How do you feel about admins (and yourself) asking questions to your users in threads? Be it any topic. Like, you're looking to find some sort of tool or resource and post a thread asking. Or you ask for a favor. Or ask some question of some sorts on some level.

Does this make the forum feel "unproffesional" to any extent? Would you suggest against it?

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Nope, I do it every once in a while.

I don’t think it is unprofessional at all. I think there will always be someone that will be more knowledge in almost any forum topic. So asking questions shouldn’t be frowned upon. Plus isn’t that what a forum is all about. To learn and share about topics we love?

Plus look at us here at AdminFusion, almost all of are admins, but yet we are almost posting daily on questions that we don’t have the answers to.

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Heh, I do it from time to time, and I don't think it's unprofessional in any way. We're only human.

Chris

i ask questions on my forums too, i don't think its unpro either. plus if someone else doesn't know the answer to it, well theres the thread to look at.

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The only time I can see it as possibly being unprofessional looking is when you run a niche forum and you ask a question about that niche, because the admin is supposed to have a great knowledge of the subject. But even then I personally wouldn't think it's unprofessional, I could just see some seeing it like that.

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As to the workings of the forum, I never ask my members. I'm sufficiently knowledgable, but if ever I'm having trouble with something forum-related I will ask at a forum that specializes in handling the questions. As to other questions not forum-related, I don't see anything unprofessional about admitting you're human and giving your members the impression that you trust in their ability to help you. After all, they're human just like you, and each person has his own area of expertise and considerable knowledge.

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True, picking a niche and being an admin, you would be expected to hold 99% of the answers, like mine, I have to know most of what could possibly be asked, but in the end there's going to be 1% where I wouldn't have a clue, even if I tried to look it up in books or on the net.

Asking questions like: In x situation, I would normally do x. What about you guys?

would be a "proffesional" way to grab opinions, without sounding like you hadn't a clue in the first place.

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I'm always asking questions. But then again, we're a general topic kind of board. So in our case, I'm really just participating. Now if I have questions about how other boards that my members frequent might run things (like their donations or paid memberships, or what not) I'll just ask a select few and usually privately in my blog.

But I'm always open to suggestions and my members all know that and always feel comfortable sending me whatever info they think that might find usefull - like affiliate programs, or forum ideas, or other suggestions.

Ya I agree.

It wouldnt be good if Ryan and RedMatrix were asking us questions like "How do I turn off the forum". Its something they should know if they admining a forum about forum owning.

So yes asking certain questions can be unprofessional.

Certain questions, yes, but not all questions.

As Nick and others have said, being the admin of a forum, you are expected to be quite knowledgeable on the subject...This doesn't mean that you know everything about it, but you need to know a good bit about it...and show it. If somebody asks a question that you do not know the answer to, go look it up! I do this.

I don't ask hardly any "how do I..." questions here at AF, for that reason alone...I don't think that it looks professional. A how-to question here and there is fine, but just that...here and there. The questions that I do ask, and the questions that I believe are good to ask as an admin, are "do you do this..." or "what do you think about this and that...?". Ask opinionated questions of your members. Not only are they inviting to discussion, but they do not have right or wrong answers, meaning the best of the best experts cannot really "know" the answer to them.

If you have a how-to/troubleshooting question that is driving you nuts, don't be afraid to ask it. Just don't make it a habit...You don't want to be asking your members for advice left and right, you should be the one giving it out.

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