Moderators can make or break a community. Do you choose volunteers based on activity, personality, or expertise? Do you train them or rely on intuition? What challenges have you faced with moderator burnout or power misuse?
Recruiting and Training Moderators: What Works Best?
- Thread starter Maya
- Start date
If someone volunteers without an invitation I avoid them. They are almost always the wrong person for the job.
The members I'll invite are those who are already doing the job but without the tools. Longstanding, active members who for example will welcome new members and generally try to keep things running smoothly using dialogue.
I've never yet had a moderator go on a power trip and I do take steps to ensure they are not overworked.
The members I'll invite are those who are already doing the job but without the tools. Longstanding, active members who for example will welcome new members and generally try to keep things running smoothly using dialogue.
I've never yet had a moderator go on a power trip and I do take steps to ensure they are not overworked.
I usually post whenever I need staff, and whoever applies for the job that I believe will do the best job will be promoted. This is how I usually hire my staff, unless I trust them and know they are able to help my communities. I keep an eye on them for a few weeks too so that way they don't abuse their powers.
Recruiting:
I hire from within. I watch for members who are active, helpful, and share my style of attitude. Once I need a moderator, I'll shoot them a PM and ask if they want to help.
I usually only seek out a moderator if all my tasks + moderation starts to overwhelm me. I'll run the forum solo for quite a long time before asking for help.
After I add one moderator, I won't add anymore until the chores overwhelm the both of us and we need assistance.
Training:
I have a staff board that's hidden from everyone else.
Even if it's just me on the staff, I add important notes, policies, moderation manuals, and documents relating to using moderation features of the software. I basically prepare the incoming moderator to have plenty of training documents and content to check out to better their position.
That's my system 🙂
I hire from within. I watch for members who are active, helpful, and share my style of attitude. Once I need a moderator, I'll shoot them a PM and ask if they want to help.
I usually only seek out a moderator if all my tasks + moderation starts to overwhelm me. I'll run the forum solo for quite a long time before asking for help.
After I add one moderator, I won't add anymore until the chores overwhelm the both of us and we need assistance.
Training:
I have a staff board that's hidden from everyone else.
Even if it's just me on the staff, I add important notes, policies, moderation manuals, and documents relating to using moderation features of the software. I basically prepare the incoming moderator to have plenty of training documents and content to check out to better their position.
That's my system 🙂
Those that never been a mod before gotta start at some point. I remember the days when I was younger and very active on a site. So active that I become part of the team and am a mod 😉
And then you learn and deal as you go alone, at times as a site owner or head of staff, you gotta let people learn and make mistakes and teach them what they need to do and how to understand. It's not easy to find experienced people if they have their hands full.
Point saying if you need more staff, and your site is active. Look no more, then see who is willing to help or mod your site, then your active members, who you know who they are and can trust, and are willing to give them experience
And then you learn and deal as you go alone, at times as a site owner or head of staff, you gotta let people learn and make mistakes and teach them what they need to do and how to understand. It's not easy to find experienced people if they have their hands full.
Point saying if you need more staff, and your site is active. Look no more, then see who is willing to help or mod your site, then your active members, who you know who they are and can trust, and are willing to give them experience
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