Mistakes New Admins make

[AWS]

We've all seen new forum communities pop up all the time. Some become instant hits and some never take off.

 

New forum admins tend to make the same mistakes which cause their forum to be less attractive to new sign ups.

 

Lets start a list of the common mistakes new forum admins make. I'll start.

 

Having a popup, usually with some ugly graphic, encouraging you to join the community. A welcome message isn't a problem it's those javascript popups you come across on so many new sites. New admins think they are cool.

 

Another mistake new forum admins make is they will put Google Adsense ads on the site with no content. I don't have a problem with ads. I have a problem with the ads I see when I visit a new forum. Since there is little to no content to serve relevant ads you get those girl friend finder ads or a public service ads.

 

Lets hear some other mistakes new forum admins make.

[GTB]

Lets start a list of the common mistakes new forum admins make. I'll start.

One mistake is letting yourself get drawn in too much as admin by other members who only want to argue with you. I must admit on that score I do very poor, maybe because I can be quite argumentative back myself. But it's something really you should avoid letting yourself get drawn into as an admin. Better to always distance yourself away from it, as it only ends up making you look bad as site owner. Doesn't matter how it makes the member look in what they say, but them succeeding in making you look bad drawing you into arguments - that is only going to help stop other people from joining your forum.

 

if you start a new forum that competes with another one you might know members or the owners from. You can bet you'll be put to the test with this happening sooner or later, possibly by members or owners from that other forum. Shame this goes on but it does, it can be a big problem with trying to get a new forum going once it gets noticed by others.

Edited June 18, 2016 by GTB

[AWS]

It's not so much not getting draw into an argument as it is knowing when to exit.

 

I used to get drawn in very easily and would get hostile. I have learned to control my emotions much better. I will still argue my point. Thing is if I see it's a situation where the person will not yield then I exit the thread.

[Ozzy47]

Starting off with way to many forums, that have little to no content. They should start with a small handful first, and grow into more forums.

[Sheldon]

I think a major mistake is starting the site, and attempting to get, say... 5 or 6 staff. I've never understood that. 3 threads, and they'll have 6 staff members listed in the block....

[AWS]

I think a major mistake is starting the site, and attempting to get, say... 5 or 6 staff. I've never understood that. 3 threads, and they'll have 6 staff members listed in the block....

I have seen that too many times. I think the admins that do that hope the staff members will add content by robo-posting a bunch of topics.