Do You Pay Your Forum Staff?

I don't even make enough to cover server costs. :3

 

IF they dont like the forum as much they will ask for money. If the forum is really active and "fun" they will volunteer

 

Most forums have volunteer mods, like mine, but if you want a different job done that requires more work, then you'd probably have to pay them.

 

I am running a big medical forum in germany and a few small once.

I spend a lot of thought about paying my moderators and every time I come up with the same conclusion: DON'T

For my Forums I select an active member to become a moderator as some sort of encouragement to keep them active in my forum.
I am trying to attract medical professionals and as soon as I see that they stick around and answer questions I offer them the moderator job.
There is not much tied to be a moderator then move threads to the appropriate forum, be active and watch forum rules being upheld.

No one on my forum has any Idea how much money I really make with their work.
I always tell them that it covers the cost for the forum.
And because members of my forum don't see any ADs they mostly don't spend much thought on it anyways.

However if I would start to pay them even let's say 10 bucks per month they start to compare their work with others.
That is the beginning of the end.
A passion becomes work. There will be a shift from an intrinsic motivator to an extrinsic one and everyone knows
(or at least should know) that intrinsic motivation is the best you can hope for.

But wait, I do sometimes pay them, I forgot.

I pay them with personal thank you's.
I for example started a thread about half a year ago and personally thanked every single one of my moderators for their excellent work.
I made each thank you very personal and non generic.

Genuine appreciation can be more then enough payment for something you like doing anyways and motivate you to even give a little more energy.

Read "How to win friends and influence people" from Dale Carnegie

It's worth every penny.

StarBuG

 

Interesting & shrewd answer . But most people lack the diplomacy & manipulative skills to do that , also you're cheery piking the brightest of the bright . The thing is that payed people dedicate their full time to moderating for example you can have a mod doing 16 hours per day 7 days a week for 8 EUR per day .

Just out of curiosity how many active mods do you have ?

Your forum is quite unique in it's nature . The model that you are using might limit the normal user's freedom & willingness to post and you don't want to do that . At least that's my point of view .

 

i also need moderator for forum..if anibody want to help,let me now..

http://forum.dimoncic.com

 

I currently have 5 active moderators.
However to motivate professional medical personal to answer questions on my forum

I mark them with a graphic

The vast majority of the medical personal helping on my forum are doing that because they like the idea of my forum.
I have over 200 medical professionals from various areas of expertise helping patients on my forum.

 

I believe it is necessery to pay the admin but the mods i have my reservation imo.. Even if paid, a mod job will not be paid very high.

 

I don't pay staff. They are volunteers and are honored to serve the community.

 

nO , I have 2 moderators