Admins: Way too easy to become

Namorat · May 27, 2012

Admins... Everyone can become an admin. It is rather easy, right? Just choose your first software, go online and stuff will happen! Success, can't you smell it? You even play around with the technical things, learn SEO, get a new style perhaps. Links, sure. You drop links left and right. Man, you even post on your own forum!

Still, doesn't really work out...

Now, seriously: Aside from all the other factors, I wonder about one aspect of forums... Is it me or are more and more people doing the third step before the first? What about being a member online? Becoming staff somewhere eventually? And then you become your own admin.

It feels that many folks enter the www and look at forum. "Hey, I can do better than these..." and there they go and start their own forums. They don't really experience what the "feeling" is a forum has, successful or not, big or not. What is it that makes people post at a forum? It is not the software, I guess.
Next step, for me, would be becoming staff. You know, learning the background and -bone of forums. What decision are made, how are they made? How does one deal with issues, technical and member related? What do others do?

So, I ask you: Am I wrong in believing that many more admins would have an easier time if they didn't rush into the whole thing?

AFMichael · May 27, 2012

Your sentiments ring true. It is too easy to become not only a forum administrator but any type of website administrator. The problem lies within the software and opportunities themselves. Companies are designing them to be easier, faster, and better for even the most novice user so that they can generate more revenue.

Just like anyone trying to start a company to bring in the big bucks, the same applies for being an administrator of any type of website. Lack of experience, knowledge, and even one's greed can lead to their failure.

Judge Dredd · May 27, 2012

I agree with Michael. This is the only case where I say that productivity doesn't necessarily need the highest priority.

If it's too easy, everyone will do it; I think this is a reason for forums going downhill.

Kelson64 · May 28, 2012

I understand what you're saying Namorat, but I somewhat disagree with you. I am of the mindset that you do not need experience to become an admin. Running a website is not rocket science, because forum software these days are pretty darn easy to use. Furthermore, new admins often produce unexpectedly fresh websites with interesting content. Why? Because they don't know any better! Instead of copying a website format from someone else, they develop their own format. Sometimes this works very well.

Of course, many of these "new" admins are often teenagers, and they lack dedication and patience. Furthermore, these teens always seem to create gaming or modding websites. There are probably millions of thee types of sites on the internet - and a large percentage of them are failures. Mostly because the admin(s) lack dedication and patience - and also because they feel if they throw up a basic forum with no content, multitudes of posting-zombie will rush to their site and give them 10,000 posts in the first month. We all know that doesn't happen.

But even if you've never been on a website staff, as long as you show patience and dedication to your site, you have a fair chance of your site being successful.

Greg · May 28, 2012

I've been running forums for the past 8 years or so. There are many people who have been doing it much, much longer than I have. Still, it's been long enough that I have some perspective into certain patterns.

Much like cartoons, medicine, and kids these days, forums just ain't what they used to be. But they never were. There were always bad forums and bad administrators. There still are good forums and good administrators.

I actually think that there are a lot less people just deciding to make forums than there were a couple of years ago. Forums aren't seen as very monetizable anymore. There are far less people in it for the quick buck... or at least it seems that way to me.

Having a low barrier of entry is not a bad thing. Someone making a generic gaming forum that maxes out at 3 users and 17 sockpuppet accounts doesn't hurt anyone. Anyone can try painting and call themselves an artist, write a hello world program in C# and call themselves a coder, or pen a novel and call themselves a writer. Most don't pan out, but the ones that do contribute to society.

Why not let people run forums if they want to?

Joeychgo · May 28, 2012

I couldnt agree more. This can be seen in action by the many people here posting questions like "How come im not making money?" and you look at their site and they have 20 members and 2 posts in the last day, both made by the admin.

This is why I was actually happy vBulletin raised its prices and did away with the leased license. Helps keep the inexperienced out.

T3chn0 · May 28, 2012

In a way, I can see the cons of a low barrier to entry especially with the vast amount of crap forums hosted on free solutions and even some using more expensive scripts. However, at the end of the day, it's survival of the fittest so if they are your competition, they probably won't survive.

Also, while it is definitely helpful to have some experience beforehand, if you have experience with something similar, you can still apply that skillset to forums. However, the sad truth of the matter is that there are numerous popular forums with crappy administration and plenty of forums with good staff that is struggling to remain survive.

"If you build it, they will come" only works if if they know WHERE to go and accomplishing that is probably the hardest part IMO.

Soulwatcher · May 28, 2012

The bottom line as long as there is money to be made its going to be easy to be a admin. People want to sell hosting and forum software. Even the free software makes money through donations.

How ever the web is going through a major change right now. Its getting harder and harder to get a forum off the ground and many people are quickly folding up shop. Just look at all of the webmaster forums selling used forum licenses.

Greg

christicehurst · May 28, 2012

I agree it is very easy to become but I see it in the view if you feel like your forum ins't going too well - just take a look at a dozen of these sites and that will pick your spirits right back up!

Namorat · May 28, 2012

Don't misunderstand me, I am not complaining that becoming an admin is rather easy. It may have positive effects if it was different, but it may be quite the other way around, too.

I really don't know a lot about the technical aspect aside from what I posted above. What I do know a little bit more about is perhaps the member related aspect of the issue. Since becoming an admin is more or less easy in the technical sense, I feel that the things related to members, staff, PEOPLE, becomes less and less understood.

I have the impression, and it may be a wrong one, that new admins may be able to look easily for solutions if something with the software or the host or something alike doesn't work well, but how to deal effectively with members that cause trouble, with members in general actually, with your staff, is something that can be read, but is best understood with experience, which is something many admins seem to lack.

