Loss of Power

How do you react when you lose power to other community or staff members?

For example when one member becomes too invaluable to your team?

 

I'm not sure I understand? If you own the forum and you've lost power as the owner and administrator then you've probably failed as admin one way or another.

Not much you'll be able to do other than clean house and not let it happen again.

 

Are you referring to the sensation of feeling "overpowered" by a fellow team member?

If so, resolving this on a personal level (i.e. privately) is something that should be done immediately on your part. Communication is crucial - you cannot allow another team member to either overrule your control and/or "take charge" without your consent. The circumstances of such a situation will of course vary, depending on the level of the other staff member(s) involved.

 

I had a super mod that did, and i banned him for a day. Then he goes on
to other sites and blabs about it and tells people not to join. He also was
spamming.

 

Naw, not exactly.. Well, it's an interesting situation.

Before moving to vB we merged with another small forum. Naturally, as part of the merge they joined staff, and eventually we ended up with four admins (2 from each).

As described in the "How to lose your forum" article, the private club thing has sorta happened, but not quite to that extent, and the problem now is that I have a member who WAS admin (he stepped down not long ago) who although being a great staff member, holds the power in the members' eyes. The "favoured" admin if you will. It doesn't help that they've got their little group too.

The problem arises that the member is valuable as being the best member of staff i have/had, but while being a decent guy for the most part, contributes greatly to taking away my power as owner.
Think of it like this member being Dr. Cox from scrubs if you will. Knows what to do, fans love him, and actually is helpful and doing a lot for us, but has little surface and general respect for the boss.
Doesn't help that I've let this happen and tend not to fight back. The problem is more of a disempowering disrespect, as the confrontations we have, this member generally has a valid point. However at the same time, this member has a habit of publically "attacking" me if you will to make a point, doing things like spamming threads (after stepping down) or dragging staff issues into the open.

A little background for you.

Anyways, on one hand, at the extreme it's something bannable, but on the other, the member still contributes a huge amount, and in essence, all of the bad is for the good of the board too.

The problem is that the member is still seen as one of the most important parts of the board, and still does a LOT. In fact even recently after some events broke down the community some I was forced to swallow my pride and accept an offer to re-admin him for a week to help me rebuild.

It's a real b**** of a situation eh?

 

It sounds as if you're "stuck" in the middle of a tricky situation. This member contributes a substantial amount of dedication to the community, yet has little to no respect for you a) as a person and b) as a community leader.

Conversing with this individual privately is one of the first steps forward that should be taken in regards to resolving this situation peacefully. Speaking to him on a mature and logical level could prove to be effective - there is always the possibility (whether it be slight or likely) of working out any differences that may be causing this "tension" (for lack of a better word) between the two of you, and doing so while conversing in a professional manner could assist greatly. It's evident that this individual feels as though he should still be in some sort of administrative position. What he needs to realize is that while his opinions and/or dedication (in the form of activity and participation) may be appreciated greatly, he is no longer a member of the management team and as such, rude and/or demeaning behavior will not be tolerated on any level, nor to any extent. Making him aware of this is absolutely crucial.

I understand that doing so will be difficult. Be sure to firmly support your argument and respond intelligently to any flack he may attempt to shoot back at you. It's not the easiest of tasks to confront an individual who chooses to act out as he does, but it'll prove to be beneficial shortly after. Best of luck!

 

I had an ex-mod doing very similar things at one point, publicly on the forum. She had high status with the membership, and considered herself quite beloved. One time a 'real' mod was posting mod notes in a contentious thread. The ex-mod posted advice for her on how to do it. Including the note "if you want any more tips on moderating please pm me."

I sent the following pm to the ex-mod:
"x,
Re your posts <links.> You resigned from the management team and no longer speak for management. Do not post advice to moderators or management unless you are asked."

Never heard back, and she never did it again. She did stay on the forum but keeps a low profile.

I put in the "unless you are asked" to make the point to her that no one was asking. Nor did they ever. The real mods she was trying to advise were pissed at her for what she posted. I did not tell them about the pm until a week or two later, so as not to put them on the spot at the time.

So anyway ... don't buy into his bs. This ex-admin may not be nearly as loved by the membership as he and you think.

If you start pushing back,and if this paragon leaves the forum in a snit and takes some hangars-on with him... it could be the best thing that could happen. I promise people will start posting who have been holding back, because they feel overwhelmed by this presence. You will be free to do what you think needs to be done without having this hanging over your shoulder. And ... whatever they say publicly, smart people recognize an ego-driven snit when they see one, and usually don't have much respect for it, no matter who it is.

Good luck! :devil: