What do The Word to the World, penis enlargements and author stupidity have in common? I expect it will be at least 7 hours before I answer that here.
Until then, a first for Sandrablabber. A proper interview, even with author quotes! In light of my rantings about forums and bizarre internet experiences of late, this is a real positive discovery for me. Author forums with moderators.
My blood pressure has never been better. Well, until Barry Eisler started that political blog.
See you in 7. If I decide to sleep in, maybe 8...
- S
IN MODERATION: FOSTERING ONLINE COMMUNITIES ON AUTHOR FORUMS
Jayne Massey is the forum moderator for John Connolly, author of Every Dead Thing and The Black Angel, and Mark Billingham, author of Sleepyhead and The Burning Girl. She has recently taken on the responsibility of moderating Book Talk Forums.
Jayne is a published writer, reviewer and panel judge for UK writing organizations. A pioneer in the field of forum moderating, I recently had a chance to ask Jayne how she found herself on this new career path, and to ask John and Mark about the value of having a hands-on moderator as part of their web team.
Sandra
How did you start moderating?
Jayne
Well, it happened by accident really. I was posting regularly on Irish author John Connolly's forum and last summer John was away promoting his latest novel, and the forum was very busy. The webmaven of John's site was going on holiday for a week and she contacted me and asked me if I'd keep an eye on the forum for her.
When she returned, she said that she had a lot of work to catch up on and she asked if I'd continue monitoring the board for her for a while longer. Then, a few weeks later, she offered me the job permanently, as she was extremely busy and no longer had the time to spend on it. I was surprised, yet absolutely delighted! I love the job and I can't imagine doing anything else. I feel as if it was meant to be.
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Why did you decide to have a moderator for your site?
“It just became clear over the last year or two that the traffic to the site had increased enormously, and it was just too much for me to handle by myself. I was letting things slide, or forgetting to answer people's questions. It wasn't intentional. I would mark them and mean to get back to them later, but then another bunch would arrive and I'd try to deal with them at the expense of the earlier ones.
“Also, it seemed like there was a lot of interaction between the people who visited the site, and that it had become a general discussion forum for all kinds of things: not just my books but books in general, music, writing, even problems that people were having in their day-to-day lives. At that point, I thought it might be a good idea to foster that sense of community, but it needed someone with a particular personality to do it. Jayne had been contributing to the forum as a visitor and Heidi Mack, who looks after the technical aspects of the site and was acting as part-time moderator on top of all that, suggested that Jayne might be the ideal person. And she was.” - John Connolly
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Sandra
Describe the responsibilities of your job for us. What does a forum moderator do?
Jayne
I'm very much a hands-on moderator, in that I read every posted message and often contribute to, or even start, discussions. I feel that forum members welcome this; I receive many emails from people who comment on the sense of community that is present on the forums. With Mark's forum, I was there from day one and it's amazing how quickly it took off. People seemed to bond with each other in no time, it's lovely to see.
With John's forum, I was posting messages for eighteen months before I was offered the job. John's webmaster did a wonderful job in monitoring the discussion board, but she became extremely busy and no longer had the time to devote to it. I'd like to think that I've continued to help bring members together and that the sense of community has become even stronger. Certainly, the threads have become more personal in recent months and to me that's a sign of unity and trust.
Sandra
What do you feel people most often overlook when establishing a forum?
Jayne
I think some people overlook the need for a good moderator; I'm surprised how many forums don't have moderators at all. Problems will occur and you really need someone there who can take control and deal with tricky situations. If not, then I can't really see a forum surviving for very long.
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When you started your forum, what concerns did you have that prompted you to consider having a moderator?
“I was aware that there had been a certain amount of trouble on one or two other forums; that things had got too heated or that troublemakers had hijacked proceedings. While I was keen that my forum would be a lively place, that people were free to express themselves - and yes, that includes swearing when it's called for - I didn't want things getting out of hand. I didn't want friendly friction to turn into anything nastier. I was also certain that I couldn't do any of this myself, that I needed someone with experience. I'd spoken to John (Connolly) about how his forum had been running and he was full of praise for his moderator Jayne. I approached her to see if she'd be interested in taking on my forum as well...a very smart move on my part.” - Mark Billingham
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Sandra
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to start a successful, thriving message board?
Jayne
Hire me!
Sandra
What value do you feel you bring to a forum?
Jayne
I think I bring peace of mind to the client and to the forum members and also a sense of security. I'm there to answer people's problems (and) queries and I'd like to think that forum members see me as a friendly face. I'm not an absent moderator. I'm very much around, often joining in the conversations and enjoying a laugh with fellow posters. I receive emails from forum members saying that there is a real sense of community on the boards that I run, and it's wonderful that they have a safe, clean environment where they can discuss mutual interests.
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How has Jayne contributed to the success of your forum?
“I think it helps to think of it as a group of strangers with common interests getting together for a meeting in a virtual church hall. Someone needs to break the ice, to make them feel welcome, to open up the discussion and keep it going until people feel relaxed enough to continue it for themselves and, occasionally, to rein it in if it's becoming too heated. Jayne does all of that, and more. In a sense, she's the public face of the site. She makes me look good!” - John Connolly
“I think she's pretty much been solely responsible for it. As far as the organization goes, she's frighteningly efficient. She spots instantly if something needs moving around, if a question has already been dealt with, if topics need merging or whatever. More importantly though, she is a welcoming voice, and a friendly face, that set the tone early on. It's been astonishing watching relationships develop between members so quickly. I'm confidently predicting the first Billingham Talk Zone wedding within the year and that atmosphere is down to Jayne. Even when there's conflict – and I'm certainly all for a bit of that now and again - it never threatens to turn into anything unpleasant. I think people like to drop by, and that's because Jayne has made it a nice place to be. Not sure about the carpets and curtains though...” - Mark Billingham
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Sandra
What are some of the risks of unmoderated forums?
