The "Do Nots" Of Your ProBoard

I've been running my forum over 2 years now and over the years, I've developed a list of no-nos.

1. Enforce the rules equally. If people see you being lenient on one person and not on others, they'll hit you for favoritism and most people don't like an admin that displays favoritism as it's unfair.

2. Limit the amount of codes you use. Eventually at some point, the codes usage will slow down your board which will get members mad at you. I tend to recommend a few codes that are necessary to make your board look better and maybe a couple of fun ones. Also recognize what codes are probably useless. (For example: the Harry Potter sorting code. You're going to modify their profile anyways, what's the point of having a code that's going to do that same thing you were already doing?)

3. Don't overuse the mass e-mail or mass PM features. I think the mass e-mail feature is good if used like say once a month. This is good because some people forget that they were at your board and an e-mail from the forum might remind them about their membership. If they don't ever come back, remove them from the forum list. (Now, I have an RPG which requires active participation. Lurkers I tend to regard as thiefs since the only reason to join and lurk is to check out some of my hidden areas that have been copied one too many times-just like the rest of my board. )

4. It is better to limit the amount that guests can post on. What's the point of joining a board if anyone can post everywhere as a guest? Plus it limits the amount of spammers you'll get to hit your board if you can take out their mess quickly. I find that opening the board up to be a guest view, but member post works really well. Though there are areas that should just be for members to view.

5. Don't spam advertise your site. It tends to annoy people and if you annoy the wrong person they could come after your site to take it down. I've seen it happen one too many times. That also means be careful who you make staff. Staff can very easily take down a board without many powers since their actions weigh more heavily in a TOS report.

Alright, I'm out of time for right now since I have to go to work, but that's the first several no-nos that I've discovered over the last couple years.

Well, I think that it's okay to get feedback on your board from members. Although it's nice to get feedback from others, the members' opinions are the ones that really matter, in my opinion. They're the ones that are on the board. Then again, the people who are giving comments on your board could be the potential members, and potential members' opinions matter as well.

That's why, in my opinion, you should have a suggestions board that guests can post in as well. If you correct a few mistakes or change a few things, the potential members that are commenting about your board ON YOUR BOARD (which shows they were interested in joining, or at least looking around) maybe you'll get a new member because you took his suggestions. You never know.

Well taikenk, it's ok to feel like you make a mistake. You're a human being, and it isn't a crime to make mistakes like that. It's a way of life It just goes to show that what I said before in my other post, has actually made a point after all...



I believe it's best to not have guest posting enabled EVERYWHERE, because otherwise your forum could be in deep jeopardy by spammers (mostly in the form of guests)

Do Not Be Rude To Your Members

This is especially important. Especially when you have someone who is brand new, and they keep asking you these dumb questions, and you're getting agrivated. Trust me, I've been there. If you had to learn by yourself (like I did), don't let someone else have to do that.

First, try to help them adjust with the new threads and replying. Then they can get started pretty well. Make sure, if you're helping someone, and you feel like telling them to learn by themselves. Just calm down, tell them you will help them, but try not to be mean. Just say you would like them to learn how to do it on their own. Be nice is the main priority.

Second, if you want to help them, but you're getting irritated, take a deep breath and go somewhere else for a little while. Once you get back, you should be feeling better to help that new person.

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As for the guests, I have that too. Don't worry, they should join if they hang out there all the time. If they don't, just kindly ask them why they haven't joined yet.

For my board, we have only a few true rules. Most of the "rules" are things that people should be doing anyways, like Be respectful, allow other their opinions, no flaming. The biggest rule we have is don't post anything that violates PB TOS. If you do, that's a big one, and gets a serious warning, or banning, depending on what it is. We've been running on another web forum host, and just moved to here, and brought the same rules over, just edited to reflect PB's TOS instead.

I've let my members know up front that we have the option for Mass Email, but that the likely hood of it actually being used is very slim. I can't really think of too many times it would need to be. I've let them know we have options for Mass PM, and that too will be rare occassions, as I can post most things in the Announcements area, but if I think it's very important and really needs to be read, I will either Mass PM/Email to be sure that all have gotten it and read it.

As for too many Admins/Staff...as I said, we came from another host and there, the only way that staff could actually do the things they needed to be able to do, like approve members, lock/move/delete posts and threads, was to be given Admin status. We're looking into seeing if any of the admins would be willing to take Global Moderator Status, and leave just 3 admins. Myself, and two others, who if anything happens to me (which is possible) can take over the board immediatly. (We have 5 admins with only 9 members total right now, because we're still in the process of moving over to PB.....we expect to have about 30 members within the next 2 weeks if everyone moves over with us, we know we may lose a few by moving, and we'll consider what to do with the extra admins after that).

We intend to create a "Board Admin" that the admins will have access to the account, for when we feel that we need to post something that doesn't identify which admin said it. We did this on our other board, and it worked out very well. There were not a lot of times we needed it, but when we did, the members didn't have one particular person to point fingers at, and knew that it had been a group admin decision, and that pitting one admin against another wasn't going to work. Basically, it stopped problems before they could start.

I think my biggest rule for my board is "Don't forget to have fun".

I find that if a member has clearly overstepped the line or is having a spat with another the choice of words can be really important in PMs to either calm or diffuse the situation without the need for a warning bar or a temp ban. It is easy to go in heavy handed with 'You CANNOT say that to X as it is against the rules' but that can generally provoke an angry response. The method I find most productive is the way that I talk to my staff at work by planting seeds over numerous PMs and using neutral words and phrases such as 'consider' and 'Have you thought about' .. It is easier to bring a poster back on line by persuading them to acknowledge they have flouted the rules over an exchange of 5 or 6 PMs and using what they respond to each time to form your next message than firing all your weapons at once and turning into a 'he said/shesaid'.

Just a thought....

On my board, the rules are relatively simple as well. Be polite and try to keep it PG. If you HAVE to say something dirty, we set aside a password protected area for members to do just that.

Other rules include the best way to handle disputes with other members or even with staff. I think the members benefit by knowing the exact procedure they can use to get something done...even if their beef is with a moderator.

My board allows guests to view everything but the password protected area and there is a guest forum where they can post questions and ideas about the board...a nice little lounge where they can sit and ponder about joining.

FAVORITISM:
My board goes out of its way to NOT be accused of favoritism. I was banned from another board before joining and certain rules were established to keep me out!!! I learned from that and decided that all people can join...and that is why the rules are the only ones necessary. After all, if you get ban happy, you won't HAVE members.