Make this user a moderator?

[wheel]

I run a small niche forum and am easily able to moderate it myself. There's only a handful of posts most days.

One of the more prolific posters has mentioned that he'd be willing to moderate. I read that as 'I want to be a moderator'.

Not only does he post a lot, he does all this other stuff unasked. He writes long informative posts (that I disagree with, but not in a 'delete the post' kind of way). And he makes sure all new visitors get welcomed with a warm message. In other words, he's putting some work in.

Do I 'reward' this guy who clearly wants to be a moderator? Is that a smart thing to do or should I leave it as is? Are there drawbacks to this?

[mack]

Well, only make him/her a moderator if you feel they can offer somethign to the community. From what you have said this person does sound like potential moderator material.

You need to set the ground rules though from the very start. Moderators in many places have their own set of rules that they need to abide by.

It is also importaint to let him/her know that mod rights can be revoked!

Mack.

[Quadrille]

I'd suggest a three month trial to see if it works - for both of you.

And I'd create a 'staff room' where you and he (and later, maybe others) can discuss problems and how they are dealt with.

But you don't have to! If in doubt, say 'thanks a bunch, but I'm OK at the moment!" ~ however, that does carry a small risk that he'll leave, however nicely you say it. :)

[janharders]

yeah, from personal experience, I'd also vote for a trial. some people are great to have as users but power quickly goes to their head and they start some police state-stuff you really don't want on your forums as your regular members will be scared off.

See if you can find out more about this user, maybe he uses the same username on other forums. as he's an active participant, maybe he's a moderator on other sites allready so you could look at this administrative decisions and the way he handles things.

[rogerd]

This person exhibits the characteristics of a good moderator, so I'll also concur with appointing him/her as a mod. You might phrase the trial period as relating to the new idea of having someone else moderate vs. any doubts you have about the individual. I also concur with setting up a "back room" private forum where you can share ideas and a where you can provide guidance as to the tone of moderation, what's a problem and what's not, etc.

This person could help grow your community. You might find it helpful to add another moderator or two as well.

I think the key idea to get across is that a moderator is less like a bouncer at a bar mostly responsible for keeping unruly customers in line and more like a genial party host who greets new arrivals, keeps conversations flowing, and helps individuals connect with others who have common interests, etc. Even if you can do TOS enforcement yourself, mods can help topical areas thrive.

[londrum]

if the guy is helpful to you now, imagine what he will be like when you get him more involved with the place.

[thecoalman]

The best moderators are those that don't want the job. Be careful with people that are requesting it especially if there is no indication you are seeking moderators and/or they are backseat moderating now.

[JS_Harris]

Question - you can easily moderate it yourself but can you moderate it and monitor him too? How easily will you sleep?

If you don't need a moderator yet, is it wise to get one anyway since he's the type you'd be looking for anyway?

The answer is in your plans, do you have plans on drawing more visitors to your forum? If not leave things be, if yes... prepare and get him broken in! (just make sure you lock and secure everything first)