Tips for a good staff team + moderation tips

[Dinocanid]

This is coming from someone who doesn't even have a staff team, but hopefully these tips can be useful. I might add more if suggested or if I think of any.

-Staff and Moderation Tips-

1. Be friendly!
   1. Sort of a given, but it matters so much. It's hard to have a nice and respectful userbase if your staff isn't.
   2. This also goes for you, especially if you're the site owner/head admin. You're the leading example, and you represent the site!
2. Communicate!
   1. Nothing is worse than poor communication between staff members. (Okay, maybe there are some things worse) It's disorganized and can cause unneeded discourse.
   2. If your site has a forum, make a staff-only section for you to discuss things. If possible, make a discord channel, google hangouts, or skype group for more instant communication.
      1. An example would be discussing ideas for the site, sharing opinions, discussing possible bans before enacting them, etc.
3. Train your staff members!
   1. Assign mods to a board or two that they can manage before giving them the ability to moderate everything. It lets you know their capabilities and if they need a refresher on anything.
4. Divide the work!
   1. Try to break it down further than just admins and mods (if you have enough staff members). When staff are assigned to specific areas, it makes for better moderation and less troublemakers.
   2. Try this for instance: Admins, Global Moderators, Board Moderators, Chat Moderators, etc.
5. Enforce the rules!
   1. Another given, but it happens. If nobody enforces the rules, then users will just ignore them.
6. Respond to users!
   1. If a user messages you about a problem, question, or concern they have; try your best to respond. Even if you don't have the exact answer at the moment, at least let them know that you'll look into it/work on it. It lets them know you're there and willing to help, rather than having staff who act but don't respond.
7. Be transparent!
   1. To some extent at least. Let them know what bugs you're aware of, and if you're actively working on them. If you're site's going through some problems or there's a bug you just can't figure out, say so instead of staying silent. They'll understand that you're working on it and it lets them know that the site is alive/not abandoned. They might even try to help, and that's good right?
8. Most importantly:
   1. Be like any other member. For me, nothing is more comforting than staff that you can talk to and play the game with. It creates a better and friendlier atmosphere as a whole.

[Dinocanid]

This is coming from someone who doesn't even have a staff team, but hopefully these tips can be useful. I might add more if suggested or if I think of any.

-Staff and Moderation Tips-

1. Be friendly!
   1. Sort of a given, but it matters so much. It's hard to have a nice and respectful userbase if your staff isn't.
   2. This also goes for you, especially if you're the site owner/head admin. You're the leading example, and you represent the site!
2. Communicate!
   1. Nothing is worse than poor communication between staff members. (Okay, maybe there are some things worse) It's disorganized and can cause unneeded discourse.
   2. If your site has a forum, make a staff-only section for you to discuss things. If possible, make a discord channel, google hangouts, or skype group for more instant communication.
      1. An example would be discussing ideas for the site, sharing opinions, discussing possible bans before enacting them, etc.
3. Train your staff members!
   1. Assign mods to a board or two that they can manage before giving them the ability to moderate everything. It lets you know their capabilities and if they need a refresher on anything.
4. Divide the work!
   1. Try to break it down further than just admins and mods (if you have enough staff members). When staff are assigned to specific areas, it makes for better moderation and less troublemakers.
   2. Try this for instance: Admins, Global Moderators, Board Moderators, Chat Moderators, etc.
5. Enforce the rules!
   1. Another given, but it happens. If nobody enforces the rules, then users will just ignore them.
6. Respond to users!
   1. If a user messages you about a problem, question, or concern they have; try your best to respond. Even if you don't have the exact answer at the moment, at least let them know that you'll look into it/work on it. It lets them know you're there and willing to help, rather than having staff who act but don't respond.
7. Be transparent!
   1. To some extent at least. Let them know what bugs you're aware of, and if you're actively working on them. If you're site's going through some problems or there's a bug you just can't figure out, say so instead of staying silent. They'll understand that you're working on it and it lets them know that the site is alive/not abandoned. They might even try to help, and that's good right?
8. Most importantly:
   1. Be like any other member. For me, nothing is more comforting than staff that you can talk to and play the game with. It creates a better and friendlier atmosphere as a whole.

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