So You Want To Run a Forum?
1 Comment July 11, 2008 / Posted in Web Stuff, forumsHaving a forum and community on your website can be a rewarding experience. It builds up loyalty and provides you with something that can build your website and brand. It also can be a right pain in the butt and few siteowners realise this when they start setting up forums. They require strong management, constant monitoring and a watchful eye.
Problem users are the biggest hassle!
Spammers and seedy marketeers are easy to deal with. They come along, dump their spammy posts and usually vanish forever, however problem users tend to just hang around.
There are ways and means of dealing with them and sometimes they’ll take on board a slap on the wrists or a temporary ban.
However, kicking them out and removing their access to your site is often the final solution. Although, that leaves them free to then go and complain about you on other sites:
As ever it’s not the posters fault they were banned! It’s the “arrogant siteowners” who “don’t deserve to run a website”! Fortunately most people will see through this is (sadly some won’t).
However, it can be incredibly annoying seeing ex-users of your site (try to) tarnish your brand (or even you personally) whilst forgetting the culpability of their demise from using your service is entirely on their shoulders.
Running a forum isn’t an easy option!
Yes, back in the day I helped admin a large gaming website forum. I know just what you mean! There are ceratin types of forum users and its funny to see them say the same old things. The ones who think that they need you more than you need them, the ones that harp on about freedom of speech. I dont see why its so hard to understand that all webmasters want is a forum where people get along and treat each other with respect even when points of view differ. Its not that difficult!!
It’s sad that it should be like this! But any Dale Carnegie fan knows that people need to feel important and this is what often drives them. If they feel like they arent getting their say then it really pains them. And if you cut off their voice they have to go elsewhere.
As if webmasters have time to bare grudges against individual forum goers! And besides, we want as many visitors as possible, its not in out interest to ban!