Madison’s Curator Application

Hello, it’s nice to be here again. I hope you all are having a wonderful day and thanks in advance for reading my application. I’ll try my best not to let y’all down with this one. Have a good evening !

The cover image aesthetics are from the movie Pocahontas, while the background image is from google.

#FebCuratorApps19

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01. Tell us some things about yourself. (AJ experience, time zone, hobbies, strengths/weaknesses, what you post, anything else we should know, etc.)

Hello, my name is James Madison, or James Badison on different aminos, whatever you feel like calling me! I’m a writer and an artist, who enjoys musicals and working on personal projects such as animatics and/or short stories. Some I may share here since they are Animal Jam related, others I may not. I strive to improve myself and my skill set by putting myself out there and trying new mediums, things I can experience and determine if it’s something I’m willing to expand further on. My boundaries are endless, and my schedule is flexible enough to grant me the time to try and succeed. Though I may not be the best first time around, that does not stop me from trying again.

It is my goal this year to be the most positive I can be, through ing myself and others along. I do this through leaving positive comments, doodling positive notes in a sketchbook I have for myself, and being there for a friend when they need to vent or let something that’s troubling them out. I enjoy helping people, and I do it for fun, not as a job or because I’m being forced. It feels nice to have helped someone, even if it was a simple question like “where do I suggest posts to be featured?”. I work hard to make sure what I’m doing is as accurate and correct as possible, so others may not be mislead or misinformed. I’m a strict rule follower, and I intend to stay that way for as long as I’m here.

Though I try hard, that doesn’t mean I’m perfect and flawless. I tend to ask a lot of questions through scenarios the first time around, so I get a feel for how the team works and what to do. I’m currently improving in this field however, as I work on a different amino. I’ll expand on that later in a separate answer. I try to stay patient, but there are days where I struggle. However, I don’t let this get in the way of my professionalism while handling drama or an issue that’s erupting.

Before I finish this off, my timezone is EST. And though I’m active on Amino as a whole, I’m still a high school student. My hours are 7:50AM-2:30PM on weekdays, and sometimes afterwards as I have homework. I’m mostly active at night and on the weekends, sometimes even in between those hours.

02. How long have you used Amino?

I’ve used Amino for over two years now, so I’m familiar with the platform and how it runs.

03. How active are you? (Please include screenshots of your AJA stats and check-ins!)

I worry my activity may cause a bit of concern right now, however I’ve stated before that school has been taking up my time lately. I’m actively working to improve my activity and check-ins. Please, do not dock me for this. I assure you, that once I pick up the pace, I’ll be far more active than what these screenshots can provide. Flaws are what makes us human, and this is only one of them that’s easily solved over time and hard work, something I’m willing to put in.

04. Do you have prior experience as a staff member in another group or Amino? Which one(s) and what rank are/were you? (Member, Curator, Co-leader, Leader?)

I do.

On an Animal Crossing Amino with over 800 , I’m a leader. I’ve been a leader there for almost 2 years now, and I’ve dealt with a wide variety of scenarios including drama and inappropriate content. Though it’s gone inactive now, it has provided me with enough experience to give me a basic understanding of the leadership tools, and how to work Amino Manager.

On an amino called Hamilton amino, or Hamino for short, I’ve recently become a curator. This is currently providing me with a fair deal of experience in fights and reports, questions, and determining what should and shouldn’t be disabled, even if it isn’t completely specified in the guidelines. This has given me a great deal of experience, and I’m still learning a thing or two as I go. Even then, every staff team is different, and so it may be a little different here than it is there.

As for this amino, I was formerly a member of both AJAA and Jamaa Weekly. This has given me a good idea of what working in a group is like, and how to handle deadlines. Though I stepped down myself due to my own activity at the time, and though Jamaa Weekly was disbanded, I still plan to reapply for AJAA one day.

I had also handled one of the largest and most active public chats on this amino back in the day. Though it has fallen inactive now, it has had a long run under my leadership and hasn’t encountered many problems. I personally believe I was fair when handling punishments such as permanent or temporary kicks, however that opinion may be bias. I made sure to warn a member about the rule they’re breaking before properly kicking them, unless they were worse than the usual. In that case, it would have been best for me to report the member to a staff member.

05. How well can you handle criticism and honest opinions?

I, personally, feel like I can handle this pretty well. I encourage people to tell me what I can improve on, and how I can do it, as long as it isn’t in a derogatory or destructive manner. I face a lot of criticism as a staff member on the Amino I mentioned above, and it hasn’t bothered me in the slightest.