Jayne
I don't see a long-term future for unmoderated forums. I think harmless disagreements could quickly turn into full-scale arguments, resulting in members leaving because they feel uncomfortable. An unpleasant atmosphere on a discussion board is never nice and, in my view, should be avoided.
Sandra
Have you had any bad experiences where you've had to ask someone to leave a forum? Or had to take extreme action to resolve a problem?
Jayne
I've never had to ask anyone to leave a forum and I've never needed to take extreme action to resolve a problem, thankfully. That's down to the fantastic people who visit the boards that I run - they don't always agree about things, but they do respect each other's opinions.
Sandra
How do you establish what is and is not acceptable on the different forums you moderate?
Jayne
It's down to common sense really, but I would always speak to the client if I was unsure about anything. It depends what the client is comfortable with. My job is to keep him/her happy. On one of the forums that I run, you will find swearing here and there and the client is okay about that, but on another forum there is very little swearing. It's fine for people to disagree on forums, I think that's what makes them so interesting, but if a full-scale argument develops then I will step in. I wouldn't tolerate bullying or racist comments of any sort.
Sandra
How important is a close working relationship with the author/host of the forum?
Jayne
I think it's very important to have a close working relationship with the author/client; if there's no communication between the two, then it's difficult to know how to handle certain situations. What works for one author may not work for another, so communication is very important. Each author is individual and I want to ensure he/she is comfortable with the job I do.
Sandra
Do you think it’s important for authors to have forums?
Jayne
I think a forum is very beneficial to the author, especially if said author comes on board and contributes to the discussions. Both Mark and John are actively involved in their forums and the readers appreciate this. It's great that they can put questions to the author and receive a reply. I would imagine any writer finds it hugely flattering to have a bunch of people making positive comments about their work. And it's good for new fans to be able to come on to the forum and read these comments. A discussion forum can encourage a loyal fan base and that can only benefit the author. Also, it's an opportunity for the author to throw ideas around and to receive feedback from the readers.
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Why did you decide to start a forum? What do you feel are the benefits of a good forum for authors?
“Yaron, the guy who designs and maintains my website, had been on at me about a discussion forum for ages, but I'd been reluctant. It seemed a very complicated business and I was worried that it would take up too much of my time. It was simple techno-fear, and I couldn't have been more wrong. I think that a good forum has an atmosphere that encourages people to drop by and have a natter.
“As far as the benefits go, visitors and members can talk about anything and everything of course, but there is obviously an emphasis on talking about one's own books and I don't see how that can ever be bad for an author. Readers appreciate the chance to have a dialogue with a writer; to have their questions answered and to maybe learn a little more about the writer than can be found on the back cover of a book. On a very basic level, it breaks down barriers and lets readers see that authors - most of them anyway - are not too far up their own arses about themselves, or their work.” - Mark Billingham
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Sandra
Do you think there will be more forums in the future?
Jayne
Sure. I've visited quite a lot of author websites over the last couple of weeks and I'm very surprised how many of them don't yet have forums. I feel certain that will change.
Sandra
Do you know of anyone else working as a forum moderator? This seems to be a new service - how have you developed your business? Has it been hard to find guidance for setting the perimeters in your job?
Jayne
No, I've never come across anyone else working as a moderator and it's surprising how many other people have said the same thing. I think that I may have found a gap in the market. My business is still in the very early stages and so far I only have a couple of clients, but other authors have expressed interest in my work, so hopefully things will grow and more work will come my way. I've contacted potential clients and I've set up a website to help develop my business, but the best thing for me has been word of mouth. I owe such a lot to so many people who have spread, and continue to spread, the word about my work.
Sandra
Almost anyone that has spent time on forums has experienced spammers or trolls or dominating personalities that try to control the board. Why do you think that is? What do you see as the potential dangers of letting problem posters go unchallenged?
Jayne
I've had experience with spam, it was on a discussion board where members were not required to register and sign in, and so it was an easy target. Messages were being deleted on a daily basis. The problem has now been resolved, though, and we've just launched a brand new forum where people have to type in a username and password if they want to post a message. I've never come across dominating personalities who try to control the board, but maybe that's because there's a moderator around. I can imagine certain individuals would try to dominate forums where there is no moderator in charge, but it's not something I've had personal experience with. I think there has to be rules on every forum and if someone is taking advantage and becoming a problem poster, then he or she has to be dealt with before things get out of hand. The last thing I want is for regular users to stop visiting because they no longer feel comfortable. I would hope that any forum member will come to me if they have a problem and I would certainly do my very best to sort things out.
Sandra
You were a participant on John Connolly’s forum before becoming the moderator, and you’ve been Mark Billingham’s moderator since he launched his forum. How will you handle the challenge of becoming a moderator on an existing forum you haven’t been a participant on previously?
Jayne
That's about to happen in the next couple of days. I'm going to be running Book Talk Forums. The guy who set it up and has been monitoring it has found himself very busy of late and he thought I'd be the ideal person for the job. I've literally just registered for the forum and I want to spend the next few days going through all the messages that are already on there and familiarizing myself with it. (The) webmaster is going to send an email out to members, letting them know that I will be taking over, and then I'll introduce myself to everyone and we'll take it from there. It is a bit daunting, I must admit, but I'm looking forward to it - it'll be a challenge and I'll give it my best shot. Hopefully, the forum members will accept me.
For more information about Jayne Massey and her moderating services, visit her website or check out her work for at Billingham Talk Zone or John Connolly's forum.
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