Staffing Not enjoying it anymore, need advice

[Anonymous 234]

My interest in my own site is drying up and I don't know what to do. Members are still very actively creating characters and plotting/posting but I am not excited about anything that is going on anymore. It takes me ages just to get to one reply. The guilt chews at me. I go between wanting to close the site and breaking from staffing positions for a while (take a break) to thinking "well, it's not harming me to let the members have fun." I could get my muse back and regret closing it, too, so I hesitate to jump to closing it. Does anybody else have any tips for how to get past this? 

Anonymous poster hash: f2d9e...c8b

[Deep Sea 326]

Pass the site off to someone else for like, three months. Take a break. It is completely normal to get burnt out on a hobby from time to time.

 

Remember - this is not your job. You are not being paid to so this. It is a hobby, something that you do for fun. If you are not having fun, don't do it. Don't listen to that guilty voice! You are not contractually obligated to pretend that you are enjoying yourself.

 

If your members are still having fun and participating in the RP, make reasonable accommodation for them (such as having someone else run the site so that it stays open, or maybe drop all plot-related activity and stick strictly to site maintenance only).

[Elena 546]

Closing your site would be a crime against all the members who trust you and enjoy it, having ongoing plots. We have all been on the receiving side, once or another time, when a site closed on us suddenly. Don't ever be that person, because you wouldn't like being in their shoes!

 

But you can always step aside if you aren't enjoying it anymore, and pass it on to someone who is active and willing to keep writing there.

[Rune 1,099]

There's nothing wrong with taking a break.

 

Do you have other staff to cover your responsibilities? 

 

Sometimes popping on to a different site or just doing 1x1 in a different genre can get the juices flowing and re-ignite the flame, as it were.  You don't have to close or abandon your site. Just take a step back and let yourself relax so you don't lose all desire.

[Morrigan 1,826]

I will say that I am with the others, a good, active site is nothing to let just go to the wayside. First and foremost, I recommend (if you have other staff) to let them know how you're feeling. Let them know that you need a full break for a while and take a hiatus. If you still feel like it's not worth it than give them full control, advise them you would like to be demoted.

 

I personally, have a plan of action if I ever want to give up on the Initiative that it'll be passed to my staff. They don't know it but it's true. It's the way I know my dream and this site will live on even if I don't have an interest anymore (this is not something that will happen before I'l like too old to type people so chillax. GDPR won't kill us and nothing else will).

 

You need the space and you should take it, that's enough said.

[Icewolf 258]

I think everyone feels that way from time to time. Take a break! Ask for help from staff if you have them to do the normal running of the site. Do something else for a while. Read books, watch films/tv shows that are related to the genre of your site.

 

A good thing to do is avoid doing something too intensely because from my experience, that burns out quite quickly. Just vary what you do. I've found that when I've been working on the forum for a number of days that my mood for having anything to do with it slips and I've found the best way to avoid that is distracting myself by doing something else for a while, or the next time that I'm working on the site, I just don't do it for as long. When I go back to it after a break, I find my enthusiasm for the site is renewed. It also helps if I've found something new to inspire me which is why reading and watching films/tv shows is a good thing to do. It's tougher on staff and admin because we don't just have the fun stuff to do, we also have to deal with the not so fun stuff and it's essential that we allow ourselves time away from it.

[Shades 676]

That's a tough situation, Anon, and I totally get you. I'm right there at the moment too. The pieces of advice I'll give you are simple, because others have articulated better than me:

 

1. You are under no legal or moral obligation to run a site if you don't want to anymore. Either that's closing down (giving your members ample warning and the chance to collect everything they need) or passing it on to another responsible staff member so they can keep it open.

 

2. Even if you can have someone else running it temporarily so you can collect yourself and rest, I'd advise you to do so. Take a break. Spend a few months as jus a regular member. This will put the site in a clearer perspective and you'll know whether or not the love is still there.

 

3. Analyze (maybe during this time you have taken to step back) if there is any source of discomfort for you. It can be something small (like something visual on the site bothering you) or something bigger, like a toxic member or staffer zapping your energy. If there is something like this (sometimes we, as admins, want to believe we can ignore these discomforts and keep on keeping on, but it takes a huge toll on your enjoyment over time), handle it once you've had your time off (talk, warn, demote, or ban, depending on how serious the situation is). You'll see what a breath of fresh air eliminating negative influences can bring to both you and your site.

 

Good luck!

