Ultimate Rhoads

Administrator etiquette is something that is really important on a forum. It makes or breaks the forum for a lot of people. Say you found two forum that were about the same, but on one the admin was a complete jerk and the other they were an all around nice person, whose forum would you be more willing to join.

Some don'ts include spamming your own board, playing favorites, flaming members. A lot of people don't like spammers. It's just a fact of life. So if you see an administrator purposely spamming their own board, how would you react. Sure, it's a great way to get that post count up, but at what cost? If the posts aren't worth reading, no one will stay.

Playing favorites and flaming members sort of go hand in hand. You need to remain neutral. Does that mean you can't befriend forum members? No, not even close. But say you have two members breaking the same rule. The first you've known for a while, you let them off with a 'verbal' warning. The other has been there for a while, but you hardly talk to them. To them you give them an actual profile warning. How do you think member number two is going to feel?

Flaming members is another thing you need to watch out for. No one will stay if they have to worry about what the admin will say. If I say this, will they come make fun of me, or just in general be mean to me? Why would you want someone to think that about you in the first place?

How people view your attitude is very important, especially considering this is the internet. All we have is your words, what you say. The way you act on your own forum is important, but also the way you act on others' forums. You need to be the same person at your forum as you are every where else. If someone meets you on another forum, and you seem to be a jerk, are they going to want to stick with you and follow you to your own forum? Not likely.

The administrator is the most important person on a forum. They set the tone, the pace. They tell members what kind of atmosphere can be expected during their stay there. The first person a lot of people look at before they even join a forum is the administrator. What kind of person are they? Do they make good posts? Do they help the activity of their forum instead of just complaining about the lack? What are they doing to help the members out?

Now that you've been given some things not to do, let's focus on some that should. First of all, welcome your new members. A welcome from the admin says 'Hey, I care that you are here, thanks for joining the community'. It can give some people a warm fuzzy.

Of course, be active on your forum. Don't leave it all on your members, or even your staff. If you want an active forum, make it active. Post new topics for discussion and reply to topics members have started. A little can go a long way. Even if you post a little, the members will see that and wonder what you wrote. If it is something response-worthy, they'll reply. You see the chain now?

In general, be nice to the community, which really isn't that hard. The golden rule works wonders, treat others as you wish to be treated. Understand people have lives, they have things that come up. No one can be online, all the time. If people don't post, they don't post.

Don't be overzealous in your punishments. Make the punishment fit the crime. There are one to many boards out there that will ban you for every little thing you do. There is a warning bar now for ProBoards, use it. But realize that sometimes you don't even have to go that far.

Realize that you are not always right. Just because you are the administrator of a forum, that doesn't mean you aren't human. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has an off day... or week sometimes. If you make a mistake, own up to it. Your members will think a lot more of you if you do.

Last but not least, put your heart into your board. Yeah, you may have a forum about yodeling in Scotland, but if that is what you are passionate about... go for it. Some one out there could love it just as much. You have to be the most dedicated member of your forum, because if you aren't no one else will be either.

demon wrote:that thread is gone again