In my experience (years) of administrating/owning Minecraft servers...offering to moderate, essentially asking for Mod, is terrible etiquette and doesn't produce good Mods. And anyone who takes up Mods like that is generally going to find they get a sub-par staff team. Now I'm sure some people who offer to moderate have good intentions, but it isn't generally a good policy.
I disagree with you as well. Asking for mod in the way he did is basically a shorter version of making an application.
Isn't it, right? An application for mod, or "admin" for some types of games, like World of Warcraft private servers, or CS:GO, CSS, etc, normal servers require you to fill out a 1 to 2 page Application, which then,
Literally ------- you ASK to become mod/admin for that server after you submit that application.
I've admined, owned, co-owned World of Warcraft Private servers, Counter Strike Source, and now Counter Strike Global Offensive Servers, and Yes, I've done many many many many Applications, and read Many many applications. and
"May I have Mod?" ----
"I offer my 4 years experience as mod on Minecraft" and
"Here is a 2 page application on why I should be mod" is no different, except in how you word things. It's just in the "Eye of the Beholder."
But applications are made expressly upon the request or allowance of the owner of the game server. There is a large difference between asking/applying for staff after being prompted to and asking out of the blue.