Comments on: Should you pay your forum moderators?

By: Jarrod

Jarrod — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:53:46 +0000

I think the moderator should be paid. They are supplying a valuable service and should be paid accordingly. I understand the argument about how a volunteer might have more passion for the community, but at the end of the day I think money motivates just as well if not better (depends on how much money).

By: Martin Reed - Blog Author

Martin Reed - Blog Author — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:42:26 +0000

Mke – I’d have to disagree. When I think of some of my moderators, I have no doubt that I would struggle to find people of their quality, skills, motivation and commitment to the community if the position was salaried.

By: Mke

Mke — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:26:22 +0000

You get what you pay for.

By: Ash

Ash — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:19:07 +0000

I think that moderators should sometimes be paid. After all I love moderating and so wish to do this as a job, and therefore I need payment for it.

It’s like saying that shopworkers should be doing it because they are passionate about the company and not because they want the money, or saying that about customer services or receptions.

When it’s a kid or young teen still in school who goes on a couple of hours each day and tends to spend more time chatting with the other members as normal than removing spam etc. then fair enough don’t pay them but some adults use this as their full time occupation, I know one person who does and I’m interested in starting this myself.

By: Martin Reed - Blog Author

Martin Reed - Blog Author — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:57:40 +0000

Louise – If you are running a corporate community and have very specific aims and goals, then employing someone with specific skills in this area is a good idea. This article was written in August 2007 – long before many corporations realised the benefits that online community can bring – therefore it was mainly aimed at smaller, independent communities.

I still think nothing can beat the passion that moderators who have a real, genuine interest in your community bring with them. Most of these people won’t even ask for financial reward – a salary doesn’t always guarantee you the right person for the job.

By: Louise

Louise — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 05:23:54 +0000

I’m setting up a forum at the moment and intend to pay a moderator. I think that they have a really important role and I will need thier assistance to keep the forum on track. I find it surprising that there is such an expectation of using volunteers. I think if it’s a non profit them that might be fine but to me it’s just like running my offline business, I fairly compensate the people that assist me making money. My difficulty now is finding out what a fair amount of compensation is for a forum moderator.

By: Martin Reed - Blog Author

Martin Reed - Blog Author — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:47:09 +0000

Kickme – Thanks for sharing your experience! The last thing I would want is a moderator that is only involved for the money; I want loyal, passionate staff members and very often money just can’t buy these qualities.

Mike – Yes, good point. If you are a professional community manager working for a large, recognised brand then you should probably expect to be paid for your efforts. When it comes to smaller, closer-knit communities then you may want to think twice before offering payment.

Crystal – Thanks for the link; I’ll be sure to check that out

By: Crystal Williams

Crystal Williams — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:48:19 +0000

I wrote a Knol on Online Communities several months ago. In it, I discuss motivations for participating in an online community. You can view it here: http://knol.google.com/k/crystal-williams/online-communities-101/t9shd9t5ezve/5#. In a nutshell, I’m for keeping moderators and community leaders volunteer. They have to love and believe in the product (community) and paying some and not others alienates certain segments and creates ill-will in the community in general. What’s more is that research has found that quite often the introduction of monetary incentives into volunteer programs has unintended negative consequences. Paying moderators can actually hinder performance.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:48:24 +0000

IMO, it all depends on the size of your forum. I mean, if they’re moderating 15,000 members and sharing those high responsibilities … then I do think they deserve some pay.

By: kickme

kickme — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:47:50 +0000

Well I am sorry to say that I learned from my mistakes. I started giving bonus to mods . 100 -200 per month . Down the road I need some assistance and offered payment for extra work. When I paid it was not enough since the mod wanted the bonus and $$ for additional work. In that moment he decided to say that he will be leaving us soon . So there you go DO NOT PAY THEM