Do you control the post quality of your forum?

Soulwatcher Level 1

October 21, 2017, 5:33 pm

36

Write the reason you're deleting this FAQ

Do you control the post quality of your forum?

I am not a tyrant, but I do control the quality of my forum. I realize that not all people are alike, But if you just flat out post a spam post like "that's cool" its totally useless to the forum And I will delete it and ask the member not to make any more spam posts. And if they don't listen I will ban them off of the forum. Because I want to attract new members and not drive them away. How about you? Do you control the post quality of your forum?

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

I don't because I like there to be a relaxed environment on my forum. Obviously, if the content that the user posts makes no sense or is just spam then I will have it removed and if it continues then that user will be banned. But I don't mind users that post short messages. I don't think it affects the forum too much but if all the posts from all your users are like that then that becomes a problem. As long as it just happens once in a while then it is fine.

7 years ago

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Soulwatcher

Soulwatcher

That's what I am talking I am talking about, the useless and low quality spam posts. And I wouldn't say I am a tyrant. I just want to have some form of quality control for future readers of the forum. Because no one is going to come a read a forum with posts like "That's cool" or "Yep I agree". They are completely useless posts and will do nothing but drive future members away.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

Oh alright, I agree definitely then. With forums not doing as well as before now because of the rise of social media and sites like Reddit, it is even more important to try and avoid low-quality posts being posted on your forum. Users are a lot more careful with the forums that they join and will just not bother with a forum that has low-quality posts.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

Now is when you have pointed out what I completely agree with. Just saying short post didn't make your explanation vivid enough. So now making it known that it's a one word or two words reply or post, it's completely wrong. I agree with banning of such poster because it's very annoying and irritating seeing such posts/reply. If the person can't spare 2-5 minutes to type an average post, it's best the person don't post at all in the forum.

6 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

I love how you just explained handling posters in in your forum, I believe that you have your forum management in the right direction. Spam post is not to be encouraged in any way because it ruins the image of the forum. On short posts, it's not that I'm in support of it but it doesn't deserve getting banned over. The best thing to do is give the poster a warning rating with comment to improve his or her post length.

6 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

I have noticed that forums now are more democratic than before when moderators were strict that you will receive a message for a bad post that you make. Bad post means something that doesn't suit their taste buds. Anyway, my take on forum is that it should accept whatever is posted by the member unless the post is already stepping on the line of decency.

6 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

It definitely used to be a lot stricter across the board. I think that because of the growth of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter which are causing the slow death of forums, staff members are more reluctant to crack down on low quality posts since they don't want to hurt the growth of the forum. They don't want to ban a potentially active member.

6 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

Some forum owners are too harsh when it comes to banning members or tagging their work as being below standard. I have had one experience with one forum owner whom I won't mention his name for privacy sake, some of the post I made he actually came and commend the article, only for him to turn and give a poor rating. I ask why and he said my post was of poor quality and didn't sound real. I took that post to another forum owner to help me access the quality of the article and he was 100% cool with it. I had to quit and unsubscribe from the forum because I simply can post for who wouldn't appreciate my work well.

6 years ago

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mdbree17

mdbree17

I do not own a forum site, but I have encountered forum owners who have guidelines and rules. I have been so careful not to bend any rules. Maybe it just depends on the owner if how he/she is going to manage it and how his/her forum should look like and talks about.

7 years ago

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Barida

Barida

One good thing is to ensure that you work according to the rules of each forum you join. It's not always easy, but being that obedient member can make you find favor in the heart of the owner.

7 years ago

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Pixie06

Pixie06

I think for a forum to grow positively there should meaningful contents and that's the reason there are rules which are imposed by forum owners which we as members have to follow. I know many forum owners who do not accept gibberish comments and I can totally understand them. They want their forum to look professional to attract other members thus increasing the traffic and also to improve the ranking.

6 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

I once had the opportunity to control forum posts. It was an okay experience. But it can get tiresome having to moderate post quality. That's why I prefer being a good example than doing the moderating myself.

