Difference between revisions of "Guidelines for the moderation of the KM4Dev mailing list"

From KM4Dev Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Line 30: Line 30:
 
'''Changing the titles of threads''', for organization. We very often approve messages whose titles keep growing re: re: re:´s, or same topic but different titles. Keeping messages from the same thread (get rid of the re:, ensure all mssgs. stay together, or/and number them, etc.) under titles or numbers is a small change that can be powerful. Innovate in your month! What is your preferred way of organizing?  
 
'''Changing the titles of threads''', for organization. We very often approve messages whose titles keep growing re: re: re:´s, or same topic but different titles. Keeping messages from the same thread (get rid of the re:, ensure all mssgs. stay together, or/and number them, etc.) under titles or numbers is a small change that can be powerful. Innovate in your month! What is your preferred way of organizing?  
  
Making a few summarizing comments at the tops of threads that are getting long and hard to keep track of...
+
'''Making a few summarizing comments''' at the tops of threads that are getting long and hard to keep track of...
  
Logging in threads in a table or page- this "moderation reporting" format, under design ***here***, would help us better understand the types of issues, forms of participation, varying interests, etc. for the month, and then a cumulative place to compare. Data!  
+
'''Logging in threads in a table or page'''- this "moderation reporting" format, under design ***here***, would help us better understand the types of issues, forms of participation, varying interests, etc. for the month, and then a cumulative place to compare. Data!  
  
Do some tracking as we go (who participated, stats for the month by topic, some kind of "interest thermometer"). Please '''help''' with this! Ideas of automatic or semi/automatic surveys and trackers that can enrich our understanding of what happened during the month...
+
Do some '''tracking as we go''' (who participated, stats for the month by topic, some kind of "interest thermometer"). Please '''help''' with this! Ideas of automatic or semi/automatic surveys and trackers that can enrich our understanding of what happened during the month...
  
Can we think of having more moderators, with concrete roles each? (one for only new members, one to approve posts, one to keep track in a summary page, one to monitor an online tracking tool, etc.) - if some of us had only '''one''' of the roles, we may be able to do more months!  
+
Can we think of '''having more moderators, with concrete roles''' each? (one for only new members, one to approve posts, one to keep track in a summary page, one to monitor an online tracking tool, etc.) - if some of us had only '''one''' of the roles, we may be able to do more months!  
  
Commit to a summary at the end of month.
+
'''Commit to a summary''' at the end of month.
  
 
== Monthly summaries examples ==
 
== Monthly summaries examples ==

Revision as of 02:15, 1 December 2016

Back to KM4Dev Core Group

Introduction

This page provides some guidance to explain how the moderation of the KM4Dev mailing list takes place, from both a technical and substantial perspective. The KM4Dev mailing list is powered by DGroups, a mailing list platform dedicated to the development sector. The KM4Dev mailing list has its own online portal reachable at: http://dgroups.org/groups/km4dev-l/

For normal users, the online interface includes the following tabs:

DGroups interface - 1.png

For admins, the interface includes an additional tab called "Admin":

DGroups interface - 2.png

Facilitation of dGroup, Wiki, Ning

In KM4Dev, for facilitation of our platforms (DGroup, Wiki, Ning) see notes on the following pages

Suggestions to monthly facilitators

This section is under construction.

At the KM4Dev meeting October 2016 in Vienna we agreed to encourage our monthly "admin" volunteers to move from mere administration to genuine facilitation, to the extent that their time allows. In the long term we aim to secure resources to hire a (part time) super facilitator - still assisted by monthly volunteers - to ensure consistent, professional facilitation.

Meanwhile, here are some suggestions of "little steps" from admin to facilitator, drawn from the experiences of some past admins. What i mean is that we can improve our practice even before getting paid help... with one or a few minor moves. Feel free to try out one or more of these:

Changing the titles of threads, for organization. We very often approve messages whose titles keep growing re: re: re:´s, or same topic but different titles. Keeping messages from the same thread (get rid of the re:, ensure all mssgs. stay together, or/and number them, etc.) under titles or numbers is a small change that can be powerful. Innovate in your month! What is your preferred way of organizing?

Making a few summarizing comments at the tops of threads that are getting long and hard to keep track of...

Logging in threads in a table or page- this "moderation reporting" format, under design ***here***, would help us better understand the types of issues, forms of participation, varying interests, etc. for the month, and then a cumulative place to compare. Data!

Do some tracking as we go (who participated, stats for the month by topic, some kind of "interest thermometer"). Please help with this! Ideas of automatic or semi/automatic surveys and trackers that can enrich our understanding of what happened during the month...

Can we think of having more moderators, with concrete roles each? (one for only new members, one to approve posts, one to keep track in a summary page, one to monitor an online tracking tool, etc.) - if some of us had only one of the roles, we may be able to do more months!

Commit to a summary at the end of month.

Monthly summaries examples

Summary of January 2016 by Ewen Le Borgne

Summary of January 2014 by Ewen Le Borgne

Hello all,

As some of you may not be aware, while we're having great discussions on this email list, there's also some stuff happening on other KM4Dev platforms... On our Ning site: Vien Nguyen is asking how theories of change can help achieve knowledge network impact: http://www.km4dev.org/forum/topics/how-theory-of-change-thinking-can-help-achieving-knowledge?xg_source=activity Andrew Clappison is inviting anyone to contribute to the Research to Action website Elsa Scholte posted a job announcement for a communication (for agriculture) officer at SNV

On our wiki (where we document mailing list conversations etc.), well there's some stuff happening but it's work in progress. Feel free to have a peek at recent changes though : http://wiki.km4dev.org/Special:RecentChanges

On the KM4Dev Journal page, the latest issue (December 2013) was published a short while ago with emphasis on 'facilitating multi-stakeholder platforms'. There's also a wiki page for the KM4Dev journal with some additional information at: http://wiki.km4dev.org/KM4D_Journal

If you are based in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Dakar, Nairobi, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Africa generally, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Brussels, The Hague, Russia, Brazil, Atlanta, DC/USA, there is a KM4Dev group that exists in your vicinity. Feel free to join these groups! Some are big, some are small, some are very active, some are not, but hey, if you don't check these groups they may never take off - it's your chance to bring KM4Dev to your context and needs... If you live in another country and you know other people who might be interested in setting up such a local group, why not try it (and ask people who started the existing ones for tips and tricks)?

Finally, many people don't know about the KM4Dev core group so here's a page with more information: http://www.km4dev.org/page/core-group. We are working on ways to make interactions between KM4Dev members and core group members easier - though at any time you can wave at us on this list and I'm sure one of us will respond :) Keep up the great KM4Dev interactions and spirit, keep sharing, learning and engaging and all the rest of it!

Cheers, Ewen