How many forums is too many to have?

[Patrick [ASE]]

When one looks at the internet, you can see thousands of different forums on thousands of subjects. However, you see several forums that are very close or the same in nature, be it an RP forum, a general chat forum, coding forums, etc. You also can hear a lot of people talking about how many forums they own and how many they have had at any given time.

On this forum, there is an advertising section and it is common to see a member bumping several forums that they own trying to spur membership there.

But how many forums is too many? Is there a magic number of forums per admin? Do you think the maximum any admin should have is one per subject area, like one RP, one General, etc.? What criteria do you use to determine if a forum admin is overworked with too many forums?

Submitted by HoudiniDerek

[Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti]

But how many forums is too many?
I think it depends on the person running the forum. Some people may have more time on their hands where they can run lots of forums while there may be some that can only handle running one forum at a time. It really depends on the person.


Is there a magic number of forums per admin?
I don't think there should be. I mean if someone loves making forums and enjoys setting them up its cool.

Do you think the maximum any admin should have is one per subject area, like one RP, one General, etc.?
No cause sometimes some people come up with a different spin on the same subject that just may not work on the one said board in question.


What criteria do you use to determine if a forum admin is overworked with too many forums?
Pretty much when the admin is getting a bit too strict. Or when the admin starts making boards one right after another without giving that other board a chance to grow.

[Gia_Sesshoumaru]

I think it depends on the person themselves and what kind of time they have to devote to actually running their forum. I mean, some people just kid theirselves into thinking they can handle the amount of things that they do when they really can't. Some people can handle it, and if they can, then more power to them, I say. Of course, if they're creating all boards of the same nature, then that's boring and quite frankly, sort of dumb. However, as Captain Jack pointed out, sometimes you think of a different spin on the same subject that requires another board.

I think that when an admin starts neglecting their forums and not showing up, or snapping at people for no reason, then it is a sign that something is wrong and they need to back off. I've had that happen to me before and it's simply a thing of stepping back and looking at the situation and deciding what you really can handle and what you can't, and to stop trying to do what you are not able to do due to time constraints or whatever...

[Hitoban no Fokkusu]

I also think it depends on the person. If they're just creating forum after forum because they're bored, or their other sites aren't active, so they think it's something wrong with their forum, and instead of just putting the one in maintenance mode, they make a WHOLE NEW BOARD to make their alterations on the exact same idea.

So, if they're making a ton of the same kind, it's just ridiculous. If they're making like one or two because they couldn't find what they wanted anywhere else, then I don't think it's bad. Like it was said before, it depends on how much time the person in question has to spend in making their boards better.

[Spectra]

I'm going to break from "it depends" and pick a number. Three. Three is a good number. Administrating a site, keeping it looking fresh and managing rules and members (not to mentioning advertising every week), that takes a lot of time and effort. Doing that on more than three sites I think would spread a person too thin, they wouldn't be able to pay enough attention to all the places they're supposed to be managing. And even if they have great staff, even staff need monitoring from time to time. They might even resent doing all the work if the admin isn't around enough.

Having three RP sites of different genres doesn't bug me. But like Hitoban no Fokkusu said above, the people who see that their site is failing (usually due to lack of advertising) they just abandon it and create a new one that isn't much different. This irks me because while people will join a new site that they think is going places, it too is doomed to failure because the admin won't put in the footwork to advertise constantly.

However, for coding and general forums I realize the difference isn't as great (as, say, a Harry Potter RPG versus a wolf RPG) because general is general and coding is coding. Or am I missing something important here? Feel free to weigh in, I'm not an expert with regards to those types of boards.

Magic number: 3
One per subject: yes, with the exception of RP forums (as long as they aren't too similar)
Symptoms of overworked admin: Declining activity, limited participation, lack of improvement to the site (this also applies to the lazies)

[Sic In Principio]

But how many forums is too many? Do you think the maximum any admin should have is one per subject area, like one RP, one General, etc.?

i would say any more than 3 are too many. Especailly if its 3 of the same category (aside from RPGs). I wouldn't have more than 3 general, advertising, graphic, or coding forum, i wouldn't ever really join one either. For me theres no need, all my needs are filled here at PBS. RPGs however are a different story, sometimes, people like running different genres of RPG forums, they just need to be devoted to each of them like its their only one though. I saw this one guy (not on PB) make forum after forum. Each one died after a few weeks due to only a few members. He didn't focus on his forum to make it good, he kinda half slapped it together, and asked a few people to join(which some did). They did, but when he didn't come on everyday to focus on that forum, post regularly, and make missions for us to go on, we all just started to leave.

Is there a magic number of forums per admin?

Magic number: 1

just one forum which you dedicated yourself to is what makes a forum succeed. Some people can have more than one and do a good job, but this is rare.

What criteria do you use to determine if a forum admin is overworked with too many forums?

