Posted on Sunday, 28th June 2009 by reckless bastard

Back before TheyBannedMe.com was even a flicker in my booze-soaked brain, my dad and I were tearing up messageboards devoted to the New York Jets (that’s an American football team for all you filthy foreigners). There are three major Jets forums: JetsInsider, TheGangGreen and JetNation. I have been banned from all three while my dad has been banned from JI and TGG.

TheGangGreen.com and the Boy King

Bring me chicken tenders or I shall ban thee!

I broke my ban cherry at TGG. That’s right, it was my first ever Internet banning. TGG was moronic enough to appoint a teenager to a mod position who instantly proved to be a hideous combination of emoD and Gestapo. By way of context, TGG was a Police State that maintained a sticky thread to discuss every banning and each one became a public-shaming ritual whereby the name of the recently banned would be dragged through the mud while the members danced around the bonfire, celebrating like savages and singing the praises of the mod who pulled the trigger.

The Boy King loved to ban people and be hailed as a Troll Slayer by the hordes of sycophantic members that secretly feared they would be banned next if they did not kiss his ass. However, the teenage mod had a sadistic secret. Late at night, he would ban people on a whim - a forbidden practice even by TGG’s standards - or because they embarrassed him in front of his subjects. Realizing his actions to be an abuse of power, he kept these bannings secret, not announcing them in the banned sticky thread and thus depriving himself of the wild celebration that attended all other bannings.

My dad and I were both victims of such a railroading. We migrated to JetNation - which we had heard was a site for Jets fans outcasted from the other Jets forums - and posted thread after thread about the Boy King’s abuses. Months later, we were vindicated when he was summarily stripped of his status as moderator. Of course, he became butthurt and vanished despite the fact that he was welcomed to stay as a regular member. His ego could not take being one of the unwashed hordes that he used to lord over with impunity. However, TGG wasted an excellent opportunity to rectify his abuses and disgracefully failed to reinstate everyone the Boy King had banned, even while implicitly admitting through his ouster that he had abused his authority.

JetsInsider and Soothsayer

JetsInsider is the largest Jets fanboard on the Internet. By most accounts its admin Soothsayer makes a decent living off of the board by offering access to a premium VIP area for $55/year. Soothsayer is known by every Jets fan with an Internet connection and has a high level of access to both the sportswriters who cover the team and to the team itself. There is just one problem: he’s a douche of epic proportions. He runs the forum with an iron fist and bans people for criticizing the team or any sportswriter that he depends on for inside information. Basically, he’s a sellout with no credibility.

Several years ago, a group of members was banned from JI and decided to start a new site that would allow Jets fans to hang out without the bullshit of JI. This intrepid group formed JetNation.com, a site devoted to the Jets, gay jokes and busting chops. I was eventually banned from JI for singing the praises of JN.

For years now a cold war has brewed between JI and JN with the former censoring all references to the latter in true Police State fashion.

JetNation.com - A Disappointing End

Other than TBM, JN is the only messageboard I visit regularly. I have a lot of friends on the board and my dad is one of the most active members there. After being banned at TGG, I had the idea to start TBM and JN’s admin (”Max”) served as the inspiration for how we would run this shithole. In fact, my unofficial slogan has always been WWMD (”What Would Max Do?”).

JN has always had a few rules which were seldom enforced until recently:

1. Limited nudity - No nipples or bush.
2. No swearing.
3. No political or religious discussions.
4. No personal attacks.

While these rules seem a little constrictive, I do not fault a site for having rules as long as they are enforced in a predictable and clearly enunciated manner. Since I’m busy with RL and TBM, I don’t visit JN as much as I used to. I usually drop in once a month and given that the entire site was originally built on a foundation of ball busting, I never waste an opportunity to sling some good-natured flames around at the other members, most of which I have known for years. But apparently, since my last visit, the mods had decided to crack down like the SS on rule violators.  A couple days ago I posted a thread that could arguably have some political undertones although by any rational standard it’s tangentially political in nature, at most. I also posted a suggestion in a thread set up for site suggestions which you can read about here.

Yesterday, I found out that I had been banned and, despite three years as a member, the admin declined to do the honorable thing and refused to tell me why he had banned me. I can only speculate that it was for one of the two reasons above. In either case, bullshit, not to mention that this orgy of sudden rule enforcement is directly contrary to the principles that made JetNation the site of choice for those sick of TGG and JI.

