Benefits of Moderators

[Kyle_C]

I'm preparing a "Moderator recruiting letter" to hopefully attract Moderators to my forums, What I need from VB members is a list of benefits that one will receive from being in this position.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP..

[bstrawse]

Originally posted by Kyle_C
I'm preparing a "Moderator recruiting letter" to hopefully attract Moderators to my forums, What I need from VB members is a list of benefits that one will receive from being in this position.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP..

In general, here's what we're using.. our site is currently in "open beta" mode, for lack of a better term

http://www.webmasterforums.org

WebmasterForums is fashioned as a discussion board for all manners of Webmasters, developers, and other folks who conduct business online. But, more than anything else, WebmasterForums is a community of individuals who share common interests.

As a moderator, you serve a critical role in the success of our community by leading and guiding discussions throughout the forums. In particular, you play the following roles:

Discussion Guide
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As a moderator, you will be responsible for at least one forum, if not more. In your forums, you will be responsible for initiating and guiding discussions. When traffic is slow in your forum, post to encourage others to reply.

Sometimes your posts should be provocative in nature - at other times, your posts should be informative. Your goal should be to gauge the temperature of the discussions and post appropriately in order to increase participation and generate discussion.

As discussions become heated, it will be your role to help calm the discussion down as necessary. Discussion threads can be locked if necessary in order to prevent a flame war, but free expression is our preference.

Community Leader
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The Staff & Moderators at WebmasterForums have a separate, private, discussion forum entitled "Staff & Moderator Discussions". It is here where we will discuss as a group the direction that we wish to take the community. What services should be provide next? Do we need more, less, or different forums? How should we handle a troublesome user, and so on.

Recruiter
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As the guide in your forum, you will be the most familar with the personalities and users. You should always be on the look out for talented folks that may make great moderators. Recommendations should be posted in the Staff & Moderator Forums.

Again, the role of the moderator is critical to the success of WebmasterForums - we look forward to your contributions!

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Hope this helps,
Bryan

[Megs]

I think that it's going to be hard to recruit moderators blindly if that's what you're doing. Personally speaking, I would not want to become *that* involved in a new community I know nothing about. I accepted a moderator position here because I care about that community and I want to see it succeed. Community atmosphere and culture plays a big role here

However, there are a few things you can stress:

- being a part of the creation and growth of a community can be a very
rewarding experience
- learning and practicing leadership skills (which look good on a resume!)
- helping others
- keeping that community alive and growing

Again, I don't think these things will work very well on people who don't already have an interest in your community. I definitely do not think that it's a good idea to go through a whole long list of responsibilities right off the bat either - people definitely need to know what's involved here but better to let them know about that once they've expressed an interest. You don't want to scare them off.

I think that another reason why people become mods is because it gives them status at that forum - makes them look cool or whatever. These people are doing it for the wrong reasons though so watch out for them. You need to find people who are really dedicated to your community.