How well do you know your staff?

I know some people who add staff just to add, member recommendations and because of their post quality and such, but do some of you get to know them? Like personally, share discussions, joke, laugh, etc. I'll post my experiences later on.

 

I try to get to know them. As if they're friends, but not breaking the personal space barrier.

 

The only person I have officially appointed is a pretty good friend off site. We joke on and off site a lot as well as a lot of my members...most live in the area.

 

Right. Ray, I took a look at your staff list the other night, are you not the admin of your site or did I interpret things differently?

 

I try to get to know them before even considering them for a moderating position. It's just easier to work with people when you know them as opposed to blindly recruiting them. It's also a much more fun and personable experience.

 

I'm not sure I can explain my madness lol

I've been using the name 50calray before I started my site. So I created an account with that user name. But I was afraid I would make people nervous or uncomfortable posting with an Admin account all the time. So I made that account a Mod instead and created a separate Admin account, Semiauto. The other two Admins was created because of upgrading to vB and hiring an IT guy. The only person who really looks after the board besides me is my friend who I made a super mod.

 

I really have only met one member of my "staff" the others are just loyal members who are well known on other umpire sites.

 

I hand-pick my staff only from the people I already have come to know. After that, I'll get to know them a lot better, mainly via the staff forum. I'd never add someone to the staff team just because they happen to be active.

 

With mine being a vauxhall forum i know each member of staff personally since we attend car shows etc.

We also have staff meets at various venues to discuss the forum face to face.

 

It's crucial to build relationships with the members of your staff team, in my opinion.

Seeing as you work with these individuals on a daily basis, creating and then developing some sort of bond with them (whether it be on a personal level or a professional level) is quite important, particularly for the overall well-being of the community. Keep in mind: the people that you are working with share some of the responsibility (when it comes to maintaining the community). If you aren't happy with your fellow members and/or feel that you won't be able to work with them successfully, then it may be time to take a step back and re-examine the situation.

Personally, I love building relationships on a personal level - it allows me to be my "natural self", as I am in person.

 

Well, in my side, all the staff are really good friends of mine. We all started as users and got to know, specially two of my staff members who are my "brother & sister" from the interwebz. The only super mod I have, karu is a great person and has been there with me since I became a admin, she's always been wanting to leave for because of the stress, but she stays at the end 'cause she cares about the site. The other moderator I have is an old user from when Pisoga started, but disappeared for a while... She came back and asked to be mod, she spent some months on the site helping, and she was appointed moderator shortly after that...

=\ There is this site I go to, the admin doesn't get to know any of the staff [I am one] so he once asked "Who made the banner" and I linked the thread I publicly posted for the banner in which he replied to...

Sometimes when I pick the moderators people tent to "complain" saying that I am biased and such.

 

A couple of my staff members I know personally. One fo them I went to school with back in the 1980s and have known each other ever since. Another one of my staff members, we have known each other for about 13 years. We go to each others houses, talk on the home, go camping, just your normal stuff.

But most of my staff members, I just know from the forum.

 

I don't think you necessarily have to have met in real life; I seriously doubt I'll ever have the opportunity to meet some of my team. But it is helpful if you know them well enough to consider them friends.

 

I agree - meeting them in real life is by no means a requirement or necessity. It helps, but not doing so doesn't hinder your ability to work with them at all.

 

=P It would be cool to meet in person some of my members/staff members. They are people I'd see myself laughing/hanging out with.

 

I've never met my staff in real life, due to them being from other countries.

However, I know my staff very well. We've been friends, online, for as long as I've been going onto forums (I joined my first forum, which I met them on, seven years ago, been moderating forums for six).

Right now, there is only one staff member who was not with us back then.

Some would consider me "picking friends" to be moderators, but I view it differently.

I -know- them, I know their moderating style, and I know they can do what needs to be done in the event I'm not around. Therefor, they are obviously the best choice.

 

my moderator is my best friend, ive known her for years, we know eachother in real life, talk to eachother every day, and i think we know eachother better than most people do.

 

I would prefer to get to know the person before I choose so I know that I can get along with them and the other staff as well. The worst thing that can happen is when your staff get into it, especially right out in the open