Moderators make the world go round.

One of the most important tasks for any Community Manager is the selecting and hiring of moderators.
If you have a really large community you will know where I am coming from when I say that without moderators your forum/group/community would go downhill fast. A community manager can not read each and everyone of the thousands of posts that are made daily within large communities. It's impossible, there are not enough hours in the day. So as CM's we need to ensure that we recruit the best moderators for the job, and when most moderators are volunteers this has to be done very carefully.

My list of important criteria that a community manager should look for when searching for prospective moderators amongst the members of its' community.

• A person should already be an active member of the community, e.g. visiting and interacting almost daily. You don't want a moderator who can only check in on the site once a week.
• He/she is helpful to other members, assisting with site usability questions, etc.
• He/she does not let other members get him or her hot under the collar.
• He/she is not afraid to wade in and calm down an argument they have witnessed within the community
• He/she projects them self as being open to different opinions, and doesn't seem quick to judge. In other words he or she appears diplomatic
• He/she express them self well in posts. The member doesn't have to be the worlds best writer (I know I'm not) but their comments must be clear and concise.
• A must is a great sense of humour
• A very big must is that he or she has a thick skin (because now and then it will be needed)
• He/she must believe in the community and it's aim's.

What do we as community managers offer moderators in return?

• Ensure that the moderators know what is expected of them. We have to make sure we give our moderators the tools to be able to moderate. A handbook, a list of guidelines, and our guidance, will go a long way to ensuring that the moderators feel supported.
• Provide the moderators with a private area where they can hang out with each other, ask questions, share stories, or just plain vent (after all now and again they may just want to let off steam).
• Last, but by no means least; always remember that as volunteers the moderators are giving their time freely for the benefit of the community. Therefore, we have to be fully supportive of them and available  24/7. I've seen many a community that has a CM who works "corporate hours", and isn't around over the weekends and evenings when a moderator may have an issue that needs addressing. It won't look good to a volunteer if they ask a question on a Friday evening, and have to wait until Monday morning to get a response. So even if you are not active within your community during the "off-hours" make sure you are checking your emails and private/direct messages in case one of your moderators needs you.

There are many other things that I could include on my list, but I just wanted to list the basics. Not all communities are the same, and so the needs and wants of each are different, as are the needs and wants of the moderators. However I think I've included a few stepping stones for anyone new to the role who is looking for some idea of where to start.