General Admin Annoyances: Wishing bad things for other people

[Cedric]

We've all had our fair share of encounters with other administrators on online communities. Some admins are fantastic, keeping things running smoothly and having the ability to build out a great friendship. But let's face it, there have been times when we've come across admins who've tested our patience and made us wish for the impossible – who wished said admin's forum would burn from the ground up, if it was possible for an online community to actually burn.

So, here's the juicy question: Have you ever been so annoyed with an admin that you felt tempted to take some action against their site, even if just in your imagination? Or have you managed to keep your cool and find more constructive ways to deal with the frustration?

Here's a few prompts to get the conversation going:

1. Share Your Stories: Have you had any memorable encounters with admins that left you scratching your head?
2. Keeping Your Cool: How do you personally handle frustrating situations with administrators or other members? Do you have any tips?
3. Conflict Resolution: Have you ever been able to resolve differences or conflicts with an admin or other members in a way that led to positive changes within the forum?
4. Admin Best Practices: What qualities and practices make a great admin, in your opinion?

Eager to hear your thoughts.

 

[Reverie]

I remember back in the day where forum layouts were a very important element of making your community different than others. I was frustrated because this user copied our forum layout almost perfectly, like even the descriptions. I screenshotted our layout and then screenshotted theirs to have it for records prior to talking to them. I believe I just asked them if they could change theirs to be a bit more different, like not copying our names exactly because at that time we came up with creative names as well. I think I even offered to help them come up with new ones.

This is one reason I used to love the layout idea forum areas because sometimes people just struggle with that element and it is a key piece to a community.

I think a best practice is to assume the people who do things against you or your community, you must realize you have something they want or need. Sometimes being kind in return to those can be more helpful than being angry with them. Even just ignoring them and continuing on your journey can be a good move. People who struggle for content ideas, layouts, etc... they will likely not survive long if they are having to copy you or your community. Offering help is always a great move though because by doing this perhaps you can form a friendship with this other administrator!

 

[Dismal_Bliss]

There's a Reddit with an Auto-Mod set up that deletes anything you try to post in that subreddit if you have less than 200 karma. It's a topic of interest to me that in an area I specialize in, so it's really annoying. I'd like to meet the person who set up the Auto-mod and whip them a few times, lol.

 

[⭐ Alex ⭐]

I find it strange when Discord servers with 15 members have rules that state pinging or messaging the admin is not allowed.

And then servers with 100,000 members exist where doing so is perfectly allowed.

I'd like to meet the person who set up the Auto-mod and whip them a few times, lol.

Whip em real good, just like that Smith song.

 

[Ravenfreak]

There's a Reddit with an Auto-Mod set up that deletes anything you try to post in that subreddit if you have less than 200 karma. It's a topic of interest to me that in an area I specialize in, so it's really annoying. I'd like to meet the person who set up the Auto-mod and whip them a few times, lol.

Oh man I remember when I first joined Reddit I couldn't post in numerous subreddits because my karma was too low. I hate that rule, and it's one of the reasons why I love forums over Reddit. I thankfully ended up getting over 1,000 karma not too long after joining Reddit since I came across a purple Pepsi bottle and posted on a subreddit where it got a bunch of upvotes.

 

[Empire]

It really sounds like insecurities. And it really makes sense lots of the time too. If someone else fails, it might make you feel more human if you think everyone else is more perfect or better than you. It brings them down a notch in your head which makes your internal standing seem better.

I mean thinking negative things aren’t always intrusive thoughts they’re just thoughts, if something is bad you’re going to think it’s bad. That’s not your fault.

 

[Kennysplash]

One essential quality admins must have is self control. Let’s face it some members can go extreme length just to make a point. In that situation the admin has no need to return the harsh energy. Be calm and composed.