Hence I wondered whether many admins would be more "successful" (whatever that means exactly) if they started out as members, then become mods and then have their own forums. Not to say this is true for each and every person, but I think it would benefit many an admin.

Zylantex · May 28, 2012

Namorat said:
Hence I wondered whether many admins would be more "successful" (whatever that means exactly) if they started out as members, then become mods and then have their own forums. Not to say this is true for each and every person, but I think it would benefit many an admin.

That's the path I took. One thing it taught me was that the Admins at the forums I modded on were either incompetent, lazy or pathological liars. There's a whole world of tools and information at an Admins fingertips that these guys claimed didn't exist.

Lisa · May 28, 2012

Evil Grin said:
That's the path I took. One thing it taught me was that the Admins at the forums I modded on were either incompetent, lazy or pathological liars. There's a whole world of tools and information at an Admins fingertips that these guys claimed didn't exist.

heh heh.. on the other hand, it could be that they were't super admins (on a vB board) in which case they wouldn't see half the options available

Zylantex · May 28, 2012

It was a vB board alright so that could easily be true of regular admins but at the time these admins were the 5 joint owners of the board, it was a business disguised as a community, so I'm pretty sure that all had top level access.

Anathema_Sit · May 28, 2012

Namorat said:
Admins... Everyone can become an admin. It is rather easy, right? Just choose your first software, go online and stuff will happen! Success, can't you smell it? You even play around with the technical things, learn SEO, get a new style perhaps. Links, sure. You drop links left and right. Man, you even post on your own forum!

Still, doesn't really work out...

Now, seriously: Aside from all the other factors, I wonder about one aspect of forums... Is it me or are more and more people doing the third step before the first? What about being a member online? Becoming staff somewhere eventually? And then you become your own admin.

It feels that many folks enter the www and look at forum. "Hey, I can do better than these..." and there they go and start their own forums. They don't really experience what the "feeling" is a forum has, successful or not, big or not. What is it that makes people post at a forum? It is not the software, I guess.
Next step, for me, would be becoming staff. You know, learning the background and -bone of forums. What decision are made, how are they made? How does one deal with issues, technical and member related? What do others do?

So, I ask you: Am I wrong in believing that many more admins would have an easier time if they didn't rush into the whole thing?

Hi.

I think you are right. I have spent many years in forums before trying my first one a couple of years ago, and I got frustrated and went back to more forums and posting in them. Watching the staff interact with the forum and taking notes.

Then this past Feb., I was ready to take the plunge. I am glad that I did not rush into it. You see there are days I get frustrated because I seem to not understand some of it, but had I tried to do the forum I crreuntly Admin two years ago, I would have given up on forums completely.

I think it's important to study other forums. Be a member of them. Take note of what works and what does not work. Then and only then I believe can you create a good forum that people will want to come back to.

Blessings.
AS

Anathema_Sit · May 28, 2012

Namorat said:
Don't misunderstand me, I am not complaining that becoming an admin is rather easy. It may have positive effects if it was different, but it may be quite the other way around, too.

I really don't know a lot about the technical aspect aside from what I posted above. What I do know a little bit more about is perhaps the member related aspect of the issue. Since becoming an admin is more or less easy in the technical sense, I feel that the things related to members, staff, PEOPLE, becomes less and less understood.

I have the impression, and it may be a wrong one, that new admins may be able to look easily for solutions if something with the software or the host or something alike doesn't work well, but how to deal effectively with members that cause trouble, with members in general actually, with your staff, is something that can be read, but is best understood with experience, which is something many admins seem to lack.

Hence I wondered whether many admins would be more "successful" (whatever that means exactly) if they started out as members, then become mods and then have their own forums. Not to say this is true for each and every person, but I think it would benefit many an admin.

Yes one can easily set up the Admin and the Forum stuff, but nothing will replace the experience one can learn from being members and Mods of forums before going to be an Admin of a new forum or starting one of their own.

I don't think people come back to forums because of how neat the forum looks or it's the most up to date forum. I think they come back to forums where they feel welcome and a a valuable member of that forum. And for that to happen it takes expereienced staff to create that place for them.

Blessings,
AS

Judge Dredd · May 28, 2012

Joeychgo said:
This is why I was actually happy vBulletin raised its prices and did away with the leased license. Helps keep the inexperienced out.

Please explain to me how you plan to get experienced admins to just pop up. You were inexperienced at one time as well, just like everyone else.

Namorat · May 28, 2012

Microsuck said:
Please explain to me how you plan to get experienced admins to just pop up. You were inexperienced at one time as well, just like everyone else.

That exactly is my point here: You learn and become experience by being a member and eventually staff at another forum. Then you are experienced and take the next step

In an ideal case, at least.

KriiV · Jun 5, 2012

I do think it is becoming a little easy.

GazHyde · Jun 6, 2012

Namorat said:
So, I ask you: Am I wrong in believing that many more admins would have an easier time if they didn't rush into the whole thing?

In my case, couldn't agree with you more!

This is my first forum, but I at least have a technical background which has helped. I've also been trawling internet forums for well over 10 years so have a lot of end user experience.

I was fairly lucky when the forum started that I 'borrowed' two experienced moderators from a competitor forum (until they were whipped back in to line). That helped hugely in getting the basics of moderation straight in my mind.

A lot of running a forum comes down to common sense. I've had a few issues with upset members which have been diffused by just simply talking to them. I worked technical help desk for most of my working life, so know how to deal with upset people!

In an ideal world I would have planned first and then launched, but in my case due to the way the site emerged it just wasn't possible. Time will tell I guess.... :noid:

Panupat · Jun 6, 2012

I have no opinion on your exact question. But I think, running a forum, to a lot of us are just hobby. And being easy to get into is a good thing

No matter if the forum lasts or not.

Admins: Way too easy to become

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