Choosing moderators?

[trebul]

Well I'm starting to gain some members and I have been thinking about promoting a few members to moderators.  What sort of access they should have?  I never really ran a forum before.  Do you give them special rules to follow that aren't outlined in the registration agreement?  If so what do you have them agree too?  I think this is the best spot for this sort of post, so any input is welcome.

Thanks for the help

[Harro]

Personally I never really gave instructions.
But for the moment I don't have any mods either :p
But their task is just to monitor the posts.
Delete spam, move posts to the correct category, lock topics when things get out of hand,... stuff like that.
When you choose moderators, you just have to make sure you can fully trust them (and they trust you).
So basically you won't need any special rules for it.
They should be dedicated and honest anyway.

[Joseph7]

Just make sure to allow them to moderate the specific forums you want them to be associated with. Allow them to lock, edit, move and sticky any threads/posts in those forums. Do Not allow them to ban people. From experience some people get very big headed when they get a little moderator power and are so quick to pull the trigger.

You can also create a hidden/private forum for moderators only. Here you and your moderators can talk about any issues they have with members or the boards themselves.  

[trebul]

Oh thanks for the tips I really appreciate them.

[Harro]

You can also create a hidden/private forum for moderators only. Here you and your moderators can talk about any issues they have with members or the boards themselves. 

That's also something I always do

Also, enable recycling of deleted topics, and move them to a board where you are the only one with access.
So whenever they delete something you can still check it before it's completly deleted.

[Skipdawg]

When I started out I would break them in as a board moderator and let them get a feel for things and go from there.
Using folks who I knew and trusted already if possible. Or if I did not really know any I would go with the ones who visit and post the most who whee already getting things down as how things are done in the forum.
Keep the duties simple. Makes things allot easier and if you grow to where you need more going on the take the steps to enact more responsibilities.