Being a 'Social' Administrator
Greetings everyone!
In this article, I am going to tell you about the finest details of being a good administrator. I will not cover the technical aspects of forums, but I will try to enlighten you how ‘social’ an administrator should do.
Greetings: Always greet your members. No matter how busy you are or how huge your forums are, the administrator greeting you directly is a sign of welcome. It rejuvenates the newly registered members and also sets the right example for your staff to welcome all members. Remember, first impression is the key!
Be the accessible Mr.Busy: I, for one person, understand how busy you can get. But on top of everything, if an administrator does not reply to my PM, I would have the feeling that I am being kept waiting. When you become too busy, ask yourselves ‘Why would my members have time for my forum when I do not have enough time for it myself?’
Friendly: No matter how terrible a member’s crimes are (maybe, lets exempt posting porn, staff member harassing and racism) always, greet people in a friendly manner.
Here is a terrible example of a private message
Hey!
Please stop making low quality posts. I will ban you on your next offense.
Here is an example of a more refined private messageHey!
I am very pleased to see that you are enjoying our forums because you seem to come back every now and then. However, I was wondering why your posts are of low ‘quality’. Just keep an eye on them and don’t hesitate to let me or my staff know of any problems you are encountering. This is just a friendly reminder ;)
I know its huge work typing all these out, but hardwork pays! Really, it does! :D On the same page: Always keep your staff on the same page of things. Let them all know of any exceptions you make for your members. Remember, members of staff contradicting their own administrators are not healthy and is a big turnaround for members. Be willing to take note of suggestions: No matter how laughable a suggestion is, always be willing to hear it out. If it comes from a member, it means that you, as an administrator, has a duty to satisfy that member. If you think that a particular suggestion is do-able but not good for the community, let them know that ‘they will be seeing it in the near future’ even if its not your top priority. I am sure that I will see you all as excellent administrators. And keep the energy high!
