Background: this discussion was initiated on the Forum Moderators group
Hi everybody,
Lately I have received quite a few requests from contributors who would like to become moderators but they were not sure what the requirements were or if they were fit for the role.
So I'm thinking what should be taken into consideration when nominating someone? Activity on the support forum? Length of time spent as a community member? Participation in the discussions on the contributor forums?
Of course we don't want to be too strict (otherwise nobody will ever become mod again :) ) but I think it would help to have a rough idea about what we are looking for . This should also make it easier to explain to contributors who would like to be mods but they are not quite ready yet, where do they have to improve in order to get there. Negative feedback is always hard to digest but constructive feedback can help :)
Opinions?
Background: this discussion was initiated on the Forum Moderators group
Hi everybody,
Lately I have received quite a few requests from contributors who would like to become moderators but they were not sure what the requirements were or if they were fit for the role.
So I'm thinking what should be taken into consideration when nominating someone? Activity on the support forum? Length of time spent as a community member? Participation in the discussions on the contributor forums?
Of course we don't want to be too strict (otherwise nobody will ever become mod again :) ) but I think it would help to have a rough idea about what we are looking for . This should also make it easier to explain to contributors who would like to be mods but they are not quite ready yet, where do they have to improve in order to get there. Negative feedback is always hard to digest but constructive feedback can help :)
Opinions?
Well, I'm the latest one becoming a mod here.. In my opinion, how you respond to mods when they raise you an issue is an important one because if you don't take the matter seriously since mods know more obviously then that's one thing to take into consideration. Another thing is, have then done work outside of SUMO where it wasn't too great and others are still judging him/ her about their choices. As well as obviously, how long they've been around, how they respond on the forum because a big thing about becoming a mod is having strong English skills and if the individual doesn't have strong English skills, then the user complaining or if another contributor is trying to get help and is having trouble understanding the moderator, then it won't be so pretty. SUMO community involvement is important as well because if you're not up to date on what's happening on SUMO then you can't really know what's going on when a contributor asks why is this happening, why is that happening.
Well, I'm the latest one becoming a mod here.. In my opinion, how you respond to mods when they raise you an issue is an important one because if you don't take the matter seriously since mods know more obviously then that's one thing to take into consideration. Another thing is, have then done work outside of SUMO where it wasn't too great and others are still judging him/ her about their choices. As well as obviously, how long they've been around, how they respond on the forum because a big thing about becoming a mod is having strong English skills and if the individual doesn't have strong English skills, then the user complaining or if another contributor is trying to get help and is having trouble understanding the moderator, then it won't be so pretty. SUMO community involvement is important as well because if you're not up to date on what's happening on SUMO then you can't really know what's going on when a contributor asks why is this happening, why is that happening.
I agree with Andrew. Length of time as a contributor and english skills are a must since we are a English only forum. I became a mod back when LiveChat was still around and am still learning some new guidelines for mods. The updates of SUMO are critical as well because, as Andrew stated, if you are not up to date on what's happening on SUMO, then you can't know what's going on when a contributor asks why it's happening.
One other idea would be to have other mods/contributors vouch for the contributor wanting to be a mod. Vouching allows other contributors/mods to weigh in and have their own opinion on what the contributor does right and what he/she does wrong. Constructive criticism is critical for the contributor to actually focus on what he/she needs work on such as temper management, outbursts, etc. Even obvious customer service skills such as "Thank you for visiting Mozilla Support", or "Hi "username", how are you?", etc,etc.
But I think all in all, that the contributor wanting to be mod has a good track record of being with SUMO (a year at most with time invested in projects such as Forum help, AoA, Facebook support, or even QA) or even less than 6 months with a significant amount of time invested into SUMO to show their dedication to wanting to be a mod. I may be pushing this but these are just my opinions. Feel free to reword/twist them around.
My opinion is simple:
Amount of time (1 year with decent enough time in SUMO, less than 6 months with significant amounts)
Good track record
Vouchers from other Contributors/Mods/Admins
First of all, Happy Halloween!
I agree with Andrew. Length of time as a contributor and english skills are a must since we are a English only forum. I became a mod back when LiveChat was still around and am still learning some new guidelines for mods. The updates of SUMO are critical as well because, as Andrew stated, if you are not up to date on what's happening on SUMO, then you can't know what's going on when a contributor asks why it's happening.
One other idea would be to have other mods/contributors vouch for the contributor wanting to be a mod. Vouching allows other contributors/mods to weigh in and have their own opinion on what the contributor does right and what he/she does wrong. Constructive criticism is critical for the contributor to actually focus on what he/she needs work on such as temper management, outbursts, etc. Even obvious customer service skills such as "Thank you for visiting Mozilla Support", or "Hi "username", how are you?", etc,etc.
