How Active Should an Admin Be?

[Syrrith]

On a site that Ive bee on for a while, a member was super active and everyone loved having them around. Then, the old Admins decide to leave after picking a new one. This wellknown member is given the spot and has now become less active. Not by a little either. They are rarely ever interacting with the public. Its frequently brought up, and over 90% of the members say that they want them to interact more. 

However, on another site, the Admin is very active. They arent  rude or disrespectful and are generally a very nice person. The people on this forum wish that the Admin was less active as its "rather intimidating knowing that the person who runs the site is always around". Im guessing that they are scared that if they make even a tiny mistake, that they will be banned? Or maybe its just because they are the "big guy"?

Anyway, how active do you think an Admin should be? Should they be interacting with the members a lot, or should they mostly watch from the distance?

[elhombre]

An admin is still a member, their role is just to oversee and do the technical stuff is how l see it,not be some sort of headmaster watching over pupils and crack the whip occasionally.People's circumstances change, they might have a new job,new hobby and don't sit on a forum all day,they may have done in the past,who knows?Or just get bored,or there is nothing that interest them much,lots of things happen.

I think some admins just want to micro-manage all the time,just doesn't work,there is a happy medium.

[Jackaroo]

I personally think an admin should be online for a few hours at minimum every 1-2 days if they're running solo, if they have a few other members on the team then they may be able to get away with three days or so. What's the point in having an admin who lurks? I'd be more worried about an admin that logs in and doesn't interact with the other members and sees themselves as some Almighty God of the forum.

[stevecureboi]

The way I see it is that the admin needn't be online a lot & would even go as far as to say they should set their status to "invisible". Basically, they should be anonymous.
If he/ she has a competent & trusted group of moderators, then day to day running of the forum is covered.
If you prefer the admin to be online more, then I would seriously suggest the admin setting up a separate account (as a member of board staff for example) & only wheel out the admin for board announcements, rules & conflict resolution in extreme cases.
I guess it does also depends on your forum. Some forums almost "self moderate" to a degree, but some can be fairly hostile environments. In the case of the latter, you may need the admin to be visibly present purely as a deterrent, but if the admin has a separate staff/ moderator account that can be used in place of an "all-seeing overlord" it could be enough of a deterrent alone.
But ultimately I feel the admin should not be seen as an active member. Rather a "tool" to be wielded when needed

[Tanya]

Admins should be active and if members are automatically intimidated without being given cause to be, they need to find a new forum to be part of.
Admins who run solo shouldn't have to sit in the shadows of the community they build. They should be allowed to post like anyone else. It should be expected of them by the members. They shouldn't have to have a separate account either. The only time that admin should show that they are more than a member is when they are dealing with a member who is acting out or they are working on the forum itself. That includes the behind the scenes stuff along with keeping members up to date on things and answering questions that pop up.Solo admins are the ones who provide the most content, usually.(not always)
For forums with multiple staff. At least one should be around at all times and all of them should be posting, talking to members etc etc when they are on. None should hide just because members are afraid they will take advantage of their role. Don't make the major mistakes and good staff will leave you alone. Bad staff needs removed. If your dealing with a bad forum owner, go find a new forum to be part or another forum that you know staff is fair. An admin should never be used as a 'tool' There should never be a need for that on forums full of adults. (young ones or otherwise)

Keep something in mind... the board owners who happen to wear the tag of admin don't make forums just to sit in the background. I see no point in making a forum if that is what is expected. Board owners put too much time and work into the forum to be idle unless called upon. They should be allowed to use their creation for what it was intended and in most cases no matter what kind of forum was made, that is to be active and post and interact like anyone else.

The only exception to that would be for business forums. Business forums by design are not for social activity and in that case, yes, the admins can be idle unless needed as long as general staff is left alone and treated like any other member so questions and concerns etc can be addressed.

