Guest Ember Share Posted April 12, 2019 I'm in the process of being handed "the keys" to a site that I was willing to take over from the current admin (whom I'm friends with) and I was wondering if there are some of you lovely folks who might be willing to impart some wisdom when it comes to becoming an admin - not just of a site that was previously run by someone else, but just in general? This will be my second or third time acting as an admin in my years roleplaying, and the first time I've seriously entered into it in several years on my own. One of the things I'm planning on doing as soon as the switch is made is to ask the current members to fill out a little survey about things they do and don't like about the site - among other things - and also to perhaps go so far as to put up some polls to get an idea of how best to direct the site in the next few months while I work behind the scenes to get things in order. Other than that, I'm wondering what more I can do, or if this is even a good direction to head in at first, which is why I'm hoping to get a little advice on all matters all around. Thank you in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jaxx 317 Popular Post Share Posted April 12, 2019 I like the idea of a survey. My recommendation would be to add a general feedback portion and to allow the whole thing to be filled out anonymously. There's always going to be members who are more comfortable being honest when they don't have to worry that their name is attached to something, because they don't have to worry about an admin getting pissed and taking it out on them. It happens more than it should. SurveyMonkey has worked pretty well for me in the past for me, I put one up every six months. I don't know why the original admin is stepping down or how well known you are to the general memberbase. But chances are that some/most of them don't know how this is going to change how the site is actually run and all that day-to-day stuff that directly affects them. So I would recommend that when you tell everyone about the survey, you add something about how you're open to answering any questions or concerns that members might have about your adminning style and the changes that may be coming and all that. Transparency and communication are key to any site surviving. Once you get the cobwebs dusted up and things to your liking, advertise everywhere. Affiliate and signature buttons bring in people every so often, but directories are where most of my member base comes from. I know of about a dozen that have varying activity levels. And answer site requests, I've gotten some good players by doing that too. If it's not already done on your site, you may wish to consider Google analytics to see where the most traffic is coming from so that you can put your effort into what's actually getting you members. Slow and steady wins the race. It's better to delay your opening by a few days or a week so that you can make sure everything is spic and span, instead of finding out right after you open that you missed something drastic. And from personal experience: finish all your potentially skin-breaking edits before you put up all those site ads, and check those ads for typos. Ask for site reviews on directories and read any threads you can find about why members stay on or leave a site. Hell, browse any directory that has a staff/admin or management subforum and see what kind of advice people have. Also, make this site for yourself first. The board will survive if a few members lose interest, but if the admin loses interest, it will die. You can't please everyone. Don't try. If you are happy with your site, if you're engaged with it, if you love it, people will be able to tell and they will love the site as much as you do. Even if everyone wants something to be changed, if you don't want it, don't do it. I can't count the number of times I've seen an admin talk about how much they regret doing something they didn't want to because they thought it would be the popular choice. I asked something similar on another directory before I started solo adminning myself, and I'll mention a few things that people said there that I took to heart. Don't be afraid of (or avoid) booting toxic people, even if they're the most active member or your best friend or not blatantly breaking rules. Don't feel guilty about asking someone to leave because they're making people unhappy/uncomfortable. Your community believes in you and loves you. They have your back. Use them as a sounding board if you're stuck, curious, hell just in general. Focus on the good things, not the assholes who don't like you or your site, or the problem members you had to ban. Onward and upward! Transparency and communication - I really cannot stress that enough. But on the flip side, don't air out the site's drama for everyone to see (i.e. ban lists). Step back when you need it. The site will survive without you for a week or two, and you always come first. Don't be afraid to hire more staff, take a break, or pass the torch if things get to be too much for you. Be firm but fair. Same rules apply for everybody - yes, even your costaffers and best friends. And if someone is new, give them a little slack and be a little more helpful. It'll reflect well on you if you're patient with those who need it. There is always more to learn and there is always room to change. Admit it when you've made mistakes and take the blame when necessary. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusk 106 Share Posted April 13, 2019 First thing that comes to mind is: You can’t make everyone happy. So run a site you enjoy. On WL we have had a lot of success in using polls and surveys. Especially for rule changes, changing how we want to run our season change over (3 or 4 ic months per season), how we want to do content warnings, we even used a poll to pick our name! We used the poll/survey stuff in google docs. Recently we did some revamping that got rid of unnecessary rules and work. I am all for making things easier on staff and members. Simple. Uncomplicated. Way less stress/work/restriction. Its fabulous. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split 3 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Don't keep/make unnecessary rules that add additional stress onto the staffers. Frankly, don't create any process that adds unnecessary strain on staffers or members. Whenever possible, simplify simplify simplify. Today your new admin is excited to take over, in three months they're going to start getting tired. Make the process of running the site as simple stupid as possible, make the staff work as easy as possible.... because a staffer becomes a staffer because they love the site, but if they're too wrapped up in the administrative tasks that they can't take the time to enjoy the place with the members, you're spelling burnout. On another note, listen to your players. The site should be one YOU love, but when a member voices confusion or offers advice on a better way, listen to them. I've found that MOST members have the best of intentions and many times, errors they make are due to simple misunderstanding. Your member base can be a powerful tool to help you understand where you can improve. Finally, be the kind of admin that every member feels they can sit down and talk to comfortably. Be nice. Be friendly. Go out of your way to talk to everybody so they know that their opinions matter to you. Trust is an essential part of being the admin of a site. Be the sort of person you'd trust and value. 1 Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts