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Disclaimer: Welcome to my tutorial on how to most effectively pick the right staff members for your server! This tutorial contains merely suggestions based upon experiences I've had with the subject and I do not in any way claim to know everything about a situation or your server. This tutorial was meant solely as a resource for hiring servers and does not in any way directly point to any user, group, or organization. Any similarities between a user, group, or organization and the groups listed in this tutorial are pure coincidence and do not reflect the opinion of the blog author. This blog was written originally without the influence of an external source. Any similarities between this blog and such a source are pure coincidence and do not reflect plagiarism at the hands of the blog author.
Server Owners! Are you hiring staff members for your server? Oh, you are? Well, I think you should make sure you pick the right people for your server! This blog is meant as a resource for you to see all the types of applicants and why they may or may not be the right kind of staff member for your server! Bear in mind, it is didfficult to predict everything about everyone.
Let's start off with the types of applicants you are likely to encounter.
1. The "In-Game" Applicant: What is this kind of applicant? This is the person who would go onto a server and say, "Could I have a book and quill to apply for admin plz" or merely "Hi can I be staff I'm mature and wont abuse my powers plz". These people are a very bad choice for staff members. I'll explain. A good server, In the opinion of a player, would have a website-based application, either through a forum (Thread), or through an application process you design yourself. These look professional and allow people to answer with the information you want them to. Having someone apply in game not only leaves the information open to them (So you don't see their real qualities, thus allowing them to obscure your views of them) but it gives off the impression they can not be a part of an external website for your server. In, again through my knowledge, the opinion of a player, server staff should be active on a server forum, blog, or other website if one exists for such a server. If you have an admin who can not do that, and someone raises a complaint or needs help and puts it on the website, how is your admin to properly and effectively answer said help request? In conclusion, staff members are best when they can take part in external services for your server, such as a website , forum, or blog if one exists.
The Immediate Applicant: This one is pretty self- explanatory. This is the person who will come onto a server and immediately ask for staff, or ask if an owner or server administrator is online first. These people are a very bad choice for staff members. They don't actually care about your server and just want a free rank to mess around or let their friends cheat on your server. A person who has basically never seen the majority of your server beyond maybe a minute can not be expected to know anything about it or it's rules. They'd probably violate several of them as a staff member, anyways. In conclusion, staff members should be active and long-lasting players who are very familiar with all aspects of your server and it's rules.
The Constant Reminder: This group would be assigned to players who otherwise aren't all that bad candidates for staff, only they ask about it or remind server staff/owners about it every time they get the chance. They are those who, when a server owner comes online, would ask, "[Name of Owner], have you read my staff application?", or "[Name of Owner], will you accept my staff application?" Even though these people seem like they really care about your server to the point of which they want to be staff so much, they are a bad choice for staff members. They are immature, and cannot handle waiting for a position to come, and likely will be asking for a promotion soon after they achieve a staff rank. a server staff should be happy to be just a player, as this shows they truly care about your server and are not just staying because they want to be staff. In conclusion, staff members should be good players and happy with whatever rank they get.
The Donate-For-Staff's: These are the people who keep your server running with frequent or larger than usual donations, who you can tell really want to be staff. No matter how much they donate, they are a very bad choice for staff. Keep in mind, server owners, that this group does not apply to donators who are keen and share good traits with the better groups (See below), this is given to the ones that think they can buy their way into a staff team. They typically just want it for the giggles and are very unprepared for an actual leadership position. In conclusion, staff members should always be ready for a position.
The Big Brains: These are the people who know quite a lot about some aspects of your server, and can generally answer a new player's questions. They are the ones who know all the syntax's for all the commands people can use and know near all there is to know about your server. They seem like good candidates, as they know quite a bit and can likely be useful in the event of you forgetting something, but they are in reality a bad choice for staff members. Allow me to explain. Typically, with these people, they are very proud of their knowledge. I know because I used to fall under this group until I learned to be humble. Because of this, many can't stand it when they're wrong and will often be very rude to people when corrected (Especially if that person happens to be a newer player) They don't listen to authority (i.e., you, the server owner) and will not do as told well. They're perfectly fine players, but if given power they will likely abuse it because they are easily upset by people who prove them wrong. for example, I once saw an admin who banned someone for telling him how to use a command from a plugin. He was banned for: "Being rude to a server admin" when all he did was politely correct his error. You can see the kind of effect this could have over longer periods of time. In conclusion, server staff should be able to handle criticism, admit when they are wrong, and respect authority.
The Active Players: These are just what the title implies, active players. Nothing special about them really,but you always see them on your server. Perhaps they are always working on a build or a redstone project or something, but they don't communicate with other players much at all. Sure they are active players on your server who likely have been around for a while, but they are a somewhat bad choice for staff members. While it is true that staff members should be active on your server, they should also be social (To a certain extent) and willing to help other people solve their problems. These people are probably fine with having player ranks and typically, most of them don't even apply for staff. In conclusion, server staff should be both active and involved with the community of your server.