[stevecureboi]

Aug 15, 2017 8:05:05 GMT -8 Tanya said:

Solo admins are the ones who provide the most content, usually.(not always)

Surely it's the community that provides the most content.
The admin simply provides the infrastructure for that content & to be ever present & active as the "admin" can be intimidating.
They are the engine effectively. The community is the fuel.
I'd argue that moderators should be certainly visible & totally agree that they be actively exchanging posts with other member. Otherwise a forum would either die or descend into chaos.
Like I said before, it depends on the forum really. If it needs heavy hands to keep it from turning into a train wreck, then maybe a visible, active admin is a plus. But (& I'm speaking based on my own forum & over 10 years forum experience) to have the admin "entity" on standby allows for a much more fluid community if they also have a second account that can be seen to mingle with other members & to switch between admin & "whateverusername" accounts is very easy should you need to do so.
Personally, I have found that leads to a far more comfortable atmosphere.
Admin is short for administrator don't forget

edit: You mentioned admins "flying solo".
There is only one admin account, so there's only really one admin.
So, to make sure we're not at crossed purposes, my staff structure would include one admin with a team of moderators/ staff (one of whom is the admin under a different account). None of the other staff are labelled "admins" but may have the same permissions given to them by the admin.
Thought I'd make that a bit clearer, as some do describe forum staff as admins which I personally believe is confusing.

[stevecureboi]

Aug 15, 2017 8:46:46 GMT -8 @komickong said:

Aug 15, 2017 7:18:38 GMT -8 stevecureboi said:

But ultimately I feel the admin should not be seen as an active member. Rather a "tool" to be wielded when needed

So you are referring to the admin account, then?  I figured we were referring to them as the person behind the account.  Whether or not they choose to use their admin account as their main one I still stand by my statement that they should be active, productive members of their own board.  What is the point of making the board if you aren't going to participate in it yourself? 

Exactly. One admin with two accounts (admin & "whateverusername").
"whateverusername" then gives you the freedom to keep the admin anonymous which can be useful as it kind of detaches admin on a personal level in eyes of the members from "whateverusername" if called upon to apply a ban hammer or whatever might be needed.
But it is horses for courses isn't it? If a forum is okay with admin getting in on the banter or whatever the forum activity is, that's cool.
I don't think any admin would want to build a home for a community & not be able to use it themselves. It's a lot of work just to sit & watch it play out without you in there somewhere.

[Tanya]

Aug 15, 2017 8:25:16 GMT -8 stevecureboi said:

edit: You mentioned admins "flying solo".
There is only one admin account, so there's only really one admin.
So, to make sure we're not at crossed purposes, my staff structure would include one admin with a team of moderators/ staff (one of whom is the admin under a different account). None of the other staff are labelled "admins" but may have the same permissions given to them by the admin.
Thought I'd make that a bit clearer, as some do describe forum staff as admins which I personally believe is confusing.

Everything depends on the forum. Just getting that out of the way.

And no, content isn't wrapped around the community ie members. If there isn't very many members, not much gets posted usually. Same goes for kind of members. I'll give an example to back this up at the end.

Admins are not intimidating. I wouldn't bother with forums if they were. Forums should be relaxed and sorry but if people are feeling intimidated, it wouldn't be easy to relax.
lol, your not talking to a child here and using years of experience only goes so far. I'm new to proboards but not new to forums. I can double your 10 years (just saying, not judging) Don't knock what someone else says or argue points. Everyone has dealt with different things and everyone finds different ways of doing things also. You are entitled to your opinions and the rest of us are entitled to our own. (again, just saying)

Your edit. I said it that way because people do read these posts and some who are new or those who are used to different terms might not grasp how you say things so I broke it up a bit more. No need to break it down more for me but good to do for others. lol, some do say "Staff is Staff" which can come across as confusing to a lot of people but so can saying: "Only one admin" Honestly, it just depends on what people are used to.

The idea between two accounts for the board owner...((see this makes understanding for me easier since I am new to ProBoards and it is the only platform that indexes the admin as such - as in the 'only admin'))...seems pointless to me because of how fast one can change accounts. One account is enough. I don't go running around and it say Admin. It says my name. I do believe that is why there is both a 'username' and a display name' (One of the Reds can correct me if I am wrong) I can also change the group to say member if that was needed.  The admin account seems to be your concern but do remember the same person who uses that admin account would be using that secondary account you speak of. One and the same. It should be up to that board owner and not members rather or not a second account is needed or not.

