[sally]

Not trying to teach anyone to suck eggs, just thinking out loud really.

I stopped posting on the 'other' forum because of the personal insults that started getting thrown around, I can cope with differences of opinion but when they become personal I don't want to know. I also know from emails between a couple of other members that is what drove them away as well.

I have a forum on my new dating site and it was just starting to get lively and fun when a couple who are seeing each other had a tiff in the forum a few days ago. For the last 3 days the forum has been dead in the water with people sneaking in infrequently, making a quick post and sneaking out - as I used to do with the other forum after the fighting got too bad.

I think the lesson is that people could just ignore those threads but in reality they don't, one bad thread can ruin the atmosphere of the whole forum.

The difficulty is you cannot be there 24/7 to moderate or stop these things but the damage in-fighting can do is immense.

I don't have any answers yet as I am very new to all this but was wondering if anyone else has run a forum and has any tips for controling this damaging behaviour, without becoming Hitler or spending 24/7 watching every post?

[Alvin]

Yes very good points Sally ,I would think a major problem for any forum.

I don't know the answer apart from having pretty strict rules about personal insults.

like a warning then a ban.?

There are bound to be idiots who come on the forum just to make trouble,

I can only think to put in place a list of rules,and be firm in implementing them.

also not always easy to spot the difference between micky taking and insults.

just my ramblings.

Alvin

[Fuzzy]

Having good Mod's are essential

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Having good Mod's are essential

Having Psychologically tested mods is more important.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by Alvin

Having Psychologically tested mods is more important.

Fuzzy not a Mod, you cheeky nowt

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Fuzzy not a Mod, you cheeky nowt

whats an admin do then,besides eat mars bars all day.?

[RayB]

Originally Posted by Alvin

Having Psychologically tested mods is more important.

I'll get my coat

The biggest problem is having concise but simple to follow rules, which I shall be working on this week - coupled with fair and consistent moderation.

But I suppose it's a fact of life that all Forums will have these thing crop up from time to time, and I suppose it gets harder to manage as a Forum grows.

Another thing that helps is the "personality" of a Forum, and this one will be laid back and fun, which will hopefully attract like minded members - early indications are that this will work here

[sally]

Hmmm it was one of the mods on my forum that had the tiff what amazed me is nothing insulting was said but it just ruined the atmosphere and shall just have to wait it out and hope people come back in.

As for rules, one thing I learnt very quickly is nobody reads them!!

[frockery]

Originally Posted by RayB

The biggest problem is having concise but simple to follow rules, which I shall be working on this week - coupled with fair and consistent moderation.

But I suppose it's a fact of life that all Forums will have these thing crop up from time to time, and I suppose it gets harder to manage as a Forum grows.

The need for some sort of framework of 'rules', however loose, always comes up at some point in any evolving forum. It is important from the outset that there is a shared understanding of the philosphy of the 'group' so that members can decide whether or not it is the right place for them.

It is also worth bearing in mind the pitfalls for forum owners who are ultimately responsible for material published on their site, which means they need to be prepared to deal decisively with defamatory and other potentially actionable posts.

Good luck, Ray!

Ali

[RayB]

Originally Posted by frockery

The need for some sort of framework of 'rules', however loose, always comes up at some point in any evolving forum. It is important from the outset that there is a shared understanding of the philosphy of the 'group' so that members can decide whether or not it is the right place for them.

I agree - I will put some in the FAQ section and probably as a stickie post if feedback.

It is also worth bearing in mind the pitfalls for forum owners who are ultimately responsible for material published on their site, which means they need to be prepared to deal decisively with defamatory and other potentially actionable posts.

Good luck, Ray!

Ali

Thanks for that