Staff Rewards

[Scott]

On most forums that I frequent, the mods are volunteers. This is the same on the one I run, however we do give mods limited webspace (subdomain) and an email account.

Do you give your mods anything similar? I've found that its something which helps motivate them to keep adding content.

I know some people would think that, as volunteers, they shouldn't be expected to get anything in return. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this. :)

[Tyler]

Just a simple 'thank you'. Although, I'm going to try and mark their birthdays down on my calendar and send them a happy birthday card with a small gift certificate, all via snail mail of course :)

[writespeak]

I know some people would think that, as volunteers, they shouldn't be expected to get anything in return.

So when you give them something that they don't expect, it means even more. :)

I wouldn't hold back from giving something like that if you have it to give. Or from sending them birthday wishes. Volunteers do get lots in return or they wouldn't do the work.

I think it's good to add to what they get in little ways that you can. That isn't the same as offering payment.

Lois

[Aussie Bob]

. . . I know some people would think that, as volunteers, they shouldn't be expected to get anything in return. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this. :)
Well my opinion on this matter differenciates with most folks, but I have always drawn comfort in not thinking like the masses. :)

IMO, there's 2 classes/kinds/types of forums -

(1). The for profit full e-commerce ad delivery platforms. The forum's purpose is to build a community that drives the ad delivery platform and makes the owner/s money. WHT would fall into this catagory.

(2). The non-profit forums. Usually managed/modded by the owner, and some volunteer moderators to help out. Maybe some light advertising, but that usually pays for the hosting costs etc.

I would have no problem whatsoever in volunteering for a non-profit forum. There you have members who chip in and help out. That's great. :)

However, I would never volunteer for a for profit company, who has no involvement in the community other than to manage the backend infrastructure. The forum is then treated as an asset in a media portfolio, and bought and sold as such.

WHT is the perfect example of this. Moderators spend many hundreds of hours each month in working as volunteers, and then the forum owner sells the asset, walks away with their significant profit, while the worker ants continue to slave away under their new owner.

You see forums that evolve from community based, into full blown e-commerce delivery platforms. Here again is what happened with WHT. Matt started it out and it grew. He sells and then Robert sells to INET. INET then sell to a Private Equity firm, who look at WHT just like they look upon any other income producing asset.

[Aussie Bob]

. . . Moderators spend many hundreds of hours each month in working as volunteers, and then the forum owner sells the asset, walks away with their significant profit, while the worker ants continue to slave away . . .
Ummmm, the "worker ant" thing might have been a tad dramatic. Didn't mean for it to come off in that fashion. :bag:

[bear]

An apt description, nonetheless. ;)

[Scott]

Some interesting thoughts there Bob, thanks for sharing.

I can see your point and I kind of agree with you. I would say that there is probably a middle class between your two, something which isn't intended to make a profit, but becomes one due to the high traffic it receives. This maybe what WHT was at the beginning (I don't know, I wasn't around) and for a forum like that I would have no problem volunteering.

[writespeak]

I would have no problem whatsoever in volunteering for a non-profit forum. There you have members who chip in and help out. That's great. :)

However, I would never volunteer for a for profit company, who has no involvement in the community other than to manage the backend infrastructure. The forum is then treated as an asset in a media portfolio, and bought and sold as such.

WHT is the perfect example of this. [....]

You see forums that evolve from community based, into full blown e-commerce delivery platforms.

Aussie Bob and I had this discussion at WHT. I'll add my point of view here too. :)

I do a lot of volunteer work (not just for forums), and I'm self-employed. When the work is related to what I do for a living and someone gains financially from the work done, I won't do it for free. Somewhere along the line, I have to earn money.

WHT is different. One of the reasons I volunteered to be a mod there was to be involved in a smaller community within the larger one. I get the same personal rewards that I'd get in a non-profit forum. I didn't volunteer for the owner of WHT; I volunteered because I know how rewarding it is to work with a good team and because I wanted to contribute my skills and learn new ones. All of that is separate from who owns the forum.

There's no "right" or "wrong" here. We just have different ways of looking at the situation, and I wanted to present the other side too. :)

Lois

[Aussie Bob]

. . . There's no "right" or "wrong" here. We just have different ways of looking at the situation, and I wanted to present the other side too. :)
Oh absolutely. I'm not one for absolutes, in situations like this. Each to his own. :)

:takecall:

I just wanted to use that smiley. :D

[Jan]

Having viewed many ads over the years of people looking for moderators of their forum, the *incentives* range from offers of free designs, free hosting to monetary reward. Why someone would want to enlist someone strange to moderate their forum of 10 or so members is still beyond me, but still they try.

Some will say they have to be a member for x amount of time before they are placed as a moderator. This type of ad I see as a ploy to get members to signup in the hopes that they will be a moderator someday and get the promised "reward".

[Aussie Bob]

:cake: Having viewed many ads over the years of people looking for moderators of their forum, the *incentives* range from offers of free designs, free hosting to monetary reward. Why someone would want to enlist someone strange to moderate their forum of 10 or so members is still beyond me, but still they try.
I've always seen that as an easy way to get members, and not so much needing moderators.

[Scott]

Some will say they have to be a member for x amount of time before they are placed as a moderator. This type of ad I see as a ploy to get members to signup in the hopes that they will be a moderator someday and get the promised "reward".

I've seen a fair share of those too, and I simply can't see how they get any quality moderators out of that type of system.

Anyone looking for advice for recruiting staff should first ask "Do I need moderators?". If you're just starting out it is unlikely you'll need very many, if any. IMO its best to add moderators as the forum grows, that way you can see who would suit the position.

[adb22791]

The staff on my forums have known me (and I them) for more than a year, we regulary play games online together (since that is what my site and forums are about) and so they don't really need rewards. I find that most (good) staff don't really want a reward, they just like the topic of the forums and want to help out.

[Michelle]

I would provide them e-mail, domain and even a little hosting space but they don't want/need it!! :confused:

[writespeak]

This thread is a little old, but the content is still relevant, so I'll post this here. I just came across a forum that has a different way of rewarding its moderators. Scroll down to the bottom of this forum home page (http://www.smallbusinessbrief.com/forum/), and you'll see that each moderator has space to add a link or 2 and short site descriptions.

I don't think this idea would be suitable for all forums, but it would be suitable for quite a few, perhaps on a different page for some.

Lois

[Scott]

That's a nice idea which I haven't seen before. I'm not sure that site has found the best way to design those links though...I also don't think I'd like them on each page.
However, food for thought :pie:

[B33R]

Nice find Lois!

That's a good way to give mods something back.

[SoftWareRevue]

I've been working on an aboutus page for WHT (for about two years now! :D )

I hadn't thought about adding space so that moderators could show off their site. But, I think it's a splendid idea. :clap:

Although the site you reference has them listed in the footer, I don't think that would be needed on a site like WHT.

Besides, when we get that 50 member staff, it would be quite a footer. :dancin:

[writespeak]

Besides, when we get that 50 member staff, it would be quite a footer. :dancin:

That's why I wrote:

perhaps on a different page for some

:dancin:

Lois

[Doug]

My site has about 5 volunteer moderators that are part of a larger volunteer staff.

The forums have a staff only discussion room for casual contests and discussions, all staff get an email address, and I try to make it a nice place to work. The site has a few ads to cover hosting costs, but I'm extremely involved in the site and community, so I don't think anyone feels as if I'm not pulling my weight.

I agree that the mods on WHT are overworked and underpaid, but they obviously do it because they like it. I'd take the opportunity to mod there - it's an excellent learning experience and a great way to meet interesting people. I think that's why a lot of people volunteer for a variety of projects/forums/etc.

My theory is if you can make it an enjoyable place to be for the staff, they'll make it enjoyable for the members, and everyone will be happy.

[writespeak]

I'd take the opportunity to mod there - it's an excellent learning experience and a great way to meet interesting people. I think that's why a lot of people volunteer for a variety of projects/forums/etc.

That's why I volunteered. :)

Lois

[dojo]

I can't pay them money, but I do promote their sites on my forums. That;s the least I can do for them :)