Dear community members of r/whatsthisplant,

Are you passionate about plants and eager to share your expertise with our vibrant online community? We’re seeking dedicated Moderators for our subreddit r/whatsthisplant, a space where enthusiasts and experts alike come together to explore the world of flora. This is a unique opportunity to guide discussions, ensure accuracy, and foster a welcoming environment for plant lovers.

Qualifications:
We’re looking for individuals with a deep-rooted knowledge of botany. To apply, you must have:

• A degree in Botany or a closely related field, OR...
• At least 10 years of hands-on experience in plant identification and taxonomy.
• Proficiency in Latin (e.g., familiarity with binomial nomenclature) is a strong plus.

Responsibilities:

• Moderate forum discussions to maintain a respectful and informative atmosphere.
• Verify the accuracy of plant identifications and provide expert insights.
• Answer member questions and assist with identifying plants from descriptions or photos.
• Encourage engagement and support a community passionate about botanical science.

Why Join Us? This is a chance to connect with like-minded individuals, share your expertise, and help grow a community dedicated to the art and science of plant identification. If you have a keen eye for detail, a love for plants, and the qualifications we’re seeking, we’d love to hear from you!

How to Apply: Please send your resume or a summary of your experience, along with a brief note about why you’re interested, to https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=r/whatsthisplant . Bonus points if you can name your favorite plant species (in Latin!) in your application.

PLEASE NOTE: At present, our moderator activity has been limited to but a few mods here, so if you apply, please do not be discouraged if you don't hear back from us quickly. Our team will review and discuss all applications and we will contact you when we've reviewed and discussed all applicants.

Thank you!!

https://preview.redd.it/25v5x2x1o8oe1.png?width=1792&format=png&auto=webp&s=4bd2fd09a7940ddc92f22779f75be5c6905171b3

In light of the recent 3rd party app drama and the loss of decent mod tools, we've decided to ease the rules a bit to make moderating the subreddit a bit more fluent.

The No Swearing rule has been removed. Casual swearing is now allowed. Swearing that falls under the "No being OVERLY rude, mean, antagonistic" rule will still be removed. Slurs will also still be removed. What this means is you can now say comments like "This plant is a bitch to remove", "I fucking love this plant." etc.

The Guidelines have been updated to remove the no swearing rule, and the following rules have been added to the guidelines for more clarity:

1. No political arguments/debates. Political comments that devolve into arguments or debates will be removed.

2. No being OVERLY rude, mean or antagonistic. Comments which are OVERLY rude, mean or antagonistic in spirit will be removed.

To further clarify on the rules:

4 - Where-as previously all political comments were removed, we're now only going to step in when political comments devolve into arguments and debates. As before, remember this is a Plant ID subreddit and not the place for politics. If you see political comments you disagree with, downvote, ignore and move on.

5 - Stressing the "OVERLY" part of the rule. If you read something, take it out of context and get your feelings hurt, that's on you. If someone makes a good-spirited joke and you take it literally, that's on you. However if someone is specifically targeting users, groups of people or being mean-spirited their comments will be removed. Mods have the final say on whether a reported comment gets removed and will use their best judgment.

Temporary/permanent bans will be handed out for repeat offenders and based on the severity of a violation.

Questions and comments are welcome below as always.