Being a Good Site Admin?

[MasterZuFu]

Well, it's become blatantly obvious to me that I'm not the best in the world at being a forum administrator/system administrator. So, I would like to ask those who probably know best.

I know I need to understand MyBB software better. So, I bought the following books and I'll be going over them in this extended vacation I'm about to take:

PHP and MySQL Web Developement
Beginning PHP and MySQL: From Novice to Professional
PHP for the Web: Visual Quickstart Guide


Next, I know I need to understand apache better, so I got this book:

Hardening Apache

Next, I know I need to know how my server is going to be attacked and the methods it's going to be attacked, so, I might as well get the cert and followup on it:

Certified Ethical Hacker: Study Guide

Finally, I need to know my server even better, specifically THIS particular server. So I got:

Hardening Linux
Linux Server Security


I figure that's what I need to be a good sys admin, but, what about just being a good forum administrator? Please, serious comments only.

-ZuFu

[MasterZuFu]

Anyone?

[Amp™]

It seems like you'll be a dedicated, high quality Admin. Anyone that goes out and reads all those books just to become the best Admin they can be will definitely succeed. As for being a good forum Admin, always do what's best for the forum. You don't want to be too nice and get taken advantage of. But you also don't want to be a jerk and loose members because of that. I'm confident you'll make the right desicions just by your dedication to your site.

[AceInfinity]

If the link in your post is the forum your referring to for advice, you can't have it linked here on SF.

Otherwise, best advice I can give you is to "consider" everyone's suggestions. Encourage improvement through suggestions and other ideas. Create initiative for others promoting your forum in some way, not money. You can give awards for certain number of quality posts, link referrals, advertising on youtube videos, etc.

Encouragement
Recognition
Respect
Support

Create those on any forum in a sane way, and as long as you have rules and guidelines that are strictly enforced equally for all users, that's a road to success. As long as you have dedication, and you're active yourself. Motivation for users comes from the admin. Think of it like a pyramid.

[Confusedhatter]

The fact that you're learning about this stuff is important enough. Look up things related to SEO and building a quality website.

-CFH

[Link]

Keep learning information. But go out and dabble with modifications AND your own code to see HOW you can make what you have better. Help your members, post with them and have a good time. That is what makes you a good admin.

[Don Corleone]

Just sure you know your way around the AdminCP really good. Just because you know stuff about PHP and MYSQL doesn't been you will be a good admin.

[AceInfinity]

Just sure you know your way around the AdminCP really good. Just because you know stuff about PHP and MYSQL doesn't been you will be a good admin.

Just because you know how to maintain a website doesn't make you a good admin either. Personal qualities are included as well. No one likes an admin with a bad personality or traits.

[Grizzly]

Honestly, at least to me, the best Admin is one that is constantly striving to make their community better. This means they will make decisions that a lot of people won't like, but will improve something in the community. Remember, it's your vision. You know where, how, and why you want your forums to go a certain direction. However, remember, that does need to change slightly based on the community, but make sure it's what you want. The worst thing an admin can do is not enjoy administrating the forum.

Set up a test MyBB installation. Make it exactly equal to your live board. Test everything thoroughly before implementing it. Use this to learn.

Also, you don't need to worry about server security. If your forum is small, then you only need to be on a shared host. Most forums function just fine on a shared host. As it gets bigger get a manged VPS. I can't tell you how many times I screwed up my server one way or the other, but it was managed so all I did was submit a ticket and in 20 minutes a backup was restored. Which brings me to my next point.....TAKE AT LEAST WEEKLY (PREFERABLY DAILY) BACKUPS!!!!!