Dealing with kids on a forum?

OCForums has without doubt been one of the most serious forums I've known to date. Apart from periods of ati vs. nvidia rampage runs in the video forum, things have always been kept down to a reasonable level, and threads to a certain level also quite serious or related to subject.

For the past 4 years, I've been visiting a forum created by and supporting the cycle sports game Cycling Manager - this season it will be dubbed Pro Cycling Manager - and by God, give me strength I've never seen a place more out of control.
If there is just one thread, with 5 posts "on subject" I'd give birth to an Albino Cow.

Apparently the reminaing serious moderators have left the forum with warp speed, as they couldn't control them, and I for one don't even want to become a moderator. Good Lord.

But how the heck can you gain control over such place, when the forum should remain open for all ages playing the game? For 4 years I've tried reasoning and pointing out that the moderator ought to be doing their jobs, locking down threads, deleting totally off-subject replies, personal attacks etc.. but it never happens.

So, do I yell "engage" and warp outta there or is there a way beyond reasoning? BFG? or maybe nuking the site from orbit? Of late I've really kicked in the rock and given the youngsters a "less" polite addressing, despite being totally against my nature... so how to salvage this place?

Cheers and regards,

Flixotide

Sometimes it is best to lead by example. Both as a member and as a mod.

I also think that the members will need and want to change. If they want to act stupid they are going to continue to. If someone knows that to stay at the forum they need to act better, they might. SOme people are at forums to act stupid. Some are there to learn and meet people and such. You should Pm or talk tosome of the members, tell them it is serious. Then, when some thread gets out of hand, say something. As 9mm said, lead by example.

I would just stop posting. I had an account at GameFAQs for a while, but it seemed like every time someone would post a question, one of the resident morons there would respond with some kind of mean, unhelpful comment. For example:

Thread Creator: I can't seem to get past Boss A. I've read the guides here and tried everything, but I just can't seem to do it. Can anyone give me any tips on beating this boss?

Random Poster: Maybe if you weren't such a retard you would be able to figure this out for yourself. Or maybe you could read the guides here and stop wasting all of our time. Bye, loser. By the way, if I was a moderator, I would ban you.

Oh wait, I'm giving them more credit than they deserve! A typical response by a random GameFAQs member would look more like this:

maybe u shud read the guides next tiem loser. if i was a mod i wud kick ur ***. newb

I called them random posters because pretty much all of the members there are jerks like that.

So my solution was to simply not post.

Radical said:

I would just stop posting. I had an account at GameFAQs for a while, but it seemed like every time someone would post a question, one of the resident morons there would respond with some kind of mean, unhelpful comment. For example:

Thread Creator: I can't seem to get past Boss A. I've read the guides here and tried everything, but I just can't seem to do it. Can anyone give me any tips on beating this boss?

Random Poster: Maybe if you weren't such a retard you would be able to figure this out for yourself. Or maybe you could read the guides here and stop wasting all of our time. Bye, loser. By the way, if I was a moderator, I would ban you.

Oh wait, I'm giving them more credit than they deserve! A typical response by a random GameFAQs member would look more like this:

maybe u shud read the guides next tiem loser. if i was a mod i wud kick ur ***. newb

I called them random posters because pretty much all of the members there are jerks like that.

So my solution was to simply not post.

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I have also had bad experiences on gameFAQs. I like to call it...Little Boy Land

I haven't contributed to thier forums in a couple years. I proly never will either.

krag said:

I have also had bad experiences on gameFAQs. I like to call it...Little Boy Land

I haven't contributed to thier forums in a couple years. I proly never will either.

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Hey when did you become a moderator krag? Congrats

If the place is that out of control, my only suggestion would be Martial Law. Ban the biggest offenders, lock out their IP ranges, and anybody to complain will be the next to go. Make it known that while it's good to have fun, it's not good to continously threadcrap and flame other users, and if such activities are partaken in, offenders will no longer be welcome.

Close and edit threads that are offensive or against the rules. Publically warn users that their threads are against the rules.

Mind you, take what I say w/ a grain of salt. I've been known to ban first and ask questions later.

Oni has a good point. Kill off the offenders. Bring out the biggest ban-hammer you can. After a bit of of struggle, those who survive will help the forums there grow and become what they should be.

krag said:

I have also had bad experiences on gameFAQs. I like to call it...Little Boy Land

Click to expand...

<off topic>
I hear thats where Michael Jackson lives....

________

I agree tho. kinda makes me want to pull a "jay and silent bob" and get a flight to their house and beat them down with a baseball bat (which the rightfully deserve).

Mostly tho unless everyone decides to crack down, one diamond in the rough wont save a lump of coal. I personally would leave

Oni said:

If the place is that out of control, my only suggestion would be Martial Law. Ban the biggest offenders, lock out their IP ranges, and anybody to complain will be the next to go. Make it known that while it's good to have fun, it's not good to continously threadcrap and flame other users, and if such activities are partaken in, offenders will no longer be welcome.

