Difference between revisions of "Moderator Manual:Recruiting moderators"

Hello! Do you think Freecycle(TM) is a great community resource?

Is it helping you clear out your clutter? Do you wonder why nobody thought of doing this before?

Maybe you should be a moderator for this group! Currently, the XXX Freecycle group doesn't have any local moderators and we are asking for volunteers. If you are interested, please read through these qualifications, and if you think you meet most or all of the requirements get back to us as soon as possible:

MODERATORS SHOULD HAVE THESE QUALIFICATIONS

*Must live in the area served by XXX Freecycle.
*Have a basic knowledge of the Freecycle rules. They can be looked up and learned fairly quickly.
*Time! You should have an hour or so throughout the day and evening to devote to moderating a group. It is a volunteer position - there is no pay or tangible benefits, just the joy of knowing you're giving back to your community.
*Computer, Internet access and computer skills. (Obviously another "must")
*Internet experience. Knowledge of Yahoo!Groups is a huge plus, but not required.
*Writing skills. Correct spelling, proper punctuation, complete sentences, and proper grammar are a must. You must not type in "chat mode" or "IM mode." This means no all upper or lower case typing!
*The ability to follow instructions. Guidelines have been set up for all Freecycle group moderators to maintain in order to be listed on the main Freecycle web page.
*A positive attitude and the ability to keep your cool when dealing with irate or irresponsible members.
*An interest in environmental causes - you know that Freecycle isn't about FREE stuff but about keeping stuff out of the landfills and building community!

There are materials available to help teach people the tricks of moderating a Freecycle group and there will be a more experienced mod assigned to the group for a while.

The ideal is to have two (or more) local co-mods managing the group.

Tell us about yourself! Please let us know:

#Your full name, contact information (include a phone number), and address where you live.
#The e-mail address(es) and User ID(s) you use on Freecycle.org, Yahoo Groups and other online communities as applicable:
#Do you have time to moderate the group? It takes at least 10-15 minutes, one or two times a day to review messages, etc.
#Do you have access to a computer, even on weekends and holidays? If not, what days and/or hours would you be available?
#Are you a co-owner, moderator or member of any other Freecycle groups? Please tell us which groups and your level of involvement.
#Are you a co-owner or moderator in any non-Freecycle groups? We would like to know if you have experience as a moderator.
#Any relevant experience that would be helpful for us to know.
<BR>
Please get back to us as soon as possible if this sounds like something you'd like to do. And if you know someone else who would make a good moderator, please pass this message on to that person. If you have any questions, please let us know - we're happy to help! <br>
<br>
Reply to this email or go to the home page and click the Contact Moderators button. PLEASE PUT "Freecycle xxxxxxxx Mod" IN THE SUBJECT LINE.<br>
<br>
Thank you for your consideration. <br>
Your XXX Freecycle Moderators


PLEASE PUT XXX MOD JOB IN THE SUBJECT LINE
----
 (C) 2003, The Freecycle Network(TM). All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.
----

Hi XXX and Welcome!

I just made you a moderator and you now have the ability to approve pending messages and members.

This will be a two-week trial period and at the end we can evaluate how that went and you can decide if you want to come on board permanently!

Here's some information that will be helpful as you begin moderating.

Group name: XXX Freecycle(TM)
Group Mod/Trainer: XXX
Group Mod/Trainer email: XXX@XXX.com

The Freecycle Network(TM) now qualifies as an international movement, (lots of good people worldwide) giving stuff away (and getting stuff) like crazy. We've adopted a motto as suggested by Albert in Portland "Changing the world one gift at a time".

We currently estimate that over 40 tons a day are being saved from landfills due to our combined efforts establishing this wonderful "gift economy."

The online Mod Manual is an invaluable tool that provides answers to many questions you may have pertaining to daily operations and management of your Freecycle group. From start to finish, it walks you through basic procedures and gradually introduces you to the finer details of being a moderator.

It can be found here: http://faq.freecycle.org/manual/ There is rather large Yahoo group "for moderators of Freecycle only" to trade ideas, successes, failures, media & outreach, press releases, etc. We do ask that moderators join up at least on special notices so that you are privy to new rules, etc.

There is rather large Yahoo group "for moderators of Freecycle only" to trade ideas, successes, failures, media & outreach, press releases, etc. Here's where you can find it: hhttps://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/FreecycleLeadershipCommunity/info

Also, check out [http://www.freecycle.org www.freecycle.org] for our Freecyclopedia. Take a look at the FAQ section (link on the right column) and you'll find a lot of good information there!

