- Joined
- Jan 1, 2001
- Messages
- 60,101
XenFans.com Article: On Being a Forum Staff member
Copyright (c) 2010-2011 http://xenfans.com, author: Darnoldy @ wetalk.network
Preface: A couple of years ago, I was asked to help someone develop a forum. As part of that development process, I started to write out a manual for new forum staff members. The forum never opened, and the manual was never completed. Earlier this week, I came across the draft of it, and have presented it here. Comments are welcome.
Welcome to the staff of <my forum>!
You have been asked to be a member of the staff because you have been an active and valued member of the community. If you find that the duties of being a staff member are interfering with your ability to be an active community member, or diminishing your enjoyment of participation, please let me know--we will need to fix it.
Your role here is not that of sheriff--rather more like a combination of waiter, janitor, and host at a really good party. It is to ensure the members are comfortable when visiting the site, that they have a enjoyable and rewarding experience, and to stimulate conversation.
Your title is "Staff," my title is "Staff"—we all speak for the forum with the same moral authority. When necessary, I will use the title "Forum Manager," to assert my voice as the final authority. I will not do it often, and I will not do it lightly. Our task is to lead the members by example and persuasion, rather than by dictate.
All things in Moderation
The main activity in which all staff members participate is that of "message moderation." The technical parts of moderating messages is relatively easy. Learning how and when to do it in a way that doesn't create hurt feelings and turmoil is much harder. The key is to be moderate. Below are some specific examples:
Moving Threads--Sometimes a member will start a thread on a topic that you feel would fit better in another section. It happens. Posting in the wrong section is NOT a violation of any forum rule, it is just an error. Sometimes people make mistakes, forget which section they are in, get excited about a topic, or just don't fully comprehend the nuances of our finely-tuned forum organization. Move the thread. Then reply, explaining that you moved it because you felt that their question would get a better/fuller response in the new section. Do NOT tell them that they were wrong to have posted in the original section, or that they have a responsibility to fully understand the parameters of each section before taking the liberty of asking a question.
Editing Thread Titles--The level of response that at posting gets is influenced by the quality of the thread title. If a member posts a message with a non-descript title (like "A quick question"), or a misleading one--then change it to a better one.
Let No Post Go Unanswered--It is not your job to be "the Answer Man." This is a forum, not a help desk--the idea is that the membership answers each other's questions. However, sometimes a post will go unanswered (because it is in the wrong section; because it has a poor title; because it is a poorly-worded or too-vaguely-framed question). This makes people (particularly first-time poster) feel ignored and unwelcome. If a post has had no response in 24-or-so hours, reply to it. If it needs to me moved or have the title changed, do that and post a reply saying so. If the question is vague or poorly-framed, ask some clarifying questions. "Bumping" one's own thread is NOT a violation of any forum rule--it is a sign that we are not being responsive-enough.
"We've already discussed that" is NOT an acceptable answer--Even if we have answered the same question a million times, you have not answered *their* question. Discussing things is what a forum is all about. Feel free to refer the poster to existing threads (providing a link, of course), but preface the referral with "You might find these discussions useful..." or "Perhaps you didn't see these discussions..." NOT "Learn to use the damned search function..."
Thread Drift--Sometimes, in the course of a conversation, messages wander off-topic. It happens. Thread Drift is NOT a violation of any forum rule, discussions are organic, they branch in different directions. While it is important that the content of the threads match the title, the answer is NOT to wade in yell at people to stay on topic. Split the thread. Clip out the diverging discussion to create a new thread with a different title. That way we have two interesting (and appropriately-named) threads.
Editing Message Content--Don't! If a message contains something that violates forum rules or otherwise needs to be removed from public view, move the message. Move it to the "Contact the Staff" section where only the originator of the message and the staff can read it. Then reply to the message, letting the originator know why it was moved.
Praise Publicly, Criticize Privately--Feel free to post messages like "Interesting post!," "Good Answer," "That was very helpful," "Welcome to the forum." as often as you like. If it becomes necessary to correct (NOT criticize) a member, you need to do so where the general membership can't see it. Move offending messages to the "Contact the Staff" forum, and do so from there. Do NOT do so in private messages--as I and other staff members cannot know what is going on when you do. Additionally, if you disagree with a policy decision here, you are free to express that disagreement in the staff forum. I encourage you to do so--it helps form better policy. NEVER express that disagreement publicly on the forum.
Don't "Pile On"--Once a staff member begins a discussion with a member about their behavior, all other staff members should stay out of the discussion. When more than one staff member joins such a discussion, one of only two possible outcome will occur. Either the staff members will agree, and the member will feel "ganged up on," or the staff members will disagree, and fail to present a consistent message to the member. Neither of these outcomes is desirable. If you wish to contribute to such a discussion, start another thread in the staff forum. If an issue needs to be escalated, I will step in (but never without consulting with the original staff member first) and the original staff person will step out.
