WiserEarth Blog

Last Monday, WiserEarth hosted its first ever face-to-face gathering of our volunteer editors. Seven California-based editors plus a few staff met to discuss the role and future direction of editors. We didn’t just talk, but engaged in a friendly game of four-square. How does your organization take volunteer moderators to the next level?

The WiserEarth editors group is a group of active members (currently 42) who moderate content, support new members, and help people network. In order to become an editor you have to have been on the site for at least three months, use it heavily, and be somewhat knowledgeable about WiserEarth’s policies. In return, you gain some special content-moderating privileges and the active engagement of Bowo, WiserEarth’s Chief Editor.

For some of our editors it was the first time they had met face-to-face despite years of online collaboration. But in no time we were working away on the common goal of improving the editor role at WiserEarth. Some of the lessons learned from the gathering can be summarized as follows:

• Make tasks bite-sized: We live in hectic times, deadlines and discrete tasks are real motivators.
• Make sure responsibility goes hand-in-hand with training: If there is a certain level of expertise you want all your moderators to have, engage them with a set of fun (but brief) tutorials and be available for questions.
• Face time matters: In online communities, it isn’t always possible to meet face to face, particularly if you work with a global community as we do.  In this case, a phone call or video chat is advised. But if volunteers do live close by, invite them to stop by. In an hour, you can often find out who they are better than in several months of online contact.
• Focus on the people, and good work follows:  Your volunteers have their own reasons for wanting to donate time to your organization. If you figure out their passions and give them tasks which ignite those, you will have loyal helpers.
• Engage your volunteer moderators’ unique skills: Some will be wonderful at networking, others at building your content, still others at monitoring. Observe carefully, then guide them to the positions they are the strongest in.
• Have fun with them: Whether online or in person, volunteers return to sources of enjoyment. If you make some time for playing games, joking, and keeping it light, they’ll have a higher tolerance for getting down to business.

All in all, a very successful meetup! Do you have further ideas for activating your volunteers in higher positions of responsibility? Let us know!

Left to Right: Mike Kwan, Angus Parker, Bedy Yang, Roger Eaton, Peggy Duvette, Frank Patton, Deborah Phelan, Eric Olson, Wibowo Sulistio, Honore Louie, Timonie Hood, Kerry Vineberg

Photo Credit

Tags: Editors