Identifying potential moderators for your community is an important step in building a strong and supportive team. Behind a great forum is a .... indeed - great staff team. Thus, a great moderator isn’t just someone who follows the rules - they’re someone who actively contributes to the positive culture of your space, without the need to ask. But knowing who’s ready for that responsibility can be a challenge thing. So perhaps we could all gather some insights how to identify such great asset to your team.

 

Consider these questions:

 

• What behaviors do you look for when deciding if someone would make a good moderator?
  
• How do you determine if a member is ready to take on leadership responsibilities?
  
• Do you think it’s better to approach potential moderators or let them volunteer themselves? Why?
  
• What role does a member’s personality and communication style play in your decision-making?
  

Choosing the right moderators can have a huge impact on your community’s success. So let’s talk about how you approach finding those key people and what qualities you think make someone stand out for the role.

I try to hire from within.

 

I do like to put a posting up to see who's interested. Then I look at the ones who are and see hoe they have been on the forum previously. Many of them will get really active once you post the listing, but you also want to look at past activity.

 

I'll usually go with someone who matches my own style. :)

I watch activity. If there is a person that is active and adds content daily I'll drop them a PM and ask if they would be interested in being a staff member.

 

I've made some good friends over the years and found good staff members by doing it that way.

I've never once posted an advertisement for a member of staff on any of the forums I've run. I personally just feel that generally people volunteering themselves for a role are more likely to not be a great fit. That's not true in all cases - certainly some people volunteer for a position on a website out of a genuine want to help grow that site & be a part of it, but some can want it for the wrong reasons.

 

With that in mind, I've always taken the approach of privately approaching members I considered to be a good fit for my moderation team when a spot became available. I had a lot of members politely decline, saying they weren't interested, which was absolutely fine - after all it was a volunteer position, and I was grateful to anyone who'd take on some additional responsibilities out of a wish to help the forum. I generally found that by approaching people privately, having a discussion, and asking them for their help, I was able to build a fantastic, dedicated and genuinely interested moderation team that was solely focused on helping the forum thrive & continue to grow.

I keep an eye on activity levels, if I notice that someone is quite active and hasn't broken any rules I would consider them before anyone else. It's also a perk if they've been a moderator before. I always hire within the forum.