Post by Isabella O'Malley on Mar 24, 2011 20:10:51 GMT -5
How To Make An Admin Smile
It's fantastic to see this site taking off, and lots of new members/characters flooding in. However, this has obviously made the job of the admins slightly more complicated. The number of admins on the RPG has gone up from three (Hanna, Nanii when she's back from her hiatus, and Ellie) to five (with the addition of Riss and Becca), but there is still quite a lot to do.
We're all friendly people and we have no wish to sound mean or harsh. HOWEVER, in order for everyone to enjoy this site, rules and standards have to be set and kept to, and it's our job to make sure that happens. So to avoid misunderstandings, here is a short guide on the role of an admin and how to communicate with us.
We are here to keep the RPG running smoothly. Among other things, that means creating and instigating the plot; processing applications, sortings and subject applications; updating lists of members and face claims, answering questions and requests, and sorting problems and disputes. As well as that, we all have quite a number of characters and threads to keep up to date. This is a lot of work to do, especially considering that, amazing though it may seem, we all have offline lives too.
Sometimes we may sound snappy. This is because we are human, and sometimes we have bad days. If we come online at the end of a bad day, prepared to have some fun RP-ing, only to find a billion requests and problems to deal with, it is stressful. Don't take it personally - give us a 'thank you' for something we sort for you, and you'll probably improve our mood immensely.
Some tips on how to keep your admins happy:
01) Don't shout at us. Obviously, it's metaphorical shouting because we are online, but that means do not jump on us the moment we get online, do not send multiple messages about the same thing unless you've been waiting so long for an answer that it's obvious we must have forgotten, and don't talk to us in capital letters. (The exception to this is if you are joking, and if you are, please say so, because otherwise it's impossible to tell.)
02) Be patient. You may have been waiting all day for something, but when we come online, chances are that we have a long list of jobs to do. Yours will not automatically be jumped to the head of the queue. And if you have an application or sorting waiting, we'll probably notice of our own accord and come to it in its turn; just give us a bit of time. If you have sent us a PM, we will notice and respond. Just not necessarily immediately.
03) Bear in mind time zones. Do not sit there shouting for an admin because it happens to be your free time, when all the admins are clearly either asleep or at work. On the same point, do not reproach admins for not being online three hours ago when you wanted them. We are not your genies in a lamp. Neither are we telepathic.
04) Be polite. This relates to the first point. Don't shout and demand. We are here to help, but ask us, don't tell us. In other words, a please and a thank you go a long way. As does a sorry if you have made a mistake. We all make mistakes, and if you acknowledge it and apologise, the problem will generally be over and everyone will be happy and friendly again.
05) Following on from that, we also sometimes make mistakes and/or forget things, because, as stated above, we are busy human beings. If we have, please point it out politely and take it in good humour. We apologise for any mistakes, and if they are pointed out to us, we will put them right. Don't overreact or take it as a personal offence.
06) If we ask you to do something, just do it, and if we ask you not to do something, then don't. We aren't dictators, but it's our responsibility to see that rules are kept. If you don't understand a request, then tell us nicely that you don't understand, and we'll try and make it clearer.
07) Don't try and do our jobs for us. You may have the best intentions and only be trying to help, but it's actually easier for us if you don't do things like point out mistakes in applications before they are accepted. If you think there is an issue we haven't noticed, please draw it to the attention of one of us in a PM.
Please take all these points as guidelines, not laws punishable by death for breaking. Use your common sense. We're not ogres and we can take a joke. In fact, we generally consider you all friends, and we don't expect you to bow and scrape to us (much
). All we ask is a bit of consideration and understanding of the job we're doing. And some general good manners.Ideas from all admins.
Put together by Becca.
Subject to change at any given point without warning.
