Post by Veritee on Nov 19, 2004 10:37:27 GMT
Dear All
I feel that the forum should now have some more moderators as it is obvious that it is too big a task for one person to do 24/7 and we all will have times when we can not go on the forum, even me!
I currently need to look at going back to employment now I am now enough recovered from my accident to do some part time work.
But at the moment when not having a break like the last couple of weeks I spend approx 4 hours at least 4 mornings on the forum and some early evenings - not always answering but reading all, archiving anything I consider may be useful info for others in the future and when I do post I feel I have to do a thorough job as I feel my role is slightly different than others in that I have a responsibility to record, co ordinate and ensure accuracy of my replies. I feel my role is as Deborah’s was when she was active on the forum one of a moderator/advisor, rather than moderator only.
I therefore often research the issues before answering and as you all know my posts are often long and longer ones can take over an hour each.
Moderating in this way is not necessary for all moderators ( as I said I feel my role is different and I have an obligation to respond accurately and geared personally to each poster) but it would really help if there were other active moderators welcoming people and replying regularly to all posts.
I also in the course of a day do other tasks concerned with running this site/forum ie update site content, admin tasks to keep the site up on the web and working, answer many e mails a day, answer phone enquiries, write letters.
Currently the site is a full time job in terms of time for no wages and I really do have to look at what work I can go back to as financially I have to.
Unfortunately the situation has gradually crept up whereby I am the only active moderator.
Before the summer Deborah was very active on the forum as moderator and advisor but due to her other commitments to PNI she is unable to answer on the site very often, girlracer was quite active a year or too back but again her circumstances have also changed.
I think this is a situation which will happen periodically as people’s lives and priorities change - so I would like to know if any of you currently using the site would like to be moderators?
This is not a site for experts so you do not have to have and specific knowledge although knowledge in appropriate areas such as medication, treatment, counselling, benefits and work, child protection, legal knowledge would of course be welcome.
If you do have such specific knowledge if after a time of doing a moderators job, you could consider becoming a Moderator/advisor in your field of knowledge on the forum.
However the job of moderator is first and foremost to welcome new people to the site, follow up those who have not posted for some time and make sure every post gets at least one relevant reply. Anything beyond this is a bonus and moderators are asked to reply from the heart and while they may gain experience in various issues and be able to reply more fully to these, everyone’s participation is seen as equal on the forum, it is just a moderator is doing as job as well.
To be a moderator you do not have to be recovered from PNI, just have the motivation to go on the site at least every few days and do the tasks outlined above.
Also moderators can ask for help and support themselves and start their own thread on issues that affect them as before, and reply to issues from the point to view of someone who is suffering too - it is just they have a commitment to responding regularly on the forum in a helpful and non-judgemental way.
To avoid the situation I am now in – that other current moderators are inactive - I will take moderators off the moderator list if they make less than 2 posts in three months, unless they tell the forum that they will not be able to post for a period of time.
This is in recognition that people move on, needs and priorities change but sometimes one is not able to say that you know longer have an interest in moderating the forum. This will avoid moderations having to 'officially' declare that they no longer wish to moderate as I know feeling like this when your life is moving on sometimes feels like you are betraying the people back on the forum.
You are not of course but this cut off of less than 2 posts in 3 months avoids this discomfort.
I have a more detailed document about the moderators role on this forum I can send you if you are interested. But do not let it put you off as it sound daunting as this document was partly written for potential funders to make it clear we ran the forum responsibly.
So if anyone is interested in becoming a moderator please e mail me . It does not matter if their are several and if new people get lots of welcomes - this would be a good thing as there is nothing worse than finally getting up the courage to post on here to find you have no reply or only one!
All the best
Veritee
I feel that the forum should now have some more moderators as it is obvious that it is too big a task for one person to do 24/7 and we all will have times when we can not go on the forum, even me!
I currently need to look at going back to employment now I am now enough recovered from my accident to do some part time work.
But at the moment when not having a break like the last couple of weeks I spend approx 4 hours at least 4 mornings on the forum and some early evenings - not always answering but reading all, archiving anything I consider may be useful info for others in the future and when I do post I feel I have to do a thorough job as I feel my role is slightly different than others in that I have a responsibility to record, co ordinate and ensure accuracy of my replies. I feel my role is as Deborah’s was when she was active on the forum one of a moderator/advisor, rather than moderator only.
I therefore often research the issues before answering and as you all know my posts are often long and longer ones can take over an hour each.
Moderating in this way is not necessary for all moderators ( as I said I feel my role is different and I have an obligation to respond accurately and geared personally to each poster) but it would really help if there were other active moderators welcoming people and replying regularly to all posts.
I also in the course of a day do other tasks concerned with running this site/forum ie update site content, admin tasks to keep the site up on the web and working, answer many e mails a day, answer phone enquiries, write letters.
Currently the site is a full time job in terms of time for no wages and I really do have to look at what work I can go back to as financially I have to.
Unfortunately the situation has gradually crept up whereby I am the only active moderator.
Before the summer Deborah was very active on the forum as moderator and advisor but due to her other commitments to PNI she is unable to answer on the site very often, girlracer was quite active a year or too back but again her circumstances have also changed.
I think this is a situation which will happen periodically as people’s lives and priorities change - so I would like to know if any of you currently using the site would like to be moderators?
This is not a site for experts so you do not have to have and specific knowledge although knowledge in appropriate areas such as medication, treatment, counselling, benefits and work, child protection, legal knowledge would of course be welcome.
If you do have such specific knowledge if after a time of doing a moderators job, you could consider becoming a Moderator/advisor in your field of knowledge on the forum.
However the job of moderator is first and foremost to welcome new people to the site, follow up those who have not posted for some time and make sure every post gets at least one relevant reply. Anything beyond this is a bonus and moderators are asked to reply from the heart and while they may gain experience in various issues and be able to reply more fully to these, everyone’s participation is seen as equal on the forum, it is just a moderator is doing as job as well.
To be a moderator you do not have to be recovered from PNI, just have the motivation to go on the site at least every few days and do the tasks outlined above.
Also moderators can ask for help and support themselves and start their own thread on issues that affect them as before, and reply to issues from the point to view of someone who is suffering too - it is just they have a commitment to responding regularly on the forum in a helpful and non-judgemental way.
To avoid the situation I am now in – that other current moderators are inactive - I will take moderators off the moderator list if they make less than 2 posts in three months, unless they tell the forum that they will not be able to post for a period of time.
This is in recognition that people move on, needs and priorities change but sometimes one is not able to say that you know longer have an interest in moderating the forum. This will avoid moderations having to 'officially' declare that they no longer wish to moderate as I know feeling like this when your life is moving on sometimes feels like you are betraying the people back on the forum.
You are not of course but this cut off of less than 2 posts in 3 months avoids this discomfort.
I have a more detailed document about the moderators role on this forum I can send you if you are interested. But do not let it put you off as it sound daunting as this document was partly written for potential funders to make it clear we ran the forum responsibly.
So if anyone is interested in becoming a moderator please e mail me . It does not matter if their are several and if new people get lots of welcomes - this would be a good thing as there is nothing worse than finally getting up the courage to post on here to find you have no reply or only one!
All the best
Veritee
