I just recently purchased a book that should interest most (if not all) Forum Owners. The Book is “Managing Online Forums” by Patrick O’Keefe. Patrick is well versed in forums as he owns/manages more than I can probably count, runs the largest phpBB modification community (phpBBhacks.com) and is the owner of the iFroggy network. Anyways, on to the book…
I’m not a big bookworm to be honest (not at all really) but this book caught my attention as I haven’t seen anything like it yet. I sat down with it at Barnes and Noble to see if I thought it’d be worth the time and money in buying and reading it. I was impressed at the detail that Patrick goes into for just about everything you need to know to own and manage a forum.
The book details many of the tough topics such as moderation, problem users, guidelines, and much more. Patrick gives many of his real-life examples and tips he’s gained through almost a decade of forum management. You’re most likely not going to agree with Patrick on all of his issues, but he explains his reasoning and tactics so that you can at least see and decide what will work for your and your community.
I’m about 3/4 of the way through the book as of right now and enjoy the read so far. I definitely suggest any Administrator gets this, or at least gives it a try. It’s got something for just about any level administrator-whether you’re still brainstorming a community you’d like to grow, or already have a booming forum.
I’ll update this as I finish the book.