[wp-forums] mods

[esmi at quirm dot net]

on 01/04/2010 08:17 mrmist said the following:
> Following loosely from the brief discussion over forum rules, and this 
> thread http://wordpress.org/support/topic/382762?replies=2#post-1460586 
> (amongst others that occasionally pop up).  Should there be "rules" over 
> "how to become a mod"?

I don't think so. If someone has to follow a set of rules to try to 
become a mod, I'd argue that perhaps they're not ready to become one. 
I'd also be very wary of anyone who has their sights set on mod-ship. 
There's a big difference between that and simply wanting to help out. 
Those who fall into the latter group can be pointed to this list - 
which, in itself, is something of a rarity. Not many forums have such a 
transparent list that anyone can join.

> Not many forums that I've ever visited have had such things, but the 
> question seems to pop up on the wp-forums more than elsewhere.  Not sure 
> I would have any rules over and above enough time having elapsed for me 
> to judge a person as being "trustworthy" and unlikely to go in and break 
> stuff ;)

Ditto. I've never seen a forum that has a "So You Want to be a Mod" set 
of guidelines or rules. The final decision has to be left up to the 
judgement of admins or whoever manages the mod team - especially on a 
forum as busy as this one. They have to have the freedom to chose people 
that they feel they can trust, work with and delegate some 
responsibility to.

> Does the forum need any more mods?  I reckon the team is at a good size 
> just now, a reasonable balance has been achieved, but would love to know 
> what other people think.

I've no idea how big the team actually is. Apart from actual bodies, the 
only other selection criteria that might be useful is to consider time 
zones to try and give a reasonable amount of cover around the clock. 
But, personally, I still wouldn't make that a priority above gut instinct.

Mel / esmi