Admins & Mods are Stewards of Public Forums

When I had been banned from TGG and JI, I didn’t give a shit. In fact, I was gunning for a ban. But this ban, I can admit, does sting a little. I had invested a lot of myself into the board and it is the only way I communicated with several friends from the Jets Fan Club back home in North Carolina. I had started TBM from an abstract idea, but with my JN banning, I now understand more than ever why the Internet needs a place like TBM. A forum is not built from a vBulletin license and $20/month for hosting. It is comprised of its members. Mods cannot be allowed to continue stripping community members of their identity on a whim just as a cop cannot kick in your front door without a damn good reason. My advice to all of you is to stop suffering these abuses lying down. A website becomes more than its admin’s possession as soon as he opens registration to the public. It then becomes a public gathering place of which he is a steward, not just an owner. When people take the time to gather there and participate in the community, the admin and mods have a duty to protect the investment made by those that participate in the forum and help it grow. It’s easy to erase the totality of someone’s experience on a site by clicking a few buttons but the operators of public forums have a duty to wield that power justly and judiciously.

In the end, the loss of my JetNation membership is collateral damage in the war to change the culture of the Internet. No more will we be slaves to the whimsical and unpredictable application of ambiguous rules that are enforced differently by any given mod on any given day. Remember: we are doing them a favor by posting on their site - not the other way around. It is time to take back YOUR Internet.

UPDATE: JetNation has reverted my ban to a 30-day suspension. A step in the right direction, I still retain hope that the site will return to its founding principles rather than become a place that acquiceses  to whomever complains the loudest.  I invite all JetNation members to join TBM if they find themselves on the wrong side of the banhammer; although I warn you that there are no mods to tuck you in at night here.

Read more about the revolution here. As always, if any person or entity mentioned in this article wishes to respond, they are free to contact me from within our forums or by emailing recklessbastard at theybannedme.com and their response will be published.

Tags: jetnation, jetnation.com, jetsinsider, jetsinsider.com, johnny green balls, theganggreen, theganggreen.com
Posted in Bullshit Bannings

Posted on Monday, 8th June 2009 by reckless bastard

Today I was victim of a vicious financial ambush at the hands of a company I have been doing business with for over 11 years - Bank of America punitively slashed my Visa card’s credit limit by $10,000 simply because I had the audacity to call them this afternoon and request an interest rate reduction. I have heard that credit card issuers have been cutting limits on cards for almost a year now in a bid to reduce their exposure to debts that consumers may not be able to pay off during the recession but my experience today is the first incident to my knowledge of a bank punitively cutting your limit because of a call to their customer service department.

For over a decade I have had this card and I have never missed a single payment. Several months ago, the jackals raised my interest rate to an astouding 27.99% on the card - a rate that would make Tony Soprano blush. Today, I called them to have this rate reduced to a reasonable level. After reviewing my account, I was told that they would not reduce my rate despite my sterling payment history. I was then falsely told that they had sent notice of this impending increase to my house with an option to “opt out” of the increase. This, of course, is a bold-faced lie. When I informed the representative that I received no such notice, he essentially stated, “You have your story, we have ours.” After the call, I logged into my checking account to pay off the remaining balance and never use the card again (as I promised I would). Lo and behold, in the intervening twenty minutes or so since the call, my limit had been cut $10,000 to about $500 over my balance (Coincidence? I think not). Of course, like with the imaginary notice they never sent regarding the interest rate increase,  I did not receive the required 15-day notice of this limit decrease, either.

I was instantly filled with seething rage. Not only is such a punitive limit decrease despicable and unprofessional but will undoubtedly harm my FICO score through no fault of my own as a key component of the score is calculated from the ratio of your debt to your available credit. What will a reduced FICO score result in? You guessed it; my other credit card issuers will undoubtedly use it as a pretext to jack up my interest rates and lower my credit limits which will in turn harm my credit even further.