06. What qualities do you believe any staff member should have? Which qualities are you lacking, and how can you improve from them?

As a staff member, I believe you should have traits such as patience, confidence, and the ability to be a leader, even if you’re not the leader of the community itself. Those three traits are, to me, what makes up a good staff member. Patience is key when handling difficult or tough situations. It’s not professional to blow up or fight the for what you believe in, you just need to stay calm. Confidence is there because you want to feel like you know what you’re doing, you want to stand out and help other s without questioning if you’re right or not. And the most important, leadership skills, are there not only to help the other s and lead them towards the right direction, but to be a role model. Especially in a community with underage , people will look up to you, and it’s your job to make sure they follow the rules and guidelines.

Out of all of these, I believe I lack confidence the most. I had mentioned in my first answer that I ask a lot of questions, and I’ll elaborate further on that here. Upon first becoming a curator, I ask questions on how to do certain things and watch, because I’m unsure of how the team and the amino functions. Once I have a feel for it, I’ll ask less questions and work more effectively when I’m more sure of myself. I can improve this flaw over time by gaining more experience in the curating field and having a feel for how the team works.

07. Why do you want to be a Curator? Why do you have the potential to be a part of the staff team?

Being a curator here is something I’ve had my eye on since I’ve ed this amino. It’s a job that interests me because it helps people and the community, which is something I enjoy doing even with the negative backlash it receives. And as I’m helping the community, I’m also improving my skills, which will help me become a better curator on here and on any other amino I may be a curator in. As for the community as a whole, I wish to help with handling issues that can be solved and to help with activity. I believe this community has a lot of potential, it just needs a little bit of tweaking.

As a person, I have flaws. But I feel as though my experience and patience in a field such as curatorship on an amino makes me qualified, even if it’s just slightly. I know how to work the system, and what should and shouldn’t be in the community, and there’s certain personality traits and my own maturity and professionalism that helps me lead and do my job. I am no robot, but I try my best to be as efficient and flawless as I can be. Preventing biases during fights, and having a sense of determination can get people places, and that’s what I strive to be.

08. What changes do you have in mind for Amino? What can you contribute to improving this Amino as well?

First of all, I feel like hosting more community events and focusing on activity is a must. I was vague about this in the previous question’s answer, but I’ll elaborate further here. Hosting things like a custom title raffle, or a pre-made title raffle for could help them feel more engaged in the community, and hosting meet-and-greets or parties like what’s been happing in the past could help too. Though the results may not happen immediately, these types of things really help improve activity.

Secondly, another thing that could be suggesting is having a more wider variety of featured posts. Just featuring art that seems really good or fits a certain standard, as it can look professional, makes the community look nice, however it limits how many posts are on the front page. My suggestion is to look for art that may not look as pleasing, or as professional and clean, but shows improvement, time, and effort. Not just art, looking for member held contests, writing, den maps, or posts that are unique can add a lot more variety to the front page, rather than the majority being art and group magazines.This can improve how many posts are on the featured page and opens up more broadcasting opportunities, which leads back to my first suggestion, improving activity.

Lastly, focusing on dealing with drama faster could be a big one, even if it’s more difficult than the others. It can prevent the drama from growing bigger than it needs to be if it gets resolved faster, which could help a lot of . Being the center of drama doesn’t help, but getting involved in it is just as bad. Staff activity is very important in an amino, regardless of the size or topic. Without a staff to enforce the rules, nobody will feel safe or secure, and they won’t be able to enjoy the community as well as you could with these abilities.

As for my own contribution to the community as a staff member, I can help through helping to resolve drama and being active, for to go to if nobody else is online. Aside from the hours I’ve mentioned before, I’m available and ready to respond at a moments notice unless I’ve warned about a vacation or a family event beforehand. Otherwise, I’m open almost 24/7. I can also provide more ideas and suggestions to help the community.

09. How often would you use breaks? Will you have time to fulfill your tasks needed as a dependable Curator?

I won’t use breaks often, since I don’t normally go on any form of vacation or traveling that I’m not allowed to use my phone. In the rare chance I go somewhere where my activity will be hindered in any form, I’ll leave a notice in advance so it’s not last minute. As for time, I’m not concerned about that either. I have my mornings, afternoons after 2:30PM, evenings, and weekends to myself, and though I can’t spend ALL of my time on Amino, I can spend enough time to get my work done without being concerned about having less time.

