Sythe.Org Staff; How does it work?

Staff are often asked about how promotions work and indeed on what basis we choose staff members, so we've composed an informative thread to address issues of this nature.

How are staff members chosen?​

Contrary to popular belief, Sythe.org employs Majoritarianism when choosing its staff members and Official Middlemen. Historically, there were Head Moderators - most notoriously the duo of Clashfan and Steph - who had both substantial influence and considerable power over promotions. This position has since been removed, and nowadays, whilst it is generally accepted that Administrators retain a fair deal of influence in regard to who is promoted, our system is very much primus inter pares, where Administrators are simply first among equals. When voting on staff and Official Middleman occurs in the Upper Lounge, all Upper staff have one vote each, irrespective of whether they are an Administrator or Global Moderator. Again, contrary to popular belief, staff are not dictatorially chosen, unless in rare cases, such as that of Ughster, Sythe, as the owner, has personally appointed them.

There's no application or a specific way of joining staff. Your best bet is to remain mature, active, and involved in the community. We'll contact you if you're the right person for the job. Asking for a staff position isn't necessary. Be sure to keep your nose clean both on and off site as well. All staff and potential candidates undergo extensive background checks sometimes reaching into their lives off the web.

How are sectional Moderators chosen?​

When voting upon sectionals (new staff members that moderate a specific section), all Global Moderators and Administrators will vote. Typically, Sythe and Matthew abstain from these polls as they are concerned with technical issues primarily. These polls cannot be dictatorially closed by one individual, though, in rare cases, an Administrator may veto a poll for various reasons, such as if there is controversy, allegations of bribery, etc. A 60% supermajority is used and must be met for the promotion to take place.

How are Global Moderators chosen?​

Global Moderators are chosen in the same way as sectionals.

On what basis are staff chosen?​

• Activity
• Adherence to the rules
• Reports made (and validity of)
• Quality of posts
• Helpfulness
• Attitude
• Integrity & trustworthiness
• Honesty
• etc.

What is the staff structure?​

The staff structure is as follows:

Sectional Moderators < Global Moderators < Administrators

The Administrators

​

Tier 1: Special Administrators
Special Administrators are responsible for distinctive tasks which are not always visible to ordinary users. They are ordered here by seniority. Changes to the members of Tier 1 almost never occur, even compared to the already small number of administrator promotions.

Sythe
Owner, Arbiter of Last Resort
As the name suggests, Sythe is the owner of Sythe.org. Whilst Sythe discusses certain initiatives and promotion candidates with other Administrators, he is primarily concerned with ensuring the site is running smoothly and is rarely involved in site management unless there is a concern other administrators cannot address. He is the arbiter of last resort for all inter-staff conflicts and has the final say in all major decisions, including Administrator promotions.

Matthew
Second in Command, Head of Donations
Matthew is responsible for processing the site's donations, and is the creator and maintainer of the Donation Center, the Ranks and Username Images system, the Mobile and NextGen series of styles, and various other projects. As second in command, Matthew has authority over all administrators other than Sythe.

Tier 2: General Administrators

Equally important to the Administration team, general administrators handle management of staff, staff recruiting, staff dispute resolution, IP bans, creation and altering of forums, and other administration required around the site.

They are:

Andy
Gen

How are Administrators chosen?

The way Administrators are chosen varies. Unlike with the promotions of sectionals and Globals, all Administrators - including Sythe and Matthew - are involved in choosing a new Administrator. Whilst an official poll is not conducted for such promotions, and indeed the decision always ultimately Sythe's, Sythe traditionally consults other Administrators, requesting their opinion and position.

If you have any further questions, feel free to post them and I will do my best to answer them.