I will now never use the card ever again - not that I will be able to as Bank of America will undoubtedly engage in “limit chasing” as I pay off the card. Limit chasing is the practice by which the card issuer lowers your limit to slightly above your balance whenever you make a payment. Can Bank of America legally engage in muggings such as this? Unfortunately they can (assuming they had complied with the notice requirement), but to do so in such a punitive fashion against someone merely asking for a rate decrease is beyond the pale. As a Republican, I was against the recent CARD legislation tightening rules on credit card companies (believing their spin that it would result in higher rates for low-risk customers such as myself). No more. I hope they are destroyed by this legislation and that America gives up its addiction to the poison plastic they peddle.

Tags: bank of america, limit chasing, thieves
Posted in Commentary

Posted on Thursday, 28th May 2009 by reckless bastard

It was a cold January day. Out of the frozen darkness, a new type of troll emerged. One who lacked subtlety and patience but made up for it with an aggressive assault on all we hold dear. At first, The Real Paperclip (”TRPC”) was disregarded as a lolcow and much lulz was had at his expense. But then something strange happened. We realized TRPC was under the spell of a vile enchantress by the name of Daughter of Satan (”DoS”) and that once this spell was broken, we would actually grow to (gulp) like him. So for months we worked diligently to free TRPC from DoS’ icy death grip. Slowly, TRPC’s heart began to warm as he freed himself from her shackles. And now, we count TRPC as one of our own and woe to all who cross TRPC or TBM because the counter-attack will be swift and overwhelming. In honor of TRPC finally liberating himself from the bewitching hex cast upon him by DoS, he is our Douche of the Month and will make a fine addition into the pantheon of great douches to receive this dishonor before him.

TheyBannedMe.com: Congratulations! You have been selected via our rigorous selection process (me deciding on a whim 15 seconds ago) that you are TBM’s June Douche of the Month! So let’s start with you telling us a little about how you came to set up camp on this shithole, despite the fact that anyone who has been here for more than 10 minutes knows most of the story.

The Real Paperclip: I came to TBM because Daughter of Satan told me about dirty mike being on here and the chance to battle on a no rules forum was to much to resist. So along I came with some fellow GA’ers and the rest is history.

TBM: Before you showed up, we had heard rumors that you were the biggest lolcow in history and when you arrived, you did not disappoint. Care to set the record straight on how the whole dirty mike feud started?

TRPC: You expect me to be able to remember way back in time to the start of these feuds..ffs ok i will try. A long long time ago on a forum called Uncover Reality there was me - the GA was there but I was not a member, I was a lone wolf. I had many enemies all trying to take me down from every direction but they were unable to break my spirit. Then one day a guy turned up making gif’s of me sucking my cock etc you know the stuff i mean. Any way this guy was dirty mike and he even asked if i was ok with the gif’s to which i gave my usual retort of “i dont give a fuck .” Eventually, I got banned and to cut a long story short, Mike and matahari helped me and DoS set up our first vBulletin forum then rumour and deceit set in and we all fell out with matahri and DoS sworn enemies for life and me and mike battling away on the side. DM and me are buddys now. We are similar characters with short fuses and fuck the consequnces.

TBM: So since you brought it up, we gotta ask… what’s the current status of your relationship with DoS? Have you completely broken free of the succubus’ deathly grasp or do you still count her as a friend?

TRPC: DoS is still on my msn but we no longer communicate much…if at all

TBM: I can tell this is a sore subject, so being TBM I will pick at it like a bloody scab. What caused the falling out between you two and do you think you will ever reconcile?

TRPC: We have not fallen out, its just the GA should be all hers without my input at all. If the incident with the mail had not happened, I still do not think I would of stayed in the GA for much longer. It’s got some good people but I need action and TBM gives me a way to let off steam. The GA I expect will be a solid forum now and DoS can run it just how she likes with all her rifts buddies and the like in with her. Niki and I will always be friends, we shared a lot but I have moved on and so has she.

TBM: Damn Jony, we were hoping this would be a controversial interview. Desperate to get your riled up, tell us your biggest enemy on TBM and why.

TRPC: And here is me thinking I was being statesmen-like. Ok what do you want from me then? Do you want me to say DoS is a whore who used me to build a forum!! There ARE YOU HAPPY NOW… controversial pfftt you cunts on here would not know it if it jumped up and bite you in the bolloxs.

sMarty fucking farty reckons he is all that but he is just some fucked up Aborigini on a reservation drinking scotch and pissing his life away. He ghost posts ‘cos he is too drunk to see his monitor let alone type. Also, Richyyy is a wanker i dont like him.

