To moderate means to preside over -- to regulate, to control.
Forum moderating means presiding over the online discussions
occurring in the forums used in the course. Moderating a
computer-mediated-communication forum can require skills and
abilities that differ from those necessary when leading a
traditional face-to-face class. In many cases, the success of the
CMC forum will depend on the moderator's abilities to harness the
capabilities of the tools and the participants. A successful
moderator is:
Experienced. Online discussions have their own
feel and flow. A prospective moderator will find it useful to have
had some experience with this environment as a participant before
taking on the moderator role.
Flexible. A moderator must be flexible and
inventive enough to cope with unplanned extents and help continue
the discussion toward its aim.
Tolerant. A moderator's tolerance might be
stretched to the breaking point, but a good moderator will deal
with all situations and individuals with an absence of anger and
frustration.
Supportive. A prime responsibility of the
moderator is urging participants to contribute and offering support
when required.
Knowledgeable. A good moderator, while careful not
to dominate a discussion, should be capable of correcting
misunderstandings and have the ability to make useful and proactive
statements about a topic that points the discussion in interesting
directions.
A good listener. Given the lack of physical cues
and the increased possibility of misunderstanding, it is important
that an online forum moderator be good at discerning not only what
participants have said, but also what they meant to say.
A good communicator. The moderator of a forum must
demonstrate all the characteristics of good online communication,
including clarity and conciseness.
Not authoritarian. A good online forum is one in
which all participants feel free to contribute without fear of
ridicule or embarrassment.
Organized. The moderator of an online, educational
forum is responsible for bringing together a collection of students
from a variety of backgrounds, often with little or no online
experience, introducing them to each other and a new environment
and helping them achieve some predefined goal. To perform such a
task effectively, it is essential that significant planning and
organization be carried out.
Responsive. A fear of many new participants in
online forums is that their messages are not being received,
especially if the educator is grading participation. The moderator
should respond to messages and questions within an acceptable time
frame.
Has the time. Moderation of an online forum takes
time and is not restricted to any particular day or time. Time
investments of more than an hour a day, seven days a week, are not
unusual.
Understands technology. A moderator must have a
sufficient understanding of the technology, or appropriate
technical support, in order to respond to difficulties that will
occur during the running of the forum. The moderator will usually
become the first stop for participants when they are unable to
participate in the forum for technical reasons.
Enthusiastic. For participants, especially
newcomers to the online world, not many things will affect their
feelings about the new environment more than a reluctant,
unenthusiastic moderator.
Bare in mind that we have 3 moderators here: Jason, Ah-Nic and
FireIce. I believe FireIce is definitely not the owner of this
forum. Only the owner has the power to throw her out but with
reasonable extend. If owner is reading this thead, please review
this moderator - FireIce, and jugde whether she has the
capabilities in doing her role in here.
Brothers here, please give your opinion on all the points listed
above & use FireIce as a comparison and let the owner knows
about whether she is the right person to moderate our beloved forum
or continue to be a dictator or flame contributor. Sometimes we
have to change leadership if the person doesn't fit... this is
lesson in life.
BenGoh
