Do I have too many members in special groups?

[aid64]

My forum: aidancaulfieldgames.freeforums.net

Hello everyone, I was wondering, am I putting too many people in special groups? This forum was made for my video games (first one releasing August 1st) so there are not many 'random' (members I don't know) members yet. Here is how I determine what group a member goes in:

Administrator - only me

Moderator (Global) - friends of mine

VIP - (Have yellow text and can access a special board that others cannot) people I know in real life

Member - anything that does not fit in to the others (people I do not know)

[Kami]

I think the VIP rank may cause discord. If you don't tell members what it is you will get questions on how to join it. If you do, there is a very high probability that members in this group will be thought of as receiving special treatment because you know them in real life.

I would make this a "hidden" group instead so they will appear to be normal members but can still access the special board.

Edit: I would also caution about putting all of your friends as Global Moderator. Forums just starting out don't need a lot of staff and a large staff presence is frequently a deterrent to prospective members.

[aid64]

When the group is hidden, can people just join it when they want? I don't want that. I previously had it as 'private'

[Kami]

Jul 15, 2016 15:06:33 GMT -8 aid64 said:

When the group is hidden, can people just join it when they want? I don't want that. I previously had it as 'private'

No. Hidden works the same as private when it comes to adding members: you must do it manually. Non-staff just won't be able to see that they're a part of that group.

[Pebbles]

it depends on your intentions of the forum
if its just going to be a forum for you and your ''friends''
i don't think its a problem but at same time there is no real need for it, to have so many staff when you only starting out

also, if you do intend to make it an open forum for strangers to join too
then my advice is do not make such seperating between friends and strangers... its a bit unprofessional looking and also a bit unfair to only give real friends a vip rank