But I expect my biggest enemy is Optimous Douche. I know he despises me but i don’t blame him as i CONSTANTLY send him PM’s about his old slut wife… she is texting me behind his back ‘cos she likes bent cocks ha ha other than that… no one of worth springs to mind.

TBM: Only 3?! The 995 people on here you don’t hate are disappointed. It is funny that OD is one of your main enemies since he’s probably the nicest person in the universe, which is why he sucks goat cock at flaming (couldn’t resist the cheap shot).

Now it’s time for the rapid fire round. I will say a person or thing and you tell us what pops into your head. We’ll start with an easy one: Muslims

TRPC: 9/11, 3500 dead, World War III.

(TRPC goes berserk and starts PMing me non-stop)

TRPC: OD is a cunt until he gives me MRS OD so i can make her pregnant.

TRPC: What the fuck is this any way? A fucking douche of the month wtf do you think i am??? WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM?? HUH??? A FUCKING GAME YOU CAN TURN ON AND OFF AS YOU NEED ME???? ARRGGHHHHHHH fucking hell!

TBM: Get your shit together man (can’t believe I just said “get your shit together” to TRPC)! Only one response per question! Next up: notawesome

TRPC: Not guilty.

TBM: You heard it here first folks, notawesome’s (worthless) name has been cleared. Ok, last one: Uncover Reality.

TRPC: Liar low life peterpigman.

TBM: And last question - If you ran TBM, what changes would you implement?

TRPC: If i ran TBM ? Hmmm my first change would be to the females of TBM… all TBM females would have to post lots of pics of themselves naked..mostly BBKF and OOB but 0ther than that what is there to change? There are no rules so what can i change?

Oh i know… all new peeps would have to provide a poop vid to prove there worth as part of our club.

TBM: Ok, I lied, one more question - For Picasso it was paint, for Beethoven it was music, why have you chosen feces as the medium of choice for your “artwork”?

TRPC: Feces lol that word is so funny always makes me laugh. Well I have spent many years in the shit having worked down in sewers for many years installing pumps so poo is a medium I feel I have an affinity to. I love the rich textures and deep browns, blacks and reds in shit. When I know I am going to create some art, I always make sure the night before to load up on max strenght Senokot so i get maximum poo per push. My disgestive tract is super efficient and can produce as you well know in excess of 4 lbs of shit at a time, most of it absolutely goping stinking putrid as well. I particulary like a good deep rancid death-type stink in my shit as it inspires me more to great creations. I once created a masterpiece of shit art in a empty office block. I went to the very top inside the open staircase which was a 20-story building and hung my arse over the top bannister and took a huge shit into open air. The spray of shit and corn fell the 100 feet in a few seconds and on impact with the linoleum floor sprayed up and out like a little cluster bomb… it was sweet. The patterns on the wall downstairs were quite a delight. No pictures as this was pre-mobile phone about 1989. My shit inclinations become stronger as i get older. I truly feel blessed with my gift.

TBM: Blech, this interview is over.

Well there you have it folks, straight from the mouth of the man, the digestive legend, the Sultan of Shit.

Tags: douche, jony, ltpaperclip, shit art, the real paperclip
Posted in Douches of the Month

Posted on Saturday, 16th May 2009 by Marty McFly

Well this tournament was an idea born of boredom and whim. After suggesting it to Reckless Bastard it was decided to postpone the date to commence on TBM’s 1 year anniversary, 10 May 2009. 16 participants were needed to create a bracket-style tournament. In came volunteers ready to throw away what dignity they had to secure a TBM t-shirt, $50 cash and the “prestige” of being new TBM Flame Champ. While initially receiving a slew of entrants, the volunteers stalled although we eventually managed to oversubscribe with 18 entries, which will undoubtedly create a nightmare for tournament officials entering round 2.