[Zahhy 130]

I'm going to reiterate what has been said here, so most of what I'm going to write might not be a surprise to you but just remember: You are important. You are valued. But, you also don't owe anyone anything. It is your site, you can do as you please, and I think you should do what is best for you.

 

This kind of thing happens to most admin. (And probably why Pern Sites jump up out of nowhere to die one or two years later). I'm not sure if there is a right or wrong answer. I've seen sites successfully passed on (I actually inherited one), and I've seen sites politely closed down. Therefore, even the advice I'm about to give you should be taken with a grain of salt. Don't do something that doesn't sit right with you. Do something that will alleviate the stress of it all, while also making life fun for you again.

 

With that all said, here's my advice. Try taking a break. If that still isn't enough, close the site or pass it on.

 

I can't say I've personally taken this advice. Even during my "breaks" I still perform administrative duties. I may not write in-character because but I have no other staff so the nitty and gritty still falls to me. However, my mother recently closed her site to the public. Those that remain are only her staff and some hand-picked members. She said it was the best thing she's ever done for her game. Without the stress of having to monitor new people and manage a site, she said her muse returned almost right away. She and her tight-knit group might not be as active or as spectacular as they were when the entire site was open, but she says she is much happier and enjoys the laid-back atmosphere of posting when she wants rather than when she feels obligated. Not sure if that's an option for you either, but I thought I would mention it. I shall also quote her from when I asked her the same thing:

 

"If you're paying people to abuse and bore you, you could start paying me!" hahahaha. The point is, if your heart isn't in it, don't suffer! It isn't worth it to agonize over something that is supposed to be a hobby, something that is supposed to be fun! Some of the best things we do have the possibility of regret down the line, but that doesn't mean whatever is best for us isn't worth that chance!

 

 

 

[Sage 289]

I agree with everything that's been said! However, if you don't have other staff to fall back on or don't want to hand off your site to someone else just yet, another option is that you can always close the board to new members. If you've got a good community that can sustain itself in your absence, then let them do their thing! Just assure everyone that you're not closing the board, you're just taking a breather for a little bit and will return after a few weeks/months/whatever. You can always appoint a temporary mod to keep the basics functioning during your absence if you're staffing on your own. 

[Anonymous 234]

I am trying and I have been trying. Stepping away just makes me feel worse because I feel even less connected. It’s almost easier to be okay with closing it when I have no attachment whatsoever. 

 

I feel like this site was never a passion project for me. It was made as a new home for myself and my displaced friends from another site. 

 

Now more than ever it feels like nothing but a burden. I find myself feeling guilty over the members. At the same time I feel they could all do better without me. 

 

I dont think giving the site is site is an option. It’s not free hosted. I could help them move it elsewhere if it came to that. I don’t care if they use the lore, they helped make it. They can carry their stuff over if they can take their posts and characters. 

 

But it I think I am done. 

Anonymous poster hash: f2d9e...c8b

[Morrigan 1,826]

Then be done. Let them know and move on. If you even want to move on.

[Elena 546]

8 hours ago, Anonymous said:

I feel they could all do better without me. 

 

I dont think giving the site is an option. It’s not free hosted. I could help them move it elsewhere if it came to that. I don’t care if they use the lore, they helped make it. They can carry their stuff over if they can take their posts and characters. 

 

Transferring the site on a free host might be an option, but also passing the site out can be an option, no matter if it is not free hosted, but paid for, as long as the others want to pay for it from now on. It depends on the financial and technical possibilities of the new staff.

 

Anyway, both options mean that they can carry on their stories, and this is what matters! ❤️

 

Many site builders close their site when they don't enjoy it anymore, no matter that the others still enjoy it. I ma glad that you aren't like them! ❤️

Edited June 9, 2018 by Elena

[Anonymous 234]

The current members have no knowledge of the software. I was going to transfer it to Jcink but Jcink does not convert this software. I am looking into other possibilities in the meantime. 

Anonymous poster hash: f2d9e...c8b

[eleholly 118]

I would second some of the above opinions and say that the thing that brought my interest back to my site after lacking it for close to two years was dabbling in another RP genre and taking a needed break. I went about 6 months without writing before I started to miss it, and when I started writing high fantasy on the side vs. all urban fantasy, it really, really help. Get your other staff members involved. Maybe someone will want to learn how to operate the platform to keep the site running. I would at the very least give someone else the chance/opportunity to keep things going. If you want to chat 1x1, feel free to message me about it. 

[Huskerdust 625]

^ This is true. Closing sites can end up with a lot of regrets if you don't think it through carefully.