dealing with groups

as an admin, how would you deal with these problems, which i have seen on various other forums that i have been on

in the debate section, most threads are used by about five members, who are highly intelligent, posting long, scientific replies, with plenty of big words and strong opinions. especially threads about religion or the paranormal, these members dont believe and think everyone who does is stupid (which makes a lot of members who do believe, not want to participate cause they feel they would be laughed at for their beliefs). it also gets very heated, either when two members strongly disagree with eachother, or when other members jump in trying to start a flame war

on the forum, there are a group of older members. there is about 10 of them, who post loads on the forum, but do cause trouble and bring a lot of drama. they have a thread of their own, for their friends to chat on, but often bring their chats onto other threads on the forum, which then get turned off topic. they do things that dont exactly break the rules, and cause a lot of drama. some members have reported them making sly digs about them on threads, nothing that definetly comes across as a personal attack, but theres definetly something there, whether accidental or not, and newer members often feel unwelcome cause the older members dont talk to them much.

 

Personally I'd send each of them a blanket PM letting them know that their behaviors isn't acceptable and not for the good of the community. Let them know that you respect the fact they're active and have been around a while, but, that they're still subject to the rules. Ask yourself this question. What's more important? Getting new members and having them post quality content or keeping the same small group of people that are chasing all the new signups away?


Me personally, I'd send them that blanket PM, maybe amend the rules a little so that their conduct falls in, give them notice about it, and start enforcing the rules. One rule that should always be on a forum that has these types of heated discussions is "Doing any conduct which causes members to feel unwelcome is prohibited" that way you can start getting these types of people to straighten up and fly right, or to move along to another place and let them deal with it.

People shouldn't be intimidated and made to feel unwelcomed on a board, especially new members. I hate seeing a small group of older members doing things like this.

 

Sorry, I do not understand your question.

 

The little groups of members that work in a little clique, and end up making people feel unwelcomed. Generally they are members that have been around quite some time (a lot of times the longest) and feel they are entitled to do what they want.

 

I certainly do not have clear/cut advice here, but maybe some thoughts to keep in mind.

Debate on topics such as religion and politics, etc. will always be done in the manner that they are. I don't mean they will always go flaming or in a ruckus. I'm an optimist. However, it would be silly to not expect such behavior on such topics. For this particular issue, you have to ask yourself in the first place, imo as admin, do you allow such topics that would actually contribute to the community? This is to be considered regardless of new and old members.

No, I don't have an answer for you b/c its something all admins must consider.

As for the particular snarky comments and digs here and there, to me, a good mod that follows such things should call it on its own instance. A good mod should be able to nail the things that are NOT worthy in a thread. I don't believe any eggshell walking should be done solely for new or old members. You can't play for just one group then change for the other. That would be inconsistent. You have rules for the limit, does not mean someone actually has to break/cross it in order to receive some notice. But I must stress that moderator acts need to be done a per case basis, unless you have proof of stringing a series together.

Good luck

 

I don't really get what it really meant. Can you explain further?

 

"Say what you mean, but don't say it mean." Forum Golden Rule

Clear and basic behavior rules. Enforce them consistently and fairly. Boot any and all members who are confrontational & argumentative about the rules and toward the mods. Have a graduated set of actions to get the attention of recalcitrant members, and apply them. Warning - infraction - 2 week suspension - banning. If a member is suspended they don't get back on the forum without a written statement that they will respect the rules and the mods. Along with a warning that the next infraction is banning. The written statement may sound schoolteacher-ish, but there is a psychological impact to writing that statement that is needed from someone who's behavior has gotten them suspended.

You may end up with some banning, but in time you'll get two good members who either return to active posting or join as newbs for every bad member you get rid of. Nice members will post where they'd been holding back because they didn't want to deal with the nonsense.

Admin/owner/higher management must back up and support the mods - and let the mods know how appreciated they are. Mods not doing the job must be eased out of mod positions. Honor the ex'es with lifetime membership and some little gift.

Rule #1: Members must be respectful toward mods and follow mod direction, regardless of their opinion of both. Repeated defiance or ignoring of mods = banned. If you don't back your mods, they can't moderate the forum. And they won't be able to even try.

- opinions on the topic are ok, but not personal remarks denigrating other opinions or members
- members must tolerate other member's opinions, no matter what they think of them
- no baiting = posting solely for the purpose of provoking other member's into responding unpleasantly
- no name-calling
- no tracking a member from one thread to another to confront them with something from another thread
- no raising an issue from one thread in another thread on an unrelated topic - keep debates in the thread they belong to
- no using the pm/vm's to harrass another member - but teach harrassed members to self-help with 'ignore' and 'delete'
- whatever your rules are for language and images, enforce them - some members can't/won't log on otherwise because of over-shoulder children/employers/whoever, not to mention their own preferences

Once members have enjoyed the freedom to bash at will, it is much harder to roll back their latitude to do so. But either that happens, or you learn to live with the status quo. It's a painful recovery process but good forum health is a lovely thing to enjoy. And it lasts much longer if you continue to enforce the rules and get rid of members who can't follow them.

The bad actors can block your forum growth - if you allow them to go on and on. Tolerate them and you'll end up with more and more like them, and the more reasonable members will leave in disgust. Whose forum is it, anyway? Are you paying server fees, maintaining software and worrying over moderating for the bad actors? Or the other interesting members who don't care for the nonsense?

 

Also ... you need to decide who management/mods will defend. No bashing members ... but perhaps off-forum personalities are ok. Maybe you're not moderating remarks about celebrities & politicians, or wherever you want to draw the line.

On my forum in the interests of good relations with the entire small, intensely focused hobby we don't permit bashing of any hobbyists, forum member or not. Or their families (yeah we had to clarify that.) But outside the hobby is fair game.

And ... if you have to defend forum members, they probably will not be the forum saints and favorites. They will be members who other members don't like for good reason, and probably management won't like them either. The consistency of the mod team in defending everyone the same will show the quality of your management.