Now at the top of this post I said I'd give an example of what I was saying in regard to posting. I'll use my own forum to set that example. I have 10 members including myself. ((no secondary account) Just me and 9 other people. The first month all were active and all posted. Most it was a post a week. Some it was a few in the day. Most of my members are lazy lol. I can say that and it not be mean because they know it to be true. They know me. (except two of them, those are strangers to me) None I know outside of online. Just painting a clear picture. I have a writing forum and it stays dead most days and none except me and a couple other have done any real writing. The bulk of those writing posts are mine. I was upset over the lack of posting and even more so when I realized most won't write. They share their writing from other places. Reminds me of advertising but I let it go.
Out of those 9, none have posts anywhere near my own total. One has half and its because she is social. I added a lot  of un-related  sections to writing so people can socialize. The most active board on my forum is Poetry. The most active thread is in the General Discussion board and it is the main thread for talking. I am constantly trying to get the group to interact and take part in forum activities. 2 members always do. None of the rest really care about forum activities. This is one example of why I said the admin is the biggest contributor.
There are more but all  of those are outside of ProBoards. I'm not a member of any forum on ProBoards except this one and my own. (practice boards don't count lol) Here members are the biggest contributors and for good reason but from what I have seen... staff is a huge part of that and not just because they are solving issues but also because they take part in all areas of the forum. ((that includes the admin aka. board owner)) 

[stevecureboi]

Tanya
I think, reading your post, we sort of agree on some points then.
Bottom line is the nature of the forum & what level of management or geeing up members is required.
Having over a 1000 members does mean the majority of content, at least for me, is generated by them. It's much more likely that with 10 you are going to rely on staff to try to whip up discussion.
BTW, your forum sounds interesting & I will drop in to have a look.

[Tanya]

Aug 15, 2017 10:04:47 GMT -8 stevecureboi said:

Tanya
I think, reading your post, we sort of agree on some points then.
Bottom line is the nature of the forum & what level of management or geeing up members is required.
Having over a 1000 members does mean the majority of content, at least for me, is generated by them. It's much more likely that with 10 you are going to rely on staff to try to whip up discussion.
BTW, your forum sounds interesting & I will drop in to have a look.

Honestly, I rely on myself because my members are a pain in my rear and too used to a different kind of platform. I can motivate one person because she has a ton of time on her hands but not the rest. Some days I feel like I have a blog rather than a forum. hahahaha
Oh and I've seen forums with more than a 1000 members be no different than my own. Show me members who actually care about the forum and show it by posting and taking part in things and I might be a bit more positive. ((and less evil lol))
As to visiting, feel free to. Never know, you might find something interesting to read or at least be able to give me an idea on what to write to really push my members buttons. hahahaha

[DataNinja]

I think that it all depends on the forum, really. I know on the forum that I'm the most active 'admin' for (I'm not actually the admin account, but I've basically got the same permissions), I still use my power-enabled account for all interaction in the community.

I've found that being active in the community means that people will actually consider talking to you if they need a problem solved. I try and make sure to cultivate an atmosphere of being much the same as any other member, but I do make sure to wear the admin tag to make sure that people know that they can talk to me if they have a forum problem, and that I'm active enough to let them know things'll be done quickly. (And if I need to say anything in a moderator voice, I tend to use large red text, though this rarely has to be done.)

So, I guess this a longwinded way of saying that how active you should be depends on how you want the admin account to be viewed. And how it's viewed generally depends, I've found, on how active it is. If you act like any other member, then - except for a few people who want to try and suck up for some reason or other - then you'll usually be treated like one. If you rarely speak, then when it does happen, it will generally be treated as a significant event, whether you intend for it to happen or not. At least, that's what I've found. Take this all as anecdotal evidence, however.

I guess, to answer the OP... at the very least, an Admin should be active enough to make sure the forum is running smoothly, and all reports are dealt with in a reasonable amount of time. Even if they don't really make their presence known in the forum itself, they should at least take the time to check up on it.

[Pebbles]

Aug 10, 2017 23:02:49 GMT -8 Syrrith said:

On a site that Ive bee on for a while, a member was super active and everyone loved having them around. Then, the old Admins decide to leave after picking a new one. This wellknown member is given the spot and has now become less active. Not by a little either. They are rarely ever interacting with the public. Its frequently brought up, and over 90% of the members say that they want them to interact more. 

However, on another site, the Admin is very active. They arent  rude or disrespectful and are generally a very nice person. The people on this forum wish that the Admin was less active as its "rather intimidating knowing that the person who runs the site is always around". Im guessing that they are scared that if they make even a tiny mistake, that they will be banned? Or maybe its just because they are the "big guy"?

