InMyOpinion

Happy birthday Hulk! I hope you have an amazing day filled with love, laughter and fun! [ATTACH type=full" size="190x190]1249[/ATTACH]

Definitely keeping a general forum active and engaged can be a challenge, but as I've mentioned in other threads, I've found that consistency and community building make a huge difference. I've created a little list of what's worked for me in the past: 1. Regular posts & discussions. If you start interesting threads daily, even if the engagement is slow once members do decide to join and post it'll be easier for them to reply to threads that have open-ended questions or spark conversations. 2. Encourage user participation. Now this can be highlighting active members or member contribution, this can be mentioning members in a reply or post, it can be creating polls or hosting events/contests. 3. Sharing your interesting discussions to social medias or collaborating with similar communities to bring in new members. Every forum goes through a slow period but it's what you do during those slow periods that count.

I used to genuinely enjoy doing post exchanges on other people's forums for the most part (some niches I wasn't as familiar with so it wasn't as exciting but I still enjoyed doing them). Now I would say I don't enjoy it as much because I'd rather be spending time on my own forum working and though I do enjoy posting on other peoples forums I enjoy it because there is no pressure to post a certain amount of times or a certain way or in certain areas/sections. I found when I did post exchanges before I would put a lot of time and effort into it and I felt like some of the other people I did exchanges with hurried up and posted basic posts (sometimes duplicates from what they've posted on other forums) so I kind of felt like I got cheated. I haven't done a post exchange in a while but I'd definitely be more picky with who I'd do the exchanges with.

Sidebars can be handy and add to the forum if done correctly. However, I have seen on some forums that it becomes too crowded and junky looking. I think it can be great tool if done right though.

Thank you!

I find if it isn't in private it's pretty rude and unprofessional so doing it on the downlow is the best and only option.

Thank you for the warm welcome! I love being a part of this amazing community and team!

Great thread once again [mention=1]Cedric[/mention]! Letting a staff member go is never an easy thing to do, however it becomes necessary when their actions or attitude start negatively affecting and impacting the community or the team. I usually consider removal when there's a consistent pattern of issue - whether it's a lack of engagement, breaking the forum rules, or conflicts that just can't be resolved. When it comes to handling the situation, I believe in direct and respectful communication. I prefer a private conversation first, allowing and giving the person to improve and change their behaviours and to also explain their side of the situation. If things don't change, then I move forward with removing their permissions. I usually only make public announcements if their departure impacts the community (like if they were an admin or held a very important role), but I always keep it professional and drama-free. In the past I have had to fire and let go of staff and my biggest piece of advice would be to document issues as they arise. Having clear reasons for the decision makes it easier to handle if they give me any push back or question my reasoning. It's also very important to act on bad behaviour because if you let it slide you're basically telling your other staff and members that they can do whatever they like without any consequences. You want to keep a professional and fun forum therefore sometimes you have to make difficult decisions so your forum can flourish and other staff members along with members will know that they must follow the rules or there will be disciplinary action.

I'm always worried when a staff member never replies and I don't see them on any other forums (if they frequent them) for some reason my mind goes straight away to the worst possible reason such as death. I have been a part of communities where active members and staff just disappear and unfortunately it is because they have passed away. It's always sad to lose members and sometimes there isn't anyone who knows them in real life so they can't exactly let the staff know that they have since passed. I'm really hoping that's not what happened in your case but nevertheless, you did what was right for the forum so good on you =)

Thank you for that! I will definitely take a look into it. Thanks again for sharing

Handling lazy staff on a forum can be tricky and difficult to do at times but I think it starts with understanding why they are inactive as you, [mention=1]Cedric[/mention] mentioned. Is it because they are overwhelmed, unmotivated, or just not a good fit for the role? What I have done in the past when I've came across lazy staff members is I've check in with them privately to see if maybe life got busy but usually a conversation can clarify what's going on as Cedric mentioned above. I've also set clear expectations, so they were aware of what I was asking of them. I would give them specific tasks so we can monitor whether or not they were being done. I would also reevaluate their role to see if it would be better to adjust their responsibilities. Sometimes it can be tricky to deal with this because you don't want to be accusatory or put the staff down, instead you want to make sure they are okay and that they have all the tools necessary to do what is expected of them. If after all of the attempts to help them fail, then that is when I would demote them and explain that currently we don't believe it is a good fit for the forum and if in the future anything changes we will reach out and let them know.

Hello lovely forum admins, conflict is bound to happen in any community and how you handle it can make ALL the difference. So, I'm curious, how do you handle/manage situations where staff members and a member clash? Do you have a process in place for resolving disputes fairly? How do you balance supporting your team while also ensuring users still feel heard? I'd really love to hear any strategies or real-life experiences you've had in handling these types of situations.

