# How to choose moderators from community members
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-choose-moderators-from-community-members/74774
**Category:** Community Building
**Created:** [25 Noviembre, 2017 03:06 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-choose-moderators-from-community-members/74774 "2017-11-25T03:06:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@meglio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/meglio)
#### Post date: [25 Noviembre, 2017 03:06 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-choose-moderators-from-community-members/74774/1 "2017-11-25T03:06:45Z")
So, among 2300 registered users, there are +/- 100 active users who regularly post, read, talk to other people, invite other people, practice interlinking, learn Markdown: someone more, someone less.
But it’s obvious those skills are not what we’re looking for when choosing a mod.
1. What are the top 3 characteristics of people that one should grant mod permission?
2. How mods are different to Level 4 users in terms of their goals and skillset?
3. How many mods a community needs depending on its activity and other measurements?
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [25 Noviembre, 2017 03:52 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-choose-moderators-from-community-members/74774/2 "2017-11-25T03:52:25Z")
Showing up regularly is good. As is reading, starting, and replying to topics. And giving Likes and Inviting others.
I think the number of helpful Flags would be a good indication that a member is familiar with a forums policies and cares about the health of the community
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/e74b9ee5da8cc7c436b0f0bc6798bbfd93cf9091](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/e74b9ee5da8cc7c436b0f0bc6798bbfd93cf9091)
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [25 Noviembre, 2017 04:03 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-choose-moderators-from-community-members/74774/3 "2017-11-25T04:03:15Z")
I wrote up some thoughts long ago here:
> **[A Theory of Moderation - Stack Overflow](https://stackoverflow.blog/2009/05/18/a-theory-of-moderation/)**
The TL;DR version is:
- above all else, they must participate heavily, and plan to do so for a long time in the future
- even temperament and patience are huge
Beyond that, I strongly advise that you **have several moderators and make sure they check with each other on anything difficult**. If it is straightforward (obvious spam) then they can obviously handle it alone, but when things get hairy, they should have a policy of checking their response with at least one other mod to make sure they are setting the right tone.
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### Author:  [@8BIT](https://meta.discourse.org/u/8BIT)
#### Post date: [25 Noviembre, 2017 20:14 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-choose-moderators-from-community-members/74774/4 "2017-11-25T20:14:48Z")
I shared this with my community… so good. What a great baseline.
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### Author:  [@Ubik](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Ubik)
#### Post date: [6 Febrero, 2018 08:30 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-choose-moderators-from-community-members/74774/6 "2018-02-06T08:30:51Z")
I’m not sure I can answer those bullet points but you may find useful information on this site: [Managing Staff | ManagingCommunities.com: Community Manager Blog](http://www.managingcommunities.com/category/managing-staff/).
I had not moderated a forum for a few years and looked to that site for a refresher on ideas, and generally find his advice and commitment to the topic excellent.