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Oct 11, 2019 8:54 AM
#1
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Faerie Queen

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Within our staff volunteer positions, we have a few openings which (depending on your field) can be used to build experience for your CV/portfolio. I am happy to write character references for any staff members I have known for a decent length of time, and additionally, you'd be collecting experience contributing to a website with millions of viewers.

News Writers
MyAnimeList News team is seeking writers to help cover anime/manga industry announcements from Japan, directly interview and/or support interviews of industry professionals, and brainstorm ideas to increase original, in-depth coverage of stories which do not follow the traditional cycle of new anime/manga announcements. The writer will work closely with other team members to ensure the News section is up-to-date while identifying and developing stories which provide unique perspectives on the anime/manga industry.

Responsibilities include identifying news source material, researching all aspects of a story, conducting interviews with industry professionals, and providing feedback on other written content.

Requirements:
  • College or university student or graduate; journalism major is a plus but not required.
  • Two or more years of writing experience can replace the post-secondary requirement.
  • Japanese-language knowledge is recommended but not required. Fluency itself is not required.
  • Provide a sample of long form writing, e.g. short research paper, previously written article (news or analytical opinion column), etc. Sample writing does not have to be related to the anime and manga industry.

Social Media Coordinators
MyAnimeList SNS team is seeking additional team members to increase relevant MyAnimeList and anime/manga industry content on our Facebook page, (new) Instagram page, and (maybe) YouTube. The coordinators will work with other team members to ensure a consistent posting schedule is adhered to and posts on the page remain engaging for the community.

Responsibilities include monitoring MyAnimeList site activity and the Facebook/Instagram pages' communities, delivering consistent content so users know what to expect from the page, and developing fresh ideas to keep the page from becoming stagnant.

Requirements:
  • College or university student or graduate; marketing/social media majors are a plus but not required.
  • Two or more years of relevant experience can replace the post-secondary requirement.
  • Provide a sample of previous social media posts and/or pages you actively monitor. Sample work does not need to relate to the anime industry.


To Submit Your Application
Please send my bot a PM including the following:
  • Subject: Position applied for.
  • Message: Your timezone and age.
  • A few sentences/paragraphs describing why you are interested and why you feel you are well-suited for this position.
  • Sample work and any other relevant information, as requested above.

Thank you for your interest.
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Oct 11, 2019 9:16 AM
#2

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More news staff might bring back sales thread.
Kickstarter for Rokujouma is fully funded. Good work everyone. Lets wait for the result of our hard work together.
Oct 11, 2019 9:40 AM
#3

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"Japanese-language knowledge is recommended but not required. Fluency itself is not required."
Oct 11, 2019 9:43 AM
#4

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welp i thought MAL is much profitable than ANN for example so maybe some few bucks would help instead of volunteerism but there are lots of NEET here that may have been journalism graduates so volunteering and adding that to their CV will be great already

EDIT:

isnt the Featured Articles section written by paid writers
degOct 11, 2019 9:48 AM
Oct 11, 2019 10:57 AM
#5
Lead Admin
Faerie Queen

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deg said:
isnt the Featured Articles section written by paid writers
No, not for 2+ years now.
Oct 11, 2019 11:00 AM
#6

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Kineta said:
deg said:
isnt the Featured Articles section written by paid writers
No, not for 2+ years now.


ah ok that confirms it since i do not see those popular anibloggers like Guardian_Enzo (if i spelled that right) anymore there on Featured Articles
Oct 11, 2019 12:19 PM
#7

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Is there a deadline for the application?
Oct 11, 2019 12:22 PM
#8
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Faerie Queen

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Lumeister said:
Is there a deadline for the application?
There isn't. But of course, if you're interested, then it's not wise to purposely wait 1 month to submit.
Oct 11, 2019 7:56 PM
#9

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bruh, how about manga database submission waiting list?

manga database is desperate for new mods.

NeoAnkara said:
More news staff might bring back sales thread.


yeah, kinda shame ANN also stop reporting them. T_T
"If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on."
Oct 11, 2019 8:00 PM

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Kuma said:

NeoAnkara said:
More news staff might bring back sales thread.


yeah, kinda shame ANN also stop reporting them. T_T


any reason why even ANN stopped reporting them? i only rely on twitter like for manga sales here
https://twitter.com/WSJ_manga
https://twitter.com/ShonenSalto
Oct 11, 2019 8:03 PM

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Good luck to everyone applying! Interesting to see more people on the news team.

