Forum's to suit to the Admin's Interest?

[Justin]

How do you feel about forums where only the Admin's opinion matters?

Have you run a board like this (I wont judge you 😛)

Some people may go down the route saying that only Community Driven boards are what leads to success. And that taking control as Admin means you are power hungry and wish to lead everything into disaster.

Well sometimes it takes a strict admin and a smart mind to run a successful forum, like as an example: Everyone in America signed a petition to lower the driving age. While it states they may submit a petition, it doesn't mean it will be put into place. So the government would not add it as for the best interest of the safety of the country. -- The same thing could be said about forums, how you may submit an idea and a forum admin chooses not to add it, forseeing the future of the forum.

This discussion really goes either way.

Thoughts?

 

[Jonathan]

I don't think that you should make a site where only your opinion matters. Otherwise you leave no room for discussion, and of course forums are there for discussion. A forum where discussion doesn't work won't work and therefore will not be successful. There are only a few exceptions to this rule, and most come from forums that are very old and have somehow become successful out of luck. One of those I'm talking about is offtopic.com. If you read their rules you'll know what I mean.

However, of course the forum subject should suit the admin's interest otherwise they probably won't enjoy running the site or even spending time on it which is of course very important when it is new to pump activity in. You just must be fair and link with the users, you shouldn't act as a ruler to them but rather as a helper and a provider for the site.

You should be interested in your website, but you shouldn't be a dictator on your forums. Remember that your users don't have to be there and will probably leave for a rival forum if you lower the standards of enjoyment at your site.

 

[Cam]

I think one of my forums used to be like this.
Although, forums aren't meant to be a dictatorship, they are supposed to be somewhat a democracy really.

 

[Deleted member 4320]

I think if the Admin of a forum thinks that their opinion is the only valid one then I think that they need to re-think about how to run a forum, everyones opinion matters and if that isn't taken into account then the forum wont work and will fail. I've not been on an Admin obsessed forum before, but I'm sure if I did I wouldn't hang round for long.

 

[Justin]

I think one of my forums used to be like this.
Although, forums aren't meant to be a dictatorship, they are supposed to be somewhat a democracy really.

they arn't supposed to be anything, just what the Admin wants.

 

[Nebulous]

Nobody likes a control freak.