Read Me Information for Applicants and Regulars

Welcome to the area of the forum dedicated to Staff Applications. Whether you're interested in applying for staff, or are merely here to find out more, this is the thread for you! This thread details our guidelines for applicants, for staff, and for those wishing to comment on applications.

Table of Contents:
Staff Application Procedure
This post details the various parts of our staff application process and allows you to better understand how we handle staff applications. Please do not apply until you have read this.

Staff Application Prerequisites
This post details the requirements to be a member of staff. Please do not apply until you have read this.

Staff Application Tips
This post details some tips for those applying for staff. Please do not apply until you have read this.

Staff Application Commentary and Contribution
This post details the guidelines and information for commenting on existing staff applications. Please do not post in an existing application until you have read this.

Code of Conduct
This post details the guidelines and information for behavior within the staff applications area. Please do not post until you have read this.

 

Staff Application Procedure
Our staff applications follow a six-part process, which is detailed in this section.

1. Initial Review: A member of Harpoon’s staff application team reviews the application. We check if the user has met our prerequisites (listed here) and if we feel as though the candidate is worth further consideration. Please note that at any point in the process, applications may be closed if we believe the applicant is not currently ready or fit for staff.
   
   
2. Community Input: A period lasting for one week. During this time, regulars of the server are encouraged to leave a public comment. Staff members are also encouraged to comment on the application, they may do this privately or publicly. Applications must receive at least five positive posts of support to be considered for staff*. Also during this time, staff and regulars may pose questions to the applicant or give constructive criticism (See here for more details.).
   1. Please note that while the application is under “Initial Review”, community input may also be given. The period of one week is inclusive of the initial review. The period may also be shortened if deemed appropriate.
   
   
3. Screening: A member of Harpoon’s staff application team reviews the application, as well as the public and private input that was given on the applicant. If the application does not have five positive posts of support, the staff member stops screening the application and instead returns it to the Community Input stage for one more week. If the application fails to meet the minimum requirement for support after the additional week, the application is closed.
   
   
4. Interview: The applicant goes through a 15 – 30 minute interview and conversation with a member(s) of the senior management team. Discussions about scamming, sharking, Harpoon servers, and various other topics will be covered.
   
   
5. Server Evaluation: The applicant is brought into the Harpoon Test server and given server powers and instructed on commands. During this time, we also cover other aspects of being a staff member. This serves as a general review of how the individual behaves, how quickly they learn, and also, for us to get a better idea of strengths and weaknesses.
   
   
6. Staff Trial: Lastly, if the applicant completes the evaluation and performs well, they are brought onto staff on a trial basis. That will last a minimum of one week. During this time, they will have powers on the servers, but may not have full staff privileges.

*There are only three possible cases where someone may be exempt from the requirement for five positive posts of support:

1. Sponsorship: When a member of the Staff that is Full Admin or above offers to mentor the applicant and take additional responsibility for the applicant’s training, and guidance as a staff member.
   
   
2. Exception: When the Owner/Co-Owner, Chief of Staff/Deputy, or the Manager of the server to which the applicant is applying chooses to make an exception for the applicant.
   
   
3. Invitation: When the Owner or Co-Owner(s) decide to extend a formal invitation to join staff to an individual, this individual/applicant is immediately brought to the Server Evaluation phase of the staff application process.

 

Staff Application Prerequisites

1. You must be active on this forum.
   • Your application for staff should not be your first post or one of the first few.
2. You must be active on our server.
   • We recommend you compare your hours to various members of the staff, this will allow you to get an overall idea of their normal activity.
3. You must be active in the Harpoon Gaming Discord.
   • https://forum.harpoongaming.com/account/external-accounts
4. You must be in our Steam Group.
   • http://steamcommunity.com/groups/Harpoon_Gaming
5. You have your Steam Account associated with your Forum Account.
   • https://forum.harpoongaming.com/account/external-accounts
6. We recommend having a rep thread with at least a few legitimate rep posts.**
   • **This recommendation is only for admin applications.
7. You must have a functioning mic and be able to use it regularly.
   • We sometimes make exceptions for this rule if we believe you can adequately administrate without a microphone.
8. You must be known by the admins and regulars.
9. You must have experience in the game/server you are applying to. If you just started playing, applying for staff is not a good idea.
   
10. To apply for admin, you must be 18 years of age or older. To apply for moderator, you can be any age. However, admins may be under 18 years old if they have first served as a mod.

If you fail to meet any of the above requirements, your application may be declined.

 

Staff Application Additional Rules and Tips

• We recommend having some previous admin experience.
• Spelling and grammar mistakes reflect poorly on you. If we can't understand it, then that's on you.
• Activity is important here. We expect each staff member to put in their fair share of time and effort into Harpoon Gaming.
• Our staff is volunteers, they are not paid. Any time and effort put forth are for the good of the community, and your personal growth.*
• Staff members are not above the rules. We expect you to abide by the rules.
• We do not tolerate scamming/sharking. Any such behavior will be met with removal and a ban.
• Abuse of your powers is not tolerated. There is a time and place for commands. Using your admin powers in a mean spirited way for your advantage, or invalid reasons isn't acceptable.
• Having a history of bans or similar from Harpoon, partner communities, SteamRep, and Valve will affect your application, from automatic decline to more scrutinous review.
• Do spend time on our Discord server getting to know the staff and the community in general better.
• Do use the forums and be active on it, be part of the discussions that we have here.

