Work At Home As A Forum Moderator. Online Jobs

Lets start with the basics and define Internet Forums to further begin to explain the topic of the Hub Page.  According to Wikipedia "An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms  in that messages are not shown in real-time, to see new messages the forum page must be reloaded. Also, depending on the access level of a user and/or the forum set-up, a posted message might need to be approved by a moderator before it becomes visible.

Forums have their own language; e.g. A single conversation is called a 'thread'. A forum is hierarchical or tree-like in structure: forum - subforum - topic - thread - reply.

Depending on the forum set-up, users can be anonymous or have to register with the forum and then subsequently log in in order to post messages. Usually you do not have to log in to read existing messages."

Forum Moderation

For those averse to using the phone, forum moderation is excellent work. Not many forum moderation jobs are paid, alas, but a number provide various perks. These perks can more than outweigh the loss of pay, depending upon the individual in question and their dedication.

Most forum moderators work from home. Oftentimes, they are website owners themselves, or else they own the website they are moderating. As online communities expand, moderation becomes a more difficult task, and requires greater manpower.

How does one become a moderator?

Administrators more often than not determine who moderates the forum they own. More often than not, moderators are selected based on their dedication to the forum--they are the individuals that step up to help new members, run events, and etcetera. Those that seek positions of power rarely acquire them. Administrators almost never select moderators at random.

The most important traits for moderation are as follows:

1. Community integration. Being active on the forums is a must; if you aren't a daily user, you likely aren't a candidate. If you aren't helpful, you aren't a candidate. If you're a troll, or a generic user, you more than likely will not qualify.

2. Persona. Do you have a unique personality? Do you attract or repulse people? If you are a natural leader, you may make a good moderator. If you are a natural dictator, you probably do not. Moderation takes a judicious, even hand.

3. Work ethic. How dedicated are you to what you do? What about 'the little things'? An individual that considers moderation a minor or irrelevant duty will likely not be a good candidate.

Oftentimes, moderators have specific duties that are not directly related to moderating posts and keeping the forum on an even keel. These may include:

Welcoming newcomers.

Sparking discussion.

Deleting spam, keeping the forum on track by moving inappropriate topics.

Keeping an eye on the forum when the Administrator is unable--this is why teams of moderators are often needed.

Aiding the Administrator with various ancillary tasks.

Anything the Administrator asks--like an internet gopher.

It's rare that you'll find any money in moderation. It is most definitely a job, but it is often overlooked when it comes time for payroll. That said, you're likely to get a number of discounts and perks related to your website of origin, and you'll get excellent experience you can leverage on future resumes.

As with all volunteer positions, you must be vigilant and keep yourself in top form. As an unpaid volunteer, you have very weak ties. If you should slack, you can almost guarantee your own replacement. Don't let this happen--be respectful at all times, just as though it were a paid position, because paid or not, it is a very real job!

The following is a list of the some high ranked Internet forums (name of forum on top bold and small description on the bottom). They are all English speaking and sorted by Alexa ranking:

