that mistake, and shadow my mistakes with jobs well done.

Conclusion: Yes, calm down, it’s almost over. Overall, I just wanted to get through that I’ve made mistakes, but I really care about this job. I’ve got the experience, I’ve done it all, and I have many bright new ideas to bring to the table, along with a multitude of experience both irl and in game. I’ve got weaknesses to admit, but suggestions to be looked at. Overall, I hope I can make a real impact here on this server. I bid farewell to you all, and thank you to those who read through the full application. I think the following phrases from one of the world's greatest (whom I believe is still alive) ends this better than any of my words can.

“You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could’ve, would’ve happened… or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the f*** on.” – Tupac Shakur

 

This should be a insta-accept >_>

 

Your application. Wow, effort is no object in this. This is pure dedication and shows that you really care about this server. You aren't here for your complete enjoyment, you honestly just wanted to let it have the opportunity to have you improve it. To add on, my personal experience with you is phenomenal, and I do hope that you are able to progress from Helper, as I feel it is effacing your true abilities and best qualities. You are over qualified. +10

 

This application left me speechless. Probably the only application I've read in my whole Meep time. I really don't have anything to say except:
Keep up the good work!

+1

 

Yus squirrel!
+9001
Lawl so much words

 

Your application is amazing. You also have the best comments on other people's applications. +1

 

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Back when I would stalk the mn forums, you greatly impressed me. I saw about 3 pages of ban requests that were all dealt with by you.

I thought you were a moderator before.... So huge +1

 

+1
I am speechless.
Thank you for your dedication!

 

This probably has to be one of the best applications I've ever read. By far, it's the best one on these forums.

I remember working with you -- you were a phenomenal staff member (still are, judging by your forum posts). You were one of the only staff members with an opinion. You were certainly the hardest working staff member (how many pages of notes did you have before MN was demolished?) Honestly, you're overqualified. You have probably a higher work ethic than anyone else I've seen in a long, long time and never failed to impress.

Admins; promote this man to S-Mod. He will only do good for this server.

 

Lololno

#EpicForEpicAwesomeCoolOwner1997

Now for the staff application:
Dude you put an insane amount of effort into it, you should be the example. Too many noobs are applying with like 2 sentences. So in my usual fashion

Yes

 

You know, it's amazing to see someone like you to only have the rank of Helper, and see some people who have more superior ranks than you.

+all the +1's in teh world

and kudos on writing a longer application than me.

 

You barely put any effort in this, but since your my friend im going to have to +1

 

I'd like to thank you for writing this application, it shows you dedication to the server and community. Now I have a couple points that I would like to comment on. First, you application seems to only be mentioning things that the community has already made a point of asking for, and the admin's have already explained how we wont be doing that. Second, yes you are very active on the forums however you are a helper and your activity should on the player reports where you can help instead of commenting on every staff application. You stated above how you average 30-50 modreq's a day. Modreqs aren't a number, they are a chance for you to do what we assume you enjoy which is helping. Me personally I have seen you instantly claim a modreq and then done it with a two word answer. No mail send no message sent just claim and done with an answer. As for your Skype activity I rarely see you comment or get involved in the staff skype groups for reporting issues, voicing you opinion, or talked to someone higher up about an issue. Along with your lacking activity in skype I have witnessed you try to let someone explain themselves over a Skype call and I'm surprised that he didn't sue you for the stuff you were saying to him. As for team speak I see you more in the league of legends room than in the rooms with people who are playing mine craft. Overall most of this application seems to be for appealing to the community however the community doesn't decide if you get moderator, and saying stuff to just appeal to them does the opposite effect for the people who will decide. In the end I don't believe you should get another chance at being moderator.

In response to the player who though he was a mod before, yes he was but he was demoted because of the extremely inappropriate comment he made in local chat.

 

Squirrel, I like how your not afraid to speak your thoughts. You also do TONS of mod reqs.
I'm for a +2.

 

But really, amazing app, amazing person, always helping someone. I am a total +100 on this

 

... Why do you have to make an app >_> this seems quite useless to me <_<

But if this is the correct way +1 ....

Wait weren't you already mod!?!

 

Thanks for taking the time to write out some negative feedback, I appreciate it! It's good to see where your faults are at, but they still need to be addressed.

First, the forums. I do admit I spend more time on the applications than on the Reports, but I still spend time on the reports. Though they are not as active as I'd like to be, I feel that I definitely do spend more time there than some who currently hold moderator positions. I won't call anyone out, that's unfair. Next, I comment on staff applications because frankly, that's what I'm used to. You should know more than myself that I take staff quality seriously and feel it a personal duty to comment on staff apps. I was never told I was out of line, and if anything, encouraged to make comments. I do admit however, that I should seriously spend more time on the other Support sections, and am here to admit my mistake. About the modreq issue: When there are simple questions, I ./done them with the answer. I'm familiar with the modreq plugin and system, and honestly, when it's ./doned, they receive a BIG glaring notification saying in bright text that their modreq has been completed, with the respective comment. If it's asking what a command could be, honestly, it answers straight for them. In addition, each modreq is a measure of helping someone. I wanted to impress upon those reading my application that the number implied the magnitude of my help. I ask you to check every modreq, and tell me I did not write a thorough answer that indeed did answer their question. Those two word answers if anything, were commands that showed them how to do what they asked to do. As for skype activity, I would disagree and say that I do read and communicate through skype, and if we're talking moderator tier here, much more than some current mods. However, my standards don't stop there, and I agree that my Skype activity isn't what it used to be. I'll be sure to improve on that. Skype calls, I have always done things maturely, I have always gotten the job done, and I have always been firm. I have never yelled abuse at anyone, I am no CG. I may say things emotionally, but only for emphasis. For teamspeak, I feel that that statement is false. I don't mean to degrade you, but I honestly spend a lot more time in there than you do, and I'm familiar with all of the regular users. When staff accumulate, I'm there to show up and give my best input and feedback. I talk to everyone. I do go into the league of legends channel to play a game with friends, and that's ok. To accuse me of doing so would be to accuse Onis and Deinen of playing starcraft. But I talk to everyone. I'm there for the meetings. And to be frank, I'm on teamspeak a lot more than you, going through every channel, welcoming teamspeak newcomers. To your community statement. I said earlier that I want a balance of what the community wants, and what's right. Honestly, isn't being staff about the community? Businesses have never taken the "I do what I want" attitude, should they not cater to the customers? Doesn't the mayor do what the good people want? I still respect your decision on not giving me the chance, and I honestly do and have already specified my apology for my language in the local chat, but I hope I can work past that, and your animosity, and get back to doing my job.

 

Nice Wall'O'Text gg

 

+1

One of the only staff members with a mind of his own.

He is more deserving of a high position than more than half the staff.