But I think all in all, that the contributor wanting to be mod has a good track record of being with SUMO (a year at most with time invested in projects such as Forum help, AoA, Facebook support, or even QA) or even less than 6 months with a significant amount of time invested into SUMO to show their dedication to wanting to be a mod. I may be pushing this but these are just my opinions. Feel free to reword/twist them around.
My opinion is simple:
* Amount of time (1 year with decent enough time in SUMO, less than 6 months with significant amounts)
* Good track record
* Vouchers from other Contributors/Mods/Admins
We should probably make a job description. Being a moderator is a specific role that takes specific skills and has specific tasks. Someone doesn't necessarily have to be an excellent support contributor to be an excellent moderator.
Either way it will help someone know if they even want to be a moderator, rather than it just feeling like some reward you get for being a good contributor and of course it will guide us when approving new moderators.
We should probably make a job description. Being a moderator is a specific role that takes specific skills and has specific tasks. Someone doesn't necessarily have to be an excellent support contributor to be an excellent moderator.
Either way it will help someone know if they even want to be a moderator, rather than it just feeling like some reward you get for being a good contributor and of course it will guide us when approving new moderators.
I agree 100% with Kensie. Gotta define what a moderator's job is. IMO, it is to police the rules listed at Mozilla Support rules and guidelines. I would also add that it is to keep the focus on helping users.
history of recognizing what requires mod intervention
history of not breaking the rules
good at dealing with emotional posts
good communication skills
I don't think a person needs experience outside of sumo. If a person meets the other requirements and we trust them with moderator powers, having a requirement of experience outside of sumo seems like something that's more in the way. Besides, one of the great things about Mozilla is that it gives people a chance to shine where they may not have had a chance elsewhere. (e.g. Blake Ross)
1 Yes, I know I link to that video a lot, but I love it, and I think it's a must-view for everyone in Mozilla. :)
I agree 100% with Kensie. Gotta define what a moderator's job is. IMO, it is to police the rules listed at [[Forum rules and guidelines]]. I would also add that it is to keep the focus on helping users.
So what does it take to become a mod? Aside from having [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F-3E8pyjFo politeness, respect, trust, and humility]? <sup>1</sup><br/>
* history of recognizing what requires mod intervention
* history of not breaking the rules
* good at dealing with emotional posts
* good communication skills
I don't think a person needs experience outside of sumo. If a person meets the other requirements and we trust them with moderator powers, having a requirement of experience outside of sumo seems like something that's more in the way. Besides, one of the great things about Mozilla is that it gives people a chance to shine where they may not have had a chance elsewhere. (e.g. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Ross Blake Ross])
<sup>1</sup> Yes, I know I link to that video a lot, but I love it, and I think it's a must-view for everyone in Mozilla. :)
Half an aside, I find it ironic that in their comprehension section they call out people who focus too much on process, but their next section is entirely about how important certain processes are ;)
I would say moderators should also act as tier 2 support and help to mentor new contributors. I know we have the buddy program to help with this, but I think it should still be identified as a responsibility.
Half an aside, I find it ironic that in their comprehension section they call out people who focus too much on process, but their next section is entirely about how important certain processes are ;)
I would say moderators should also act as tier 2 support and help to mentor new contributors. I know we have the buddy program to help with this, but I think it should still be identified as a responsibility.
Around 25 minutes into the Google video, they discussed admitting new members to the community of people with specific permissions (in that case, those able to commit patches). The point was made that discussions about admitting specific contributors could be private, so that feelings don't get hurt, but technical issues should remain open.
Related to that, the moderators forum shouldn't be used as a private "club". I think that this discussion should be occurring in the open contributors forum. There isn't anything "sensitive" or potentially embarrassing to anyone here. Shouldn't this thread be moved to /forums/contributors?
Around 25 minutes into the Google video, they discussed admitting new members to the community of people with specific permissions (in that case, those able to commit patches). The point was made that discussions about admitting specific contributors could be private, so that feelings don't get hurt, but technical issues should remain open.
Related to that, the moderators forum shouldn't be used as a private "club". I think that this discussion should be occurring in the open contributors forum. There isn't anything "sensitive" or potentially embarrassing to anyone here. Shouldn't this thread be moved to [/forums/contributors]?
Lately I have received quite a few requests from contributors who would like to become moderators but they were not sure what the requirements were or if they were fit for the role. It would be easy to just post their names here and ask for opinions but I would like to go a bit deeper than that.
On asking for opinions: It's fine to post threads in the moderators forum about potential new moderators, either those who ask to be made a moderator or those who you want to nominate. You just have to be aware that, if you don't get many replies about a specific contributor, people might hesitate to post negative opinions. Who wants to publicly post a negative comment about someone who might become a new moderator and able to go back to the thread and read your negative opinion? You should probably mention that opinions can also be made by PM.
So I'm thinking what should be taken into consideration when nominating someone? Activity on the support forum? Length of time spent as a community member? Participation in the discussions on the contributor forums?
On what makes a good moderator:
Definitely NOT length of time spent as a community member, or even participation in contributor discussions. Moderator status should never be granted as a "reward" for participation or time spent in the community.
Activity on the support forum is a "plus", since questions that need moderation get attention more quickly, but not critical.
Like Andrew mentioned, strong English skills are important. So is the ability to be fair in applying the Mozilla Support rules and guidelines, as well as having an even temperament, empathy, and consideration of people's feelings (e.g., tell someone that you are "closing" the thread , not that you are "locking" it, even though it's the same thing! )
Chris summarizes it pretty well: The job is to apply the rules and keep the focus on helping users. The requirements are:
history of recognizing what requires mod intervention
history of not breaking the rules
good at dealing with emotional posts
good communication skills
I agree with Kensie: make a job description.
''madasan [[#post-54922|said]]''
<blockquote>
Lately I have received quite a few requests from contributors who would like to become moderators but they were not sure what the requirements were or if they were fit for the role. It would be easy to just post their names here and ask for opinions but I would like to go a bit deeper than that.
</blockquote>
'''On asking for opinions:'''<br>It's fine to post threads in the moderators forum about potential new moderators, either those who ask to be made a moderator or those who you want to nominate. You just have to be aware that, if you don't get many replies about a specific contributor, people might hesitate to post negative opinions. Who wants to publicly post a negative comment about someone who might become a new moderator and able to go back to the thread and read your negative opinion? You should probably mention that opinions can also be made by PM.
''madasan [[#post-54922|said]]''
<blockquote>
So I'm thinking what should be taken into consideration when nominating someone? Activity on the support forum? Length of time spent as a community member? Participation in the discussions on the contributor forums?
</blockquote>
'''On what makes a good moderator:'''<br>
Definitely NOT length of time spent as a community member, or even participation in contributor discussions. Moderator status should never be granted as a "reward" for participation or time spent in the community.
Activity on the support forum is a "plus", since questions that need moderation get attention more quickly, but not critical.
Like Andrew mentioned, strong English skills are important. So is the ability to be fair in applying the [[Forum rules and guidelines]], as well as having an even temperament, empathy, and consideration of people's feelings (e.g., tell someone that you are "closing" the thread , not that you are "locking" it, even though it's the same thing! )
Chris summarizes it pretty well: The job is to apply the rules and keep the focus on helping users. The requirements are:
*history of recognizing what requires mod intervention
*history of not breaking the rules
*good at dealing with emotional posts
*good communication skills
I agree with Kensie: make a job description.
We could discuss new moderators on an etherpad that is deleted/password protected/otherwise locked after the decision has been made.
That would allow the discussion to be "public" to the other moderators but then not to the new mod. I suppose we could also do that with a forum? Move the threads somewhere that only admins can access? I think that the discussion should be kept around just in case there are issues with the moderator, either with the moderator himself or with someone questioning why the person is a moderator.
We could discuss new moderators on an etherpad that is deleted/password protected/otherwise locked after the decision has been made.
That would allow the discussion to be "public" to the other moderators but then not to the new mod. I suppose we could also do that with a forum? Move the threads somewhere that only admins can access? I think that the discussion should be kept around just in case there are issues with the moderator, either with the moderator himself or with someone questioning why the person is a moderator.
Thanks for the conversation guys, this sounds really good. The job description idea is great, I'll put a few things together on an etherpad.
Unfortunately due to a crazy busy month of October I'm a bit behind with things happening on the forums so I hope to catch up on everything this week.
Thanks for the conversation guys, this sounds really good. The job description idea is great, I'll put a few things together on an etherpad.
Unfortunately due to a crazy busy month of October I'm a bit behind with things happening on the forums so I hope to catch up on everything this week.
Also I will move this to the contributors forum as per Alice's suggestion so everybody can chime in.
Great idea Kensie, I have now created: https://etherpad.mozilla.org/moderators. Please feel free to write your thoughts.
Also I will move this to the contributors forum as per Alice's suggestion so everybody can chime in.