Kuma said:
bruh, how about manga database submission waiting list?

manga database is desperate for new mods.

They already got four new manga mods though beruang :^)
Oct 12, 2019 1:18 AM

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deg said:
Kuma said:



yeah, kinda shame ANN also stop reporting them. T_T


any reason why even ANN stopped reporting them? i only rely on twitter like for manga sales here
https://twitter.com/WSJ_manga
https://twitter.com/ShonenSalto


we don't know, iirc, because lack of staff. also not everyone can access oricon chart freely (need some kind of complicated login).

as for those 2 twitter, they only reported jump series. also i know the one who run those account XD. raf, manganimy, and revo, if you read this, fuck you.

it was originally posted on mangahelper forum. but you have to dig forum, and we all know how pain in the ass it is.

Skittles said:
Kuma said:
bruh, how about manga database submission waiting list?

manga database is desperate for new mods.

They already got four new manga mods though beruang :^)


not enough shittles. the waiting list is still soo thicc, even your waifu thighs lose to it.
KumaOct 12, 2019 2:59 AM
"If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on."
Oct 12, 2019 2:28 AM
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♡✧( ु•⌄• ) I'm looking forward to potential new team members, but there will be no mercy in judging applications~ Give it your best shot!
Oct 12, 2019 2:44 AM
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Faerie Queen

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Kuma said:
Skittles said:

They already got four new manga mods though beruang :^)
not enough shittles. the waiting list is still soo thicc, even your waifu thighs lose to it.
It's 5 new manga mods, and would have been 6 if one hadn't disappeared in the first month. 25% of the queue is already gone and we couldn't take any more on yet due to them needing very high amounts of training. The lack of manga-knowledgeable people capable of performing detail-oriented database keeping is an issue.

We still want to have more, if possible. For now, we're focusing on slaying the backlog with what we have.
Oct 12, 2019 3:01 AM

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Kineta said:
Kuma said:
not enough shittles. the waiting list is still soo thicc, even your waifu thighs lose to it.
It's 5 new manga mods, and would have been 6 if one hadn't disappeared in the first month. 25% of the queue is already gone and we couldn't take any more on yet due to them needing very high amounts of training. The lack of manga-knowledgeable people capable of performing detail-oriented database keeping is an issue.

We still want to have more, if possible. For now, we're focusing on slaying the backlog with what we have.


good new then, since i hope it can catch up soon.

most manga community didn't want recommend MAL anymore because how slow the database updated.

also i hope you guys can do something about webcomic policy because they are gain popularity fast recently. not to mention the rising of pixiv and twitter as medium (even by professional mangaka).
"If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on."
Oct 12, 2019 3:32 AM
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Faerie Queen

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Kuma said:
also i hope you guys can do something about webcomic policy because they are gain popularity fast recently. not to mention the rising of pixiv and twitter as medium (even by professional mangaka).
Yes, we're aware of the changing digital scene (and it induces many nightmares for us). First we want to conquer the backlog. Then we can consider relaxing some rules. There's no sense in allowing new entries to be submitted when we still have a mountain of admissible entries to add :') Please patient with us for a bit longer.
Oct 12, 2019 3:36 AM

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Kineta said:
Kuma said:
also i hope you guys can do something about webcomic policy because they are gain popularity fast recently. not to mention the rising of pixiv and twitter as medium (even by professional mangaka).
Yes, we're aware of the changing digital scene (and it induces many nightmares for us). First we want to conquer the backlog. Then we can consider relaxing some rules. There's no sense in allowing new entries to be submitted when we still have a mountain of admissible entries to add :') Please patient with us for a bit longer.


thank you soo much for the hard works.
"If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on."
Oct 12, 2019 11:39 AM

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Imagine working for “experience”... nice meme kineta!
Real men cry themselves to sleep every night
Oct 12, 2019 12:52 PM
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I guess I will pass
gwimweeper said:
working for “experience”
this time around, but by no means do not let it discourage anyone else. After all, we all have different standards, apparently.
Re:formed
Oct 12, 2019 1:03 PM

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Kineta said:
Kuma said:
also i hope you guys can do something about webcomic policy because they are gain popularity fast recently. not to mention the rising of pixiv and twitter as medium (even by professional mangaka).
Yes, we're aware of the changing digital scene (and it induces many nightmares for us). First we want to conquer the backlog. Then we can consider relaxing some rules. There's no sense in allowing new entries to be submitted when we still have a mountain of admissible entries to add :') Please patient with us for a bit longer.