 

Staff Application Commentary and Contribution

Anyone may now post on applications, and give their thoughts using the following format:

+1 – Meaning you support the application and person applying. Typically, you would want to mention things or events that you believe qualify them for staff.

+0 – Meaning you are neutral on the application. You can simply post this without additional commentary, or you may add comments or questions to the post.

-1 – Meaning you oppose the application. Typically, you would want to mention things that you believe would disqualify the person for staff, or things you believe they should improve on.

If you are posting on an application, we ask that all of your commentaries are said with respect. While we are fine if you disagree, or have problems with a user, we expect you to at least remain civil. If your application is receiving posts, please don’t take any criticism as an insult. Take the comments constructively, and work to address and improve issues that are mentioned.

Individuals that frequently disrespect applicants will be disciplined and individuals that frequently and positively contribute will be rewarded.


Examples:

Any questions can be posted in this thread.

F.A.Q.
Can we actively seek out people to comment/post in our applications?
Yes, you can do so. However, you should be ready to accept their post regardless of support or opposition.

Can we post a +1/+0/-1 without adding any comments?
Yes, however, it will have much less impact and consideration given.

If a large number of people support my application, will I automatically be accepted?
While having more people support your application helps, the staff will still carefully review and have the final say. However, applications that have support from active regulars will certainly have a higher chance.

 

Code of Conduct
Do:

• Do read the rules and understand all of them. If you have any questions regarding the rules, you can ask any of our staff members.
• Do behave on our servers and don't cause any trouble. Having previous problems and bans may reflect poorly on your staff application and personality.
• Do have a public Steam profile and inventory.
• Do be honest about any of your concerns or problems that you have regarding Harpoon or even your personal life if you choose to discuss that. We're very accepting and won't degrade anyone.

Do Not:

• Do not harass any of the current Harpoon Gaming staff members about your staff application, you want to have good relationships with staff, you may work with them!
• Do not break any of the server/forum rules that we have.
• Do not lie about yourself when answering our questions.
• Do not plagiarize when creating your application.
• Do not rush your application, please.

Spoiler: Forum Code of Conduct

Personal Safety Rules

• Never reveal information about your personal identity (such as your full name, address, phone number, or school) on the forums unless told to for specific reasons such as staff applications, though we only ask for your age when it comes to personal information most of the time. You are currently on a public online forum where you may not know everyone who might see the information.
• Never reveal personal information online about someone else without their permission and knowledge.
• Never reveal your steam username/password to anyone else.
• Never send a picture of someone else without their permission and knowledge, and know that people you may not know will see your posts. You are to NOT use anyone's picture to disrespect and to use for harmful purposes.
• Report immediately to a staff member any message or request that you receive that bothers you.

Unacceptable Sites and Materials

• Do not share and/or post material from sites that others might find inappropriate or offensive.
• Harpoon Gaming is a community that welcomes everyone but will not welcome those who do not respect the rights of every individual. Discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated. It is not acceptable to come on the forums and start harassing others. We do not accept bullying of any kind. It is different when it comes to joking but we will take immediate action on non-joking matters.
• Users of Harpoon Gaming will not knowingly access, upload, store, display, distribute or publish any information that:
  • is illegal or that advocates illegal acts or facilitates unlawful activity;
  • threatens or intimidates any person or suggests violence, hatred, or discrimination toward other people;
  • uses inappropriate and/or abusive language or conduct;
  • contains inappropriate religious or political messages;
  • is racially, culturally, or religiously offensive;
  • encourages the use of controlled substances, participation in an illegal act, or uses the system to incite criminal actions;
  • is of a defamatory, abusive, obscene, profane, pornographic, or sexually explicit nature;
  • contains personal information, images, or signatures of individuals without their prior informed consent;
  • attempts to hide, disguise or misrepresent the identity of the sender.

Prohibited Uses and Activities

• You and only you should be the only user on your account. Do not share with anyone else.
• Use any other person's account on the system.
• Attempt to subvert the Harpoon Gaming networks by breaching security measures, hacking accessing records without authorization, or any other type of disruption such as DDoSing. If found, you will be punished. No appeals.
• Take content from the forums and servers that have been presented by others and act as if it was yours. When taking content such as ideas from someone else, you must have permission from them. For example, stealing maps from our servers and using them for your own. The use of copyright materials without permission can result in legal action.

Online Publishing

• Links from the Harpoon Gaming site to outside sites must be carefully selected. Do not share any private information without permission.
• Personal information such as personal addresses, phone numbers, individual or group pictures, or signatures cannot be published without permission from everyone that is included.
• For the safety of our users and staff, you must NOT publish specific dates, times, and locations of future trips that users may be taking publicly to everyone. Anyone can come on and read what you have posted.
• You must NOT advertise our forums and servers on other servers. We do not allow advertisements of such on our own servers. Wearing the HG tag while being on other sites and servers are fine.

Consequences
Inappropriate use of online access by users and staff could result in disciplinary action that may include banning and/or being removed from staff. You AGREE and UNDERSTAND the Code of Conduct by reading this and moving on. It is on you if you have caused trouble and haven't read what is needed to be read. Depending on how serious the situation is, we will not offer a chance for you to appeal. You have been warned.
Liability
Harpoon Gaming does not promise that you will be 100% safe at all times. It is very important to limit yourself on what you post on the forums for everyone to see. Please keep in mind when sharing information about yourself including pictures, users that you may not know will see. We will act immediately if we see something that we think should be taken down. We are not responsible for any nature or kind.