Close and edit threads that are offensive or against the rules. Publically warn users that their threads are against the rules.

Mind you, take what I say w/ a grain of salt. I've been known to ban first and ask questions later.

Click to expand...

I completely agree, any and all leading by example works if the people there are mature and willing to learn which they obviously are not so it doesn't work. Honestly I would do this ban, block ip range, and add their email address into a spam filter that deletes spam. Then if they have followers just ban them also and make a post everywhere about the rules that will from now on be enforced. Also if you dont want to do it give me an hour with those forums and I will whip it into shape

On the majority of forums I goto, the members have been rather mature, so I really have no experiene dealing with people as stupid as you apparently are

What I would do is offer to be a mod. Then just start locking off topic threads. Gets off topic? Lock.

One person Spamming? Ban.

No questions, no exceptions.

Find like minded individuals, and get them doing it to. Eventually, either the kiddies will have shaped up, or shipped out.

I also think "random fun" has its place, so I woul dhave a "Random fun" area on the board.

Radical said:

Hey when did you become a moderator krag? Congrats

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A couple days ago, I was really nervous my first day and I was flinchy and made quite a few mistakes. Actually still making them...heh! Wooops, sorry about that, you didnt' really wanna sell that vid card did you? Naw, SSS keeps me walking the straight & narrow. All of the mods have been a greart help!

Oni is right, a nice house cleaning would put that forum in order. Maybe we can rent them SSS??

From the above I'll drop the game developers behind the forum a notice, and if they refuse to act, I'll hit the warp button and simply not waste any more time there.

I just feel its quite pointless for a game developers firm to not act and keep a decent level in their forum. After all its where people go for support on their products, so it must hurt their product as such too.

Had I been a new buyer of one of their games, gone to the forums and seen the way the people there act, I'd most likely return the game and not bother solving any of my issues with it.

Cheers folks, and thanks for the coments,

Flix

Mate,

I bet your forum has nothing over OCAU's Current Affairs section
Absolute madhouse. And some of their members take great pride in bashing the US

I used to visit there for the occasional debate on cricket, but things started getting outta control. So I quit.

hehe, when did this become a what forums are out of control thread?

Excellent input into this thread, hehe

I agree with Flix 1000%. This is one of the very few fourms I like let alone can even stand because of all the nonsense usually posted by the semi-illiterate potty-mouthed 12 year olds everywhere else. I'm a huge fan of the SEGA ESPN games, go over to their forums and look for a few threads. Most of them concern disc read errors on the PS2 or people who "cheese" (exploit glitches in the AI), but every single one of them degenerate into a string of 4-letter words, somebody's sexuality, somebody's mother etc...... I can't even tolerate searching through the garbage for legit stuff.

Also keep in mind that wherever you go in life, let alone the net, there are going to be a few turds in even the greenest grass.

Oni said:

If the place is that out of control, my only suggestion would be Martial Law. Ban the biggest offenders, lock out their IP ranges, and anybody to complain will be the next to go. Make it known that while it's good to have fun, it's not good to continously threadcrap and flame other users, and if such activities are partaken in, offenders will no longer be welcome.

Close and edit threads that are offensive or against the rules. Publically warn users that their threads are against the rules.

Mind you, take what I say w/ a grain of salt. I've been known to ban first and ask questions later.

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i hope im not in the IP range youre going to ban!

i agree with this but lets not be too harsh (sp?). i don't like the people who do these things but i dont think we have to bash them all up.
every time you see a pack seek out the leader(s) and if they go down the followers will understand what will happen to them and hopefully stop. and if not its time to get serious.
*chants in a wisper: not my ip. not my ip...*

I am the only day to day Monitor of a Sport Forum, it tends to be populated with 14-16 year olds, who all think they are the center of the universe, most of which coming from the same province and think all other Provinces are not worth mentioning,

I rule with an iron fist, 4 or 5 members have been there longer then I, the rest seem to come in 2 year waves. I delete posts quickly, no explanation, edit peoples posts quickly. and use a word filter that makes the user of words being filtered look silly.

I often get threads started only to flame me, I allow them for a short while since all of the bad behaviour gets dedicated to that thread for a few hours, then I deleted it.

in a forum heavily populated with kids, 24 hour bans, and a moderator for each sub forums is needed. with out structure it will go to hell, with out a doubt

woah...i would just nuke the forum (sports not this) for a couple of days stating that behavior has to get better or else.

Empowering a potty mouth or a bad attitude with a response is the goal of every person instigating. Being a fisherman, I can see the bait most the time.

An analogy:
Without ingredients there is no flavor in the soup. There maybe a lot of stirring but no base. The flavorless mix, leaves no desire for mixing in more ingredients.
Silence sometimes is the greatest tool against a foul temper.
~Michael~