The matches were:

• JHC vs Mark2k8
• Reckless vs OD
• DivebombJ vs Rambo
• DAMINK vs Sick Fukken Gorefiend IRL
• The Prick vs Khaxzan
• SuperAwesomeIrishman vs Richyy
• Man’s Man Vs Uugghh
• Atheist vs Skia
• Marty vs Faggles McGee

Now how they individually panned out:

JHC vs Mark2k8

Jesus was a class act last year as his picture flames were awesome and his all-around game is good, tight and fun to watch.  I had never seen Mark28k in a flame comp before and he was great to see. He did not back up or back down and went right at Jesus. It was even pegging and then Jesus inexplicably stopped posting. A couple of brutal posts later it was all over. Jesus earned some balance back with a late picture post and apologies for RL getting in the way.

Basically Mark earned his right to go forward and all the what ifs about if Jesus’ preparation and lack of his patented picture flame caused him to not measure up.

My Vote: Mark28K

Reckless vs OD

The cousins! I loved it when these two were matched. Some of the others I was not sure of but the number generator selected them to fight each other, which I took as a sign from God that it was meant to be.  It was pretty fun to watch them squabble. Mostly it was just light-hearted jostling with the occasional jibe at the other’s genitalia or sexual perversions and in truth as amusing as this, one must consider the source: these two openly promote sex with Donkeh and blowing transients for cash so…

OD’s reference of the Jew Nose and attack’s on RB’s unborn child were good and worthy blows. Reckless in turn making insults about OD’s wife and comic obsessions and throwing in Fantastic Four references was classic. The line “I fucking hate you” was hysterical and generated much lulz in the popcorn gallery. It was a lighthearted comedy with Reckless with slightly more aggression and slightly more humour. It was these one percenters which swayed my decision. A decision that I did not want to make or vote on pubically but that OD has jumped on regardless and denied me his vote in my own match in a sign of his deep butthurt. Oh well.

My Vote: Reckless Bastard

DivebombJ vs Rambo

This was by far the most even match this round and as someone else stated, Rambo did not deserve to lose. After three no-shows, Dive finally got his opponent and his opponent went straight at him. Dive in return fired back and they went at it. Sure, Rambo’s posts were long but the quality of them was top notch. Dive in return was able to deflect and fire back concise and witty comeback after comeback and Rambo’s momentum slowed. One is forced to speculate if Rambo would have won if he posted more. I think this was so close to the wire it may have made the difference. Excellent match and neither should be first round losers but one will go home empty handed too early.

My Vote: DivebombJ

DAMINK vs Sick Fukken Gorefiend IRL

This was not a match; it was very sad. One opponent desperately wanted to fight and the other simply did not. Damink successfully countered what I am not even sure was intended to be a flame and then sealed the “match,” as it were. However, in a shocking twist, Sick Fukken Gorefiend IRL gets to advance as Damink bowed out, worn down by the idle time he suffered waiting for an opponent.

My vote: Damink.

The Prick vs Khaxzan

This was an interesting battle. We had two people and three personalities fighting it out to advance. Khaxzan’s two miserable personalities were spamming up the thread taking it from page to page and the opponent was initially befuddled, not knowing which khaxzan to direct his flames toward. The flame quality was superb but the effect was neglible. The Prick rightfully kept it up and thoroughly covered all bases of insult and khaxzan in return had an absolute blast in doing whatever he wanted in the thread and talking to himself and ignoring and goading his opponent. However, in the end and realizing his dim prospects of achieving win, khaxan conceded the match.

My Vote: The Prick

SuperAwesomeIrishman vs Richyyy

Well the two started off VERY evenly matched with Richhy showing more aggression and Irish displaying more humour. Then, Richyyy started hitting Irish with critical blow after blow of nasty diatribes riddled with PI. It was NOT entertaining reading or humourous. Irish in turn flattered and floundered and found little to defend against Richyyy’s attack on Irish’s well-known photobucket fail at the hands of the SPM some months ago. Richyyy for his part sunk to newer depths in ways to kick Irish in the balls. Finally, towards the end of the match Irish decided to say “Fuck it I won’t be led by the nose or dominated” and fought back. It was good to see Irish regain his initial spark. Will the voters see it as enough?

I guess it comes to definitions. What is pwnig and what is flaming? I disagree with Richyy’s tactics and I think they ought not be employed. That said, he DID pwn and flame and, most importantly, dominate. Irish, given time, may have come back and squared the ledger but time ran out for him. This was one of three votes I seriously disliked giving, but in my opinion fair and honest.

