The key criterion for staff is that they be very good at their designated task - ALL of them. Publishing an interactive Bulletin is like a production-line for a daily newspaper. Every step relies on the step before. which must be completed in time and to a high standard. A "typist" who cannot touch-type with accuracy. or an "editor" whose understanding of the issues and concepts of the conference is mediocre. will require others to compensate for inaccurate work and create bottlenecks in the process.
Likely bottlenecks can be anticipated and their effects buffered to some degree. This is because roles in the production of the a Bulletin are rarely completely discrete: some computer technicians can type well; some typists would have the enthusiasm and competence to go out and promote the messaging facility to conference participants should the messaging rate falls: in fact this is an ideal situation when the team members have "backup" or "understudy" roles. The personal characteristics of such people are difficult to define. but include flexibility and maturity.
The numbers of typing and translation personnel are probably the most difficult to estimate. The amount of typing depends on the messaging rate: typists need regular breaks from keyboard work: there may not always be an adequate amount of translation for a language spoken by a minority of the conference participants. Above all there is the issue of straight efficiency. A fast efficient typist can do marvels that three inefficient people cannot match. And it should not be assumed that everyone has the ability to read assorted styles of handwriting. If computers are used. there is the added consideration of familiarity with the software. or ability to learn procedures quickly and easily (some excellent typists get "stage fright" in front of computer screens.
Some basic points to look for in the selection of personnel are: familiarity with technical language and issues/concepts of the conference (or a mature or widely-experienced person) typists who touch-type two or more languages translators who type translators who are truly bi-lingual - can translate fluently and accurately in both directions. translators who have multiple languages enthusiastic communicators who are excited by communication potentials and can transmit this to others. personnel who are proactive in encouraging participants to feed into what is experienced as an innovative communication alternative -- who can creatively "pester" people for comments between sessions.