Hmm. Why not make a new mod title for that? Imo it requires different skills such as someone being active in twitter or pixiv. Thus those people can work on finding/adding new entries while manga DB mods focus on the backlog. Just an idea as always.

OT: Tbh I am really against this trend of "build experience for your CV/portfolio" stuff. If someone applying to a job that is clearly stated as a volunteer job, which is in this case, no need to add such PR statements. Maybe it's because of my personal bias and seeing people that abuse that statement in IRL jobs but I find it very unfriendly.

Anyway, good luck to everyone.
Oct 12, 2019 1:43 PM
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sasalx said:
Kineta said:
Yes, we're aware of the changing digital scene (and it induces many nightmares for us). First we want to conquer the backlog. Then we can consider relaxing some rules. There's no sense in allowing new entries to be submitted when we still have a mountain of admissible entries to add :') Please patient with us for a bit longer.

Hmm. Why not make a new mod title for that? Imo it requires different skills such as someone being active in twitter or pixiv. Thus those people can work on finding/adding new entries while manga DB mods focus on the backlog. Just an idea as always.

OT: Tbh I am really against this trend of "build experience for your CV/portfolio" stuff. If someone applying to a job that is clearly stated as a volunteer job, which is in this case, no need to add such PR statements. Maybe it's because of my personal bias and seeing people that abuse that statement in IRL jobs but I find it very unfriendly.

Anyway, good luck to everyone.

If anything, this bias is not personal.
Re:formed
Oct 12, 2019 3:32 PM

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Good luck to those applying!
Oct 12, 2019 5:30 PM
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Interesting that you want university graduates for volunteering roles. College students I understand. Honestly it just seems like a little bit of a spit in the face that have already spent their time and money working hard for a university qualification.
Oct 13, 2019 12:19 AM
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Faerie Queen

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LiquidMikerrs said:
Interesting that you want university graduates for volunteering roles. College students I understand. Honestly it just seems like a little bit of a spit in the face that have already spent their time and money working hard for a university qualification.

I think you read a bit too fast:
Kineta said:
College or university student or graduate
Oct 13, 2019 11:45 AM
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Kineta said:
LiquidMikerrs said:
Interesting that you want university graduates for volunteering roles. College students I understand. Honestly it just seems like a little bit of a spit in the face that have already spent their time and money working hard for a university qualification.

I think you read a bit too fast:
Kineta said:
College or university student or graduate


I think you also read too fast:
Kineta said:
College or university student or graduate


I actually think opening this up for students is really nice. That's the point in education where they would actually benefit from an unpaid role (College and university being mutually exclusive in my country). My issue is opening it up for Graduates.
IggyPoppoOct 13, 2019 11:49 AM
Oct 13, 2019 1:49 PM
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Faerie Queen

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@LiquidMikerrs Ah I misunderstood, thanks for clarifying. I still don't understand your concern though. If a graduate wants to apply, what's the harm? Doesn't mean they can't be looking to expand their portfolio just because they graduated. Or if they did a Bachelor's in Engineering, doesn't mean they aren't tired of technical writing and want to pen some articles about their hobby.

When I applied for Manga Moderator (in 2008 /cough), I had just finished my Bachelor's in EE and was starting my MSc. Then I did my PhD. Now I work in research full-time. This isn't just me; we have Masters students as moderators, PhD students, full-time employees... What would be the logic in restricting it to students only?