When the main admin fails to post everyday or posts lose frequency on one or more forums

[boltonboy06]

Basically i spent almost all my time on Proboards

I have plenty of time to devote to a few boards

I currently have 3 boards that i run myself as main admin and also a few forums i am a co-admin of altogether i would say im staff on around 6 forums and i manage to run and maintain these effectively while still givin help on the support board here when i can

I like to be kept busy i spend almost 15 16 hours a day at weekends in front of a forum and a few hours in the week

[HoudiniDerek]

But how many forums is too many?

As others have said, it depends on the person. However, they need to make sure they can devote time to the forum. That does not mean just a simple walk by the site. You need to be able to log in, look around, make comments, etc. You need to interact with the forum and let people know that you are around and interested. You also need to make sure that if no one else is posting, that you are. I would say more than three is probably too many, regardless of how unique each one is to you.

Is there a magic number of forums per admin?

As I stated above, I think three is a magic number at most.

Do you think the maximum any admin should have is one per subject area, like one RP, one General, etc.?

Ideally, yes. However, if you only like RPs, you can have more than one of those. I do think that they should be vastly different. Why have three Harry Potter RPs with different ideas, when there is probably a way to add to your current forum and get something done to integrate the ideas? I do think you should definitely have only one General Talk one though.

For example, I co-admin one about an actress. I run an original RP one. I run one based on a TV show. I have time to devote to all three and stay active as much as possible. Granted, on the first two I have help so they can fill in some if I have to be gone, which does happen. However, I don't have so many that it is habit-forming everywhere and I think that shows.

What criteria do you use to determine if a forum admin is overworked with too many forums?

When a forum has died and no one noticed. You can see if a site is active or not by the last post and the last 10 posts that come in the Info Center. If you see one or two people logging in and no posts, the forum is dead.

If people cannot tell you who the admin is or who the staff are, it is probably too many.

You need to make sure you have ample time to devote. People need to know you and know that you are there because you love the site. Yes, you may have other interests, but they need to know that one of your main passions is the forum they are on with you. That makes them feel special and want to stay involved.

[hpmad]

More than one = too much.

Honestly it's like opening a business, and then opening another business that does something else under a different name, and then opening another 17 business all doing different crap and you don't even have a customer-base to help.

You'll get a few members on each forum, maybe 100 posts, and then they die.

[HoudiniDerek]

Apr 25, 2009 0:12:29 GMT -8 hpmad said:

More than one = too much.

Honestly it's like opening a business, and then opening another business that does something else under a different name, and then opening another 17 business all doing different crap and you don't even have a customer-base to help.

You'll get a few members on each forum, maybe 100 posts, and then they die.

I agree in most respects, except for one. You don't have to pay for a place to host it, etc. You get a lot of benefits online that you don't have in real life. The thing that affects them all is time and keeping the interest. I see what you mean about having too many, but I think that the job analogy isn't quite convincing enough.

[theorion]

I have to say one, each additional forum beyond that takes time and effort away from another, its better to have 1 fantastically supported forum constantly growing and changing then have a handful of mediocre forums stagnating because you are not spending enough time and energy on them.

[omegasquad]

I believe that if an Admin is capable of running say, 10 forums, with professionalism, and is able to provide a reasonable ammount of time an dedication to all, then it's completely OK in my eyes. I, myself have two Proboards (a third on the way (if it goes on from it's planning stage)), one dedicated to an online gaming community, where I make sure it's loged-on-to daily and that I keep it up-to-date. The other is a Star Trek forum, where I can share my latest work and art, it too is updated and I like to keep it brimming with content (well sort of brimming, I havn't gotten 'round to finishing it).

When people use forums as a forward service, so to speak, to get a higher membercount on a specific forum, I would argue (politly) that this is an abuse of the Proboards' service, but I can't speak for PB.

I've seen too many "dead" forums where a "rookie" Admin sets up a forum and expects members to flow into his/her forum and it "rule" as it were, then never log on, so the forum is literally held up by the members. I believe that some Admins would be better off joining a forum of similar theme, and maybe take things from there...

I dunno though, I'm just two Admins hehe...

[edr]

Like people have said before me, I really think it depends on the person.

But how many forums is too many? For me personally I don't think I could run anymore then 3 at one time, I have two currently and am lucky that on one of those forums I have a bunch of create mods who can easily take over for me if they need to.

I have heard people talking about how many forums they have before now and that's fine but it's not always the number of forums you have but how they are runned, how popular or successful they are.

Thanks my view anyway

[Wounded-Wings]

It depends on the individual, But to give a forum a chance i would say no more than 2, It's hard enough running one without having lots of forums.
It is so easy to make forums but not that easy to keep it fresh and alive. Unless you are willing to take the time.

[Celeste]

I think the answer varies. It depends on the type of forums you administer and the kind of people it attracts. Do members mesh well and follow the rules, whatever they may be? Do they contribute often and help one another? Do you have staff to help you? What are the responsibilities you have to meet in Real Life?

We have different aptitudes and that makes a difference in what we can handle well.