10. In your own words, what content do you deem feature-worthy?

A feature-worthy post should not only look aesthetically pleasing, whether it be art with clean lines and soft colors, or a piece of writing with little grammatical errors or spelling errors, it should show effort or time too. Even if the art doesn’t look professional quality, a piece that looks pleasing and shows time and effort put into it should be featured. Posts that are creative and stand out from their peers that fit the requirements should also be featured too, since they’re unique and add variety to the front page.

11. A community member is consistently attacking the same artist. They keep insisting their work is terrible, and are showing no respect to the victim. What do you do?

Screenshot the comments, delete them, and message the member with a warning. Then report to a leader about the member with the screenshots as evidence of their behavior and ask if further action is required.

12. A member is continuously violating one or more guidelines. What measures do you take?

Depending on the guidelines, the most I can do is find evidence, hide the profile and report to a leader. As a curator, I can’t hand out strikes and/or bans, so it’s up to me to report such behavior to someone who can. I assume the member has already been warned for breaking the guideline once, and if they haven’t I’d ask the team beforehand instead of hiding them, and warn them as well.

13. When posting about another member, what is allowed and what isn't?

When posting about a member, things that are jokes like funny screenshots and fake “exposed” posts I feel are allowed, along with member appreciation posts, which are there to spread positivity towards a specific member, or a group. However posts that are there to bring down a member, or cause drama by being derogatory towards one or a group, is not allowed and should be immediately disabled.

14. A fit of drama starts within a group chat. Several are going at each other while bystanders occasionally give their own input, fueling the fire. What do you do upon seeing this?

Upon seeing this, the first thing I’d want to do is digest the situation. How did the drama start? Who was originally involved? How can this be resolved peacefully? Questions like these are good to ask in a situation like this. Upon finding the people who started the fight, I’d figure out what the problem is, and if it’s vague, I’d ask questions. I want to solve this with as little bias as possible. Upon figuring out what the issue is, I would ask them to refrain from fighting in the chat and offer suggestions, like blocking the other member or just ignoring what caused the issue, since most drama can be easily avoided, and is usually caused over something that can be ignored. If the continue to argue or fight, the best I can do is disable the chat, since I had warned them beforehand that drama isn’t allowed in this community.

I am most skilled in handling drama, and quick to respond when a member messages me regarding the issue. I have timed myself in the past, and have come to resolve a fit of drama in under ten minutes. Though it’s impossible for me to discover every piece of drama in the community to solve it, I enjoy taking time to read through chats and make sure everything is going slowly and following the guidelines. Sometimes I’d even drop into chats, to help ensure that those chats, whether popular or small, follow the guidelines and receive warnings when they fail to do so.

15. What measure would you take if a member sent you a suicidal message or tell you that they wish to harm themselves?

There’s nothing I can really do to help the person myself, since I am not a therapist. I would send them links to a suicide hotline, which they can call instead of talking to someone who isn’t qualified to help them.

16. You just disabled someone's blog for violating the guidelines. The member decides to insult or even block you for no good reason. How do you respond?

If the member insults me, I won’t get offended or attack the member back. That’s fueling the fire and unprofessional. If they have a problem with how I’m doing my job, I would ask them politely to discuss the problem with a leader rather than attacking me. If they block me and prevent me from doing this, I would inform a leader myself of the issue since there’s nothing I can really do if they have me blocked.

17. Are you bilingual or multilingual? If so, which languages do you speak?

I am not bilingual or multilingual, no. I’m an English speaker who is taking a French class, so I can understand simple phrases and words in French and can piece together more complicated ones. That’s about it.

18. Would you be able to deal with mature or sensitive topics?

I would be able to deal with mature or sensitive topics, yes. It’s a part of being a , and I’ve had to deal with it not only on amino but on Discord, a different platform, as well. I know how to handle it in a professional manner.

19. Your friend asks you for strictly private staff information. If you don't share it, they threaten to reveal secretive information about you to many people. What do you do?

I wouldn’t share the information, regardless of what they’re trying to threaten me with. The moderating work and confidentiality comes first, and unless I’m cleared to share information, I won’t do so. If they reveal secretive information, so be it, the job comes first and that’s what matters to me.

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As a last note before I leave, I’d like to say that I may not have the answers for everything yet. I’m still fairly new to certain scenarios and I may ask questions, which I know is usually encouraged in new staff . Teamwork is important in a community staff team, which means I may communicate and ask for help if I don’t know how to handle a certain scenario yet. I’ve discovered this through my own time as a curator on Hamilton amino, and would like to be as honest with you as possible here.

Other than that, I hope you all have a wonderful day. And good luck to the other applicants out there !