Hiring GMs (Discussion)

[Wiz]

I'm just curious, but am I the only person running a server who actually puts some thought into who they recruit as a GM? Watching other servers' recruiting process, it seems to be based off the credentials of "Being able to use e-mail" or "Being able to make a forum post", or failing that, some kind of unverified GM experience merits.

GMs have a lot of power, and can screw up a lot for normal players who are just trying to enjoy the game. They can (and many will) abuse their powers for their own gain, twink their characters (in the case of legit), and similar things. I've heard a lot about issues with GM corruption on servers like the old GW.

I recruit GMs directly from the playerbase, but rather than open applications, I observe people and pick out the most creative, helpful and intelligent people I find around, and approach them about staff positions. After all, someone who has played a month on the server probably has more knowledge into its community and inner workings than someone who just made a forum post that said "Can I be GM? I know the commands."

I'm not saying every forum-recruited GM is a bad apple, but it seems a little naieve to me to accept "I will not abuse this huge amount of power at my disposal" at face value when you don't know anything about the person.

So anyways, what are your thoughts on this? Experiences with bad and good GMs? Share your opinion.