Content Moderation: Not For The Faint-Hearted

It's been a month since I was transferred to a new account at work. I am now working as a Content Moderator to one of the social networking and dating sites on the web.

So what does my job entails?

A Content Moderator keeps an eye on pictures being uploaded to the social networking site. We approve or reject pictures before it is visible to others. It is essential for us to have keen eyes when moderating. We should at all times be calibrated with the guidelines on how to rate the pictures and take action when needed. In short, we make sure that the pictures uploaded are appropriate and does not violate any of the guidelines.

Our group is a mixture of veterans and newbies to this kind of work. Prior to the transfer, we are given an idea of what to expect. It’s only a 3-day training and we basically look at pictures that are acceptable and not. However, the training is a bit of a shock to me and I believe to some of my co-workers as well who are newbies like me. Honestly, it is quite an easy job since all you have to do is to scan pictures, but mind you, this not for the faint-hearted.

The imagery that we see on a daily basis spans everything from child pornography, suicide, bestiality, voyeurism, sexual violence, animal abuse; from normal to gory pictures. Warning! If you are unfamiliar with the words I mentioned and you want to check the internet to get an idea of what it is just make sure that have a strong stomach.

At first, I find some of the pictures disturbing to the point that they haunt me during sleep. But recently, I am beginning to be desensitized with the images. According to the veterans, the pictures that we see are nothing compared to those that they see from their previous account. Ours are only still images while theirs are a combination of pictures and videos.

I have read an article of the possible psychological effects of being exposed to these kinds of pictures. It truly is an easy job and money. But, is it worth it if in the long run you’ll experience the adverse effects? For now, I don’t know. I am only thankful I still have a job.

One Last Day...

New place, new faces, new people, new support – that's what awaits me on Monday. It's like the first day of school again. After 4 years, I'll be leaving my account - my first work, my comfort zone. It saddens me to leave but as much as I wanted to stay, I can't. Eventually, all of us will leave since the account has reached the end of its life.

With the recent changes in the account, we know that there's a chance that this will happen. But, nobody anticipated that it will be this soon. Many have gone to another account while others left the company for good.

I'll surely miss everyone. Nothing can replace the camaraderie that has been built over the years. For my account, thank you for the knowledge and the experience. To my chat family, thank you for everything. Let's keep moving forward and remain to be best of the best. To the rest of my co-workers and friends, thank you for making my stay worthwhile. I won't name you one by one but I wish for everyone's success in their future endeavors whatever and wherever it will be. We are one hell of a team!

It is not goodbye but rather see you soon. For now, I'll enjoy being with them... for one last day.

“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor touched but are felt by the heart.” - Helen Keller

Sick Of Being Sick

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I get sick a lot. It ranges from migraines, gastritis, allergies, sinusitis, flu, etc. I can't even remember the names of other ailments I am diagnosed with. Since childhood, I became a frequent customer of hospitals and have been immune to bad tasting medicines and needles which left me black and blue in the arms and in the back of my palms. You can even see the needle marks and play connect the dots. There are times that I spend days in the hospital with IV lines connected to me. I've seen a number of doctors, undergone series of tests and have been prescribed with a number of medicines. For precautionary measures, I make sure that I have complete vaccinations and follow the doctor’s advice. I do some exercise once in a while but still I get sick.

When I get sick, so many things are being compromised and many aspects of my life are affected. Physically, I am limited and confined to non-strenuous activities. I can’t travel or go anywhere I want to avoid making things worse. It takes a hit into my finances especially when buying medicines. Luckily, I have a health card but sometimes I still have to shed out some cash for tests that are not covered. Whenever I’m not around at work, everybody knew I’m on sick leave. It’s nothing new for them.

The only advantage I can think of from being sick is that I am being pampered. But, I still prefer not getting sick because I feel useless and boring. It lessens my self-esteem and the more I see myself as a weakling.

I badly want to be healthy. Is something wrong with me or am I doing something wrong? Getting ill is not something I am happy about. Now you can see my dilemma that’s why I am sick of being sick.

New Year's Resolution: Begin With The End In Mind

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Before the year ends, some of us tries to come up with our own New Year's Resolution. New Year's Eve has always been the best time to reflect and look back on our past and also look forward to the coming year as well. For some, it seems quite easy to come up with a resolution. But, it is not a question of how fast you can come up with just even one. The question is, are they realistic? How committed are you in fulfilling them?

Believe it or not, many resolutions are doomed to fail because there are already flaws from the start. I'd be a hypocrite if I tell you that I was able to religiously fulfill my resolutions. Of course, resolutions are much easier to make than to keep. But, how do you start making one and keeping them?

On New Year's day, the priest's sermon is all about New Year's Resolution. It’s one of the most interesting sermons I’ve heard. He mentioned two principles that really caught my attention.

Begin with the end in mind. Hearing this principle brings me back to my postgraduate school days. The principle was coined by Stephen Covey and is one of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. As I listened to the priest, I realized that the principle applies basically to everything that we do.

What does it really mean? It is to envision yourself using your mind to see what your eyes cannot see at present. It is to visualize who you are and what you want in life and direct yourself towards your desired goal or destination and make things happen.

Start with a goal and then plan on how you can fulfill it. However, you need to make sure that they are realistic. If you are able to come up with a number of resolutions, that's alright. But it is best to pick one and concentrate on it. If you try to take on too much, you are likely to fail.

Next, make sure that you are committed to reach your goal. You may have a plan but if you're not into it, might as well forget it. Commitment entails change. Change does not happen in a blink of an eye; it may take years. This is where the second principle comes into play. As the priest said, “the only person you can change is yourself”. It is important to start within you and everything will follow. It doesn’t matter how slow you go in reaching your goals. What’s important is that you don’t stop.

The picture above is a list of my resolutions. Number one is on-going and I started doing it since 2008. I did better in 2010 since I only missed one Sunday mass compared to last year. Still, I'm determined to continue it.

Saving money can be hard especially if you have to sacrifice a lot of things that you enjoy. As for me, I was able to save a few and it is a good start. I have to learn to be more thrifty. The rest are new resolutions that I want to be able to accomplish. Slowly but surely.

Reaching your goal means commitment. Commitment means change. One cannot do without the other.

A new year offers another opportunity to make a goal, to commit and to change. I know it is not easy. So, are you up for a challenge?

New Year, New Life, New Blog!

It's been a while since I planned making my own blog but never had the time to do so. Also, my mind has been too preoccupied with too many things lately but it's not something I can blog.

Since it's a new year, this is the best time for a fresh start. Hopefully, I can religiously post (fingers crossed) something here.  

That's all for now. Happy New Year and welcome to my blog! Cheers!