As community owners and administrators, we often have the least opportunity to actually sit back and enjoy our own communities. When we post, it's either to deal with some behind-the-scenes administrative issue, or for some other reason such as welcoming new members, getting postrate up, or the alltime favorite, keeping the site looking active.
How often do you really use your forums (or other online community) like a regular member would? Carefree ...
I believe that if you don't enjoy your community like a regular member, then you are not in the right way to make your forum a success.
I am still looking at that moment. Or I think I will never be able just to enjoy it only.
I have 6 forums now. Not big, they are young and small. but I have a lot of work to do on them. I have to mod the scripts (I am not the "let is as it is" type, so I am always tweaking something), moderate the forums and so on. I try to enjoy this on the run, while doing my admin stuff. I have to confess that I do like to work on them, since this is why I started them, so it's an "active" way of enjoying them :)
I've found that after operating several forums and being in the forum business, it makes posting a little too much like work. Although I do quite enjoy internet related work.
I believe that if you don't enjoy your community like a regular member, then you are not in the right way to make your forum a success.
Well take a site like this one. It is typically the member who asks the questions and the moderator who answers the questions (overly generalized statement). Ho often does a staff member genuinely need help with something and request the help of the members? :)
I do every so often ... but I was just wondering what the concensus was.
I guess as a forum's admin/moderator you reply to other people's questions more often than you ask something.(at least that is what I do :) )
But this doesn't mean that you don't enjoy your forum as regular members do.
Right?
Well, what I mean is you don't always get a chance to use it the same way members do. Sometimes I don't feel like posting and yet I know that I have forum duties to take care of daily. While I still enjoy my community greatly, I don't feel I can enjoy it the way that I make it possible for my members to.
I also try to participate in my forum like any other regular member would..I try to participate often and ask alot of questions..as well as welcome new member's
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