Being a Beginner Week
Shakespeare once wrote: "some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon'em." The same goes with being an admin of a group, I find. Some people planned out to create a group and worked out every detail on how to run it like a well-oiled machine while others ended up curating for a group through one set of circumstances or another. One thing for sure, however, is that everybody goes through the beginning stages of "Oh, my! I'm an admin now! Now what do I do?!"
"Ahhhhh! Everybody panic!"
I will be honest with you, I started out in the second category. Through some twists and turns of Fate, I ended up being one of the curators of one of the larger groups on DA (sitting today at over 3800 members) and today, I remain as the only administrator. It was a situation that evolved outside of my control, so you might say I was thrown into the arena without a weapon. How does one guy take care of so large a group? What does it take to make it? And how to keep such a large group moving and shaking?
It wasn't easy, I'll say that first. It takes a lot of trial and error.
So, to prevent you from running into the kind of walls I ran into, I'd like to share some of what I've found out.
1. The Mission Statement
The sky is the limit...
First things first, I never really had to build a group from scratch. This means I have inherited the groups I curate from the founders who, for one reason or another, simply can't keep going anymore. It also means that sometimes I do not fully agree with the original founder's vision for the group they wanted to run. It is a moral dilemma that took me a while to go through and justify for myself. I've asked myself many times "Should I have taken over this group?" and "What would I have done if I was the one running the show?" These weren't easy questions to answer but I eventually answered them for myself. Around the same time, I had to almost completely revamp the interior structure of another group that I curate because it was a bit of a mess after a while. The process was long and painful (almost like pulling teeth, if you ask me) and it took me almost the full duration of a vacation I had from my day job to make it happen. All the while I thought to myself: "If I was building a group, I wouldn't have done that! I would have planned ahead earlier!"
After digesting these two painful lessons, I have come up with a few things for the new admin to consider:
Now that you are in charge of a group, it's like running a small company. And for any company to be successful, it needs a direction and a set of core values. I call them the "mission statement" of a group. Even if you are running a group based on a certain fandom, it's still nice to have a direction a set of generalized rules (for example: Would you accept OC characters? Shippings? Fan fiction as well as fan art?) If you are promoting a specific kind of art medium or style, it's also a nice thing to define it for anybody who is thinking of joining you as well. The "mission statement" is the skeleton the group is build upon.
Similarly, when it comes to the nitty-gritty, it's useful and helpful to come up with a set of rules and stick to them. How often can people submit their work? Are their artwork pieces admitted automatically or do they have to be approved? Can anybody join or do you want to screen your applicants? You see what I mean... there are a lot of decisions to be made to make sure the group can run smoothly. I would recommend any new admins to look up the rules and regulations of similar groups (or one that is running smoothly) in order to get some ideas on how the other group is organized. Besides, it really is a series of trials and errors. Don't feel bad that you might have to change these rules as you go along. It's part of the learning process.
After digesting these two painful lessons, I have come up with a few things for the new admin to consider:
Now that you are in charge of a group, it's like running a small company. And for any company to be successful, it needs a direction and a set of core values. I call them the "mission statement" of a group. Even if you are running a group based on a certain fandom, it's still nice to have a direction a set of generalized rules (for example: Would you accept OC characters? Shippings? Fan fiction as well as fan art?) If you are promoting a specific kind of art medium or style, it's also a nice thing to define it for anybody who is thinking of joining you as well. The "mission statement" is the skeleton the group is build upon.
Similarly, when it comes to the nitty-gritty, it's useful and helpful to come up with a set of rules and stick to them. How often can people submit their work? Are their artwork pieces admitted automatically or do they have to be approved? Can anybody join or do you want to screen your applicants? You see what I mean... there are a lot of decisions to be made to make sure the group can run smoothly. I would recommend any new admins to look up the rules and regulations of similar groups (or one that is running smoothly) in order to get some ideas on how the other group is organized. Besides, it really is a series of trials and errors. Don't feel bad that you might have to change these rules as you go along. It's part of the learning process.
2. The "Visible" vs "Invisible" Approach
"No guts... no glory..."
When I was invited to become an admin of one of the groups, the founder just wanted to have me around to proof-read his work (because English wasn't his first language). I was a glorified secretary and I didn't know what to do with all the new notices that I started to get. It wasn't fun at all and I actually thought of quitting. It wasn't until another admin and I made the decision to run contests together in this group. Our roles changed and both of us started to become more visible. We enjoyed our experiences a lot more, but as a consequence, our work load have also increased exponentially. Overall, it was still a great experience and I don't regret making this transition. But looking back, I wish I knew what I was getting into.
