Posted by Dr. Bob on August 8, 2002, at 8:31:32
[from http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020725/msgs/7083.html]
> Many of us have said this before, but I would like to see the boards moderated on an on-going basis by a group of well-seasoned participants, ideally one moderator and one back-up for each board (all of whom would be overseen by you, of course). For instance, Dinah might moderate the Psycho-Psycho-Babble board, and I could back her up.
>
> The boards have grown over the last two years to the point that the next phase of good management requires delegation. I believe that the only way for you to retain meaningful control overall is to delegate a majority of control of the day-to-day operations to participants.
>
> Two years ago, we were all in the same boat. Today, your lack of participation *as a community member* has become a hindrance to the smooth functioning of the boards. Most of us know far more about one another than we do about you. We have achieved a level of meaningful intimacy in our interactions over time here, yet our posts remain subject to the interventions of a non-participating moderator. It no longer feels right to have the list-owner "drop in" and censure participants based on a word or a few sentences that are too frequently taken out of context. For many of us, this lack of balance has become unacceptable.
>
> By passing the role of moderator to active participants on each board, maintenance of civility and good will becomes a peer effort. If the role of moderator is further shared with others (someone takes it for a period of time, then it passes to someone else), eventually, many of the regular participants will have experienced the responsibility and difficulty of board moderation and will have achieved a seasoned sense of when to intervene and when to let things work out on their own, which will make your job much easier.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Mark H.
poster:Dr. Bob
thread:7094
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020725/msgs/7094.html