Running a forum in controversial topics

[Brett_Tabke]

Long article on the missing plane. The most interesting thing to me is this tidbit about running a forum:

[nymag.com...]

Since I was the proprietor of the major web forum, it fell on me to protect the fragile cocoon of civility that nurtured the conversation. A single troll could easily derail everything. The worst offenders were the ones who seemed intelligent but soon revealed themselves as Believers. They’d seized on a few pieces of faulty data and convinced themselves that they’d discovered the truth. One was sure the plane had been hit by lightning and then floated in the South China Sea, transmitting to the satellite on battery power. When I kicked him out, he came back under aliases. I wound up banning anyone who used the word “lightning.”

[engine]

It's an interesting theory on that plane, and although well-put, it's just that, a theory.

The most interesting thing to me is this tidbit about running a forum:

Oh, that's so true. It's as if some people cannot grasp the fact that there may be other angles. They are so locked into their own beliefs that nothing else is possible, and they just keep banging on about it.

Unfortunately, they have closed their minds to the fact that we learn every day.

[Brett_Tabke]

...we now return you to your regularly scheduled Google bashing, theorizing, and pontificating.

[lawman]

Uh Oh BT. The theorizing, pontificating bashers won't get the joke.

[thecoalman]

Oh, that's so true. It's as if some people cannot grasp the fact that there may be other angles. They are so locked into their own beliefs that nothing else is possible, and they just keep banging on about it.

Unfortunately, they have closed their minds to the fact that we learn every day.

I don't ever buy into these conspiracy theories however if you are banning people becsue they believe in your closing your mind as well.

[lawman]

People don't get banned on a forum for their beliefs, they get banned for their actions.

[lucy24]

The theorizing, pontificating bashers won't get the joke.

It isn't about theorizing and pontificating. It's about declaring that anyone who doesn't share your beliefs is a #*$! idiot. Relying on Word Censors here. In those words, which is a far cry from "I believe you have been grievously misinformed".

[aristotle]

What about controversies that arise WebmasterWorld? The mods sometimes have to step in and delete personal attacks and off-topic posts. I don't know if anyone has ever been banned, but I've gotten several reprimands myself.

[lawman]

Haha, we've all received a note from an admin or mod from time to time. It takes a lot, and I mean a whole bunch, but even long time members have been banned. New spammers get banned as soon as they appear.

[graeme_p]

What does it take to get a long time member banned? Repeated personal attacks and ignoring warnings or similar?

[lawman]

Case by case. No formula.

[martinibuster]

People don't get banned on a forum for their beliefs, they get banned for their actions.

True. Very true.

My practice is to focus on encouragement and positive influence, rather than discouraging (a behavior) or creating a feeling of wrist slapping. Some of what passes for moderation is punitive. Moderation does not have to be punitive if it follows an encouraging and positive arc.

Some forum admins might disagree with me but trolls are unintentionally cultivated by an overly tolerant environment springing from a fear that certain behavior must be tolerated at the risk of losing their best members. In a way I can't blame them because the goal at the beginning is to grow and that's very challenging to a non-populated forum in the beginning. So you take what you can get but what that can get is a community that feels entitled to free speech that includes bullying, intimidation, mob mentality, shaming and foul language. Part of this also springs from the fact that many forums are founded by folks who are good at the topic under discussion but not so good at understanding theories of managing a community.