The experience got me thinking. Some group admins are the spokesperson and the face of a group; they are front and centre and maintain a very personal relationship with the group members. Other groups are run like a big Fortune-500 company where the file-and-rank members don't know who the admins really are but do not think the information is necessary. Then there are groups that are everywhere in between. There are pros and cons of both styles of administration and it depends on the personality of the admin themselves as well as the nature of the group. However, how you choose to run the group will also define how much time it would take for you to run the group as well, so it is something you would want to figure out as quickly as possible (and definitely before burning yourself out.)
I curate more than one group at this moment and I have a different style with each group. Some of them need me as more of a "personal" admin - I write journals and announcements and whenever I can, I try to initiate activities and talking points. I also check for new admissions about once every two days, too. This takes up quite a bit of my time, but that is what this kind of groups called for. Another group that I curate do not usually see me as an administrator. I am much more silent there and my coworkers have become a more public figure even if we share the workload almost 50/50. This means, depending on the size and style of the group you wish to run, you may have to make these choices, too. The goal is to make sure you have the best administrating experience without burning yourself out.
The experience got me thinking. Some group admins are the spokesperson and the face of a group; they are front and centre and maintain a very personal relationship with the group members. Other groups are run like a big Fortune-500 company where the file-and-rank members don't know who the admins really are but do not think the information is necessary. Then there are groups that are everywhere in between. There are pros and cons of both styles of administration and it depends on the personality of the admin themselves as well as the nature of the group. However, how you choose to run the group will also define how much time it would take for you to run the group as well, so it is something you would want to figure out as quickly as possible (and definitely before burning yourself out.)
I curate more than one group at this moment and I have a different style with each group. Some of them need me as more of a "personal" admin - I write journals and announcements and whenever I can, I try to initiate activities and talking points. I also check for new admissions about once every two days, too. This takes up quite a bit of my time, but that is what this kind of groups called for. Another group that I curate do not usually see me as an administrator. I am much more silent there and my coworkers have become a more public figure even if we share the workload almost 50/50. This means, depending on the size and style of the group you wish to run, you may have to make these choices, too. The goal is to make sure you have the best administrating experience without burning yourself out.
3. Rally The Troops
Come one, come all!
One of the most important thing about being a leader is to, well, lead. You need some folks who are willing to work with you and you need to earn their trust as their leader. This is easier said than done, of course. This part actually didn't come from me personally. It's the experience of two other founders from two other groups that that I know and am friends with. Both of them were first-time admins and they had wonderful ideas for a group. But both of them have difficulties keeping their perspective groups going. The top-down communication was lacking so the members don't know the best way to participate. The admins also had a very specific vision for their group but they did not make any contingency plans for members who decide to take the material in a slightly different direction. And finally, they were unavailable for answers when the members have questions. Ultimately, they couldn't keep their great ideas going and their groups suffered. They shared these similar problems and I have a feeling that if I didn't inherit my groups (and I had to build one from scratch) I might have run into the same problem, too. Since we are talking about being a brand-new admin, I am going to borrow their experiences here.
Most people have heard the adage "there's no 'I' in 'team'" and it's almost true. There are slight differences between the leader and those who work with them. Contrary to popular belief, developing leadership skills may sometimes mean learning as a follower. Most people do not swim very well when thrown into the pool without prior training. Learning to work with others becomes the fundamental step in working in a team environment and figuring out what makes each other tick. The person who knows the most about their fellow teammates usually end up being the leader. In the context of a DA group, it's about finding and working with a core group of "original members" to build up your group. If each OM share in the same vision as you do about what they want this group to be, you've got yourself a team. And by working with the team members, you can win their trust as their leader. The more enthusiastic your team members are, the stronger the team will grow. And the more lively and viable your group will become.
Most people have heard the adage "there's no 'I' in 'team'" and it's almost true. There are slight differences between the leader and those who work with them. Contrary to popular belief, developing leadership skills may sometimes mean learning as a follower. Most people do not swim very well when thrown into the pool without prior training. Learning to work with others becomes the fundamental step in working in a team environment and figuring out what makes each other tick. The person who knows the most about their fellow teammates usually end up being the leader. In the context of a DA group, it's about finding and working with a core group of "original members" to build up your group. If each OM share in the same vision as you do about what they want this group to be, you've got yourself a team. And by working with the team members, you can win their trust as their leader. The more enthusiastic your team members are, the stronger the team will grow. And the more lively and viable your group will become.
