Steam Name: Talis
Time Zone: Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
Link to Steam Profile: Father Watson's Profile
What server are you applying for? Semi-Serious RP.
SteamID: STEAM_0:0:45068417
Current Gametracker Profiles (Keep in mind that these are using my new Steam name):
Watson's Server One GameTracker
Watson's Server Two GameTracker
Watson's Server Three GameTracker
OLD NAME:
Watson's Server One GameTracker (old name)
Watson's Server Two GameTracker (old name)
Watson's Server Three Tracker (Old name)
Estimated Server Time:
2000+ Hours
Languages I speak:
English. I also scream in Latin, Aramaic and I speak fluently to demons as I try to get the one that's possessing Raeker to fuck off. Negotiations are not going well.
How do you feel that your time as an administrator has contributed to becoming a super administrator:
So it's been a tumultuous and difficult road to get here. I mean that as someone with social anxiety and a difficulty communicating with other people on a fairly normal level, I feel like I've come a long way. I still manage to annoy Raeker, give Chute more fuel for the fire to make fun of me, and continuously argue with Captin over the semantics of pushing one's nan down the stairs, but all seriousness: Being staff has brought me closer to this community than I thought I would be.
It started off so roughly almost two years ago when I was first moderator and that was such a difficult time because I felt like I didn't know what I was doing and that I was messing everything up. I gave up for a short while and then came back to it and I think I kind of became a powerhouse. Over 400 F1s in my first week, and I loved being an admin back then.
To this day, I think being an admin has given me more patience, more commitment and more tenacity and a stronger stomach for social interaction (Sounds sad, but I never claimed to be a social butterfly before, fam). I think I'm ready, and I want to give this a try again. I know last time was quite short - but I wanna really take it to the next level and do my best.
What makes you a good candidate for the super administrator team?
There are five specific factors that make me a good fit for this team and one extra that I think is pretty important too:
Patience is a virtue, especially when dealing with the ZARP community. That's not a slam on ZARP - it's me saying that it's important to remember how vital it is that we as staff keep a cool head when dealing with ZARP's issues.
In the entire time I've been here, I went from struggling with sits and not knowing what to do with certain users to being able to better understand certain mindsets and acknowledge that sits are about being patient with users and knowing that they might take their time in getting valuable evidence, knowing that they might struggle with getting the video up in five minutes or less. And especially respecting that someone might be upset because they weren't able to get the outcome they wanted.
It's about knowing that being an admin isn't about saying "you're a rulebreaker and here's why", it's about listening and taking in both sides of the story. Yes, some people will lie their way out of a situation and will do what they can to get out of being punished - but listening to both sides can be very important to building a better conclusion.
Intuition isn't just about having a good feeling about something. It's about understanding that certain situations need certain answers and when not to open your damn mouth about something that isn't relevant or something that isn't going to make the sit any easier. I've taken strides in the direction of innovation and trying to be smart about how I handle sits. I mean, just the other day I was dealing with a user who was complaining about our system - managed to talk him down just by talking to him one-on-one, and going with my intuition on the idea that challenging him over OOC, or punishing him recklessly would just be adding fuel to the fire.
I've used Skype/Discord/Snapchat/Kik, etc. All for the purposes of helping aid a sit. And I've even casualised my typing when a player was unwilling to talk to me for typing "too professionally". I wanna do what I can, and while going with one's gut on every thing isn't always the best idea, I want you guys to know that I have a good sense of intuition and I know what's right from wrong.
I've always struggled with this one and it's been one of my biggest weaknesses for a little while now. Life gets in the way, etc. etc. But it's important that you guys know that I'm trying my best to be present as much as possible, I like to do F1s even when I know I'm on my own, and even if I can't get anyone else to help. I'm gonna be there and I'm gonna try and fix a problem if I know it's a problem. I'll be active and I'll do everything I can to stay active. So far, so good - I've been attending meetings, been trying to talk more in them, been going on TeamSpeak more often despite my social anxiety, and been trying to stick to each server whenever I can. I wanna bang out F1s when it's time, and I wanna make a difference whenever I can.
This is a big one. This is the one where people will distinguish you from others because they want a staff member they can trust. They want a staff member they know will be there and they want a staff member that's ready to commit when they need to commit. I don't blow my lid when someone messes up. I don't backstab people because I know that it's just not necessary and that cooperation can be way more beneficial in the long run. I have done it before, and it left a small mark on my reputation - I won't lie, and I won't make any excuses. I backstabbed a base about a year ago and it was pretty much all my fault - but I refunded everyone who I screwed over, and even went a little further and risked my own inventory in a coinflip to get the money to pay someone back.
It's making the decisions that aren't always easy, and it's making the points that people need to hear. I want to be the person that people can rely on whenever they need support. And I believe I've already done a bit of that.
I've been at ZARP for almost five years now, and it's been a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions. I've been staff off and on for about two years and it's definitely given me the experience I need to understand certain mindsets, and how certain people think and act.
However, I'm also very mindful of the fact that my experience has shown me that people are capable of surprising you and that not every rulebreaker will always be a rulebreaker. People can change, as much as it seems like they won't. And it's really important to keep that in mind when dealing with anyone. Experience has given me more patience, more consideration, more compassion and more sturdiness.
The Final One
Knowing when you're wrong. You know, in my opinion, this is probably the most important one. You see, knowing when you're wrong and having the decency to not only understand that, but appreciate that someone might want you to admit that - that's being a good staff member. There are too many times where someone will be so stubborn about being right that they won't admit when they're wrong even when they're proven wrong. People who would rather take everyone down with them than admit that they've messed up. It can apply to anything.
