In the spirit of doing all we can to ensure that as many people as possible are helped on SF we recently put out a call for volunteers to help with everything from social media, creating artwork/memes, writing articles, to helping with the core functions of keeping SF safe and supportive.
After careful consideration we have decided there should certainly be a way for anyone who wants to help SF to help SF.
We can always use extra "eyes" and extra people offering support to new people - and extra people 'visible' that members know they can ask questions to or ask for a little extra support. With that in mind we are introducing the "Pro" position. The safety and support roles performed by these members exactly mirror that of the majority of SF Staff. These roles are considered junior staff positions.
Chat Pros:Will have a star ★ in front of their name and (CP) after their name so they are identifiable in chat on the users list. They will have a "Chat Pro" banner on their profile. Their role is to engage new members, help them understand the rules / SF and answer questions, offer extra support and to use the chat "Report" function whenever they see something they think may need to be looked at by other staff, as well as letting us know if any member needs to be checked on by other staff. We are looking at the technical feasibility of them being able to temporarily “kick” members in extreme circumstances if no more senior staff members are available to assist.
Forum Pros:Will have a "Forum Pro" banner so they are identifiable on the forum. Their role is to engage/greet new members, answer posts, and use the report function if they see anything that needs to be looked at by a more staff members. They will be able to remove posts that are clear safety issues such as spam, trolling or flagrant violations of site guidelines, and to make senior staff aware of any worrying trends/patterns of rule breaking etc. on the forum.
SF Pro:As above but equally active in both chat and on the forum.
All junior staff “Pro’s” will also be invited to attend staff meetings to discuss issues, ideas, and future plans for SF, and to give feedback on policies and areas of concern directly with the site owner, administrators, and other staff members. Senior staff members are readily identifiable by the "Staff" banner that junior staff pros do not have.
The idea is that anyone who wants to be considered for a senior staff position in the future would be made a "Pro" first and would demonstrate through this role their suitability to be stepped up to senior staff with more independent discretion on how to deal with serious issues. It also means that more people are focused on supporting people and hopefully leads to more people being helped.
If members are not able to perform the role of staff in providing support and a safe environment for whatever reason they will be stepped down (to member for junior staff , and Staff Alumni for senior staff). This is available also at the request of the member to simply take a break when needed, or if life style changes make active participation not possible anymore. This is not a punishment or demotion in any way, it simply recognizes the need for all staff roles to be filled by active and engaging members that possess the time to fulfill the function while still maintaining a healthy balance of time for themselves. All who take the time to volunteer for roles of greater involvement should be appreciated for that willingness and that is not in any way tempered by the reality that time is a precious commodity and availability changes as a natural occurrence when other factors change in our lives.
The site is moving forward with a model where positions of greater responsibility are held by the members that are currently the most active in providing support and maintaining a safe environment for all members, balanced by the demonstrated long term commitment to this site. The ability to provide support and the good judgement used in dealing with situations will be monitored by current activity level in performing those functions and the display of compassionate judgment in dealing with situations that violate the rules of the site. The junior staff role of “Pro” will be the only way moving forward to be selected for a senior staff position, and that selection will be based on demonstrated abilities in the Pro role.
Any interested in becoming a junior staff Pro should inquire by sending a LTA to let us know. Selection criteria includes adequate time as member to demonstrate supportive attitude and willingness to support other members, and must be in good standing, not currently with limited privileges, in addition to being selected as a good candidate by Administrators and/or recomended Senior Staff members.
