Webmaster tips: don’t drive away your forum members

Posted by Sebastyn in Forums | 9 comments

We all have been told a million times how to behave when you’re on a discussion board. There are some very common practises that webmasters do though, that are driving me crazy, and kill any wish to participate into a discussion. That is why I mainly run my own discussion boards, because I can easily control the administration practises on them – being the only one. Let’s go through a few do’s and don’ts, shall we?

1. Try not to be condescending when you point out that someone has posted in the wrong board.

It happens to the best of us; Sometimes we post in the wrong place. I did that last week, after frequently participating on several boards for the last 10 years or so, never being told I was out of line. I was mortified when a forum mod told me that “this board is not the place for your post”. This happened after I had read through each of the board descriptions and as nothing seemed to fit my post, I posted it on the board that said: “… and everything that doesn’t fit anywhere else”. I thought that would be the safe option, but I was pretty much told off by the admin and I think they updated my status somehow so that a notice “read the guidelines for newbies, this means you” came up! You betcha I din’t feel welcome! I had even thought that I could hang out on the board a bit as I had gained some experience using their product for about 5 years, and could be of some help to some new users… Let’s just say I’m not thinking that anymore.

The way I see it, if people post in the wrong board means that your navigation isn’t clear enough. Secondly, if your forum software doesn’t allow you to just move the topic to a more suitable location without treating the poster like a criminal, you have chosen the wrong software! By just stating that the post is in the wrong place and not moving it you’re forcing the user to break yet another rule: Do a double post. Both of these problems are things that you as the webmaster should work out, and you should rather apologise for the bad organisational functions of your board than treat the posters like they’ve done a poop on your dining table!

2. When you tell people they should not reply to an old (dead) thread AND that they shouldn’t repeat topics, you’re not making much sense.

When people face situations in their lives or using different products that they need support for, the situations can be similar, but they are still often slightly different. You CAN point them to a direction of an earlier topic, but you should do it respectfully (hope this helps, but if not please tell us more) and again, not treat them like they were idiots. No matter how many idiots there are not using the search function (and if your search function isn’t good enough, it’s again not their fault) you should assume for the first few times that this particular poster has done their best to find a solution for their problem prior to posting. If the same user repeatedly asks questions that have already been answered, then you might consider the possibility that you’ve done your job properly as a webmaster.

In my forum rules I have actually stated this: “Try to keep to a topic, and reply to even old topics when it suits, but do NOT reply to a topic by stating that we have already discussed that matter. We all love this topic, and that’s why we’re here, so a little repetition won’t kill anyone. Also, a good laugh is always more important than staying in the topic.” I was especially strong worded about this on a peer-support board, where people were going over their traumas… You need repetition. Each person needs to tell their story, reading that someone has gone through a similar trauma is not nearly as helpful. Often in tech support the situation isn’t exactly that much different. Some users may be so afraid of trying out new things, like your product, that they are nearly going through a trauma while settling in with your product. That’s the last time you want to insult their intelligence.

3. Shut down non-admin-policing

NOTHING is more annoying than a regular member that does the above, and the more frequently they do this, the more annoying it is. Either make them an admin and tell them that when you’re correcting people, be condescending only after they break a rule for the 5th time, or email them and tell them that you don’t need help administrating the forum at this time. If they continue doing this, seriously consider banning them, because this sort of behaviour is very disrupting and can drive people away from the board, no matter how much they like your board. (People won’t say much, because they usually treat this member as an authority, and some will even mistake them for an official administrator to start with. They also think that other members support this behaviour.) But again, if you have a board with someone doing your job for you… You should step up to the plate yourself – or officially appoint someone do that for you.

4. If you make your forum rules excessive or too lenient, you may lose members

Often when I join a forum, I read the forum rules to figure out what kind of a webmaster or administrator is running this board. Your rules are not only about making sure everyone behaves, but they are also a GREAT way to introduce your forum to your new users. The rules that are in place on a forum tells a lot about the culture, and that is why webmasters should not take them lightly. Depending on your the kind of discussion board you’re running, you may want to add a bit of humour or a casual tone into your rules, to make sure it is understood that your forum is a fun and relaxed one, rather than something you’d expect from a boarding school. Your rules also reveal what kind of members you have, or have had, because you’re likely to adjust your rules accordingly – which is a good idea. As a webmaster, you have to find a balance between a “everything goes” atmosphere and “you all do as I say or I’ll ban you on the spot” -attitude.

5. Having favorites amongst forum members is bad

A webmaster or forum administrator should avoid at all cost being caught as favouring a member over another, even if you do like a member over another one. You should do your best to make sure all rules apply to everyone the same way and there are no exceptions - apart maybe from yourself and your team… However, make sure you are making these exceptions for the best of your forum, and not as an ego booster for you or team.

6. Choosing the moderator team is crucial

It is probably the biggest decision you will make as a forum administrator, that who is going to become your a part of your moderator team. I have made a wrong choice myself, and I’ve heard countless of sad stories of people who have chosen the wrong person to trust. A good tip is to keep an eye out for people who WANT TO become moderators… That’s usually a bad sign. Power hungry people are drawn to the position of an administrator, and they should not be given power. You must find someone who is fair, who is not too eager to edit or delete posts at the slightest provocation, and someone who you can trust to have your forum’s best interest at heart. Remember this: Just because someone is technically skilled enough to become a moderator, it doesn’t mean they should be. This task requires more people skills than technical skills.

……….

These sort of practises make your board feel very unwelcome to join, and people who are shy to participate or are new to the whole thing are more likely to stay as “lurkers” because they don’t want to be told off. If you are running a “casual, relaxing and fun” board, it is even more important to stop doing this. It is not even that you’re insulting the offending members, sometimes when I read replies of this sort made to other people, I feel like c*** on their behalf. If you are running a board that you know that no topic can never be on the gray area between two boards, and you know every poster is familiar with your structure and with your definitions of topics, feel free to continue this condescending behaviour. If not… You know what to do: Put a sock in it!

INFP
Childfree