Develop Effective Forum Leadership

Establish the Staff Environment

For your staff, you want to create a private environment that's calm, respectful, encouraging, and even fun. You want to have at least one staff forum where staff members (along with the administrator) can discuss issues that are relevant to the management of the site.

I'm friends with all of my staff members. We get along very well, which I think is key to my forums' success. I could never have someone on my staff that I didn't like or respect, because that would affect the culture and create tension. I treat my staff members with respect and I expect it in return.

That doesn't mean that I don't correct them when it's needed. I do. Things happen, most of which are not that big a deal, but even the smallest slips must be corrected. You should strive for excellence and accept little else. That said, when I correct my staff members, I try to keep my comments light and forward looking. If I see that a post has been removed that shouldn't have been, I'll add it back into the thread publicly, and then I'll make a post in the staff forums, to let everyone know why the post was moved back, and what they can look out for in the future, usually stressing that it's no big deal.

The reason why I post in the staff forums, rather than contacting the moderator directly, is because these are already issues that other staff members know about. They'll see that I've corrected the situation and moved the post, so keeping the details of my decision from them doesn't really help anyone. Also, telling everyone about it allows all my staff members to be on the same page, and to learn from the exercise. If there's an issue that's private, and which other staff members don't know about, I'll usually handle it on a private, one-on-one basis.

In contacting a member whose post was removed in error, I never hang anyone out to dry. I never comment, "Paul removed this post in error," or "Jenny made a mistake." When mistakes are made, it's either "we" or "me" (as the administrator), not "they" or "you." We make mistakes as a team, and we experience success as a team.

I never allow any duty to appear to be below me. When I see a violation, I handle it myself. I never tell a member of my staff to do it. If they asked me about it, I try to let them handle it, but otherwise, I'll handle any problem as soon as I see it. As the administrator, I'm also a moderator, and I try hard to set the best example for my staff members to follow.

My staff members work well together and, as far as I can tell, like and respect one another. You can create this sort of culture by choosing people of good character to be on staff. I want good human beings, not know-it-alls. Attitude is everything. That point is crucial. I can't stress it enough: pick good people.

Another thing I do is to prevent staff members on the same level from critiquing each other. In other words, I don't want a moderator correcting a fellow moderator. If a moderator has an issue with something that one of their fellow staff members has done, I ask them to come to me privately, so that I can sort it out.

You should always encourage your staff members to ask questions and seek clarification on any issues they see. Have an open-door policy, and be as kind and inviting as you can. You're approachability should especially be stressed to new staff members. Even with all the staff guidelines and documentation in the world, there will still be questions. Welcome them and answer them to the best of your ability.

Encourage your new staff members to take their time to observe and learn, and avoid making them feel like they need to rush into doing something. Moderator responsibilities can be a daunting task at times, so be sure to allow them some time to get comfortable.

Top Tips for Training Forum Moderators

These methods should put you at a great advantage when it comes time to promote new people to your community moderation team.

Be clear with them, and tell them what you expect. Honesty is critical, so don't beat around the bush. Write Staff Guidelines that detail what your staff members are expected to do, and how you'd like them to act. Create a Situations Guide that teaches them how to deal with specific common scenarios. Create within your team an environment in which team members respect one another, and feel comfortable to ask questions and get help.

I've used this system in my own communities, and I've had success with it. Pick good people, give them what they need to succeed, and monitor them, assisting as appropriate.

As I said earlier, staff members play a vital role in the success of a community. You can't do it all, and you shouldn't. You need a good team so that you can step back, take the lead, and focus on other aspects of the community. You can't be there all the time. I always say that you know that you have a good staff when you can go away for a while and not worry about your community -- well, not too much, anyway!