My Vote: Richyyy

Man’s Man Vs Uugghh

I don’t know but I suspect that the invasion into the thread by Skia messed up these guys’ plan to dominate each other flamewise. I have seen biting commentary from both and was expecting…..something? I was expecting too much. The match was pretty bad. Skia and Richyyy’s posts aside, there was basically little between them. I don’t know how either will go next round but given their likely opponent I can see tears from whoever does advance.

My Vote: Man’s Man

Atheist vs Skia

Skia got a class opponent here and it was just bad luck who she got teamed up with. Any other opponent and perhaps Skia would have made a better show. Atheist had the comebacks and the brickbats and pretty much rolled over Skia. Skia showed evidence of a tough flamer’s attitude but was nailed but the ferocity of Atheist’s assault. Atheist retained his trademarked composed and arrogant persona that he has displayed since arriving at TBM. His retort of “Next [victim]?” before the match was even over is an example of the cocky attitude but really is it undeserved?

My Vote: Atheist

Marty vs Faggles McGee

Well this match was one I was personally involved in so I won’t go into it too much. I am TBM’s reigning Flame Champ and Faggles came in as a reserve and put on a great effort and did his best. It was on from the get go and quite often (as I leave my computer on at work) I would see Faggles online and there was always a new post to greet me and the chance to flame back. Though Faggles did say that I was always online the truth s that he was online a hell of a lot too and we both obviously enjoyed the contest.

I thought it best to vote for my opponent. Was actually surprised to have so many vote along the same lines. (Except for The Real Paperclip, which I expected). It looks as though my long storyflames and so on were not read/understood/appreciated and Faggles may well have knocked me out of this one. That is Ok. There are worse people to go down to and the first round was a lot of fun. I have enjoyed myself.

My Vote: Faggles McGee

The rest of the comp?

While voting is not conlcuded until Monday at 5pm (GMT), certainly DivebombJ, The Prick, The Atheist, Sick Fukken Gorefiend IRL and Mark will go through to next round.
The winner? In my opinion, the smart money is on The Atheist. I hope the rest of the rounds go smoothly and the pwns and flames are of a good quality.

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR CONTESTANTS FOR MAKING TOOLS OUT OF THEMSELVES AND VOTE AT THE END OF EACHROUND ON EACH MATCH.

Tags: flame tourney, recap, round one
Posted in Commentary, Flametown News

Posted on Wednesday, 6th May 2009 by reckless bastard

So you started a forum based on a topic you’re really interested in and you’ve been growing steadily. You may already have several moderators who helped you start the site or who you knew before creating your own forum. But now, your traffic has grown to a point where you and your initial core of moderators are having trouble keeping up with all of the new posts - it’s time to tap some new mods from the forum’s membership. Unfortunately, predicting if a good member will make a good moderator is not as easy as it seems but if you follow a few simple tips, your odds of choosing the right member for the job increases dramatically.

Tip 1: Choose a Longtime Member

This tip is obvious. There is no substitute for longevity to accurately gauge someone’s interest in the forum. Ideally, a member should be an active participant in the community for at least six months before becoming a mod. Longtime members have proven their interest in the website and will start from Day One with a keen understanding of the site’s culture, the other members, and any e-drama surrounding the forum. If a mod needs to first be “brought up to speed” with the way things are done, he will be highly ineffective and may even make decisions that are inconsistent with how you want things done.

Tip 2: Mods Should Not Care More About the Site than its Owner

This tip is probably the most important. As the site’s owner, you have the most interest in seeing it thrive and succeed. Now don’t get me wrong, your mods must be interested in the site but it is a recipe for disaster if they care too much. Members that take the forum too seriously will also tend to take their role as a mod too seriously. You have probably encountered overly-serious mods at one time or another and you know what a buzz kill they can be. Serious mods tend to go “Gestapo” and strictly enforce rules and ban any poster who “threatens harmony on the site” (which to them, often means disagreeing with them). Serious mods kill a site faster than even trolls and spammers can and will drive away members in droves. Ideal mods do just enough to keep the forum running smoothly without taking the site (or themselves) too seriously. This is one reason I never tap a member as a mod who has asked to be a mod.

