Reply With QuoteI'm not much of a rules guy...
I'm pretty easy going in my forums. No spam is probably the "rule" I enforce the most. I enforce it with my delete key
How strict are your forum rules? How strict are you with them? WHat is your means of enforcement?
I'm not much of a rules guy...
I'm pretty easy going in my forums. No spam is probably the "rule" I enforce the most. I enforce it with my delete key
Before you have a lot of rules to worry about there has to be a reason to have rules for forum conduct.
I think the basic rules, no spamming, no insulting other members for no reason, no attacking someone's website are good to have, but on the forum circuit flame wars tend to follow members from forum to forum.
So you have to find out why folks are attacking each other by PM's before you ban a member for breaking the rules.
I have moderators that follow me from forum to forum that have banned me from their forums and I tell them to go to hell at Digital Point all the time.
If the first couple of posts are SPAM?... BAM! There gone!
I think it depends very much on the forum. My PsychLinks forum is very closely monitored and all rules about posts very strictly enforced (no questions asked, no appeals) because of the nature of the forum and the kind of members who come there (many have specific sensitivities and emotional triggers). At the Band of Gonzos forum, we are more laid back and tolerant.
DigitalPoint is an example of a good forum with almost no rules that works because its members know what to expect. It does at times go overboard to the point where I wish Shawn would have a few more rules he enforces, but I know when I log in what I'm going to get -- if I don't like the free-wheeling type of forum, I can go somewhere else.
Other forums are anal-retentive without reason... they almost seem to be enforcing rules purely because they can, to flex their moderator muscles, I guess. That can be a lot more annoying than not enough rules, IMO.
in my experience, the more strict a forum is with the rules, the more harsh they are with punishments, the more likely they will fail.
As I said, it depends on the type of forum. The PsychLinks one has been quite successful, and in part that's because I said up front that I was going to be vigilant in protecting member privacy and in making the forum a safe place for members to come to seek help and support. In that type of forum, the strict monitoring and enforcement of rules encourages members to register and post.
The Band of Gonzos is a web development/SEO-SEM forum and has a different approach entirely.
I think that envrioment demands thise rules and its understandable and logical to the members- Its when you have a admin/dictator that the problems start
Agreed. I think a forum owner should ask what purpose is served by a rule and what harm is done by a member breaching the rule... if the answer to either or both is essentially "none" then just back off and let your forum members be.
Even when I have a problem, I try to handle it quietly, professionally, and friendly, and it generally works.
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