Hello everyone! I've been thinking a lot about what it takes to build a strong, active and engaged community. I know relationships are the heart of it, but I am curious - how do you personally build and maintain those relationships? In my opinion there is a lot a forum owner can do to build a strong relationship with their members. Some things forum owners can do can be to engage regularly and be present. Whether it'd be responding to comments and questions promptly, participating in discussions or showing appreciation for contribution it will definitely help build a rapport with your members if you engage regularly and continue to be present. Another way a forum owner can build a strong relationship with their members is by personalization and recognition by using the members names when replying to them, acknowledging milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries, achievements etc. and even offer tailored content or recommendations based on their interests. More so, a forum owner can create meaningful conversations by asking open-ended questions to spark deeper conversations and discussions. Encouraging their members to share their stories and experiences and hosting polls and surveys to involve them in decision-making. Making them feel like what they have to say matters. As a forum owner you can also host exclusive events or perks such as live Q&A's, webinars and/or casual meetups. Offer exclusive discounts, contents, or early access to something special on the forum. Forum owners can do gamification and incentives to encourage members to post/take part on the forum. Whether it'd be through leaderboards, badges, rewards, challenges or themed engagement activities or through referral programs to encourage new members to join. The last idea I have to build a strong relationship with members is by listening and adapting. You want to gather feedback and actually implement changes when possible. Staying open to new ideas and new ways to improve engagement and by showing that you value their input by acting on it. That being said, for those who run forums what strategies have worked best for you? Do you find that consistency is key, or is it more about personalization?

I'm glad you're at least starting to feel a bit better after an infection. Infections can be rough and take a while to heal but it seems like you're almost at the end of the tunnel. I'm doing well thanks, been really busy trying to plan workshops and networking events but it will all pay off once the events have started.

Thank you [mention=1]Cedric[/mention] for the promotion! I will not let you down =) I appreciate you being so kind and promoting me. Thank you [mention=545]Matthew[/mention] for the warm welcome :D

Hi [mention=74]Cam[/mention] welcome to Administrata! We are excited to have you join our forum =) I look forward to seeing you around the forum, cheers and welcome!

Welcome [mention=549]Altair[/mention] we are excited to have you join the community! I'm looking forward to seeing you around the forum, cheers and welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forum [mention=542]cherry123[/mention] we are happy to have you here for all of the interaction, entertainment, fun and knowledge we have in this community. I'm excited to see you around the forum, cheers and welcome to our community.

Hi [mention=529]Eclipse[/mention] welcome to Adminsitrata! We are happy you decided to join =) I'm Ashley, or IMO, I'm excited to have you join the forum and look forward to seeing you around forum. Cheers and welcome again!

Hi [mention=545]Matthew[/mention] welcome to this amazing forum administrator's forum! We are happy to have you here, I'm sure you'll fit in just great and I look forward to seeing you around the forum :D Cheers and welcome again!

Great post [mention=5]Cpvr[/mention] I also agree with you that community building is a marathon and not a sprint. If you treat your forum/community like a sprint you'll only get short-term results and people won't be as encouraged to keep coming back. However, if you treat your community like a marathon, you'll be more inclined to update, upgrade and continue working on the forum which will keep the members wanting to come back and see what is to come. Plus, most forums take years before they become active on a regular basis so if you're only thinking of short-term, you're basically dooming your community from the beginning.

I agree that it is all about consistency. Yes, you can build and create a beautiful and welcoming environment however if you do not keep up with the forum, keep it updated and continuously working on it it's going to fail. Now to answer your question, for me, creating initial value is all about making people feel seen and excited to be part of something. I focus on providing genuinely helpful content—whether that’s tips, inspiration, or behind-the-scenes looks that make them feel like they’re part of the journey. I also love sparking conversations by asking engaging questions and responding thoughtfully, so people feel like they’re connecting, not just consuming. If people feel like they are just consuming, they won't be as encouraged or motivated to reply or even start their own threads. They will also only log on to find the information they are looking for and then log back off without adding to the discussion. Keeping them engaged long-term is about consistency and making sure there’s always something fresh. I mixed things up with interactive posts, exclusive insights, and collaborations that bring in new energy. Plus, I would make a point to acknowledge and celebrate community members, whether it’s through shoutouts or responding to comments—people love knowing they matter! If they feel like they matter they will keep coming back and it will also encourage them to be a part of the community by posting threads and replying to posts.

I think that's pretty accurate especially when I had my own forum. Not everyone will post and not everyone will be active but there is a portion of the members that are active and will keep the forum alive sort of speak. I'm sure on some forums the numbers are a little different but for the most part I think it's pretty accurate.

That's what I thought too! But it makes sense that it would also lead others to other forums too so if you want people to come to your forum directly it would be best to just post it on your forum so they have to go to your forum to get the answer they are looking for. I'm glad Cedric posted this because I had the wrong idea all along.