Members posting stupid/immature posts on a very mature forum

[John D]

Hey,
I am trying to build up DeuceAce.com as a very mature poker forum with very sensible posts.

I have started getting a few members posting really stupid posts, one for example I posted about a really rare flop (Poker term ;)) on a TV game and here was a reply:

im so excited I just swallowed all the water in my fish bowl!

I don't like being strict but I think its different when the general community is very mature.

Right now theres two members that have posted close to 100 posts in less than a day, most really stupid and not on topic.

How would you handle this?
I don't want to come off as an ass but how much do these type of members contribute to a community?
I wouldn't mind on most but when it comes to a site that is very mature and on topic so far, I think this is bringing down the quality.

[B33R]

For a mature forum - I'd probably warn the member by PM. Maybe delete the offending post and leave a new one saying "Please keep all posts on topic" or something similar

It'd also help if you have some rules about that sort of thing, then you could enforce them. I'd certainly give them a warning that if they continue posting pointless replies they will be banned.

Overall if your forum is for a more mature audience, I'm sure your other users will appreciate you getting rid of people who make stupid posts.
im so excited I just swallowed all the water in my fish bowl!That's funny but very out of place for a sensible forum.
:fish:


EDIT: I just looked at the persons posts. He's making a few sensible posts but he often makes more than one post every minute. That's just lunacy. I definitely think it's time to warn the user that the forum is for sensible users/posts and that his behaviour isn't acceptable.

Just be careful - a person who's an attention seeker like this person obviously is, will probably get offended really easily and will go out of his way to get payback. Handle with care.

[John D]

Yeah I have the send a PM window open here, just not sure what to say ;)

There's two members doing it right now, the user posting that isn't as bad as the other, the other user doesn't know how to play poker so his posts are even worse, I already PMed him though.

I have never liked giving warnings though :(

[Scott]

As much as warnings are a pain, you need to keep this under control if you don't want it to happen.

People usually do something like this either to spread their sig across the place (in which case I'd remove their sig) or to increase their post count (in which I'd reset it if I was in a bad mood). Coming back to an older thread, I'd probably warn these people and place them on Mod Q. Prevents any more rubbish becoming public without approval. Hopefully, they'll give up when the realise noone else can see what they're up to.

Good luck with these guys, make sure your mods are on alert from trouble posts coming from them.

[SoftWareRevue]

How would you handle this?Even though it's already been suggested that you PM the member and you already said you have the PM box open, I'm going to say that I'd PM the member. :)

I usually say something along the lines of, "Your posts are upsetting to other members. Please stay on topic and keep nonsense to a minimum."

But it sounds like you don't want these types of members anyways. So you might be better off just saying, "Buh bye!" :D

. . . how much do these type of members contribute to a community? Rarely anything, from my experience. It can happen. But, it's not normal. Normally they're looking for attention and/or a playground. Or, attention on a playground. :whistle:

[writespeak]

As the others said, I would contact these members, but I wouldn't "warn" them, at least not the first time. I'd point out the problem and suggest an alternative. If you just tell people some variation of "You're wrong," you aren't giving them anywhere to go. But if you ask them to consider their responses more carefully so that they contribute to the forum, you're giving them a direction and a chance to grow up a bit.

Lois

[B33R]

...I wouldn't "warn" them...If you just tell people some variation of "You're wrong," you aren't giving them anywhere to go.That's a very good point.

I've seen those members posts and I think it's probably going to end with a ban however it would be great to give them the choice. The decision to positively contribute and be a good member of the community would ultimately be theirs.

Anyone can change if they have the opportunity. Whether or not they do is a completely different matter.

[writespeak]

I've seen those members posts and I think it's probably going to end with a ban however it would be great to give them the choice. The decision to positively contribute and be a good member of the community would ultimately be theirs.

Imagine that your boss calls you into his office to tell you that there are problems with your work. If that's all he tells you, you feel lousy, and you don't know what to do to change the situation. But if he instead points out what could be improved and suggests ways to improve, both sides can win.

I've been on both sides of that situation. Except in extreme situations, we never let employees go without first giving them the opportunity to become better at what they did. Some didn't have the right skills and aptitude for the job, while others were able to improve their skills. Those who ended up being let go knew that they'd been treated fairly, and they could still have a good opinion of the company.

Employment isn't exactly the same, but there are parallels. Most people perform better (although not necessarily good enough) when they're given good feedback and aren't simply made to feel wrong.

Lois

[dojo]

Well, I have a nice thinggy right on the top of my quick reply box:

By posting here you agree with our user guidelines.Our moderators have the right to delete this message if it breaks our rules: it's a spammy post (no information, just an oneliner that has no value other than increase your posting count), it contains illegal or referral links, is hijacking the thread and doesn't benefit the thread. Please help us maintain a great level of post quality by having good meaningful messages.

I also have a nice hack that would warn people to use more characters if the message is too short (will keep off those "lol" posts). This is good since I will delete stupid spammy posts, but people would immediately realise they broke that tiny guideline over the quick reply box and that I have nothing personally with them.

had a kiddie come and post some very stupid posts *well had some more.

After seeing his messages deleted periodically and having some nice chats in the PM telling him WHAT I WANT for him, he's one of the best members I have.

I had this issue some time ago and with some "nice" management I could turn these lol posters in some very active and good members who are now very proud of the great quality of our threads and posts :D