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I have a story to tell. So, I run a community and there is this other community on the same subject. The owner of it posts a spam thread on my forums, acting like he isn’t affiliated with the site. This post is removed.
Before I saw this post, the person e-mailed me and asked for my advice in developing his forums. I answered and did what I could for him. And, after that, I saw that a moderator of mine had removed the post he made.
After a period of time goes by, he e-mails me again, asking for my advice. Once again, I helped him, but I also mentioned that you don’t want to spam forums, especially in such a devious way.
In response to this, he acted as though his community being spammed on other ones was something that has happened before because he allowed someone in his office access to his account to “promote” his site. That person had been dealt with, he said.
That’s fine and dandy, but I reminded him that whatever happens under his account, he will ultimately be held responsible for.
A couple months later, what happens? Someone from his group with an e-mail at his domain made 25 junk posts so that s/he could use our private message system. And then that person sent approximately 50 different members the same PM. Any guess as to what they contained? Worse yet, it was signed by the same guy, even though the username didn’t match his name.
I deleted most of the PMs before anyone had viewed them.
Four days before this PM spamming, he had again e-mailed me asking for assistance and I had, again, kindly assisted.
At this point, I took a look at the site and noticed they had ripped our forum descriptions. I once again told him what happened, gave him the details and then I didn’t hear from him again.
Until recently when he e-mailed to ask if he could buy a paid advertisement. That wasn’t going to happen. I took another look at his site and saw that, while it appeared the descriptions had now changed, they had now stolen our rank images! These are unique and were created specifically for me.
I informed him of this. And I haven’t heard back. But, he has now marked his forums as private. Ha. Marking your forums as invisible is not an answer to copyright infringement. The files are still on your server! I plan to file a DMCA notice soon.
Anyway, how much can one guy do? Some people don’t get it. Not everyone is cut out to manage forums or manage people. Maybe he’s listening to some really bad advice. None of these things are particularly unheard of, if you manage forums, though it’s rare when they all come together in a great synergy for one person or one site.
Sometimes, we can learn a ton, not just from the people we want to be like – but the people we don’t.
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Hey Patrick
I think the behaviour of this individual comes down to a combination of two factors: desperation and inexperience.
Typically, many who start new communities don’t have a clue how to successfully develop them. They will take a look at communities they are familiar with, and wish they had the same success.
Before long, a little lightbulb will illuminate above their heads as they realise they have a well targeted audience in that successful, established community. Because they don’t know how to legitimately market their site, they pursue the underhand methods you mention.
Of course, it’s unacceptable and they wouldn’t appreciate the same thing happening to them. Unfortunately though, the chances are they just don’t have a clue how to make a success of their site without attempting to poach members from other online communities.
- Martin Reed
Hey Martin,
Thanks for the comment. I agree that, some people, can reform and learn from their mistakes. But, not all.
At some point, it also comes down to who are as people. I’ve never really done any of these things. And I’d never do them, regardless of my desperation. And, knowing you, I’m sure you could say the same for yourself.
I think there is another important factor, in addition to experience and desperation. It is who we are as people and how we treat other people with respect. Receiving an e-mail from me politely requesting that our rank images be removed, ignoring it and, instead, marking your forums invisible is not what a respectable person does.
While there are people who can learn from their mistakes, apologize and improve – there are also people out there who just will never get it because of who they are as a human being.
Patrick
Wow! That’s really horrible. You are right some people never learn. After you were nice to him and such… that’s pretty ridiculous. I think it goes beyond desperation and inexperience..
-Kevin