6 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

I think that quality control on forums requires a tender touch. There definitely needs to be a set of guidelines and rules established right up front, lest you return to your forum only to discover that it has turned into the Wild West of the internet. But at the same time, people need personal freedom to express themselves. I think as long as someone is posting comments which are relevant to the discussion and in a well mannered way, then all is well.

If they're being offensive or posting spammy, irrelevant, ultra short comments, they're adding zero value to your community.

7 years ago

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Soulwatcher

Soulwatcher

I let people have personal freedom to express themselves. I have only edited 1 post on my forum and that was to but line breaks in a wall of text. And the rest of the time I have only deleted spam or worthless posts.

P.S. @Darth you're right forums are dead and I don't ever see mine making it big. But I am SUPER happy with the 15+ posts that it receives every day. =)

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

DenisP,
I agree with you here, and I think that that is why it is so important to have an initial policy with a stringent set of rules, guidelines, suggestions, and regulations which the forum member has to read before he or she is allowed to post anything at all. Sure, we all want a light touch and a forum that feels free and open, but certain things can not be tolerated if we are going to run forums which are taken seriously and which are consistently delivering good quality content. The "Wild West", as you called it (I like that), can happen way too fast in a posting thread. All that being said, I have been on forums where the admin ruled with an iron fist and with an unprofessional demeanor, so sometimes the admin of the forum is at fault for tainting the environment.

7 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

There are definitely some forums where the admins simply take things too far. As with any field in life, people are going to do their best when they have some room to breathe. A bit of freedom and breathing room is conducive to both creativity and general happiness and contentment, and this applies to both on and offline. If you're constricting people's freedom of expression in an attempt to manifest what is in your eyes a "perfect forum," you're probably going to see your forum stagnate at best, and straight up die at worst. A real world example of this are countries with totalitarian dictatorships. They never turn out as successful as their democratic counterparts, both on economical and humanitarian levels.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Wow--this is a really cool example and allegory in terms of totalitarian behaviors. I do think admins should give people some leeway--some things might get a little off topic, but this can also generate new threads of thought and new discussions which were heretofore not yet expected. I think that as long as people or contributors are following the regulations of the forum, and they are staying basically on point and offering interesting perspectives and constructive comments, then they should be allowed to express themselves with freedom and democracy as you mentioned above.

7 years ago

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Soulwatcher

Soulwatcher

I think its sad but most of the forums I read are the wild wild west because either the admin is new and inexperienced or they don't know what they are doing. And they let anything go because they want post counts and the only thing that they are doing is killing their forum and they don't even know it. And it's sad that they do that but I guess inexperience goes with the territory and we were all that way once.

6 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

I do not own any forums as of now but would advise forum owners to clean up their site of useless posts that are made just so that they are paid. Finally if this is not done that will be the death knell for that forum. Big brother Google is watching.

7 years ago

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Barida

Barida

The issue of cleaning up forums cannot be overemphasized. I mean that it is really sad to see and read what some of the members of some forum write. There is need for owners to take out time and clean up some of the mess found on their forums.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

There is a forum namely myLot that takes in any rubbish as long as users do not break their rules. There bad spelling and grammar are welcomed with open arms. That is not a place for where one wants to pick up English specially when such howlers come from native speakers.

7 years ago

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tiffiecute

tiffiecute

I don't have any owned site right now but if I will have in the future, I will practically control the quality of every single content that gets on my blog site. The success of your blog site relies on how you manage hub. If you want a clean, organized and high-quality site, then controlling it is a well-deserved move.

7 years ago

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Barida

Barida

I would have to choose in that there are days you might not be able to come online and that would make you need the help of a moderator for your blog. It's necessary in order to keep things working quite better as well.

6 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I do control the post quality at my blogs, I must admit. I do not tolerate any trolling or belligerent posts. If someone posts something offensive, I will take it down immediately. That being said, I am pretty laid back about the grammar, spelling, mechanics, and punctuation issues as long as the posters have attempted good content and made an honest effort to really contribute to the overall discussion in an earnest and serious way. This might make me too soft, but we all have different skill levels as writers, and my blogs should be a places of fun and expression.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

Currently I'm not doing this, but when I did I considered it as something very important to keep up the quality of the site.