It can apply to making the wrong call during a sit and taking the responsibility for your actions afterwards - or it can even just be that you're wrong in an argument and you don't want to admit it because you're too pig-headed to do so.
Maturity, integrity, and compassion are about knowing when you're wrong and admitting when you're wrong, and taking the person's feelings into account when you do so.
Explain a situation as an administrator you encountered that was an obstacle that required the help of a lead team member but you had to work around it when no lead team member was available:
There have been numerous scenarios I've dealt with which needed me to take extra measures outside my typical powers to fix. A simple situation was when I was handling a player who was inexplicably godded; and remained that way until dying and then the second he respawned - was godded again. I managed to get Tyler to assist with this situation after a while, though I did have to god him, ungod him, and then let Tyler fix the issue.
I've also had to help with booster and VIP issues, there have been issues where a player's perks for their booster packs weren't available, and I've had to pursue the matter personally until getting a hold of a CM to help out.
Furthermore, there have been issues where I've had to take screenshots and recordings of staff members who weren't following the ethos and wouldn't back down even after I've spoken to them as there were no lead team members to take the issue to at the time. This has helped me understand that while we are a team - I must be able to show my ability to speak out against those who would harm others, or abuse their powers.
Explain how you would review and handle an abuse report against another staff member:
I'd handle it the same way I'd approach any kind of abuse issue, carefully and pragmatically while thinking of everyone's feelings and how they'd like to be treated.
I'd start off by going to the abuse report and saying I'll handle it by posting the following message;
Thank you for your report. I will personally speak to the staff member and we'll see what we can do.
I'd then go to the staff member and dependent upon their story and the proof provided, I'd either accept it or deny it. This would typically involve me going to the abuse report and messaging on the thread:
Thank you for your report once again, it has been accepted and this person will be spoken about in the meeting.
I have also personally advised them on a better course of action, and will keep an eye on them.
If the report has no grounds for acceptance, I'll deny it with the following:
Thank you for your report once again; unfortunately, there is (insufficient proof/nothing wrong with what they did,
etc).
Explain in detail how you would act in the following situation:
A staff member bans a user for an excessive amount of time, how do you approach the staff member to ensure that everyone is treated fairly?
I'd begin talking to the staff member in question; making sure to approach them in a friendly, compassionate manner and helping us get to the bottom of why they banned this user for the time they did. If they explained it was just a mistake, I would look into advising them about doing it differently the next time. If they explained it was because of an incorrect idea they had about punishments; I'd reeducate them and make sure they know they can come and talk to any member of the lead team if they need to.
Explain in detail how you would act in the following situation:
A staff member is dealing with a user but is struggling to do so in an appropriate manner. How would you resolve the situation?
I'd have to supervise in some ways; monitoring what they say but also making sure they know the right way to go about being patient, caring and respectful of both sides of the situation. Even if someone's a victim, there might be a touch of vindictiveness to their report; even if someone's a perpetrator, there might be a smidge of innocence to their situation. I would look into making sure that they know that certain actions during a sit are unacceptable - there's having fun with it, and then there's just abusing your powers. I'd top it off with making sure they know that if they need any further help, I can help them with their next couple sits by overviewing them.
Explain in detail how you would act in the following situation:
A staff member accuses another staff member of breaking rules, how would you help resolve the situation?
I would help to resolve it by bringing them both to one side, having them hash it out and talk about it in depth and hopefully get to the bottom of the situation by hearing both ends of the story so that I can reach a suitable conclusion. If there's some credibility to what the staff member has said, I'll talk to the accused about it and tell them that if they keep it up (this is purely speculative based upon if they only had this accusation to their name), I'll be forced to bring it up in the LTM and make sure they get the appropriate punishment for it.
Alternatively, if there's no credibility to it, I would attempt to fix the issue by making sure both parties try to play nice and understand that they're a team and there's no room for discord in a team.
Explain in detail how you would act in the following situation:
A staff member acts in a disrespectful manner towards another staff member and or sparks an argument within the staff team. How do you resolve the situation?
Our team doesn't need any chaos. We don't need to feel uneasy around those we work with; especially if we need to rely on those people to help us get the help we might need. It's not a matter of telling them just to stop, it's a matter of getting them to understand that they're part of a team and that intentionally sowing the seeds of mistrust within the team will not be tolerated. If they want to cause drama, they can do it elsewhere, but we don't do it here on ZARP.
I'd bring both parties to one side, talk to them both about what this is all about and try and get them to see that they're both valued members of the team but that their attitude towards each other will not be tolerated and that they will suffer consequences if it keeps up.
Explain in detail how you would act in the following situation:
You spot a staff member breaking rules to the point of harming other users, how do you approach the staff member?
I would go to the staff member and talk to them about what they're doing, then tell them that their actions have warranted a speaking about during the LTM, and that they might face possible demotion if they don't make a change. I'd then tell them that I'd be purposely monitoring their actions for a short while to ensure that things like this don't happen again. If it keeps up, it may warrant me having to further discipline them. I think one good method is getting them on TeamSpeak to be in an environment with other team members so they can follow the right example, but I'd like to avoid making an example of them, too.
Thank you all for reading this and even if I don't get it this time; I'll still serve as well as I did and still be more than happy to help anyone with anything. You guys are more than worth it. Thanks for your time!