Perhaps the piece of information you're missing is that all moderators on MAL are voluntary positions. I just advertised this posting differently from an Anime or Manga DB moderator because it's easier to include it on a resume than DB modding and they are the positions I am asked to be a reference for more frequently. Some people don't realize they can help out MAL (which they're interested in anyway) AND possibly use the experience in the future at the same time. If including that in the posting makes them more likely to apply, then in my opinion, it's a win-win scenario for them and MAL.
Oct 13, 2019 2:47 PM
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@Kineta Couple of things, not necessarily in the same order as the message I'm replying to.

Firstly, the last paragraph is very helpful. I was not aware that all moderating staff is voluntary. I assumed they were not due to assumptions from sites a friend of mine works for as a writer (obviously that just forms my assumption. Probably the objective wrong thing was not asking about every member of staff). From that angle it does make more sense.

Secondly, another filthy engineer like me! I graduated last year with a masters degree in Mathematics and now I'm a PhD student for Mechanical Engineering. I may have to come asking questions about PhD life relatively soon as the experience is completely different than undergrad. Obviously, if people are interested then they should apply. But the application requires a rather large amount of experience (degree qualification or two years experience beforehand) this naturally increases the expectation of the quality of work. Now yes I agree that everything published by a volunteer needs to be of high standard due to them being associated with MAL.

The major issue I have with this is (just from the application advert) the target demographic for the candidate would already have unpaid experience. For example, any written assignment during university could be highlighted as experience when it comes to a CV. Because the main selling point when it comes for the application is the experience, advertising it for people that already have experience while shunning lower level qualifications - take England's A level - seems a little sketchy.

I feel realistically this could be opened up to people with less experience. To culture them to become more skilled by working with other members (which was already highlighted in the application) would be the ultimate win-win scenario.

Now when it comes to people wanting to do this. Of course there is no harm in that, and I completely agree with your first paragraph.

The main problem to me is that it is advertised mainly as an experience building role. Instead of a more hobbyist role. But while mentioning experience building the application is shunning the people who need the experience the most.
Oct 13, 2019 2:48 PM

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2 or more years of experience, what if i don't have experience but i write good?,
everywhere i see requires some form of experience it's like I could never start anywhere damn
Oct 13, 2019 5:25 PM

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Do you need a volunteer web developer? Users are still getting logged out after 2 days.
Oct 13, 2019 6:18 PM
Case is closed!

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I hope you guys will have good moderators :)
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Oct 13, 2019 8:36 PM
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I'm interested in applying, but do you guys need to see an actual CV, or just sample writing?

I'm not exactly comfortable sending out my actual CV that contains all of my information - including address and phone number and things like that - just for a volunteer position.




I am forever your most devoted believer.


Oct 13, 2019 9:44 PM
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gwendal738 said:
I'm interested in applying, but do you guys need to see an actual CV, or just sample writing?

I'm not exactly comfortable sending out my actual CV that contains all of my information - including address and phone number and things like that - just for a volunteer position.


Just links to samples, personal details like that are not required. Everything you need to provide is laid out at the bottom of the post.
Oct 13, 2019 9:57 PM
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Shymander said:
gwendal738 said:
I'm interested in applying, but do you guys need to see an actual CV, or just sample writing?

I'm not exactly comfortable sending out my actual CV that contains all of my information - including address and phone number and things like that - just for a volunteer position.


Just links to samples, personal details like that are not required. Everything you need to provide is laid out at the bottom of the post.


That's awesome, thanks a lot! I'll try it out then :D

Though I've done mostly academic writing... I'll try to find the other stuff I've actually written for my university website and such hahaha




I am forever your most devoted believer.


Oct 13, 2019 9:59 PM

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I applied! When do we hear back?
Oct 13, 2019 10:07 PM
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Lumeister said:
I applied! When do we hear back?


If you're advanced to the next stage, I would say within 2 weeks at most, but it'll vary depending on which position you applied for.
Oct 14, 2019 8:40 AM
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If I had this kind of opportunity 16-18 years ago I would have jumped at it. But I'm too old and my resume/CV is pretty damn big already (including 2 years in a website with a similar Alexa Rank back in the day).