The Over-Socials: These players are the opposite of the Active Players (See Above). They are active just like them but they are never alone, always talking and playing with other people. Playing with, not helping. These people generally just like to fool around and are seemingly immature on your server. They always have a laugh at players who are new to the server when they can't understand something and rarely actually do anything to help. They are a bad choice for staff members, because given the rank, they will likely neglect their duties. If a person came on and advertised a server (I use this as an example because most servers disallow this.) they would likely say, "lol dude stop" instead of actually administering punishment. They typically won't be helpful to you when you need some help with something and would instead continue to fool around with all the players. In conclusion, server staff should be involved with the community, but be able to focus on assigned tasks.
The Builders: This is a simple group that applies to those really amazing builder who can create structures like you've never seen before. They sometimes apply for staff, sometimes don't but they usually share qualities with the "Active Players" group in the sense they don't really provide any staff qualities to your server. They are a questionable choice for staff because there are many variables. Their activity, if they spend all of their time building, how helpful they are, their experience with the server and it's rules. There is no concrete way to decide this, but looking at the groups a specific player shares qualities with could provide answers.
The Shy Players: This group applies to the active players who know much about the server and enjoy helping people, but are shy and afraid that everything will result in a punishment. These are the people who have never broken a rule on your server and always, when you talk to them, have good input to the server and ask question when they're not sure instead of making up answers. These people are a good choice for staff. If given a rank, they will use it for only the good and will typically try to find other ways of punishment instead of bans, and sometimes they can even rehabilitate a rule breaking player, keeping a player on your server and making your staff team look better as a whole. Most of them stop being so shy when they are given a leadership position (Which, in real life, is a common cure to shyness). In conclusion, staff members should be kind and not ban ready, and should be mature enough to admit when they don't know something.
The Mini-Mods: These are the players who, even though they are not, act like staff members. They are not shy, and in fact may share qualities with the "Active Players" group, but they are the ones who will always report rule breaking that occurs in the absence of a staff member. They're the ones that pay attention to staff members when they handle a debate and later, if the debate comes up, they will solve it using the same tactic. These people are a very good choice for staff. They are experienced, and know already what the staff of your server need to do, as opposed to others knowing only the duties of a generic staff member. These people typically are active and long lasting players who follow the rules not because they're shy, but because they respect them. These, therefore, are the people who should enforce them, make sure the rest of the players respect them too. They are not usually ban happy, and will almost never abuse their powers, though once in a very long while they may make a questionable decision in the good of your server. In conclusion, server staff should show qualities of good staff members all the time.
Now that we've gone over the different kinds of people you're likely to meet as a hiring server, let's talk about how you should divide up staff powers. I'll go over this by sharing some common ways servers have done this.
Admins have the real responsibilities: These are the servers with all the busy admins and the ones that almost always have a "Chat-Mod" Rank, usually in the absence of another mod rank. These servers are typically very unbalanced, and as such this is a bad way to divide staff responsibilities. Reason one, what happens when you want to promote a moderator? They will go from just watching the chat for spam and ads to having much more responsibility, and they simply haven't been properly introduced to it. Likely, they won't know what they're doing and will continue to act as "Chat-Mods" even through promotions. In conclusion, you should not have too big a difference between the powers of staff ranks.
No difference at all: This is a very rare system to find in this day and age. This one applies to those few servers with no "Admin" or "Moderator" ranks, just a "Staff" rank. all the staff members are equal, there is no authority, and everyone does the same things. This system doesn't work, and is a bad way to separate powers. For one thing, new staff members will not know everything, which is why a lower rank exists for them to get the hang of being staff on your server. Throwing them into equal responsibility with those who have been staff for months, even years, is extremely unbalanced. They're likely to make many errors that will harm your server, and it won't be their fault. In conclusion, you should have some separation of powers so that newer staff members can be introduced to responsibilities.
Different ranks, but responsibility shared: This is when you have several staff ranks "Mod, Admin, Trial-Mod, OP, etc." but all the ranks share the same responsibilities. An admin could punish someone for a chat offence, while a Trial-Mod could inspect a grief (Should your server disallow it). This is a good way to separate powers, because it gives the introductory feel to newer staff while not totally dividing responsibilities to the point where it only works if you have one person from every rank on at the same time, always. It allows everyone to share responsibilities while providing a clear sense of authority, which is the way to go. In conclusion, you should separate ranks, but not powers, so to speak. Everyone should be able to, if needed, perform any task related to being staff.
Note: I will be updating this frequently as I see fit. if you have something you'd like me to add, please leave it in a comment below. This blog will continue to be updated so long as it remains useful and there are changes to be made.
