Do you enforce a minimum activity for staff?

[Heatman]

Forum staffs can either working voluntarily or they are being paid. How do you go about your forum staff members management when it comes to how they make contribution in your forum? Do you task them to have a minimum activity expected of them in order to still have their place in staff team or are they free to use the board as they see fit?

 

[Grant]

When it comes to forums, I don't require my mods/admins or whoever to post often. They are free to act like forum users and post topics/replies, but they're not forced to post/reply to people if they don't want to. As long as they keep an eye on the forum and take care of any issues, that's all I really need from them.

If activity is low, I may ask them to start some topics and reply to others, but I don't force them or make them do it to get their pay.

 

[Heatman]

When it comes to forums, I don't require my mods/admins or whoever to post often. They are free to act like forum users and post topics/replies, but they're not forced to post/reply to people if they don't want to. As long as they keep an eye on the forum and take care of any issues, that's all I really need from them.

If activity is low, I may ask them to start some topics and reply to others, but I don't force them or make them do it to get their pay.

I had an awkward experience when I was working for a particular forum owner whom I was an admin on his community. It came to one point where he had to tell me that I am not contributing much by not posting very often in his community. Our arrangement was not for me to be posting but he saw it that I'm not committed to doing the job because I'm not making post on the platform.

 

[Busybee]

I tend to establish clear expectations and guidelines for forum staff members, regardless of whether they are volunteers or paid employees. While the specifics may vary it is generally advisable to have some level of minimum activity or contribution expected from staff members.

 

[Heatman]

I tend to establish clear expectations and guidelines for forum staff members, regardless of whether they are volunteers or paid employees. While the specifics may vary it is generally advisable to have some level of minimum activity or contribution expected from staff members.

I would actually say that the best way for you to go about this is to find those who are willing to be committed in helping out your community because that is the only way you will not even have to enforce any kind of minimum activity or contribution from them and they will be willing to do it all the time.

 

[ClicketyKat]

Maybe it would be better to offer incentives for staff to be more active than to give them ultimatums? I think that people don't like being told what to do, but the chance to earn an achievement, prize, or whatever is definitely more appealing. As a staff member, I try hard to help the site I work for because I want it to succeed. But that's me.

 

[Frank]

Whether there is a paid arrangement or the work is a voluntarily one, a staff should be able to show that he or she is ready to help move the forum forward and contribute on basic acts that are pretty helpful for the forum. This demands that they are active for a certain period of time and always completing the necessary tasks needed too.

 

[Aaron]

I'm not too tough on this on any forum I've owned but there's seven days in a week and if they can make a commitment to be online for an hour or two for at least three days then that's about all I ask for. I always thought about making four (not so much a requirement but rather a guideline) but decided against it as people have jobs and real life commitments.

 

[Heatman]

I'm not too tough on this on any forum I've owned but there's seven days in a week and if they can make a commitment to be online for an hour or two for at least three days then that's about all I ask for. I always thought about making four (not so much a requirement but rather a guideline) but decided against it as people have jobs and real life commitments.

Exactly! For the fact that most people use forums on a part time basis, for someone who's working as your staff, they definitely have other things they do in real life because when they are being employed to work in the forum, it was never on a full time job. It's the reason why asking the question how many days and hours can you be online in the forum if hired helps to know the person's schedule.

 

[Kane]

When I hire staff, I always make sure that I pay them. I do not want people to work for free. That's because I also do not like to work for free. When I hire, my terms are always clear, I will clearly explain what I expect from the staff including posting on the form, so that there will be no confusion.

 

[Heatman]

It is always going to be in the best interest of your community to hire those who are going to be paid to work for you. This is because that is the only way you can be able to demand a certain level of commitment from the job you are expecting them to do because you are paying them to do that particular job.

 

[Cory1]

I don't believe I have, but I would appreciate it if they would log in at least a few times weekly and engage with fellow members. Of course, if they go a long period without any activity then they'll possibly be demoted.

 

[Heatman]

I don't believe I have, but I would appreciate it if they would log in at least a few times weekly and engage with fellow members. Of course, if they go a long period without any activity then they'll possibly be demoted.

Whenever someone put up interest in becoming a staff member on any forum, it means that the person should be ready to commit more than he or she used to. You can't go 24 hours to 48 hours without logging in unless you have informed the forum owner the reason why you will offline for a while.

 

[Shortie]

Due to my forum and the staff positions being voluntary at this time, I ask my staff to try to be on at least once a day for an hour but I also let them know that I understand life happens and that is not always the case.

Forums I have always seen as being second when it comes to real life and understanding that things can happen and sometimes your staff can not always be active due to that can help a lot.

 

[Frank]

Whenever someone put up interest in becoming a staff member on any forum, it means that the person should be ready to commit more than he or she used to. You can't go 24 hours to 48 hours without logging in unless you have informed the forum owner the reason why you will offline for a while.

I spend a lot of time on forums that I am a staff on. I am not staff on many forums because I devote more time to places where I am a staff in ensuring that everything is going as planned. This is something that is very important and it doesn't matter whether there is a reward for work done or not. I believe every staff should do same.

 

[Ja sa bong]

Yes, if you're my staff, I expect a minimum level of activities from you as a contribution for being a staff. I pay all my forum staff members, if I pay you, there's an obligation and expectation it comes with. If forum staffs doesn't do more for the forum's success, you can't expect more from members.

 

[Cory1]

Whenever someone put up interest in becoming a staff member on any forum, it means that the person should be ready to commit more than he or she used to. You can't go 24 hours to 48 hours without logging in unless you have informed the forum owner the reason why you will offline for a while.

You make a very valid point, but some people have very busy lives that they cannot attend to the board day in and day out, but they may make an exceptional staff member. I can understand being MIA for a short period of time if IRL stuff is keeping you busy. I wouldn't enforce a minimum activity policy for reasons like this. Now, if the position was a paid one, that's a whole different story.

 

[Heatman]

You make a very valid point, but some people have very busy lives that they cannot attend to the board day in and day out, but they may make an exceptional staff member. I can understand being MIA for a short period of time if IRL stuff is keeping you busy. I wouldn't enforce a minimum activity policy for reasons like this. Now, if the position was a paid one, that's a whole different story.

When a staff member is working for me voluntarily, I don't have any power to enforce any minimum activity needs on him but I expect him or her to be considerate with how he/she shows up in the forum. I can understand very well that we all have something to do in our real lives and it's why I only ask for a heads up when they can't make it online.