BUT if you ever take on the daunting task of introducing a MAL version in Spanish I might volunteer to help out, if only to give my fellow anime fan in spanish speaking countries who do not speak english, the opportunity to use this platorm.
Oct 14, 2019 11:41 AM

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This is an interesting opportunity and I would personally love to contribute to further bolster my affection and love to this website and community, however I am strangled by my real life responsibilities. I would have jumped in on the opportunity if I was being paid for this, though. Just giving my thoughts, if you do need people to spend their time and devote their skills to the betterment of MAL with a million users, it should be rewarded with capital, too. That would encourage the users even more and you would have really skilled writers working on board, who'd have something to earn as well give their contribution.
Oct 15, 2019 12:39 AM

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It's good that Japanese knowledge and fluency are not recommended, because you know many here probably who have that knowledge and fluency paid cash whether through university, school, books, online courses, etc to have a bit of understanding of the language.

And besides this is a big website with lots of pageviews, it surely earns something.
Oct 16, 2019 10:37 AM

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Yeah, I'd like to dip into anime news writing and I personally don't mind not getting paid, but a revenue generating site requiring experience pays in experience?

Just kinda rubs me the wrong way, iunno. Each time I've gone out on that limb, usually figure out quick that I'm being used. It'd be one thing if you were offering that first foot in the door, but if not, you should probably pay.
TEN COMMANDMENTS:
1) If Evangelion and Psycho-Pass are his only 10s, he probably also worships Tool and smells like cheesy puffs 2) Freudian psychosis =/= good writing 3) Moe blob art style is only ok in pure slice-of-life comedy 4) It's ok to enjoy shounen. Having fun is allowed 5) It is not ok to enjoy isekai (jk, it is, I just fucking hate it) 6) Creator breakdown =/= good writing 7) A story does not have to be wrapped up with a bow. Life is messy, why would a good story need to be tidy? 8) InuYasha is proto-Twilight 9) Ecchi CAN be good, but is almost always an abomination 10) If God is real, They allowed Super Kid to happen, so fuck Them
Oct 17, 2019 8:22 AM
Review Moderator
(。•̀ᴗ-)⌒✧

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bastard_of_young said:
Just kinda rubs me the wrong way, iunno. Each time I've gone out on that limb, usually figure out quick that I'm being used. It'd be one thing if you were offering that first foot in the door, but if not, you should probably pay.


I see others as well mentioning money and it kinda astounds me. MAL itself is not a company being handled by employees, it is only officially owned by a company. All moderators are volunteers and something many people seem to ignore is that each mod position demands different abilities/experience/knowledge. For example becoming a manga moderator has nothing to do with my position which has to do with reviews and recs, thus the news and social media positions demand their own share of specific abilities and as a bonus, you can add that experience in your CV. If anything, these positions give you more than any other position on MAL, but SOMEHOW people take that offer as they should be paid to get that bonus no other volunteer gets.

I mean, if you asked me if I prefered getting money than not, of course I would welcome that, but that was never the point on MAL since it's not a real job. You do take on some responsibilities, just like in any volunteer work, but saying you're being "used" for just helping a site you like without monetary compensation sounds pretty silly to me, considering we are all offering our time for free. However, it is always your choice what to do; if you (or anyone else, of course) want money to do something like this, then this position is not for you and if you just want to help MAL and have the time to do that, why not?

Either way, I just wanted to get this out of my system. I hope many people apply and good luck to them!
Oct 17, 2019 9:03 AM

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Maffy said:
bastard_of_young said:
Just kinda rubs me the wrong way, iunno. Each time I've gone out on that limb, usually figure out quick that I'm being used. It'd be one thing if you were offering that first foot in the door, but if not, you should probably pay.


I see others as well mentioning money and it kinda astounds me. MAL itself is not a company being handled by employees, it is only officially owned by a company. All moderators are volunteers and something many people seem to ignore is that each mod position demands different abilities/experience/knowledge. For example becoming a manga moderator has nothing to do with my position which has to do with reviews and recs, thus the news and social media positions demand their own share of specific abilities and as a bonus, you can add that experience in your CV. If anything, these positions give you more than any other position on MAL, but SOMEHOW people take that offer as they should be paid to get that bonus no other volunteer gets.

I mean, if you asked me if I prefered getting money than not, of course I would welcome that, but that was never the point on MAL since it's not a real job. You do take on some responsibilities, just like in any volunteer work, but saying you're being "used" for just helping a site you like without monetary compensation sounds pretty silly to me, considering we are all offering our time for free. However, it is always your choice what to do; if you (or anyone else, of course) want money to do something like this, then this position is not for you and if you just want to help MAL and have the time to do that, why not?