Tip 3: Never Make an Emotional Member a Mod

Related to Tip 2, never offer a modship to a member who is easily agitated or emotional. If a member is known to react strongly to perceived insults from other members or becomes hurt when disagreed with, as a mod they may inappropriately abuse their mod powers to “get back” at members who they think insulted them. Emotional mods tend to make arbitrary decisions in the heat of the moment and play favorites with your members - both very bad things.

Tip 4: Never Tap a New Mod out of Desperation

As anyone who has participated in a forum for any length of time knows, trolls, spammers and “raids” can and will find their way to your board. You need to have a plan and consistent policy to deal with these “invaders.” Often, killing with kindness is the best strategy and you will find that many would-be trolls may stay and even become positive contributors to your community. However, sometimes after an effective raid, site owners panic and believe that they need to beef up security by tapping a new slew of mods to deal with future threats. This reaction is usually a mistake.

Tapping a new mod is a serious decision. They will become part of the official face of the forum and anything they say and do will be attributed to the site and to you. You must only tap a mod that you know would be a good fit for your board, not because you panic and feel as if you need more protection from the Internet’s bad boys.

Tip 5: Be Upfront with New Mods about how you Expect the Forum to be Run

It’s your site so what you say goes. However, your mods aren’t mind readers and can’t be expected to run the site your way without direction. It’s usually a mistake to tell a potential mod, “If you accept a modship, you can pretty much do things as you see fit.”

You have to be clear with what being a mod means. If you run a relaxed forum and only want them to delete spam or illegal content, tell them that up front. If you run a tight ship and you want them to ban people for poor punctuation, make that clear. While a member may turn down an offer to become a mod because of your expectations, that’s not a bad thing. They would be a bad fit anyway. There is nothing worse than tapping a new mod only to realize after the fact that you don’t see eye to eye. Overruling one of your mod’s decisions can be disasterous for morale and make your mods afraid to do anything. Be clear up front about your expectations to avoid this pitfall.

Tip 6: Ensure that New Mods will Respect your Privacy Policy

An obvious piece of advice. If a member has ever done anything that suggests he would abuse or disclose personal information about users he gleans from the mod control panel, you must not tap him as a mod, period. Again, make sure any potential mod understands and agrees to follow your privacy policy before handing him the reins.

Tip 7: Consider a Member’s Enemies before Modship

It is generally a poor idea to make a Member that is hated by a portion (or all!) of your membership into a mod. The Member may be a perfectly nice person but if he doesn’t have the respect of a substantial portion of the board, he will constantly be accused of favoring or unequally enforcing rules with every decision that he makes. This is probably not worth the hassle to you as members will often complain to the site’s owner about perceived inequity.

Tip 8: Don’t Give New Mods too Much, too Fast

While it may be tempting to immediately give a new mod the full powers and privileges of modship, you may want to consider carefully whether they should have a “trial period” first. Usually, this tip only comes into play if you give your mods admin rights or FTP access to your server. While generally I believe that only the owner or one trusted admin should be given such full access, if you do give your mods this level of control, it is not unreasonable to require new mods to “get their sea legs” before giving them the keys to the castle.

Tip 9: Intervene when Necessary and Only when Necessary

If you have fully vetted a member and explained your site’s philosophy to them before tapping them as a mod, you can probably avoid a situation where they go “off the reservation.” However, sometimes one of your mods will make a decision that leaves you with little choice but to overrule it. In these instances, it is important to explain your concerns to the mod privately and ask them to reverse their action. Never overrule one of your mods publicly and even then only intervene when absolutely necessary. Keeping your mods happy is as important as keeping your members happy.

Tip 10: Stick to Your Guns

Even if you carefully select your mods, you may eventually find that one of them is not - and never will be - a good fit for your forum. If you have already discussed with the mod privately when you disagreed with his decisions and things haven’t changed, you have little choice but to de-mod him. This is especially hard to do when the mod in question is a longtime member of the board and a person you consider a friend.

If you have to de-mod someone, do it first without warning them and do not reverse your decision - stick to your guns. Unfortunately, some people tend to react strongly when de-modded and will sabatoge the site through the mod control panel out of revenge. Always follow up with the person and explain to them that it wasn’t personal and that you value their contributions to the site and hope they will continue to participate on the board as a member. Then, always give them the opportunity to announce to the board that they are voluntarily stepping down so that they can “save face” with the community.

Tags: choose, members, moderators, tips
Posted in Commentary