[mmelen]

I was thinking of doing that... pay my staff with a percentage of Google Adsense earnings.
That way they are more motivated to promote the forum etc.

What do you think?

[bcmtouring]

I would avoid it, unless your forum is making a lot of cash and you’ll be able to pay a substantial amount to every one. Because the moment you pay them, the relationship takes a more business persona and that can actually make things uneasy, especially if there is no large money involved.

[Caddyman]

yeah what he said. i have a guy that helps me on all 3 of my sites. they are all relatively small, i gave him all the adsense on the site he focuses on cause he does a excellent job and it would be dead without him. i venture to guess he makes around $100 a month on it. i still get private ad revenue, donations, text link revenue, etc. everything BUT adsense.

[htmlmaster]

I've never seen this in practice, but it sounds like a great idea. It really gives the staff an incentive to work and improve the community.

Of course, the best staff members don't need to be paid. They're so enthused with the forums that they're honored and happy to help work on it.

[Moelman]

I personally wouldn't pay staff, I think they should be enthusiastic about the forum enough to not need any incentive. Stuff like Christmas gifts for staff are nice rewards but they should not need any incentive to do their duty.

[lpxxfaintxx]

All my staff are volunteers, and have no problems with not getting paid. However, I do send some very dedicated members presents on special occasions, like Christmas.

[mh0825]

It's a nice idea in theory but you need to have a good amount of money coming in to make it work like it should.

[jamesgilfoyle]

Well, can i just say that using cash as a motivator is a very Tayloristic idea, and i generally tend to believe that money is generally infact not a motivator at all - just something that comes with work. Money is only really a motivator for certain people - when in certain situations. In situations with Forum Staff very often the staff are there because their motivation as a moderator - or whatever position theyre in - is to help make better, or to be a part of something that they enjoy and something that they quite like... so money isnt really going to be an incentive, especially if its only a small amount per staff member.

I think rewards, praise and special presents as mentioned above are a much better way ahead - and more than likely a more cost effective solution. Inside of giving EVERYONE a share - you give a select one, or two members a share of the profits in the form of something they might like. Others will see this and then feel motivated to be praised and to recieve a present as a thank you from you - the impact of this is ofcourse that your profit levels are likely to increase creating an atmosphere that just keeps getting better...

Something else you might want to consider in helping to motivate your staff is delegation (passing on responsibilities) and perhaps even the idea of involving your staff in decisions, and listening to their input good or bad.

Hope that helped mate

[xm100]

Originally Posted by jamesgilfoyle

Well, can i just say that using cash as a motivator is a very Tayloristic idea, and i generally tend to believe that money is generally infact not a motivator at all

This brings back my high school business studies.

What's important is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
Hygiene factors to self actualization! Give 'em responsibility and praise...

About adsense may be a nice financial reward, I wouldn't pay them especially based on this. Although mods may be trusted, there may be the desire to top up their earnings by a quick click here and there - that would be terrible if you got banned from adsense for this.

I'm not sure it's wise even them knowing the adsense revenues (for a bunch of reasons).

But I also don't think that people should be expected to work for free - even if they are enjoying the work. Gifts are a nice start - even sending them a t-shirt with your logo on it! Or a forum mug.

I know admins that order their stuff and have it delivered to mods from cafe press. Or if you're more resourceful, screen print the stuff yourself (save money and be able to reward the mods with more stuff!)

[Caddyman]

I had the guy I pay get his own adsense account via a referral from me. He never made enough for me to get a kickback but it still keeps my adsense account safe.