Either way, I just wanted to get this out of my system. I hope many people apply and good luck to them!


I'm not saying you shouldn't get paid but these people should. I'm saying if you take on a position that requires experience, you should be paid with money, not experience. Period. If we have a difference of opinion on that, that's fine. But it's why I'm not applying.
TEN COMMANDMENTS:
1) If Evangelion and Psycho-Pass are his only 10s, he probably also worships Tool and smells like cheesy puffs 2) Freudian psychosis =/= good writing 3) Moe blob art style is only ok in pure slice-of-life comedy 4) It's ok to enjoy shounen. Having fun is allowed 5) It is not ok to enjoy isekai (jk, it is, I just fucking hate it) 6) Creator breakdown =/= good writing 7) A story does not have to be wrapped up with a bow. Life is messy, why would a good story need to be tidy? 8) InuYasha is proto-Twilight 9) Ecchi CAN be good, but is almost always an abomination 10) If God is real, They allowed Super Kid to happen, so fuck Them
Oct 17, 2019 9:43 AM
Review Moderator
(。•̀ᴗ-)⌒✧

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bastard_of_young said:
I'm saying if you take on a position that requires experience, you should be paid with money, not experience.


But that's not what the announcement says. It explicitly says that either you're a college/uni student/graduate OR you have relevant experience, so either one or the other (or both) to prove you are fit for the position, just like any other mod position that has its own specifics. In the end, this is a position about writing, so you have to have something to show for it in one form or another be it either your general post-secondary education (which means you have the basics of writing for formal settings) or a hobby about writing, which could be literally anything, like taking part in MAL Rewrite or writing interesting things on Twitter, etc. If you have nothing, how should anyone trust you? This applies to every mod position; faith can only take you that far and that's why many people get rejected.

Either way, I just wanted to clarify it, because many seem to think MAL demands that you have been writing professionally or something.
Oct 17, 2019 10:23 AM
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It is quite a safe assumption to think that MAL is demanding experienced writing when they are offering the position for university students or people with experience.

You can say all you want is the experience to prove they are fit for a position, and that's perfectly fine. But when the experience required is University status / 2 YEARS of experience after education for casual volunteer work. You are asking for skilled people to do a task with the implication of high standards (again, that's fine if it was being paid for)

Realistically, this wouldn't be a problem if the requirements for applications were more open.

If the application was more along the lines of:
- What's the highest level of formal education you have relevant to the position?
- Can you send actual examples of writing?

Then the application is open for less formally skilled instead of only wanting applicants that could already transition into paid work.

I completely agree with the feeling used mentality. And trying to defend that by mentioning that all moderators are volunteers does not change anything. Because this specific position is asking for skilled people to write to a high standard only for MAL's benefit.

"these positions give you more than any other position on MAL, but SOMEHOW people take that offer as they should be paid to get that bonus no other volunteer gets." - This position does give you more, it gives you more work, more responsibility to write in such a standard that positively represents MAL. This is fundamentally different than general moderation. In the working world more responsibility usually comes with more benefits.

Currently, there are no benefits for a skilled person taking on this role and therefore it is an abuse of passion. It's not like a games journalist on another website who may not be getting paid in money, but get's around 200 a month on the free games given by being in that position.
Oct 17, 2019 11:03 AM
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(。•̀ᴗ-)⌒✧

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Yes, it is quite safe to assume MAL wants to limit the pool of candidates to those who seemingly are more fit for the position than people who aren't. As I said, either you should be acquainted with writing essays in post-secondary school or you have a semi-serious hobby of it. And I say semi-serious because someone keeping a blog for example, but writes like DiZ @anD Th@t is obviously a bad fit. ALL mod positions have their own requirements and ALL mod positions represent MAL. A forum mod talking trash to users can easily do damage on MAL's rep and there have already been incidents where users think mods "abuse" their power and talk about them in other places.

If you are into writing, I don't believe this position has any MORE responsibility than having to talk to angry users everyday, catering to their needs and having to be polite as it is befitting of a mod or having to read through theads and reviews or search for obscure manga details for hours. You speak of high quality for this position, but that also applies to everyone since everyone has to do a good job for MAL's benefit, yes. I don't know why this should be surprising. You are volunteering for a cause, not to get the attention yourself. Everything we do is for MAL's benefit. And just like everyone, you have a team, you work on your own thing, you get help, you help others and produce a final result together with others. Plus, you can get something for your CV at the same time, something we don't get. And truly, I believe positions that have to deal with users (aka a real customer service job) are harder than doing your own thing, but hey, that's my opinion. Can't say for sure since I haven't tried this position.

Again, the requirements are there to limit the pool of candidates and neither they want you to have professional experience nor do they want you to write professionally for free. They want to ensure that they will get mostly decent candidates who are serious.

Either way, I said everything I wanted to say. I don't see anything wrong with it, I definitely don't believe anyone's being taken advantage of and at most, maybe the announcement should have been clearer on the details. I don't plan on writing again since there's nothing else to say, so good luck again to everyone c:
Oct 17, 2019 11:34 AM
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Faerie Queen

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LiquidMikerrs said:
This position does give you more, it gives you more work, more responsibility to write in such a standard that positively represents MAL. This is fundamentally different than general moderation. In the working world more responsibility usually comes with more benefits.
Maffy said:
If you are into writing, I don't believe this position has any MORE responsibility than having to talk to angry users everyday, catering to their needs and having to be polite as it is befitting of a mod or having to read through theads and reviews or search for obscure manga details for hours.
I'd like to highlight this. The roles of News Moderator and SNS Moderator are not more responsibility, nor are they more work, than all the other moderator positions; the work and responsibilities are just different. And because they are different, they are easier to include on a resume.

LiquidMikerrs said:
Currently, there are no benefits for a skilled person taking on this role and therefore it is an abuse of passion.
What I think some users who replied don't seem to understand, is that contributing to a team with a goal of something greater than yourself is a pleasure and positive opportunity for some people. Being part of that process is the reward for them. If these people didn't exist, Wikipedia wouldn't exist. These are the people we're looking for because the site staff is already made up of these people—and has been for nearly 15 years.
Oct 17, 2019 11:56 AM
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Kineta said:

What I think some users who replied don't seem to understand, is that contributing to a team with a goal of something greater than yourself is a pleasure and positive opportunity for some people. Being part of that process is the reward for them. If these people didn't exist, Wikipedia wouldn't exist. These are the people we're looking for because the site staff is already made up of these people—and has been for nearly 15 years.


And that is all well and good, if you weren't only having applications open for skilled people. Again, if the application was open to the people that may actually need experience for CV but also this, then it wouldn't be a problem. The problem is because it is only open for skilled people, the above quote becomes only a motivation for an abuse of passion.

Wikipedia is actually a great example. As Wikipedia is open for anyone to edit. This is great in terms of finding the people who like that as a reward.

Unfortunately, because the application is demanding skilled people (ie experience or a university degree - people that have paid money to follow their passion so that they can be paid) the quoted reasoning doesn't really hold.

Maybe my use of a quantifier isn't particularly accurate. I would agree that different may be the correct word, that does not change my point.

Edit: Some more clarification:
I have no issue about the fact it is a volunteer role, the issue I have with it is the requirements for applicants. When you want a formal high standard of applicant then they deserve rewarding in the appropriate way. Experience is not enough for this (as they already have this).

If the requirements were lower like an earlier comment of mine, then the volunteer role becomes completely fine. Because it is open to the people who are passionate and who needs experience but also allowing more experienced skilled people to come in on passion also.
IggyPoppoOct 17, 2019 12:00 PM
Oct 17, 2019 12:17 PM

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LiquidMikerrs said:
Kineta said:

What I think some users who replied don't seem to understand, is that contributing to a team with a goal of something greater than yourself is a pleasure and positive opportunity for some people. Being part of that process is the reward for them. If these people didn't exist, Wikipedia wouldn't exist. These are the people we're looking for because the site staff is already made up of these people—and has been for nearly 15 years.


