Who are BellyBelly's Moderators?
BellyBelly (Site Creator), Lucy (Admin), Sarah_H (Admin), Niliac (Admin), Astrolady (Admin), Marc (Men's), christy (Admin), Ambah (Senior), dachlostar (Senior), Raven (Senior), Yael (Senior), Sushee (Senior), Sherie (Senior), Flowerchild, Mistyfying, Tanya, MantaRay, Schmickers, Gargy, AJP, Suse, Dusty, Nelle, Jennifer13
About BellyBelly Moderators
All BellyBelly Forum Moderators are super busy mums and mums-to-be like you and I, moderating these Forums via their home computers. They are not paid at all, they moderate out of passion and support, on top of the jobs they already have, or children they have to look after at home.
So if any of the moderators or myself take longer than normal to reply to your posts or queries sometimes, please understand they are probably busy of having one of the many mummy dilemmas we have - but they will get back to you and sort things out. We all have lots of things to do as well as BellyBelly - this is not a 'full time' uninterrupted job for anyone. However, all going well, they are expected to log in and post at least every two days or so.
Moderators
This is the first step / entry level to Moderating. Moderators are given some forums to moderate based on their interests and where the need is more more help, which can be reduced or increased depending on how the person can manage and how much they want to take on.
Senior Moderators
These longer-term Moderators have been members of the BellyBelly forum for some time and help more extensively with more crucial decisions. They have higher levels of access and permissions to the forums than Moderators who can only moderate specific forums.
Senior Moderators are very few in numbers and are a mentor for the Moderators. There is no set time frame on achieving this rank, it is a special privilege that is granted to longer term Moderators and they are upgraded at my own discretion.
Administrators
An Administrator is the highest possible 'rank' in the BellyBelly Forums. Administrators have administrative rights and full access to every Forum, and carry utmost responsibility and trust with their role.
Administrators will be very few in numbers and play a highly regarded role - they are a mentor to all Moderators and are the '2IC's' of the BellyBelly's Forums. If I am ever unable to attend to the Forums or if there are major issues, Administrators will deal with them. They have access to every usergroup, user account etc - every area can be covered with this ranking. Like Senior Moderators, Administrators are upgraded at my own discretion.
So what do Moderators do?
When Moderators start moderating, I generally find out what forums interest them and which forums they would like to moderate. They are given extra tools to be able to delete or edit posts that do not comply with our forum guidelines, of course enforcing these guidelines as required. It's all a learned thing, so we don't expect everyone to know all this off the top of their head, so we have a Moderators forum which is hidden to everyone who isn't a Moderator. We have day-to-day discussion here, about problems with posts, clarification on dealing with problems and also thinking over new ideas and suggestions for the site. I like the Moderators giving input and helping to make important decisions with me.
How do we choose Moderators?
This is a long and complex process involving ALL moderators. We generally have discussions when we feel we could add to our team, and take a look at which members have been about for some time, post regularly, are genuinely very supportive to other members and are respectful to moderators and the guidelines.
Just because you have been a member for the longest amount of time, it doesn't mean you will automatically gain a moderator role. No-one will become a moderator based on time alone. We look for members who venture out of specific forums and post across the board in other areas too, not everywhere but those who aren't afraid to see what's going on elsewhere and offer support and / or advice. Obviously knowing BellyBelly and how it all works, both the forums and the main site, helps a great deal.
Understanding the BellyBelly philosophy is important too. While members on BB have a range of experiences, journeys and make their own choices (to which we respect), BellyBelly always was and always will be a gentle parenting site, so we'll always choose those who we feel will be able to contribute to our philosophy - which could be some or all of it. Its obviously important that what BellyBelly is known and so successful for, be carried on through moderators who share similar beliefs and passions.
Another biggie is that we also watch to see how people deal with issues and problems on the forums, and how they communicate with moderators (and other members) at times when moderators need to get involved or there are disagreements. Moderators are mediators, not agitators. Obviously you need to be able to keep your cool as best as possible, be a good problem solver, see both sides of the fence to work out problems and to be as non-reactive as possible. Patience is very important as only the moderators themselves would know
So much thought does go into choosing moderators. It's often not the most 'popular' or 'vocal' member... popularity has nothing to do with it at all.
How often do we bring on new Moderators?
Generally we bring on new Moderators as we feel we need it. Obviously we are getting bigger and busier, which we hope continues, so in order to make sure everything is kept 'under control!' we'll bring on Moderators as we feel is appropriate. It's not something that is set, but something we see the need for at the time. I know my forum guidelines are in parts not as lax as other forums, however I think it's part of the secret to the success - a well controlled forum (without being overly controlled) is always more enjoyable for all.
How can I become a Moderator?
As per above, when we feel we need a moderator, we discuss it amongst ourselves and see who we think has been a valuable contributor across several forums, venturing out and making others feel welcome and supported. So just relax, be yourself and we'll contact those who we think will be suitable when the time comes!
BellyBelly Moderators - Their Role and Responsibilities 
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