You guys really need to read this and take help from outside. And don't say that I can't bicker about it. Because you had the courtesy to have a suggestion box in the first place.
The negative attitude of the moderators is palpable. In gist, just like you wouldn't hire someone constantly being cynical and negative in a work environment - especially if it is a high risk one like industrial complex with heavy machinery- you shouldn't hire someone who is always opinionated, has temper, and lacks basic people skills to foster interaction.
Quote:
As I have said before, you must never repress your community. You must ensure that you moderate your forum effectively – this means adopting a laissez-faire approach and allowing your members a large amount of freedom. If you or your moderators crack down on members the second they step out of line, you will be sending a negative signal to your community that free speech is not tolerated on your site. You will make people nervous and discourage them from getting involved – hardly the ingredients for a successful community!
Forum moderators should promote interaction
The primary role of a forum moderator should be to promote interaction
|
http://www.communityspark.com/the-re...tors-revealed/
You might argue " oh we need balance between all the rainbowy and rosy people to balance with the 'realistic negative minded people' ". That's poppycock.
How will a workplace environment thrive if someone is constantly being cynical and critical of the members and that same person hardly praise others? Suppose a employee is constantly thinking of all the wrong things that will happen, a person will get his hands sawed off and be amputee from machine usage, someone will slip and fall... all these are valid 'realistic' excuses, but this constant negativity will get no work done.
Think about it. An accident happens or say a member misfires. A positive person doesn't overlook it. While a negative person will do 'hoo hotash' and say 'oh you will suffer, you will cry and pain in misery...blah blah blah...' while the positive person keeps his head cool, doesn't utter a word, immediately dials 911, gets to first-aid kit and looks for bandage...in times of crisis his brain works in clockwork fashion, while the negative person dissipates focus and energy.
Same negative incident, but two different responses from the positive and negative minded individual. One cleans up the mess in most efficient manner, and the other just wastes his time, energy and breath.
Being positive doesn't mean to be in denial, it's how you deal with a problem.
I love positive minded moderators like Jadukor, silent killer like RS and too bad ATMR is not here. These individuals are breath of fresh air than the old school iron fist dictators we used to have. But still a lot of nepotism is in effect and personal biases to hire people whom the admins feels foster the environment with their "balanced view."
The tone of some moderators here is of utter know-it-all and opinionated and lacks basic courtesy and decorum while they preach the very same thing.
I personally feel a revamp is in order from the grassroots and remove all the dead weights and negative people who were hired from personal liking of admins and supermoderators without an iota of knowledge about the greater good of community.
Also the same article:
Quote:
|
The biggest mistake forum owners make when taking on forum moderators is expecting them to police the community. Many see the main role of moderators as enforcers of the site rules, as people who delete posts they don’t like and lock topics the moment they run off-course. If these are the priorities of your moderators, you are doing it all wrong.
|
Tout court, if the admins and supermods have an ego that they know it all and they are unwilling to accept suggestions and feedback about what thrives a community, then you are all missing the point entirely.
Quote:
What I’ve learned from this experience:
1)Never reward a member with a moderation spot just because they have been an active/long time poster. Find other ways to reward good members.
2)Look for warning signs that they might not be a good moderator. Do they get snippy or argue with other members? Are they very opinionated? Do they have an even temper? Have they been ‘know it all’ posters?
3)Avoid mixing moderators and friendship. When things go bad it’s hard to separate the two.
4)Make sure you have written rules on what the moderator job is and how they are expected to act and make sure the see them BEFORE you make them a moderator.
5)Chose a moderator as if you were hiring an employee. Will they represent you well both on and off the forums.
6)Remove moderators quickly if they are losing a forum.
Some people just take the power trip for personal gain. This quote by another member is so true for this instance:
" Power corrupts...
and absolute power, corrupts absolutely"
Appointing moderators can be a pretty sticky situation if they are biased in such a way that it is destructive rather than helpful.
Moderators who are immoderate and partial are very destructive, damaging users' trust.
You can lose a lot of core/good members when even one mod gets rude/patronising/personal or is clearly editing in a partial or biased way!
|
https://www.seroundtable.com/archives/013440.html