As an admin, do you actively post on your forum? I have seen various opinions on this issue.

There are some people that think and Admin's reponsibility is to watch over and maintain the forum. The admin should read posts, but shouldn't reply. Or if the admin really wants to talk, he should register under a "secret identity" to post his opinions. This can be a very smart decision because you don't have to worry about offending anyone or making yourself look unprofessional if you accidently say something stupid

Other people think that it's good for the admin to actively engage in forum discussions. This can ensure your members that there are active staff members and also show that you listen and pay attention to your community.

I can see the benefits of both sides. Does anyone have an opinion on the matter?

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I think that staff presence is absolutely crucial. Now, if you have enough moderators to keep up with threads and reply to most of them, then I don't think it is crucial that the admins post. If you do not have enough moderators to make staff presence known, then it is necessary for admins to actively post.

Basically, staff must be seen. First comes moderators, if you do not have any or or dont have enough, admins need to do it.

Also, if you're worried about saying something that offends somebody or comes off as unprofessional, you probably shouldnt be an admin in the first place

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I beleive that when a forum is new and developing, the admin plays a more vital role and should be quite visible. As the forum grows and activity increases, the admin might need help in the form of moderators to keep up.

But in either case, i do feel the admin should have a presence and participate in posts and throughtout the forum as much as time will allow. That is why it is advised, that if one wants to start a message forum, that one pick a topic/theme one enjoys and knows well. So that there is active participation.

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i post in ever topic!


i think admin/staff should to keep the forum active!

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Will Stumpf - TalkNikon
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I totally agree. With a new forum it is vital that the admins job is to post and get the discussions going. Being a new forum, that’s what I did and people started to response and after awhile members started their own topics. As the admin you have the choice to respond or not. If you do maybe you do it in the “unknown” user.

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All points till now are excellent. hats off 2 all of you.

In my opinion, an Admin SHOULD be active and should post AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE in the initial stages of the forum and at the same time, no compromise in the quality of the post should be made

Later, Mods and Users can make it active, while the admin takes care of Administration only ;D

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As the admin of my forum, I actively post. Even if the site was thriving with other people posting, I still think I would do the same. That's really why I started the site anyway. Not just to administer it.

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Mark Blair
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Yea, I stay active and feel it is important to do so!

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~Tim

I also think that its' vitally important for admins to stay active in the forums as much as possible - no matter how old or new the site is. You do have to be a little careful about not offending people or leading discussions in a certain way, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't post at all. I think it's important for members to get a sense of who is in charge. I think it also helps to set the tone for the site. Mods can help, but there's no substitute for real leadership IMO.

On my site we actually have three admins. My role is "Manager/administrator" - it's my role to handle the human factor and general leadership. The other two are "Technical Administrators" - they do all the technical stuff and it doesn't matter so much what they post and how often.

Some good points Megan, especially your last point about the difference in roles. Perhaps the question "as an admin, do you..." is too vague. As you've pointed out, not all administrators need to assume that role - their role is purely behind the scenes. When you say it is important for admins to set the tone so your members know who is in charge...doesnt this mean that as an admin, you could only intervene on issues against policy or when there is a dispute? Does setting the tone/letting everybody know who is in charge apply to normal discussion also? The general answer I was looking for here is whether or not it is important that you as an admin actively post in your forums.

Welcome to the forums, Megan - Glad to have you here!

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