The bad side of this is you being seen as "annoying moderator", but that's part of the process... After all, when things go very loose, quality is easily lost (and no owner wants this for their projects).

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

Yeah, I know what you feel. It's not a nice thing to do because it feels like you are just being a bit too controlling over the content of your forum but it is a necessary thing to do. If one person starts to do it, then it may spread and more users might just post useless/one-word posts which would hurt your forum. But I think it's important to just ignore what they think of you and make sure your forum is doing well overall.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

If you open an "exception" to a member, everyone else has the same right (imagine the confusion and the lack of control? haha). But I frankly never cared too much (to the point of being discouraged) because I know I was doing what it was right.

7 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

People can post anything they want at our forum just so long as it's related to the topic at hand. Which is horror films. If topics are posted in the wrong section, I manually move them. I don't allow spam posts though. People promoting their spam links, or spam related stuff or posting any kind of weird code are instantly banned.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I think that it is cool that you are so lenient with your posters. Staying on topic is crucial, obviously, in order to run a successful forum and to participate in a forum effectively. i have to somewhat police myself in order to stay on topic, at times, because I can have the tendency to ramble. I appreciate admins who stay on top of their forum contributors and who work to constantly present a tight and effective forum thread for the audience and readers.

7 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Well our forum has different topic spaces as any forum does. There's a board for general horror, specialty horror, general films and movies, general discussion, sports, etc. But I try not to run it like a dictatorship. If someone wants to post a topic, as long as it's in the proper board I'll allow it. If it needs to be moved to the proper board, I move it then. I only come down hard on spammers or abusive people. Haven't had any abusive people to date (luckily). Had a big issue with spammers though. When I installed safeguards to eliminate them en masse, I only had to deal with occasional spammers who got around the safeguards - after that. Normally, I just keep track of new members, and run their email address through google for any spam alerts. If I get a hit, then I delete their account instantly before they can post anything.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Judas2018,
Well, I'd say that if you are having to install spammer safeguards, that must mean that your blog is getting enough attention to draw this kind of activity, right? I think that the policies and procedures that you demonstrate in your above post, and that your general approach to your site and business, show that you have a good and positive attitude towards managing your forum. If I were running a forum, I think that I would run it very similar, if not exactly, t how you are running yours.

7 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Yeah our traffic is pretty strong, and as usual with that comes spammers of course. Either looking to promote their own products abrasively, or looking to just be obnoxious trolls in a less verbal and outward sort of way. We receive more of the former than that latter though. I'm ok with people putting links in their signature to a website of theirs. But not if the site is shady, malicious or warez related (illegal downloading of films, tv shows, games, etc.) Nor am I okay with people posting promotional replies to topics or starting threads that blatantly ask people to "visit this site" or "go here and buy this product."

7 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I've never really owned or been a moderator on a forum but I've been a member of many of them over the years. I guess it would just mostly have to do with the goal of the forum, maybe? I am guessing that for those that would just like to get an audience and possibly get a sponsor that way, they wouldn't care that much about whether or not the format is completely correct, but if they are a forum that relies on something like Adsense, then maybe that is what would motivate them to want to keep the grammar as correct as possible.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I have similar viewpoints and experiences with forums like you do. I do appreciate it when an administrator comes in and cleans out negative posts and polices potential spammers and trolls. I don't like admins to be TOO high-maintenance, but I do appreciate when they maintain the ethics and quality of the discussions and the communities of forums so that they are pleasant to frequent and "safe" to comment at.

6 years ago

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JonathanS98

JonathanS98

Well, I co-own a forum. When you're in a situation like mine, you want a partner that pretty much agrees with all your ideas, and vice-versa. Despite being two different minds, we're pretty much on the same page about how the community should run. The only place we differ is post quality by the members. Overall, I'd say we have two different opinions on the type of posts we're looking for. One being more relaxed and possibly one-liner, while the other more professional and formal. Nevertheless, we're both looking for content that makes users engage regardless.

To answer your question, yes, I do control the post quality of my forum. I'm not overly strict but remove the spam and 1-2 word posts.

7 years ago

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