Thanks and good luck.

We look forward to working with you!


----
 (C) 2003, The Freecycle Network(TM). All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.
----

Hello! You should have received an introduction letter to inform you of your status change to Moderator.

My name is _____ and I have been assigned to assist you while you transition in. If there are ANY questions you have, please let me know. No question is too stupid (been there and done that) and no concern too insignificant!

I set you up to approve membership so you can at least get a feel for what to look for and what to do when members ask to join. There are currently no restrictions on who can join and that includes no zip code boundaries.

All new members are moderated so that their first few posts can be checked for content to include format and make sure that the items Offered or Wanted fall within the legal and appropriate category for all ages per Freecycle rules.

Phone numbers and addresses are not allowed under any circumstance... it's a safety issue we take seriously. Once a member shows they can post according to the rules AND in proper format, you can take them off moderation. I still monitor messages that come through, because if an inappropriate one slips by, the member will go back to moderated with an informational e-mail to let them know what they did wrong.

Unless a whole lot of people are doing the same thing, we prefer to handle things on a single member basis to keep the ADMIN messages down to a dull roar.

Your first step is to carefully read through the Etiquette file and be familiar with the group policy. Policy does vary from group to group so do read carefully.

We are concerned with the Subject line of each message and have the following structure set up to keep things uniform across the board.

For example: OFFER: Thingy (location)
TAKEN: Thingy (location) - only used in conjunction with Offer
WANTED: Thingy (location)
RECEIVED: Thingy (location) - only used in conjunction with Wanted

One of several sticklers I have found in most groups is getting them to post their location (cross-street or township) of what they have or want.

It's not as big of a deal on the Want as it is on the Offer. People want to know where they are going to pick up an Offer and many posters will lose a recipient if it's too far out for them. It makes no sense to ask a lot of questions on location if you can make it a point to put in a cross street or a city or portion of the city you are located in on the very first try.

We try really hard to enforce that. If it's not in the subject line then it should at least be in the body of the message. You don't have to reject the post, but do send a friendly reminder to the member if there are mistakes made.

Our primary goal is get the members off moderation which makes our jobs as mods a whole lot easier.
 Don't be afraid to place members back on moderation for violations of the rules... primarily the big ones, like phone numbers, inappropriate posts and SPAM posts for services... those are big no-no's.

Another important thing is Offer goes with Taken and Wanted goes with Received. Just because you Received an Offer from someone doesn't mean you can post a Received for that item. That is a common mistake you will see. Delete that post from the board if it doesn't match and send a friendly reminder to the member that it doesn't work that way.

One of the reasons to do this is for archives purposes. If you opt to clean up the archives, it's easier to find a match for each post if it's Offer/Taken and Wanted/Received. It's neat and clean that way.

Okay, lastly (because this is probably too long anyway) on the topic of Subject lines and posts in general... posters will deviate all over the board on Subject lines... you can edit if you like as long as they are on moderation. I give them a chance or two and will indicate in the body of the message that it has been edited by moderator. **Edited by Moderator for Subject Line/Removal of Phone number, etc.** I also put "**" in the Subject line so other members can see we are on top of things and can take note of the **.

If I have repeat offenders, I will reject the post and ask them to resubmit. Members learn if they have to take time out and repeat the process. Again, our primary goal is an efficient board that requires very little of us to edit and moderate message posts once everyone learns the rules for posting.

I hope this isn't too overwhelming for you. I am working with XXX so there is another mod available in case you need additional guidance or I'm not quite clear enough on instructions. We are available for whatever you need and look forward to answering any questions you may have!

Welcome aboard! One more file follows!

Your XXX Freecycle Moderators
----
 (C) 2003, The Freecycle Network(TM). All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.
----

Standard Operating Procedures: A Freecycle(TM) Moderator's Day-to-Day Responsibilities:

Thank you for agreeing to help the Freecycle movement and your own community by volunteering to be a moderator. Your help is invaluable.

Without responsible moderators, a group quickly gets filled with spam and inappropriate posts. Membership soon falls, and the group becomes a ghost town. With your help, this group will thrive, and everyone will benefit.

Please read the Membership Guidelines. They are in the Files section at the site. Familiarize yourself with them enough that you know where to go to look for answers to questions.