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to diamond and subscribe if you liked my guide! Have a feature request? Put it in the comments and I'll do my absolute best to update it ASAP. Have something you disagree with or something you want changed? Comment and I'll put your side of the argument in here too! Please consider subscribing to me for updates and future blogs. Have a nice day!
Server Owners! Are you hiring staff members for your server? Oh, you are? Well, I think you should make sure you pick the right people for your server! This blog is meant as a resource for you to see all the types of applicants and why they may or may not be the right kind of staff member for your server! Bear in mind, it is didfficult to predict everything about everyone.
Let's start off with the types of applicants you are likely to encounter.
1. The "In-Game" Applicant: What is this kind of applicant? This is the person who would go onto a server and say, "Could I have a book and quill to apply for admin plz" or merely "Hi can I be staff I'm mature and wont abuse my powers plz". These people are a very bad choice for staff members. I'll explain. A good server, In the opinion of a player, would have a website-based application, either through a forum (Thread), or through an application process you design yourself. These look professional and allow people to answer with the information you want them to. Having someone apply in game not only leaves the information open to them (So you don't see their real qualities, thus allowing them to obscure your views of them) but it gives off the impression they can not be a part of an external website for your server. In, again through my knowledge, the opinion of a player, server staff should be active on a server forum, blog, or other website if one exists for such a server. If you have an admin who can not do that, and someone raises a complaint or needs help and puts it on the website, how is your admin to properly and effectively answer said help request? In conclusion, staff members are best when they can take part in external services for your server, such as a website , forum, or blog if one exists.
The Immediate Applicant: This one is pretty self- explanatory. This is the person who will come onto a server and immediately ask for staff, or ask if an owner or server administrator is online first. These people are a very bad choice for staff members. They don't actually care about your server and just want a free rank to mess around or let their friends cheat on your server. A person who has basically never seen the majority of your server beyond maybe a minute can not be expected to know anything about it or it's rules. They'd probably violate several of them as a staff member, anyways. In conclusion, staff members should be active and long-lasting players who are very familiar with all aspects of your server and it's rules.
The Constant Reminder: This group would be assigned to players who otherwise aren't all that bad candidates for staff, only they ask about it or remind server staff/owners about it every time they get the chance. They are those who, when a server owner comes online, would ask, "[Name of Owner], have you read my staff application?", or "[Name of Owner], will you accept my staff application?" Even though these people seem like they really care about your server to the point of which they want to be staff so much, they are a bad choice for staff members. They are immature, and cannot handle waiting for a position to come, and likely will be asking for a promotion soon after they achieve a staff rank. a server staff should be happy to be just a player, as this shows they truly care about your server and are not just staying because they want to be staff. In conclusion, staff members should be good players and happy with whatever rank they get.
The Donate-For-Staff's: These are the people who keep your server running with frequent or larger than usual donations, who you can tell really want to be staff. No matter how much they donate, they are a very bad choice for staff. Keep in mind, server owners, that this group does not apply to donators who are keen and share good traits with the better groups (See below), this is given to the ones that think they can buy their way into a staff team. They typically just want it for the giggles and are very unprepared for an actual leadership position. In conclusion, staff members should always be ready for a position.
The Big Brains: These are the people who know quite a lot about some aspects of your server, and can generally answer a new player's questions. They are the ones who know all the syntax's for all the commands people can use and know near all there is to know about your server. They seem like good candidates, as they know quite a bit and can likely be useful in the event of you forgetting something, but they are in reality a bad choice for staff members. Allow me to explain. Typically, with these people, they are very proud of their knowledge. I know because I used to fall under this group until I learned to be humble. Because of this, many can't stand it when they're wrong and will often be very rude to people when corrected (Especially if that person happens to be a newer player) They don't listen to authority (i.e., you, the server owner) and will not do as told well. They're perfectly fine players, but if given power they will likely abuse it because they are easily upset by people who prove them wrong. for example, I once saw an admin who banned someone for telling him how to use a command from a plugin. He was banned for: "Being rude to a server admin" when all he did was politely correct his error. You can see the kind of effect this could have over longer periods of time. In conclusion, server staff should be able to handle criticism, admit when they are wrong, and respect authority.
The Active Players: These are just what the title implies, active players. Nothing special about them really,but you always see them on your server. Perhaps they are always working on a build or a redstone project or something, but they don't communicate with other players much at all. Sure they are active players on your server who likely have been around for a while, but they are a somewhat bad choice for staff members. While it is true that staff members should be active on your server, they should also be social (To a certain extent) and willing to help other people solve their problems. These people are probably fine with having player ranks and typically, most of them don't even apply for staff. In conclusion, server staff should be both active and involved with the community of your server.
