Regional Editing - Building a Team
by crowbar

So, you've got a state full of greens and two or three really active editors trying to handle them all, and getting burned out in the process.

There are a lot of locality editors, but they don't seem to being doing much editing and, they never visit the state forum.

There could be many reasons for this, being overwhelmed by the amount of information, a harsh reply in a forum, feeling alone in the cat, or, just plain not knowing what to do next.

Whatever the reason, you've got editors, go get them. Don't wait for them to come to you. It's time to build a team.

A list of editors for your area can be found here:
http://odp.dlugan.com/gauntlets.cgi?gID=sp by clicking on "Editors" and then, "All".
You'll need to sign up for a password.

First, go take a look at their cats to see if they're in good shape with proper titles and descriptions. What you're trying to find are two or three motivated editors to start with.

A lot of times, I think the only thing you need to do is to contact these editors, show a little appreciation for their work, show that someone has noticed and they are not alone, treat them as an equal (which they are), and ask them for their help.

Whether you are a State, State/Counties, or State/Localities editor, you know the ropes and you know the path to these higher permissions.

So, reach your hand down into the individual localities and give a fellow editor a hand up to work alongside of you, as an equal. Four or five editors with higher permissions, working together as a team will make a tremendous difference in not only the greens, but, every single aspect of the area.

This will require that you take the time to instruct them as a mentor, but, any time lost from editing, will be more than made up for when they are granted the higher permissions.

Building a team, however, is more than just this.

All editors, no matter the size of the locality, no matter what their permission level, and no matter what their skill level might be, are equal and important members of the team as a whole and should be treated that way and included in all forum conversations and decisions.

Remember, these locality editors are the workhorses of the ODP. The locality editors are the most important editors that we have. They know the local area like no others. The user is headed for these localities to get their information.

Locality editors find the new quality sites in their areas and build up the cat to put their localities on the Internet map.

Editors with higher permissions are there to fill in the gaps, where there are no editors, and to assist them in every way we can. This may mean advising them or mentoring them, but, always with the respect that they are due as equal members of the team.

Higher permissions does not denote higher authority, but, higher responsibilities and more mobility to move around as needed, and, perhaps a better overall picture of what is needed and where.

But, first and foremost, we are a team of editors working on a common goal, together.

Good editing.

- crowbar