'''Your Member Settings:''' It's a good idea to keep your own moderator account set to "Always Moderated" setting. That way you can stop a message from going to the group accidentally, for example if it was meant for one member only or another moderator.

Each moderator should be set to receive individual emails from the group and to receive notices of pending messages or pending memberships.

'''Monitoring Posted Messages:''' Please read each email (or you can read at the website, of course), and watch for the following things:

# SPAM (any post that endorses a commercial product or is being blanketed across The Freecycle Network(TM)). This includes posts for things like game pieces from McDonalds, links to web sites where you can get a free iPod or some other wonderful item, Redbox Video redemption codes, offers that promise to show you how to save huge amounts on your grocery bill, World of Products, Network of Savings, etc.

If you receive SPAM on the website, delete the post immediately and place the member back on moderated status. Send them a courtesy email and let them know that their post has been deleted and that they have posted inappropriate content. On the second offense, they are out.

# Messages containing stuff "For Sale" or offering to pay for an item. Immediately delete the post and contact the person who posted it to let them know that all things on Freecycle must be free, and that their membership will be moderated temporarily to make sure they post appropriately.

# Chit Chat. This one is a judgment call. If it's replying to someone else's post, delete it and contact the poster (or post to the list) with a reminder that responses MUST go directly to the person who made the post, not to the whole list. If it applies to the whole list, is Freecycle-related, or in regards to list guidelines, you might want to let it ride for now.

If others start jumping in, post something like, "It's good to hear your thoughts about Freecycle, but we really have to keep this group on topic to keep from filling members email boxes with miscellaneous comments. Please direct your thoughts and concerns to the site owner (XXX-owner@yahoogroups.com)" or something similar.

If it continues to be a problem (or is obviously off-topic chatter), let folks know that chit chat posts will be deleted and those responsible will be put on moderation. Do this with an ADMIN message.

'''Other Inappropriate Posts:''' Other than those three things (which will apply to most problem messages), you will also need to watch for illegal items or items which are restricted due to age, including alcohol, weapons, tobacco, and "adult" materials. You'll also want to look for posts that are antagonistic or inflammatory to other members, or those that may start a debate such as religious or political statements.

Delete those posts, and give a STERN warning to the poster, and put them on moderation.

'''Messages from Moderated Members:''' Besides checking the posts made to the group by those who are not moderated, you will also need to approve messages by those folks still on moderation. Usually these are "New Members."

When a moderated member posts, an email will be sent to all moderators to let them know that a pending message needs approval. Although you can approve or reject via email (the instructions are on the email), if you have a minute or two extra, please do the following: Go to the website. Click on "pending messages" to view the messages needing approval.

 If the message is OK, you have the option of changing the member's status from moderated to unmoderated at this point. (Check with your group's policy if the member needs to complete an Offer/Taken set of posts or even a few series of Offers/Taken posts to determine whether or not to place the member on unmoderated status.) Look for this message: "this member's messages are moderated", to change the status [edit]. Click on [edit]. Then you'll see a couple of options, and you'll want to click the first one, "change to group settings".

At the bottom of the page, click "Save changes". Now go to the message and hit "approve".

If the message is inappropriate, then you may choose to edit it if it's a minor error, such as inadequate headings (they forgot to put OFFER or WANTED), or reject it if it's SPAM, for sale ad, or chit chat.

Whenever I can (depending on time available), I also send a very quick but cordial note to the poster to let them know that I edited their message. Or, you can add a statement to the bottom of the note, such as, "Edited by Moderator to add appropriate heading" or something similar. This is sometimes effective because it reminds the rest of the membership that they must do the same.

You'll want to periodically remind either individuals or the whole group about the policy regarding the use of proper headings and to include their location in the subject line. Be kind, but provide occasional reminders, and they'll gradually catch on.

When you post a message like this to the whole group, start the subject line with "ADMIN". To put a member back on moderation, open the members list (left hand column on the home page). Find the member's name and click on the little pencil in under their name.

Under Membership Privileges, you'll see Posting Messages. Use group settings [edit]. Click on edit.

Click the circle for messages posted by this member are moderated, then "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page. If you will be unable to moderate the group for more than a day or two in a row, please contact the other list owners and moderators to let them know, so that the group is covered in your absence. That's about it!

If you have questions or problems that stump you, please feel free to contact me or XXX. No question or concern is too small!!!!

Thank You.
Your XXX Freecycle Moderators

----
 (C) 2003, The Freecycle Network(TM). All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.
----