The Over-Socials: These players are the opposite of the Active Players (See Above). They are active just like them but they are never alone, always talking and playing with other people. Playing with, not helping. These people generally just like to fool around and are seemingly immature on your server. They always have a laugh at players who are new to the server when they can't understand something and rarely actually do anything to help. They are a bad choice for staff members, because given the rank, they will likely neglect their duties. If a person came on and advertised a server (I use this as an example because most servers disallow this.) they would likely say, "lol dude stop" instead of actually administering punishment. They typically won't be helpful to you when you need some help with something and would instead continue to fool around with all the players. In conclusion, server staff should be involved with the community, but be able to focus on assigned tasks.
The Builders: This is a simple group that applies to those really amazing builder who can create structures like you've never seen before. They sometimes apply for staff, sometimes don't but they usually share qualities with the "Active Players" group in the sense they don't really provide any staff qualities to your server. They are a questionable choice for staff because there are many variables. Their activity, if they spend all of their time building, how helpful they are, their experience with the server and it's rules. There is no concrete way to decide this, but looking at the groups a specific player shares qualities with could provide answers.
The Shy Players: This group applies to the active players who know much about the server and enjoy helping people, but are shy and afraid that everything will result in a punishment. These are the people who have never broken a rule on your server and always, when you talk to them, have good input to the server and ask question when they're not sure instead of making up answers. These people are a good choice for staff. If given a rank, they will use it for only the good and will typically try to find other ways of punishment instead of bans, and sometimes they can even rehabilitate a rule breaking player, keeping a player on your server and making your staff team look better as a whole. Most of them stop being so shy when they are given a leadership position (Which, in real life, is a common cure to shyness). In conclusion, staff members should be kind and not ban ready, and should be mature enough to admit when they don't know something.
The Mini-Mods: These are the players who, even though they are not, act like staff members. They are not shy, and in fact may share qualities with the "Active Players" group, but they are the ones who will always report rule breaking that occurs in the absence of a staff member. They're the ones that pay attention to staff members when they handle a debate and later, if the debate comes up, they will solve it using the same tactic. These people are a very good choice for staff. They are experienced, and know already what the staff of your server need to do, as opposed to others knowing only the duties of a generic staff member. These people typically are active and long lasting players who follow the rules not because they're shy, but because they respect them. These, therefore, are the people who should enforce them, make sure the rest of the players respect them too. They are not usually ban happy, and will almost never abuse their powers, though once in a very long while they may make a questionable decision in the good of your server. In conclusion, server staff should show qualities of good staff members all the time.
Now that we've gone over the different kinds of people you're likely to meet as a hiring server, let's talk about how you should divide up staff powers. I'll go over this by sharing some common ways servers have done this.
Admins have the real responsibilities: These are the servers with all the busy admins and the ones that almost always have a "Chat-Mod" Rank, usually in the absence of another mod rank. These servers are typically very unbalanced, and as such this is a bad way to divide staff responsibilities. Reason one, what happens when you want to promote a moderator? They will go from just watching the chat for spam and ads to having much more responsibility, and they simply haven't been properly introduced to it. Likely, they won't know what they're doing and will continue to act as "Chat-Mods" even through promotions. In conclusion, you should not have too big a difference between the powers of staff ranks.
No difference at all: This is a very rare system to find in this day and age. This one applies to those few servers with no "Admin" or "Moderator" ranks, just a "Staff" rank. all the staff members are equal, there is no authority, and everyone does the same things. This system doesn't work, and is a bad way to separate powers. For one thing, new staff members will not know everything, which is why a lower rank exists for them to get the hang of being staff on your server. Throwing them into equal responsibility with those who have been staff for months, even years, is extremely unbalanced. They're likely to make many errors that will harm your server, and it won't be their fault. In conclusion, you should have some separation of powers so that newer staff members can be introduced to responsibilities.
Different ranks, but responsibility shared: This is when you have several staff ranks "Mod, Admin, Trial-Mod, OP, etc." but all the ranks share the same responsibilities. An admin could punish someone for a chat offence, while a Trial-Mod could inspect a grief (Should your server disallow it). This is a good way to separate powers, because it gives the introductory feel to newer staff while not totally dividing responsibilities to the point where it only works if you have one person from every rank on at the same time, always. It allows everyone to share responsibilities while providing a clear sense of authority, which is the way to go. In conclusion, you should separate ranks, but not powers, so to speak. Everyone should be able to, if needed, perform any task related to being staff.
Note: I will be updating this frequently as I see fit. if you have something you'd like me to add, please leave it in a comment below. This blog will continue to be updated so long as it remains useful and there are changes to be made.
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to diamond and subscribe if you liked my guide! Have a feature request? Put it in the comments and I'll do my absolute best to update it ASAP. Have something you disagree with or something you want changed? Comment and I'll put your side of the argument in here too! Please consider subscribing to me for updates and future blogs. Have a nice day!
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