Moderator Manual:Recruiting moderators
Contents
Recruiting Moderators / Finding Replacements
When the group gets too big to handle for you and your small group of moderators, or you feel it's necessary to step down, it's time to tap community resources and find some additional assistance or replacements. There are a few ways to do this.
Some swear by hand picking a moderator based on their activity with the group. They look for someone who posts correctly, has no issues with other community members, and is approachable and friendly.
Since moderators have the most contact with posting members, you want to find someone who is people friendly, patient, not abrasive, and can follow the rules that have been laid out for the group. Another method to recruit a new moderator is to send out a mod recruit letter. It's relatively simple to do and can be posted as a Special Notices ADMIN.
This gets out to your entire community. Once the applicants respond to your post, you can pick a member based on requirements.
Important Note: If you must leave your group on short notice, and if you have tried to find a replacement moderator from your members and no one has volunteered, please immediately contact your GOA for your area. Your GOA can set you up with a volunteer who can come in and manage your group if you need to leave and who will recruit and train new local moderators.
Whatever method you use to recruit, the important thing is finding a good moderator to assist or as your replacement. This section will walk you through the process step by step and includes sample letters to get you started!
I. Getting Started - Sending A Mod Recruit Letter:
Once you have determined that you need a moderator for your group, get the word out to recruit one!
The easiest way to announce an opening for moderator is to send out an occasional mod recruit letter to your group members. Here is a sample letter that can be used. Simply copy and paste... and feel free to edit as necessary!
***Replace all XXX references with your local group name***
Example #1 - Mod Recruit Letter - Initial Letter
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.
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!
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.
Thank you for your consideration.
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.
Evaluating candidates
After your mod recruit letter gets posted, it becomes a waiting game to determine your pool of moderator candidates. Make a baseline determination based on their response.
Does the member answer all questions completely and concisely?
Are they posting in full sentences?
More importantly, does the member have a clean record on your board?
Were there run-ins in the past that might prejudice that person with your current membership?
Once those questions have been decided and you determine you have a good candidate, make contact again with the member.
Answer any additional questions they might have asked. When that is completed, you should be able to move forward.
Basic Training and Instruction for Your New Moderator
For training your new moderator, there are two choices:
- You can have mentor mods do the recruiting and training. To set this up, contact your GOA.
- If you want to do the recruiting and training yourself, your GOA can set you up with access to the World Playground so your trainee can practice, or you can train your co-mod yourself on your site. It is strongly recommended that you use these training materials.
Changing Member To Moderator
Now it's time to change a former member into a moderator. For those of you who aren't familiar with the procedure, follow these steps:
Make a member a moderator on Freecycle.Org
- The on-site management of members is far simpler. To 'upgrade' a member account to a moderator, click on the 'members' link on the left hand margin in the mod tools.
- Enter the username or email address of the member into the box labeled "Username or email address", ensure 'members' is ticked under "membership levels", and press "Search for Members".
- The search results will show the members username, email address, join date and whether they are moderated or not. In "Actions" select "Promote to moderator" and press the "Go!" button.
- Search for the member again, but this time make sure the Membership levels is set to include moderators- you should see the member and their access level now shows "Moderator" and they will have all the same access as moderators and lead moderators apart from the ability to demote a lead moderator to regular moderator status.
Some mods are seasoned and familiar with the process and don't need to be limited quite so much. Use your best judgment here. The next step is letting your moderator know about the new privileges.
There are several ways to do this. A personal note sent by you will work, as well as the following message as an example. Simply copy and paste... and feel free to edit as necessary!
***Replace all XXX references with your local group name***
Mod Recruit Letter - Welcome Letter 1
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!
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(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.
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Mod Recruit Letter - Welcome Letter 2
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
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(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.
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Final Steps and Parting Words of Advice
The preceding instructions provide a solid starting point to get your mod on board. The final part of mod recruiting is training and this is left up to you, as the resident expert for your member list. I leave you with some final words of advice. I follow these on a daily basis when dealing with new mods that I personally recall from my first few days of mod training:
- Establish a rapport with your new mod. Make yourself approachable and available. Be friendly and nice. We all have lives outside Freecycle (*gasp*) but the reality is that training will be much easier if you put forth the gesture of being open and establishing communication. A friendly email or IM inquiring on progress or well-being goes a long way to establish that initial line of communication.
- Make yourself available as much as you possibly can, whether it be through email, IM or otherwise. Your new mods need you to be there because they are counting on you to help them with even the most menial of tasks. If they feel deserted, they will lose confidence and set up for failure.
- Just because you think a question is easy for you, doesn't mean it's easy for your new mods. Remember how uninformed and new you felt when you first started? Put yourself in their shoes and remember that someone gave you a chance. This is your shot at giving them a chance and starting them off on the right foot. You have to start somewhere... that being at the very beginning.
- Do not belittle or make your mod-in-training regret asking you a simple question. It's a matter of trust that you two have forged. You trust that your new mod will learn the appropriate tasks and your mod trusts that no concern is too insignificant and no question too silly to ask. The first time that you make your mod feel dumb for asking the basic of questions is where you will lose that mod's trust.
Sometimes a new mod will not work out no matter what you do. Personalities clash, attention to detail waivers, or maybe they simply aren't cut out for the position no matter how hard you train them or how much instruction you provide. If you have to let a mod go, do it gently and kindly.
Thank them for their time and let them know it just didn't work out. There is no need to pinpoint every bit of blame where they lacked proficiency or point out their mistakes. That's just a cheap parting shot and does not serve any part of member relations and communications. Better luck next time with another mod trainee. It just happens. Finally, don't forget to inform your GOA in the event that your new mod that didn't work out. Now go forth and recruit! Best of luck on your endeavor.
