Strategy on Firing an Admin
 

Hi guys,

Background...

I bought a large forum about the beginning of the year. About 50,000 members. The guy who sold it to me had his admin. The deal was nobody would start a competing forum.

I decided to keep the admin because I didn't want the members to feel a drastic change with new ownership.

It turns out the admin started his own forum a few months ago. I didn't fire him on the spot for fear of a mass email to all my members promoting his site (he had a copy of the db from the beginning). Pretty bad options. I am pretty sure the guy is directing potential advertisers to his forum since he has not told me of one such prospect in months. Additionaly the admin has lied to me on several occaisions. I just can not feel comfortable with this guy.

What do do about it...

I want to gently get rid of the guy. What do you guys do in these cases? Just chop him off? Talk to him nicely and wish him good luck on his new site (that we need someone dedicated)?

There are several mods that don't go to the admin's offshoot forum. Two of them are very active on my boards and have techical skills. What do you recommend as a replacement? I can pick one of the two mods and promote them (over another senior mod that's buddy's with the current admin and active on the offshoot). I can pick two mods to be "co-admins". I can bring in somebody new. I can do it myself (I don't have much time though).

I figured I would ask you pros here because there are issues with hurt feelings and loyalty when it comes to promotions on the boards.

Any words of wisdom are appreciated.

Thanks,

Dyna

Dont gently get rid of him. Do it now.

You should have got rid of him months ago, and brought it to the members attention as well as wherever you bought the domain/site leaving feedback and letting them know whats going on.

Post the situation to the members letting them know whats going on, hopefully some will stay, but you'll be better in the long run.

^Agreed.

ditto...

FRDS have great advices !!!

thanks frds & spank...

so post that the old admin is gone and tell them why. ok. you are taking into consideration that by posting publicly the reason for his being fired (disloyalty - working another forum) am i going to risk giving his new site added exposure?

no obvious answer on who to make the new admin (from within, from outside, me)? like i said i am a little concerned about promoting the senior mod because he is buddy of the admin. the next guy down is not but i'd skip the senior guy.

thanks a lot. i appreciate your sharing your experience.

dyna

Since he seems to be an entrepreneur, tell him that he got a new job with me :D

How much do you use to pay him?

this is just one side of the story! I want to see the sites! don't be afraid to give him 'exposure' in reality we all have to work hard out there ;)

I had a similar problem. Of the moderating team I took on, there was one admin and three or four mods who were fairly cliquish, and when I started to make a few changes there were ... repercussions. Known friends of mine were targetted for disciplinary action, for example - just petty shit. Nobody had DB access amongst the group, though.

This went on for months - quite a bit of behind the scenes fighting. A guy at work told me I was looking glum. I explained to him some of the situation and admitted that it was burning a hole in my stomach every time I thought about it. Granted, I wasn't perfect in all I did, and I can think of a mistake or two I made, but my transgressions weren't deliberate.

His reaction was, "So what?" He explained that he used to be in the UK air force as ground crew and he's seen three of his mates blown to pieces in action. Something like that didn't really register with him. He then asked how much I was making from the forum. I pointed out that I was paying for it without any sort of revenue. He gave me a look.

Within twenty-four hours, they were gone by my hand. One had jumped ship previously, but the accounts were altered and the PMs sent, and then the site announcement went up explaining that certain people were no longer admins/moderators. I closed it and didn't allow any discussion of it. Within three months, the members had no memory of them (which means when I eventually give it up they will have no memory of me...).

I slept better than I had done in some time.

Something like that has to be done quickly and cleanly, but most importantly for the right reasons. My only concern for you is whether or not you have the moral high ground. If you have proof of his misdeeds, cut him off now. After that, it becomes a grey area.

Rapscallion

hello iogames:

i can appreciate an entrepreneur. i am one. he's getting paid about half of what a good full time job pays (with college education) in our country of mexico. he probably puts in a couple hours work per day max. i justified not taking action against him because i don't want to eliminate his potential of making money. at the same time we had a deal he wouldn't do that which he broke. not only did he break the deal of not competing he promoted directly to my members.

hello Rapscallion:

nice story. i do think that the popular people on the forums will be replaced naturally thanks to your talking about how people forget. as far as the moral high ground... you tell me... the admin opened the live chat function (without my persmission of course) a couple months ago. i just ran accross the log in the db where he actually states "the new forum is better". his whole reason for opening and closing the chat (what he explains to users at that time) was that it was a test and that they could get that feature on the (his) other forum. BUT i don't know about putting out all kinds of dirty details on a post to explain the move. i'll think about it.

relating to both your guys comments and suggestions i feel that i should have turned him loose earlier when i saw his other forum and right away. i let him go on and then when he didn't have enough users he dipped into our members. so i blame myself partly for some of the dishonesty.

as far as picking a new adming goes... my understanding of all these generous and thoughtful comments is that i got to pick one from wherever that will do the best job. some will be ticked but since it's for the better of the community, in the long run it will help it.

i'm still open to advice. i guess i'm still trying to prepare to pull the trigger on this and be ready for the hornets nest that may follow. i'll keep you guys posted.

thanks again.

dyna,

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