And that is all well and good, if you weren't only having applications open for skilled people. Again, if the application was open to the people that may actually need experience for CV but also this, then it wouldn't be a problem. The problem is because it is only open for skilled people, the above quote becomes only a motivation for an abuse of passion.

Wikipedia is actually a great example. As Wikipedia is open for anyone to edit. This is great in terms of finding the people who like that as a reward.

Unfortunately, because the application is demanding skilled people (ie experience or a university degree - people that have paid money to follow their passion so that they can be paid) the quoted reasoning doesn't really hold.

Maybe my use of a quantifier isn't particularly accurate. I would agree that different may be the correct word, that does not change my point.

Edit: Some more clarification:
I have no issue about the fact it is a volunteer role, the issue I have with it is the requirements for applicants. When you want a formal high standard of applicant then they deserve rewarding in the appropriate way. Experience is not enough for this (as they already have this).

If the requirements were lower like an earlier comment of mine, then the volunteer role becomes completely fine. Because it is open to the people who are passionate and who needs experience but also allowing more experienced skilled people to come in on passion also.


This. I meet these standards and don't need pay (it might personally be a fun extra thing to do for me) but I don't want to do it because there are probably passionate people in high school that might want to try this, people less experienced in writing but willing to improve with the assistance of an editor, etc. But you can't write for free unless you meet our standard? I just don't like it. You don't have to agree and it's obviously not my call, but I will voice my opinion on it.
bastard_of_youngOct 17, 2019 12:21 PM
TEN COMMANDMENTS:
1) If Evangelion and Psycho-Pass are his only 10s, he probably also worships Tool and smells like cheesy puffs 2) Freudian psychosis =/= good writing 3) Moe blob art style is only ok in pure slice-of-life comedy 4) It's ok to enjoy shounen. Having fun is allowed 5) It is not ok to enjoy isekai (jk, it is, I just fucking hate it) 6) Creator breakdown =/= good writing 7) A story does not have to be wrapped up with a bow. Life is messy, why would a good story need to be tidy? 8) InuYasha is proto-Twilight 9) Ecchi CAN be good, but is almost always an abomination 10) If God is real, They allowed Super Kid to happen, so fuck Them
Oct 17, 2019 12:20 PM
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Faerie Queen

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If being 18 years old and simply enrolling in any post-secondary program (which more than 80% of the high school graduate population in North America did in 2014; source "Enrollment in tertiary education") is "skilled people" to you, then I don't know what to say.

By your logic, we should be removing all of the theoretical, scholarly articles off Wikipedia. Those had to have been written by people with PhDs and probably even professorships in the subject material—with no money nor credit, thus no reward—so Wikipedia abused their passion!

"Abuse of passion" is absurd. This is the point where I agree to disagree.


bastard_of_young said:
But you can't write for free unless you meet our standard? I just don't like it.
Standards are created because the existing team of volunteers has standards created by their own experience and passion. Not everyone can add Manga to the Manga DB because some people are unable to find accurate information. And unless I spend 6 months holding their hand, teaching them how to—which I, and no one else in the team, has time for—they will add incorrect information to the databases which benefits no one: not them, not me, not the users of MAL.

If you think volunteer associations have 0 standards, you've never volunteered for any reasonable length of time.
KinetaOct 17, 2019 12:26 PM
Oct 17, 2019 12:23 PM

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Are you guys seeking graphic designers? Interested in increasing my portfolio.
Oct 17, 2019 12:29 PM
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"College or university student or graduate; journalism major is a plus but not required.
Two or more years of writing experience can replace the post-secondary requirement."

University graduate is skilled, university student are working towards being skilled.

No Kineta, by my logic a website wanting volunteers shouldn't be demanding formal qualifications (which are skills). And if we were to follow your assumption of my logic, then we would still be removing nothing off of Wikipedia because anyone can edit Wikipedia articles .

It is an abuse of passion to demand university qualifications for a VOLUNTEER position with the only benefit to them is doing something they are passionate about.

Kineta, you seem to ignore the points that actually make sense to pick at something that isn't particularly relevant to the overall point. I'm all up for debating whether the use of the word "more" wasn't as appropriate as using "different" but why can't we have an actual discussion on the things that matter, such as opening a passion project up for passionate people that have the time to spend gaining skills.
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