Anyway, how active do you think an Admin should be? Should they be interacting with the members a lot, or should they mostly watch from the distance?

every forum should have at least 1 very active admin and active moderators too though the latter depends on the size of the forum

a forum won't be able to even grow if you make one and then do not talk and interact with the people that sign up
so yeah, the only times you can afford to be distant really is when you got a big forum going on with lots of people online ...and by that i mean, if you got lots of members online , assuming they are posting enough, it means you do not have to worry so much about keeping the forum active yourself and that also could easily result into more staff , incl co admins
that are active.... if that's the case, you as owner, could easily take a step back and let others handle stuff if that's what they want
but if not, if no one else wants to take charge and no one else shows initiative on keeping the forum active and running you need to be an active admin/owner yourself or else your forum will probably never grow bigger

i bet many people do not realise that, especially when a forum is still small and new, if you do not talk to your new registered members and do not ask them questions = show interest, you got a big enough chance they won't be interested in the forum later on and won't bother coming back.... most people that registered on my forum only did that and maybe returned once or twice but never bothered posting.... so when they do post, you got to take your chance and interact , engage etc...

same like teaching in a way? if you don't show interest back in the kids you trying to teach and if you do not ask them questions about stuff they say, then kids would get extremely bored and distracted .... they probably won't leave the classroom lol but then yeah, you lost their attention and same goes for forums, if you know where i am going with this lol

[queenfoxy]

I thnk when the admin/owner apears to be inactive and uninterested, the forum begins to die.  Without support of the admin, I don't think it will last long.  The admin should, of course, be signed in as a member.  No need to flaunt the admin status.  You should be interacting at every level as a friend.

[Kami]

Oct 3, 2017 13:13:06 GMT -8 queenfoxy said:

I thnk when the admin/owner apears to be inactive and uninterested, the forum begins to die.  Without support of the admin, I don't think it will last long.  The admin should, of course, be signed in as a member.  No need to flaunt the admin status.  You should be interacting at every level as a friend.

That's far too broad surely. My RP forum would absolutely not function properly if I didn't "flaunt the admin status" because the admins (and other staff) control the game and application acceptance and so forth.

And "interacting at every level as a friend" doesn't work for a lot of forums. This is why places get ~drama~ because of favouritism, or in the case of one forum where an admin tried to do this, utter pandemonium because any attempts to exert control after people started posting inappropriate material were viewed as 'unfair' and the forum was repeatedly reported for TOS violations (despite not having done anything violating). Being friendly is one thing -- people know they can approach me and I'll be minimum civil, usually kind -- but blurring (or eliminating) the line between admin and member can lead to a tonne of problems for certain forums, especially RPs.

Even here on support there have been issues with that sort of drama, when member A thought so-and-so mod was being too friendly with member B.

I do agree that admins need to be active as they can be, but saying that all admins "should" behave in a certain manner to do so is too general and doesn't work for many forums. The way I operate my forum, for instance, would not be taken well at say, ♥ ℒʊ√ ♥'s forum, and vice versa, but it has no bearing on whether or not we are active at our respective places.

[DataNinja]

Oct 3, 2017 13:13:06 GMT -8 queenfoxy said:

I thnk when the admin/owner apears to be inactive and uninterested, the forum begins to die.  Without support of the admin, I don't think it will last long.  The admin should, of course, be signed in as a member.  No need to flaunt the admin status.  You should be interacting at every level as a friend.

I agree with your first part. It may take some time, but eventually things will break down without the main admin. Eventually, something will come up that only the Admin can deal with. And sometimes you just need that authority.

But, I don't agree that an admin should necessarily be signed in as a member. It all depends on the forum. But, being around, interacting with the community as an Admin helps to show that someone's active, and that they do have someone to talk to. I feel like if I didn't go around posting in places around my gaming forum as an Admin, people would be a lot less likely to bring things to my attention, or ask questions, or note games of theirs that need to be closed so that the site doesn't get cluttered.

I find that people only care about the Admin status if you do try and flaunt it. If you're doing things like playing pranks - even harmless ones - using admin powers; or are constantly bringing the fact up; or are mostly doing Admin-related posts, then, yes, people are going to view you a bit apart. But if all you have is a little title below your name, and you interact a lot, I've found it's fine.

I know that I have a separate "mod voice" text that I'll use on the rare occasions that comes up. And I think that making a separation between an Admin-as-an-Admin and an Admin-as-a-person is important. But I don't think it needs to be an entirely separate account. Especially because then you're not making a very good show of the Admin being active. Though, again, it depends on your forum.