Ask a former 4chan Janitor anything.

The reason I got decommissioned was of my recent loss in activity. I moderated a specific /h/ - Hentai board. It was rather easy, Since activity in that board is very slow-ish. (I have my own computer and I live alone in my dorm, So it was fineee.) Though, It was still rather difficult. Everyone HAS to follow the genre or it must be removed. That's why I pretty much now my Ecchis from my Hentais.

To all of you who's thinking of applying as 4chan janitor, Lurk/Play this thread, For I'll be giving advice. Trust me, It's harder than you think. And to break some common myths about janitors, Here's a few dispells to please the crowd.

1. As said in the applications page, Janitors are NOT moderators. No, You won't have a special colored trip, No you can't brag about it. (Exposing your janitor position WILL get you kicked.)

2. No, We can't ban people. We have to contact a currently active mod to ban a user. , (There's few most of the time (Which, in turn, means slower ban request), and many at peak hours, DEAL with it.)

3. You have to be in their IRC ATLEAST everyday. If this is not possible, Go for the email to prove your activity. (Remember, Keeping your boat afloat is a sudden death match with time itself, So make a schedule to follow everyday, Make it consistent enough so the other guys can determine your activity time.)

4. Janitors are everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I won't disclose the information, But /b/ has TONS of Janitors lurking every minute, And some of them divided and grouped cleverly to cover the entire board. So think again before postin' that CP o' yours, We gotz dem filters.

Well, that's all I can think of now. Soooo ask awaaaaay.

Is there a moderator section for janitors and mods?

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Originally Posted by Asydix

Is there a moderator section for janitors and mods?

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There's none as far as I know, Since we already have an IRC to communicate with each other.

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Originally Posted by xxx

There's none as far as I know, Since we already have an IRC to communicate with each other.

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Okay :)

Have you ever talked to moot?

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Originally Posted by Asydix

Okay :)

Have you ever talked to moot?

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You can rarely encounter him in the IRC. Mostly its his subordinates who watch over us, But you can catch him sometimes.

I was a janitor for like two months. worst job ever. I didn't even get paid, and it wasn't fun :/

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Originally Posted by Minora

I was a janitor for like two months. worst job ever. I didn't even get paid, and it wasn't fun :/

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I did it not for the fun, But for the experience. This kind of environment/practice/scenario can help you with knowledge you can use in the future. <3 It's like being an intern in a company.


Btw, What board?

I'm actually considering applying so I just registered to ask you a few questions :P

1) What does the application process look like? What kind of questions do they ask you? What are they looking for in the answer to those questions? I'm gonna assume they're fairly standard questions to actually make sure that you are A) interested and B) intelligent enough to judge posts quality, but with 4chan, you can never be quite so sure.

2) Is it easier to apply for certain boards than it is for others? Let's say I applied for a really slow board like /d/ compared to a major board like /gif/ or /v/, would it be easier to get my application accepted for slower boards than it would be for busier boards?

3) I realize this is pretty much a thankless job, but did you at least have fun doing it at some point? Do you think you came out of it with some new experiences?

Thanks, that's all I have for now.

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Originally Posted by PewPewK

I'm actually considering applying so I just registered to ask you a few questions :P

1) What does the application process look like? What kind of questions do they ask you? What are they looking for in the answer to those questions? I'm gonna assume they're fairly standard questions to actually make sure that you are A) interested and B) intelligent enough to judge posts quality, but with 4chan, you can never be quite so sure.

2) Is it easier to apply for certain boards than it is for others? Let's say I applied for a really slow board like /d/ compared to a major board like /gif/ or /v/, would it be easier to get my application accepted for slower boards than it would be for busier boards?

3) I realize this is pretty much a thankless job, but did you at least have fun doing it at some point? Do you think you came out of it with some new experiences?

Thanks, that's all I have for now.

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1.Application form used to look like this;

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Name:
Email:
Why you should be accepted:

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2.As for the boards, It's randomly assigned. (Again this was just from my past experience, So I don't know how they do it now.)

3. It's not fun at all. BUT the experience is good. You get to learn how to abide and enforce the rules with pin-point accuracy and alot of other "Modly" experience you'll need to moderate a large community in the future.

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@Lady Gaga; I made this thread so anyone who want's to apply for one can get some first-hand advice from a retired one.

I know the application is a bit different now, as per their quote on the application page:

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UPDATE: I've gotten a few e-mails asking about the format of the application. It's a web form consisting of 12 fields, 3 of which are long-form questions. Please do not prepare a Word document or PDF—you will not be able to submit them. Also, janitors are assigned one board to start, but can be added to others later. On the application you'll pick one board to apply to, and can optionally select a second.

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Also how much time did you spend daily on 4chan after this?