Training for forum administrators

Discussion in 'Member and Staff Management' started by Ramya108, Jan 12, 2010.

  1. tldagent

    tldagent Novice

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2010
    Messages:
    28
    Likes Received:
    7
    First Name:
    Justin
    You know, I once was thinking of developing a forum or website surrounding this idea and years ago purchased a domain name for it. Maybe we should develop a forum and wiki for this sort of thing. It is a need in our industry.

    Thanks Patrick for the reply. I was replying before I had seen your reply. Will look at the links.
     
  2. BananaQueen

    BananaQueen Grand Master

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2009
    Messages:
    554
    Likes Received:
    24
    First Name:
    not telling anyone ;)
    i learnt how to admin forums from being a member on loads of other forums before making my own, and seeing how they were run, what i like about how they are run, and what the members like best in a forum, and there were some forums that werent well managed and i looked, saw from members posts and stuff, what went wrong and when i was admin of my own forum i used my experiences on other forums to decide how i was going to run the forum.

    on the technical side of things, i was a mod first, so i saw a little bit of what to do and learnt the basics, and the rest i got from the support forum and other admins
     
  3. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 27, 2008
    Messages:
    7,444
    Likes Received:
    219
    I've always wanted to do something like this, and add it to AA... but it takes a lot of effort and work. I've never gotten around to planning it. :shrug:
     
  4. iFroggy

    iFroggy Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2010
    Messages:
    34
    Likes Received:
    40
    Location:
    Harbinger, North Carolina, U.S.A.
    This is a great point, too. A great way to learn is to become a moderator under a respected administrator. Very good.

    Being a member, you really don't get access to the behind the scenes stuff and the really challenging situations and the inner workings of running an online community.

    Patrick
     
  5. tldagent

    tldagent Novice

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2010
    Messages:
    28
    Likes Received:
    7
    First Name:
    Justin
    Well, I have ModeratorCollege dot com and ModCollege dot com when I had plans of doing something like this. It does take a lot of work though to manage a community and develop a new one.

    Unless there's a charge for the forum, forums are really not all that great for producing income. I've been more focused lately on building affiliate sites and mini-sites because I have no one PMing me about complaints between members and since I've sold my forum, I'm not getting any more reported posts to deal with or the bickering. LOL. In the end, forums are more trouble then they are worth.

    Aaah the beauty of affiliate marketing versus the drudgery of managing a forum.

    I'd like to add though, that forums are fun and provide a plethora of content and a format which is compared or like no other. I guess that's why I love forums. Expensive, time consuming, headache at times, but great hobby and excellent for sharing information.
     
    2 people like this.
  6. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 27, 2008
    Messages:
    7,444
    Likes Received:
    219
    Exactly. I have always been a research nut and forums provide one of the greatest ways to gain insight of a particular subject: You gain vast amounts of knowledge from experienced members, and solidify your own knowledge and what you know by passing it on to others.

    Forums provide a learn-teach-learn process, with some fun and good times thrown into the mix. Anybody who enjoys learning and teaching most likely enjoys forums as well.
     
    2 people like this.
  7. Mark.B

    Mark.B Guest

    We were, but that wasn't the bullying, that was our lunchtime recreation.
     
  8. fattony69

    fattony69 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2009
    Messages:
    521
    Likes Received:
    145
    I am not allowed to repeat what happened in class nor what happened at lunch. Lets just say, I am scarred for LIFE. Physically and mentally.
     
  9. Ramya108

    Ramya108 Addict

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2009
    Messages:
    93
    Likes Received:
    0
    First Name:
    Svetlana
    Is that really so? Everyone agrees? :(
     
  10. Ramya108

    Ramya108 Addict

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2009
    Messages:
    93
    Likes Received:
    0
    First Name:
    Svetlana
    I am eager to hear about what you've learnt, BananaQueen!
    Please share your thoughts with us!
     
  11. Ramya108

    Ramya108 Addict

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2009
    Messages:
    93
    Likes Received:
    0
    First Name:
    Svetlana
    awww.adminaddict.net_data_MetaMirrorCache_8164f6e4e732b400ce241854838bd0ff.gif
     
  12. Brandon

    Brandon Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2009
    Messages:
    6,602
    Likes Received:
    1,706
    Location:
    Topeka, Kansas
    First Name:
    Brandon
    I have his book as well, I think it has some invaluable info
    It talks on how to manage your members and staff, along with other key points, but those are what I really enjoyed.
    I'll back up anything Patrick aka (iFroggy) says, he's one of those admins that I've been looking up to for years, ever since I started on phpbb2 almost a decade ago :waiting:
     
    2 people like this.
  13. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 27, 2008
    Messages:
    7,444
    Likes Received:
    219
    I've got the book, too. I honestly did not sit through and read it, because much of it is for very novice administrators. However, I did skim through and get a sense of his approach of different situations. I don't necessarily agree with him on everything (which is to be expected; everybody is different), but it's a great resource to reference when having trouble with specific aspects of management.

    I really wish I could write or help develop some sort of elaborate resource for experienced administrators. We have day-to-day tasks and management to take care of, but we know how to do most of that with our eyes closed. But there are in-depth issues, long-term scenarios, and unique situations we've encountered that I think could be beneficial to administrators both new and experienced.

    Edit: I buy a lot of books from half.com, which I had never heard of until a friend recommended it; they have great prices on both new and used books. The one we're discussing here is available for $1.43 'like new': http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ340959230505QQtgZvidetailsQQprZ64187567
     
    2 people like this.
  14. Ramya108

    Ramya108 Addict

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2009
    Messages:
    93
    Likes Received:
    0
    First Name:
    Svetlana
    Yes, Nick, that would be very beneficial.
    I know that writing an e-book takes time, though.

    I guess we can learn almost everything by associating on this wonderful forum: asking questions, helping others and sharing our experience. :heart:
     
  15. tldagent

    tldagent Novice

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2010
    Messages:
    28
    Likes Received:
    7
    First Name:
    Justin
    Sad but definitely true.
     
  16. fattony69

    fattony69 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2009
    Messages:
    521
    Likes Received:
    145
    That is what I found. Very novice, which I am just a bit beyond :p

    I actually want to interview people for my book. I am writing it again.
     
  17. Brandon

    Brandon Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2009
    Messages:
    6,602
    Likes Received:
    1,706
    Location:
    Topeka, Kansas
    First Name:
    Brandon
    negative..
    You can make a great deal of money from forums and not have to slap banners all over the place or charging members to use your forum.
    knowledge and information are worth far more than I think you realize ;)
     
  18. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 27, 2008
    Messages:
    7,444
    Likes Received:
    219
    Perhaps you can share your techniques and ideas in an article? ;) :D
     
  19. fattony69

    fattony69 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2009
    Messages:
    521
    Likes Received:
    145
    Or in a nice detailed private message to me.
     
  20. Brandon

    Brandon Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2009
    Messages:
    6,602
    Likes Received:
    1,706
    Location:
    Topeka, Kansas
    First Name:
    Brandon
    sounds like a good idea :)
    :unhunh: I'll see what we can do
     

Share This Page