We have bugs relating thread deletion and user deactivation. Have we got one for the abuse reports ? I do not immediately see it, but seem to recall we have one.
I agree mod status need not be offered as a reward for contributions, but active contributors as a collective see all threads multiple times, we need to encourage them to report abuse and spam.
Some of those contributors, (and I can think of at least one obvious and well known example) will routinely and correctly identify and report spam/problems. It is a good idea to recruit such contributors as moderators even if they are not interested in many other moderation aspects, because they will then be able to deal with problems they come across immediately. Having a log of successful abuse reports would help identify such contributors.
It it is also worth noting this and some other fora do not have a report abuse button. The usual posters are not going to post spam or be abusive but it is better to be prepared and have the button and mods available for the problem if it occurs.
We have bugs relating thread deletion and user deactivation. Have we got one for the abuse reports ? I do not immediately see it, but seem to recall we have one.
I agree mod status need not be offered as a reward for contributions, but active contributors as a collective see all threads multiple times, we need to encourage them to report abuse and spam.
Some of those contributors, (and I can think of at least one obvious and well known example) will routinely and correctly identify and report spam/problems. It is a good idea to recruit such contributors as moderators even if they are not interested in many other moderation aspects, because they will then be able to deal with problems they come across immediately. Having a log of successful abuse reports would help identify such contributors.
It it is also worth noting this and some other fora do not have a report abuse button. The usual posters are not going to post spam or be abusive but it is better to be prepared and have the button and mods available for the problem if it occurs.
Madalina,
It should be at sumo.etherpad.mozilla.org so that it will be controlled by the SUMO team and not get lost.
No idea if the location helps with control, but whilst sumo.etherpad.mozilla.org needs a login the current etherpad Madalina opened may be accessed and edited by anyone, which seems to be the intention. [It is not restricted to moderators.]
''Madasan [[#post-55077|said]]''
<blockquote>
Thanks for the conversation guys, this sounds really good. The job description idea is great, I'll put a few things together on an etherpad.
......
</blockquote>
''Kensie [[#post-55516|said]]''
<blockquote>
Madalina,
It should be at sumo.etherpad.mozilla.org so that it will be controlled by the SUMO team and not get lost.
</blockquote>
No idea if the location helps with control, but whilst sumo.etherpad.mozilla.org needs a login the [https://etherpad.mozilla.org/moderators current etherpad] Madalina opened may be accessed and edited by anyone, which seems to be the intention. [It is not restricted to moderators.]
I would just like to offer my opinion on this topic.
I moderator should one of the most dedicated people in the SUMO community.
All of the users that commit time to SUMO (ex. top 10 forum contributors) should be offered a position as moderators because they are the most dedicated users. Other users that are not in the top 10 list, may contribute to the community in other ways and this is why it would also be important to the SUMO community and should also be considered.
These requirements should also be filled:
Must have made several ligament reports of bad content on the forums
Must have answered at least 1000 questions on the forums
Must have at least 100 questions marked as the solution
Must have wrote/edited at least 5 articles
Must be active in the contributor forums
Must have created an account at least 2 months ago
This is just what I would be looking for in a moderator.
Really, since Mozilla is a non-profit business and doesn't pay moderators, I wouldn't be so picky about who made it or how many moderators there were. If there is an abuse of power, the power can simply be removed.
I would just like to offer my opinion on this topic.
-------------------
I moderator should one of the most dedicated people in the SUMO community.<br>
All of the users that commit time to SUMO (ex. top 10 forum contributors) should be offered a position as moderators because they are the most dedicated users. Other users that are not in the top 10 list, may contribute to the community in other ways and this is why it would also be important to the SUMO community and should also be considered.
--------------------
These requirements should also be filled:
*Must have made several ligament reports of bad content on the forums
*Must have answered at least 1000 questions on the forums
*Must have at least 100 questions marked as the solution
*Must have wrote/edited at least 5 articles
*Must be active in the contributor forums
*Must have created an account at least 2 months ago
-----------------
This is just what I would be looking for in a moderator.<br>
Really, since Mozilla is a non-profit business and doesn't pay moderators, I wouldn't be so picky about who made it or how many moderators there were. If there is an abuse of power, the power can simply be removed.
"No idea if the location helps with control, but whilst sumo.etherpad.mozilla.org needs a login the current etherpad Madalina opened may be accessed and edited by anyone, which seems to be the intention. [It is not restricted to moderators.] "
Yes, the location helps with control. Etherpads created under teams can also be set to public, I believe Kadir changed the admin setting so that they are public by default. It's just that you must be a member on the etherpad team to create etherpads (another configurable setting, but probably not recommended).
Etherpads not created under teams are basically lost into the ether if the URL is forgotten. Team members can see a list of all etherpads under their team to find pads again.
"No idea if the location helps with control, but whilst sumo.etherpad.mozilla.org needs a login the current etherpad Madalina opened may be accessed and edited by anyone, which seems to be the intention. [It is not restricted to moderators.] "
Yes, the location helps with control. Etherpads created under teams can also be set to public, I believe Kadir changed the admin setting so that they are public by default. It's just that you must be a member on the etherpad team to create etherpads (another configurable setting, but probably not recommended).
Etherpads not created under teams are basically lost into the ether if the URL is forgotten. Team members can see a list of all etherpads under their team to find pads again.
I would just like to offer my opinion on this topic.
I moderator should one of the most dedicated people in the SUMO community.
All of the top 10 forum contributors should be offered a position as moderators because they are the most dedicated users.
...
Really, since Mozilla is a non-profit business and doesn't pay moderators, I wouldn't be so picky about who made it or how many moderators there were. If there is an abuse of power, the power can simply be removed.
Can you explain why you think this is the case? Exactly why does dedication make someone a good moderator? Is there a better way to express that quality in a different requirement? Why the top 10? Why not top 13 or 4?
Giving power as a reward or incentive is not healthy for a community. I can't think of a single board I've been on that used that metric and didn't become a cliquey boys' club that closed ranks. The role becomes about gaining and maintaining the power, and using the power on the community. The powerful should feel responsible to the community to wield that power properly. Not entitled to it.
How do you catch the abuse of power? Are you sure it will be seen? Will moderators feel comfortable speaking out against each other? What damage will the abuse of power do to the community, especially in terms of trust? What happens when you remove the power from one moderator over the objections of others? What if it was an honest mistake? How do you tell if it was?
''Wesley Branton [[#post-55545|said]]''
<blockquote>
I would just like to offer my opinion on this topic.
-------------------
I moderator should one of the most dedicated people in the SUMO community.<br>
All of the top 10 forum contributors should be offered a position as moderators because they are the most dedicated users.
...
Really, since Mozilla is a non-profit business and doesn't pay moderators, I wouldn't be so picky about who made it or how many moderators there were. If there is an abuse of power, the power can simply be removed.
</blockquote>
Can you explain why you think this is the case? Exactly why does dedication make someone a good moderator? Is there a better way to express that quality in a different requirement? Why the top 10? Why not top 13 or 4?
Giving power as a reward or incentive is not healthy for a community. I can't think of a single board I've been on that used that metric and didn't become a cliquey boys' club that closed ranks. The role becomes about gaining and maintaining the power, and using the power on the community. The powerful should feel responsible to the community to wield that power properly. Not entitled to it.
How do you catch the abuse of power? Are you sure it will be seen? Will moderators feel comfortable speaking out against each other? What damage will the abuse of power do to the community, especially in terms of trust? What happens when you remove the power from one moderator over the objections of others? What if it was an honest mistake? How do you tell if it was?
These requirements really ensure that the user becoming a moderator is dedicated to the community.
As with all cases of power, there will be abuse of power and not all of it will be caught. I am sure that there have been un-reported cases of moderator abuse in the community.
Nothing will be done perfectly and this can't always be prevented.
All I'm saying is that the users that show and interest and commitment to the SUMO community should make good moderators.
There would be obvious other factors.
These requirements really ensure that the user becoming a moderator is dedicated to the community.
As with all cases of power, there will be abuse of power and not all of it will be caught. I am sure that there have been un-reported cases of moderator abuse in the community.<br>
Nothing will be done perfectly and this can't always be prevented.
All I'm saying is that the users that show and interest and commitment to the SUMO community should make good moderators.
Right, but I'm asking you to explain why you think that. What makes a good moderator? These are the things we need to agree on as a group.
So for example, if you are saying that clearly the top 10 have the time to be checking the forums for issues that need moderating, then it's not the fact that they're in the top 10 that would make them good moderators, it's the time commitment (correlation vs causation). Then when listing what makes a good moderator we should say "time commitment" not "in top 10," though when we list how we measure time commitment, "in top 10" could be one way we measure it.
Right, but I'm asking you to explain why you think that. What makes a good moderator? These are the things we need to agree on as a group.
So for example, if you are saying that clearly the top 10 have the time to be checking the forums for issues that need moderating, then it's not the fact that they're in the top 10 that would make them good moderators, it's the time commitment (correlation vs causation). Then when listing what makes a good moderator we should say "time commitment" not "in top 10," though when we list how we measure time commitment, "in top 10" could be one way we measure it.
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