If someone is not doing a good job though, you will have to let them go easily.

I think they’re a bit downhearted and believe I don’t trust them, but I’m sure, like your moderator (I think I know who it is), they’ll get over it.

After returning to my site after my absence cos of settling in with fiancee, the staff were in tatters. My staff was disobeying every policy I had laid down for them. Ie: they were publically scolding when they know that’s the one policy I really do hate to have broken.

So I asked one of them to stop doing it.. she stormed off, quit, said she was making her own site with her own rules. 2 other staff members said they were going, too.

So, no worries. There’s plenty more lined up to take their place but I thought I’d be nice. I sent an e-mail saying thank you, and even told them I’d help them by putting a link on my links page for them when their site is up.

What I got in return… abuse, death threats, and they’ve gone around telling my users that I’ve sacked them, rather than them leaving to create drama and try to stir up trouble.

I seriously don’t know why I bother being nice sometimes you know!

You just can’t win either way sometimes.

I’ve always given my highest hosts access to the admin panel incase my computer ever broke down or my internet went down and they needed access.

But I have two internet connections and a spare laptop now.

I’ll be sure not to add admin access to the hosts in future.

That way I can avoid having to take them away.

However, I’ve had to sack three Support staff members recently. Well, not I. But my site manager and her co-hosts decided they were no longer any good for the community. They’re the ones who are in daily contact with the staff so I hear their case and then take the correct course of action based on both sides of the story, and transcript evidence.

It never gets easier writing that “thank you but your services are no longer required” e-mail. Breaks my heart every time, especially if it’s a staff member I chose personally and/or had high hopes for. I had a co-host position lined up for, who I thought, was one of the best Support members. Man after my own heart he was. Great sense of humour, similar sense of banter, good laugh, easy going, really helpful with the users. But.. wasn’t a team player. Got other staffs backs up. Trod on their toes. Was put on a 3 week probation by my site manager (which I require the first step is before coming to me requesting suspension/dismissal), was brought into a meeting to point out where he was failing with his team playing, refused to change, had to send him the e-mail.

Needless to say I got called all the names under the sun. Backstabber, traitor, liar etc. It’s silly because it’s only over a screen but it hurts when you had ambition for them and they had the potential to go far in your community.

But they come and go. September is recruiting time!

That would make things clearer and much less awkward. It can be a single/repeated violation of community guidelines, or simply a prolonged inactvity period. Each community would have a different set of conditions.

Might even be better if the conditions and process is collaboratively crafted by the global admin(s) and the early and most loyal community moderators.