Copyright (c) 2010-2011 http://xenfans.com, author: Darnoldy @ wetalk.network
In this article we will be discussing what you could share with your new staff members, what does it mean to be part of a team, and things to consider.
Preface: A couple of years ago, I was asked to help someone develop a forum. As part of that development process, I started to write out a manual for new forum staff members. The forum never opened, and the manual was never completed. Earlier this week, I came across the draft of it, and have presented it here. Comments are welcome.
Welcome to the staff of <my forum>!
You have been asked to be a member of the staff because you have been an active and valued member of the community. If you find that the duties of being a staff member are interfering with your ability to be an active community member, or diminishing your enjoyment of participation, please let me know--we will need to fix it.
Your role here is not that of sheriff--rather more like a combination of waiter, janitor, and host at a really good party. It is to ensure the members are comfortable when visiting the site, that they have a enjoyable and rewarding experience, and to stimulate conversation.
Your title is "Staff," my title is "Staff"—we all speak for the forum with the same moral authority. When necessary, I will use the title "Forum Manager," to assert my voice as the final authority. I will not do it often, and I will not do it lightly. Our task is to lead the members by example and persuasion, rather than by dictate.
All things in Moderation
The main activity in which all staff members participate is that of "message moderation." The technical parts of moderating messages is relatively easy. Learning how and when to do it in a way that doesn't create hurt feelings and turmoil is much harder. The key is to be moderate. Below are some specific examples:
Moving Threads--Sometimes a member will start a thread on a topic that you feel would fit better in another section. It happens. Posting in the wrong section is NOT a violation of any forum rule, it is just an error. Sometimes people make mistakes, forget which section they are in, get excited about a topic, or just don't fully comprehend the nuances of our finely-tuned forum organization. Move the thread. Then reply, explaining that you moved it because you felt that their question would get a better/fuller response in the new section. Do NOT tell them that they were wrong to have posted in the original section, or that they have a responsibility to fully understand the parameters of each section before taking the liberty of asking a question.
Editing Thread Titles--The level of response that at posting gets is influenced by the quality of the thread title. If a member posts a message with a non-descript title (like "A quick question"), or a misleading one--then change it to a better one.
Let No Post Go Unanswered--It is not your job to be "the Answer Man." This is a forum, not a help desk--the idea is that the membership answers each other's questions. However, sometimes a post will go unanswered (because it is in the wrong section; because it has a poor title; because it is a poorly-worded or too-vaguely-framed question). This makes people (particularly first-time poster) feel ignored and unwelcome. If a post has had no response in 24-or-so hours, reply to it. If it needs to me moved or have the title changed, do that and post a reply saying so. If the question is vague or poorly-framed, ask some clarifying questions. "Bumping" one's own thread is NOT a violation of any forum rule--it is a sign that we are not being responsive-enough.
"We've already discussed that" is NOT an acceptable answer--Even if we have answered the same question a million times, you have not answered *their* question. Discussing things is what a forum is all about. Feel free to refer the poster to existing threads (providing a link, of course), but preface the referral with "You might find these discussions useful..." or "Perhaps you didn't see these discussions..." NOT "Learn to use the damned search function..."
Thread Drift--Sometimes, in the course of a conversation, messages wander off-topic. It happens. Thread Drift is NOT a violation of any forum rule, discussions are organic, they branch in different directions. While it is important that the content of the threads match the title, the answer is NOT to wade in yell at people to stay on topic. Split the thread. Clip out the diverging discussion to create a new thread with a different title. That way we have two interesting (and appropriately-named) threads.
Editing Message Content--Don't! If a message contains something that violates forum rules or otherwise needs to be removed from public view, move the message. Move it to the "Contact the Staff" section where only the originator of the message and the staff can read it. Then reply to the message, letting the originator know why it was moved.
Praise Publicly, Criticize Privately--Feel free to post messages like "Interesting post!," "Good Answer," "That was very helpful," "Welcome to the forum." as often as you like. If it becomes necessary to correct (NOT criticize) a member, you need to do so where the general membership can't see it. Move offending messages to the "Contact the Staff" forum, and do so from there. Do NOT do so in private messages--as I and other staff members cannot know what is going on when you do. Additionally, if you disagree with a policy decision here, you are free to express that disagreement in the staff forum. I encourage you to do so--it helps form better policy. NEVER express that disagreement publicly on the forum.
Don't "Pile On"--Once a staff member begins a discussion with a member about their behavior, all other staff members should stay out of the discussion. When more than one staff member joins such a discussion, one of only two possible outcome will occur. Either the staff members will agree, and the member will feel "ganged up on," or the staff members will disagree, and fail to present a consistent message to the member. Neither of these outcomes is desirable. If you wish to contribute to such a discussion, start another thread in the staff forum. If an issue needs to be escalated, I will step in (but never without consulting with the original staff member first) and the original staff person will step out.
XenFans.com has more great articles for both the users, moderators and the administrators. Stay tuned. And if you have an article or guide of your own to share, please feel free to start a new discussion.
