<p>I’ve been a part-time moderator at a forum since 2006, and I enjoy helping out there. I’ve learned about leadership and teamwork through being a moderator. But does being a moderator count as volunteer work or an extracurricular activity for college? I’m sorry if the answer is kinda obvious, but I’m just not sure. It’s actually something I’m passionate about as well. I want to become a pharmacist, by the way. Extracurricular activities don’t always have to be connected to one’s intended major, right? That is, if being a moderator counts as an extracurricular activity. I hope it does. Thank you for your answers and replies! :)</p>
<p>I think it depends on what kind of forum you are talking about. If the forum is just common interest, I wouldn’t bother to list it.</p>
<p>I would list it as volunteer work, unless you have tons of other volunteer activities. Extracurricular activities do not have to be tied to your major. I think it makes you look more well-rounded if the activities are not tied.</p>
<p>i have the same dilemma-i’m a moderator of an IIT-aspirants’ society at orkut. worth a mention?</p>
<p>Yes, those things are volunteer work, and it also highlights your interests. Mention it on your applications.</p>
<p>See, I think it depends. If you’re a moderator on a World of Warcraft forum or something, I don’t know how impressive that will look.</p>
<p>I think that being a moderator anywhere except on a site like a porn site or racist site would indlcate that you have leadership skills and a passion for the Internet. Even being a moderator on Warcraft would indicate that you’re not just interested in playing, but also are willing to give back.</p>
<p>being just a moderator in some site doesn’t mean much really. You need something much more outstanding. Being a moderator doesn’t necessary indicate that you have leadershop skills or something at all. Moderator of a game site doesn’t mean you have passion for the internet, it means you show much interest in the game. </p>
<p>cheers</p>
<p>@Michael Ye</p>
<p>i beg to differ.</p>
<p>I guess it depends on how important it is to you. If you spend a lot of time and enjoy it a lot, then put it down. If it’s just something you do for the heck of it… then don’t.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I love being a moderator, and I think I gained more leadership skills by becoming a moderator.</p>
<p>a moderator would fall more under extracurricular just cause its not as “volunteery” enough like helping rebuilding homes, feeding the poor, making a charitable organization, etc. i guess you CAN but i dont think colleges will really view it as a legit volunteering activity.</p>
<p>is it neopets?? if it’s a neopets forum, i definitely would NOT admit that on a college app lol</p>
<p>It’s not a Neopets forum. It’s a forum dedicated to a singer; the community is really diverse. I’ve talked to people from all over the world, and it’s cool to help a community that has many members from many different countries. :)</p>
<p>I would put it down if you’re passionate about it. But not as volunteer work, just as an EC.</p>
<p>I became a moderator at a small RTS gaming website 3 years ago. In addition to moderating, it was my job to collect gaming news to put on our website (we were too small to make our own news).</p>
<p>Since that day 3 years ago, I’ve become an administrator on the website. The website itself has massively grown in size - so much so, that game development companies PAY FOR STAFF on my website to FLY OUT to their studio and do previews on their latest games under development. I’ve been invited by Electronic Arts to preview two of their games (the most recent being Red Alert 3; you might have heard of it!). </p>
<p>From a small website that “copied” news from other site, we were MAKING news and content, and I was and am currently at the forefront of it all. I’ve learned tons through my website: leadership (helping manage the international staff), teamwork, how internet advertising and promotion works, and a lot about entrepreneurship. </p>
<p>Amazing what can happen with a little passion and involvement, right? I’d definitely put it down, and keep it up!</p>
<p>Doesn’t matter if it’s a World of Warcraft forum. As expected, the consensus is that games are strictly negative and detrimental to anything related to college or a successful life. Quite a bit of my cousins have actually been successful while actively gaming, and infact, their gaming passions helped them more such as Yale essays on gaming and etc. I go to a forum that’s…somewhat related to games and while I’m not a moderator it can help. Gaming is one of my main passions, and infact, I concede just about one of the few things I was doing the entire time before I came to this website and learned about colleges/everything…</p>
<p>I’m probably echoing northstarmom, as long as it isn’t anything too offensive like a porn site, it’s fine.</p>
<p>^ I completely agree. Besides, I could care less for any college that doesn’t condone one of the biggest rising industries in the world -_-</p>
<p>oi, lolcats, you may want to Pm me your website…;)</p>
<p>either way, yes, I’d put it as more of an EC than a volunteer. Or an essay can really do the trick if you’ve gotten involved.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s volunteering to be a moderator of a website. It’s a bit of a stretch. Usually I think that if someone has to ask, more often than not it’s not really volunteering. Just because something you do goes unpaid and teaches you leadership skills doesn’t necessarily mean it’s volunteering. However, it works as an EC. Either way, depending on what kind of forum it is, it should be able to make its way onto your application if you were an active moderator.</p>