4. "Engage!"
T-minus 10 seconds and counting...
I have a confession to make here. One of the groups I have inherited is not doing very well. In fact, it's been silent for years. It doesn't mean it's completely dead (because I am still admin), but we have not seen or heard from members for nearly 4 years. The founder went silent for a long while before coming back and handing the baton to me. But at that time I was too busy with everything else that neither one of us made an announcement of the admin change, so most of the members still think the group is on hiatus. And now... I don't have a lot of time or energy to make these announcements and revitalize this group again. To this day, I still think I could have done better to run this group. I still hope that one day it will be strong and healthy again. It's something that got me thinking, too.
It's a real process to really launch your group (or make the announcement that the management has changed, depending on your circumstances.) In order to make things run a little smoother, you might want to get everybody on board to advertise for your group a little bit. You may also want to contact other, similar groups to see if they can help you advertise or affiliate with you. It's time to sell yourself and your group to the wider public. There are multiple ways to do this but the most important thing is to do it nicely. "I'll get you exposure!" is not a nice thing to say to professional artists, for example - sure, exposure is a good thing, but it's not what these artists need. A mutually-beneficial relationship will make everybody happy at the end of the day. It does take some negotiation and understanding to find out what is the best arrangement, however. And once you actually started somewhere, it's always good to run events to keep your members together and interested, too.
It's a real process to really launch your group (or make the announcement that the management has changed, depending on your circumstances.) In order to make things run a little smoother, you might want to get everybody on board to advertise for your group a little bit. You may also want to contact other, similar groups to see if they can help you advertise or affiliate with you. It's time to sell yourself and your group to the wider public. There are multiple ways to do this but the most important thing is to do it nicely. "I'll get you exposure!" is not a nice thing to say to professional artists, for example - sure, exposure is a good thing, but it's not what these artists need. A mutually-beneficial relationship will make everybody happy at the end of the day. It does take some negotiation and understanding to find out what is the best arrangement, however. And once you actually started somewhere, it's always good to run events to keep your members together and interested, too.
5. Delegate! Delegate! Delegate!
"I need some extra hands in here!!!
There are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week. As much as I would love to run on a 36/8 schedule, it's just not realistic. I have a day job that is demanding (with work to take home, too) and I divide my "home time" with being a community volunteer on DA and curating 4 groups. On some days I am so tired that I can barely stand to look at the computer. It's like having two full-time jobs and then some. So burning out is something that's always hanging over my head. It's something that I'd love to change in the future, too. But at this moment, I am still searching for the right person to take care of these groups with me.
When it comes to curating a group, it's a good idea to start thinking about how you can get people to take on different aspects of running the group so you don't have to do everything all the time. Finding the right person for the right job and finding a team of people who can work together are both skills that define a good leader. These are also great skills to have so no one gets over-worked and burn out. So the final piece of advice that I can give to anyone who hopes to become an admin in the future (or is a newbie-admin like I still am) is to keep and eye out on the talents you have around you so you can get these people on your team and you can delegate your power to them. As groups get bigger, this step becomes necessary. After all, we want everybody to have a good time, right?
Like what I said, I am still learning this whole "admin" business. I hope you find my hard-won lessons helpful to you. And if you have any of your personal pearls to share with us, I'd be very appreciative! For the professional admins who can curate 5, 6 different groups at a time, I'd be really interested in hearing how you got there and how you keep yourself happy (and sane) at the same time. I am sure there's a lot we can learn from each other!
In the meantime... happy admin-ing!!!
Yay for admins!!!
When it comes to curating a group, it's a good idea to start thinking about how you can get people to take on different aspects of running the group so you don't have to do everything all the time. Finding the right person for the right job and finding a team of people who can work together are both skills that define a good leader. These are also great skills to have so no one gets over-worked and burn out. So the final piece of advice that I can give to anyone who hopes to become an admin in the future (or is a newbie-admin like I still am) is to keep and eye out on the talents you have around you so you can get these people on your team and you can delegate your power to them. As groups get bigger, this step becomes necessary. After all, we want everybody to have a good time, right?
Like what I said, I am still learning this whole "admin" business. I hope you find my hard-won lessons helpful to you. And if you have any of your personal pearls to share with us, I'd be very appreciative! For the professional admins who can curate 5, 6 different groups at a time, I'd be really interested in hearing how you got there and how you keep yourself happy (and sane) at the same time. I am sure there's a lot we can learn from each other!
In the meantime... happy admin-ing!!!
Yay for admins!!!
