WB Moderators - Suggestions Welcomed!

[lisa]

OK, I'll be honest, this is something I dread but I really need to address it at some point. Putting it bluntly.... this forum needs moderators.

The reason I dread this process is because I used to run a forum for an entertainment site from 2000-2002 and to make a long story short, the moderators I appointed ended up hurting the forum more than they helped it. The forum was for a soap opera related site and let's just say the moderator situation ended up being more of a soap opera than the show the forum created for!

(I'll admit that was my fault for not being more selective. I was trying to be too nice and afraid of hurting people's feelings so I accepted anyone who wanted to moderate.) Well..... I'm older, wiser and not as nice so that won't be a problem anymore.

Anyway, this is an important so I welcome any suggestions you may have about this. The two biggest issues I have right now are....

1) Rewards

I won't be paying moderators but I do plan to give them some kind of added benefit that will make it worth their time. I don't expect people to do something for nothing. Any ideas? What would make it worth it for you to moderate here?

I thought about providing moderators with their own sub-forum here where they could post anything they want. But it would still have to contribute to the overall growth of the forum. Of course the posts would have to be useful. So let's say someone was skilled in PHP. The would have a sub forum where they could post useful information about PHP and direct people to helpful article on their site, etc.

I'm not a programmer so having someone here regularly who is skilled with programming or even web design would be great. Perhaps they could post useful articles about design in their forum and even provide links to their sites, etc. That was one of my ideas. I think this forum has enough of a traffic level to entice someone who needs exposure.

I'd really love to have moderators with specialized skills, especially skills that I do not have to help balance things out.

2) Selection Process

I would prefer to have moderators who have some kind of success/experience with websites and/or blogging. Moderators are generally seen as authoritative/knowledgeable figures in forums so I'd like to continue with that theme. Most people that post here are beginners and off the top of my head, out of the 2000+ people who have registered here, I can only think of maybe 10 people I'd even consider.... and that's assuming they'd even say "yes" if I asked them.

So selection is a huge deal for me, especially after having such a bad experience with another forum I ran. I would no doubt read through all the potential person's history of posts here to see how responsible they are as a member and the quality of their posts is extremely important.

In my opinion, one purpose of a moderator is to alleviate some of my duties (checking in multiple times a day just to see if spam has been posted) And quite frankly even if I had someone who just deleted spam, that would be better than nothing and a big help. I spend more time dealing with spam than actually moving and moderating posts.

The other purpose is to keep order (making sure posts are in the right place, etc.)

I am by no means going to implement something soon because I want to take my time with this. But I do want to open up the floor for thoughts and suggestions. This forum is growing and the no-moderator situation needs to be addressed.

I'll be honest, my biggest fear is appointing power hungry people. I've seen forums with moderators who just want to be seen as a moderator. They nit pick every post and offend the members because they feel they are in charge. I'm not looking for that. Also I'm not looking for someone who wants to take over the forum. I will always welcome suggestions but I am also not looking for someone to inundate me with requests and ideas everyday. As I mentioned earlier, one advantage of having moderators is to alleviate some of my strain, not to create more work.

I know I'm probably asking a lot here but this is very important. Website Babble has done pretty well so far, but I'd love to have some help with moderating posts. But I've gotta admit, I'm very nervous about this process for the reasons mentioned above.
Ideally I'd love to have 5-6 moderators but that's down the line. If I could just start with 2 and go from there that would be a start.

So what are your thoughts? .... Particularly about the rewards for being a moderator? I'd love some ideas on this aspect because that's the part that's keeping me from moving forward.

[TechieGuy]

I have recently witnessed a moderator issue in another forum. The reason was because there were no written rules regarding posts on the forum, so things got out of hand.

These forums have been run great, and I haven't seen many (if any) problems with people causing trouble. I don't think there are any power-hungry people that visit Website Babble on a regular basis, and everyone is very helpful and supportive.

The one thing that I like about those that visit this forum, is the range of skills and experience. Some have technical knowledge, while others have the web site managing experience. I don't think you will have to look hard to find complimenting skills.

That is my quick two cents.

[alpha7]

The perks you mentioned sound good to me. I agree with TE about the "Moderator Bylaws" to govern your governors. Hey, that would make you the president...NO....wait wait.....The Queen! Queen Babble!

I also thought about a button or form on the site (that is not in plain sight) that would alert all of the moderators, by email, of possible abuse. So in essence, all of your responsible members can help a little. All they would have to do is attach a link to the thread in question so the moderators don't have to search for it. Then the moderator makes the judgment call. I think this could help with quicker response time.

Instead of giving my 2 cents, I think I gave like 50....

[lisa]

I don't feel there are any power hungry people here either but that's what I felt with my other forum but things changed for a few people after they were assigned the title. As I said, that experience left me scarred. LOL

You guys are right, though. It's all about the rules and guidelines. This time I know that I need to do a better job defining the roles, etc. I also just want to make sure I reward accordingly. As I said I don't expect people to do something for nothing and I want to be fair.

Thanks for the great feedback. Any other ideas from anyone? Keep 'em coming!

[West]

I think the idea of a sub-forum is a great incentive, but I also think it would create more work for you, at least initially. You will no doubt be checking up on your moderators and their sub-forums to make sure everything is running smoothly. Do you think it will take some time for you to completely trust whomever you choose to run their sub-forum with little or no intervention from you? You've stated that you are nervous about taking this step, and I think you would just add to the nervousness by giving moderators that much control right off the bat.

My suggestion - why not just start out with giving them the title of "moderator". That alone should be a good enough incentive to start out with. Why? This is a great forum to be a part of, and this site has great credibility online. I think being a moderator on this forum would build one's credibility for their own site, at least from the people who found their site through website babble.

If, after time you feel that the moderators are working out, give them an added incentive, like a backlink from one of your other sites. Maybe you can add a page to 2create dedicated to your moderators that includes a small write up about them and a link to their site.

I think the moderators should get sub-forum, or an incentive equivalent to that, once they've proven to you that they deserve it.

[lisa]

West, excellent points! After reading your reply I realized that would indeed create more work in the early stages so great point about that. I hadn't even thought of it from that angle. I definitely like the "about moderators" idea. In fact, I could link the page from the header or footer of this forum. That means it would be seen on every page on this site. (I think the page would get more exposure here rather than 2create since it would be more relevant on this site.)

Great ideas. Thanks!

[TechieGuy]

West makes a good point - start small and eventually build from that. You already have enough work between this forum, your web sites and your blog that you don't need to make even more for yourself.

With the moderators I would start with limited power on the forum, and give them more power as you see fit. This will allow the moderators to "grow" into their role as well as prevent any from getting too "power hungry" Sort of like a "moderator-in-training" kind of thing.

[lisa]

Yep and I think that's what I will do. Thanks everyone. I'm glad I posted this!

[alpha7]

Even though you have already made the decision, I just wanted to say I think that is a great idea also.

[Lajocar]

[quote=West;18121]My suggestion - why not just start out with giving them the title of "moderator". That alone should be a good enough incentive to start out with. Why? This is a great forum to be a part of, and this site has great credibility online. I think being a moderator on this forum would build one's credibility for their own site, at least from the people who found their site through website babble.

If, after time you feel that the moderators are working out, give them an added incentive, like a backlink from one of your other sites. Maybe you can add a page to 2create dedicated to your moderators that includes a small write up about them and a link to their site.
QUOTE]

West you have mentioned some good points here

[JaMina]

Great idea West. I also like alpha7 idea about responsible members letting the moderators know about spam or misplaced posts.