Managing a Forum - Advice

For those forum admins here on DP, have you ever run into trouble with conflicting forum members and the like. This is always bound to happen when you have some VERY opinionated members on your boards. Sometimes though, it just gets too out of hand and begins to give a bad reflection on your board. How do you manage issues like these. Do you take a neutral stance, voice your opinion publically/privately with members... interested to hear everyones response

 

With good forum rules things will regulate itself. When they break a rule, you ban them.

When they just annoy people they tend to leave the forum after a while. Idiots normally do their best to make themselves look like idiots so with things like the rep system taking away their links etc. they normally piss off quite quickly.

I'd keep stuff privately as a mod. You could do something like a yellow card system. 2 official warning and they're out. That gives them a chance to correct.

But in the end, the forum owner is the boss so you can basically get rid of who ever you like. But take a look at WMW attitude vs DP/outside sources and you can get annoyed members real fast if you moderate heavily.

Let nature do its job

 

Hmm I think thats my problem (it aint really that much of a problem) I havent really set any forum guidelines. I prefer to make using the forums as less complex as possible.

Banning members is not always an option though IMO... if your in a tight knit community banning a member can iscalate things.

 

Dcristo, always look at the bigger picture. observe the vibe within your forum and around your members. Do people feel comfortable to chat and share things that they normally wouldn't with strangers? Then you are on the right track. people can disturb only so much and no matter what you do, there will always be someone doing it.

best thing you can do is keep a lid on it overall. Banning should only be done if you truly believe the members is harming the community and rather getting worse than better.

I don't believe in rules but exercising common sense

 

You can also view any thread where both Sitetutor and Minstrel have posted (use the advanced search)

That will tell you how things get worked out naturally

 

One more thing: a temporary ban can give some people a wake-up call. 24 hours or a week can change their attitudes. Some will turn around, others won't even come back. it all depends on their intentions, but whichever way, you will protect your forum from too much damage

 

Temporary bans are silly IMO. What are we? Grounding a child? If I take the step of banning someone, their GONE - end of story. I've had to do it only twice. I dont rush to ban someone.

Generally, I like to talk to people privately and ask them to behave more appropriately. I do this on a personal level, not with a boilerplate and impersonal email. Banning someone should be a last resort.

 

It's a percentage game you are playing. I have seen hardcore spammers getting temporarily banned and come back playing by the rules and contributing to the forum.
In most cases of course that is not so. Those who have once given you the reason to ban them, come back doing the same thing again and giving you even more reason to get rid of them.

Remember: their attitude in the forums and your reaction to it will set the pace and serve as an example for what goes and what doesn't. Your job will be much easier when you (as I've stated) look at the bigger picture rather than micro-manage.

 

Thanks for everyones thoughts, in particular sitetutors, very insightful.

I think in my circumstance its more of a problem than the usual forum politics due to the industry politics that goes on aswell. I try and keep as neutral as possible but sometimes you just want to publically voice your opinion cause some ppl are just w**kers!

 

Do what you will, but never explain it or justify it.

I agree, if you do temp bans or bans at all for behavior, you have a pussy forum. Well some are I guess, but damn, if people have such control over you and you need them as members so bad that they can influence you as to who can talk and what about and when, you are not running your forum, your members are.

If it turns to calling someone's mother a name, close it and move on. Starting more drama to enforce your beliefs escalates things.

If you ban, ban a spammer and remove their threads, but banning people that talk is silly. If that's how you want your forum, no opposing opinions, close it and make those that desire that protection pay.

NEVER EXPLAIN YOURSELF AFTER AN ACTION, JUST DO IT!

 

Gee - thanks for the red rep - whichever loser gave it to me - have some balls and sign your name next time

 

Red rep ya for what

 

I think someone just tested my position on this. They lost.

 

You're always going to have issues with members at some point - IMO, best to have some kind of basic guidelines to adhere to, and if things start drifting too far from them, nip the issue in the bud.

A quiet word can often be enough, but remember, if you're the Admin you have to have the final say, and that say has to be your own.

One of the hardest parts of being board staff - admin or moderator - is knowing when to act. Newer mods can be tempted to act too fast, but conversely, some mods act too slow and allow situations underneath them to go too far without action.

Every forum has it's own sense of community, though, and you have to work with that - I built and admin 4 forums and each is very different, not simply in topic, but also in the type of person who is attracted to post regularly.

Generally, "firm but fair" seems to win out well.

Anyway, best of luck resolving the situation.

 

I, Brian gives great advice.

Too many boards are over moderated and it kills the forum. If you feel it's getting to far out of hand try and PM both parties to get them to tone it down a bit. Remember forums are there for people to share their opinions.

 

... and moderating a forum that no one wants to go to is of course the easiest. The key is to make it pleasant yet controlled.

 

Someone just said "Bad Advice" and gave me red rep - ROFL - some people have no life or balls

 

ABSOLUTELY!

If you pull back on the reigns too hard, the horse will buck.

 

There are two forums that bug the heck out of me cause the mods moderate way too much. I don't even care to post......... they won't even let you speak your mind.

Shawn's style here is great........ take note of it. He let's people speak their minds if you haven't noticed yet.