1. MySpace
Social networking and dating site forums

2. IMDb
Movies message boards

3. AdultFriendFinder
Adult weblog community

4. Digital Point
Internet marketing and search engines forum

5. CNET
Technology and software message boards

6. Deviant Art
Online art community

7. Gamespot
Video games discussion forums

8. Football Fanzone
A football forum, mainly for Spurs

9. IGN boards
General video gaming message boards

10. Vault Network boards
Role playing games discussion boards

11. InvisionFree
InvisionFree support forums

12. Miniclip Forums
Video games forum

13. Slashdot
Technology news commenting website

14. SitePoint Forums
Webmaster and web design discussion

15. Gamefaqs
Video games message boards

16. File Front
Video gaming community

17. Macromedia
Macromedia support forums

18. Sun Java forums
Java developers community

19. Free Ones
Forums about models, pornstars and famous babes

20. Pinoy Tambayan
General Discussion board

21. Literotica
Adult stories and erotic literature message boards

22. DP review
Digital photography forums

23. Word Reference
Language forums

24. Fat Wallet
Hot deals and coupons forums

25. Winamp forums
Winamp software support and discussion boards

26. Slick Deals
Hot deals and coupons message boards

27. Newgrounds
Humor and chit-chat forums

28. Xbox Forums
Xbox console message boards

29. Masala Talk
Indian entertainment discussion forums

30. Rotten Tomatoes
Movies and video games discussion forums

31. My Opera
Opera browser community forums

32. eBaum's World
Humor message boards

33. Harry Potter
Harry Potter official forums from warnerbros.com

34. Xboard
File sharing message board

35. Ultimate Guitar
Guitar discussion board

36. Go F**k Yourself
Adult business and webmaster discussion

37. Gamespy
General video games message board

38. Web Hosting Talk
Forums dedicated to web hosting discussions

39. osCommerce
osCommerce support forums

40. phpBB.com
The support and discussion forums for the phpBB bulletin board system

41. Allakhazam
Everquest and Final Fantasy XI message boards

42. Tiscali
Tiscali ISP support and general discussion forum

43. Edmunds
Automotive Forums

44. Playstation.com
Official Sony Playstation forums

45. Ars Technica
Computer hardware and software forum

46. NamePros
Domain names forums

47. Something Awful
General discussion forums

48. DN Forum
Domain names discussion forum

49. Nintendo forums
Nintendo official message boards

50. Gaia Online
Anime roleplaying community

51. Vbulletin.org
Official Vbulletin resource site

52. Bodybuilding.com
Bodybuilding and fitness related forums

53. Da Desi Forum
Indian music and movies community

54. Soompi Forums
Discuss everything and anything about Korea

55. Cari.com.my
Malaysian general discussion forum

56. India Forums
Indian television discussion forums

57. Battle On
Video gaming online community

58. vBulletin.com
The official support and discussion forums for the vBulletin forum software

59. Penny Arcade
Video games and comics forums

60. GSM Forum
GSM and mobile phone message boards

61. Channel 4
UK based general discussion forums

62. ASP.NET
Microsoft ASP.NET support forums

63. Broadband reports
Broadband connection and high speed lines discussion forums

64. Soosh
General discussion board

65. Game Trailers
Gaming community

66. D-Addicts
Dicussion board about eastern Asian TV dramas

67. AnandTech
Computer hardware message boards

68. Airliners.net
Aviation message boards

69. AMD Forums
Official AMD support forums

70. Asian Fanatics
Asian entertainment and lifestyle forum

71. MozillaZine
Mozilla support and development forums

72. Desi Torrents
Indian torrent community

73. DevShed
Programming and web development forums

74. Simple Machines
Official SMF support community

75. Pure volume
Music community

76. Pravda.ru
Russian general discussion forum (in english)

77. Whirlpool Forums
Australian broadband discussion

78. Hardware Zone
Computer hardware forums

79. Wizards of the coast
Magic the gathering and other games forums

80. Flash Kit community forums
Discussion about Macromedia Flash and Shockwave

81. Money Saving Expert
Money Saving discussion board

82. Another Site
General Discussion board

83. Two Plus Two
Poker and gambling forums

84. AVS Forums
Audio, video and home cinema forums

85. Lonely Planet
Trip planning and travel message boards

86. Sound Click
Audio, Sound and Music discussion board

87. Ubuntu
Official Ubuntu Linux Forums

88. Mac Rumors
Mac news and rumors discussion

89. Afterdawn
CD, DVD and video forums

90. Teamxbox
Xbox games discussion boards

91. Netpond
Adult webmasters forums

92. Gentoo forums
Gentoo linux message boards

93. Steam Powered
Counter Strike and Valve support forums

94. Television without pity
TV shows discussion forum

95. Red Flag Deals
Hot deals and freebies message boards

96. Howard Forums
Mobile phones discussion boards

97. Video help
DVD, VCD, SVCD message boards

98. Ubi.com
Ubisoft video games forum

99. Sign on San Diego
Forum for a San Diego newspaper

100. Naruto Fan
Naruto anime forums