What qualities should a WikiAnswers Supervisor possess?

Answer 1

Qualities that a WikiAnswers' Supervisor Should Possess Here is advice, comments and input:

• A supervisor should be someone who is interested in helping others, someone who has the time to review his or her area fairly regularly, someone who has the time to research answers, and someone who can at least attempt to offer an unbiased viewpoint.

• A supervisor also needs to be responsible in his/her duties. Supervisors have the ability, for example, to block a user; this should be invoked only when necessary from an objective point of view, not because the user has gotten on the super's nerves. This also means a supervisor needs pretty thick skin.

• 'Community' is a strong aspect of WikiAnswers, as topics are created and expanded cooperatively. Therefore, a WikiAnswers' Supervisor should have the ability to communicate well with others, particularly those with opposing viewpoints. A Supervisor also needs to maintain a somewhat professional tone when answering questions or when speaking directly to other contributors. Proper spelling and grammar skills are also important and do have a positive impact on content.

• I agree with everything stated above. In addition, supervisors need to possess the ability to phrase their answers in such a way as not to be offensive, especially when the question could invoke controversy and/or the super has very strong beliefs about the subject. Supers need to remember that we don't know all the facts about the lives of the people who are posting the questions, especially in the Relationships category, and we need to always keep a cool, thoughtful head and proofread our answers several times if necessary to make sure we are saying exactly what we want to say that and nothing will be misinterpreted. An ability to state strong opinions/advice in such a way as it doesn't sound harsh helps, too. Supers need to possess the ability to work as a team member and have a genuine concern for others, as well as a sense of humor, especially when that vandal just vandalized an answer that you so carefully wrote. A very good understanding of written English is necessary, too. Above everything, though, a super must have a love for WikiAnswers and a sense of responsibility toward "getting the job done."

In addition to all these answers, supervisors should be able to take healthy criticism, and not only that but also be able to take correction from everyone including their subordinates.