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If You Need to Say “If The Admins Think This is Spam, Please Delete,” DON’T POST IT
If you come into an online community and you feel the need to include something like “if the admins think this is spam, please delete” in a post, you should take this as an indication not to post whatever it is that you are about to post.
Here is what the message conveys: I don’t care to take the time to read the guidelines or ask to be sure, I don’t care if I’m pushing said guidelines and, finally, I don’t care if I take up the time of staff members by potentially making them remove this post. This isn’t exactly the good neighbor impression one might want to make.
What should you do instead? First, check the guidelines or rules for the community. They might be linked in the header or footer or made as a sticky thread in the forums. Generally speaking, if they exist, they probably aren’t too hard to find. Can’t find any? No problem. Most active online communities have someone in charge. Whether it be an administrator or moderator, ask them. Send a message to a moderator or administrator or use the contact form on the site.
This way, you won’t have to assume or guess, you are thought of as a thoughtful, caring person and you are treating the community and it’s staff with the appropriate level of respect. Everyone wins!
New blog post: If You Need to Say “If The Admins Think This is Spam, Please Delete,” DON’T POST IT http://bit.ly/Vd7gU
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
If You Need to Say “If The Admins Think This is Spam, Please Delete,” DON’T POST IT http://bit.ly/Vd7gU
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
If You Need to Say “If The Admins Think This is Spam, Please Delete,” DON’T POST IT
:
If you come into an onl.. http://bit.ly/Y7QCT
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
So, so true.
I recently had a person become a member and proceed to post the SAME exact post in 8 places on my forum. Each post included a discount code and a link to their website.
After a warning the poster was very apologetic, and has since posted a few contributing comments.
I never ceases to amaze me how inept some people can be about forum etiquette. It goes to show you, though, that some people just need a kind explanation, first…
As a community manager, I don’t ever like our community members to feel they have to “deserve” to be there. While there are many experienced forum users out there, there are just as many who aren’t as active or new to the scene.
The onus should fall upon the staff to differentiate between spam and someone not familiar with the guidelines of the forum. For lack of a better reference, the Bible mentions something along the lines of “it’s not the healthy who need a doctor” and the same attitude should be taken in community management.
I don’t believe anyone should be discouraged not to post, under any circumstance. Spam and advertising are a different story, but any member willing to contribute should be encouraged to do so.
Thanks for the comments, Jeremy and Mr. Straight.
Generally, Mr. Straight, I agree with what you said, from a management perspective. This post isn’t written from that perspective, but from the view point of a prospective or new member and how one should approach an online community (this is why it’s posted in the “How Should I Participate?” category). “If you think this is spam,” speaks directly to the spam and advertising that you mention in your message, as well, and those are the type of posts that are being referenced here.
i.e. I recommend a new member of any community to not post something they think is spam or advertising, unless they are sure it isn’t, because it can impact their reputation, etc. So, I think we’re on the same page, by and large. :)
Though, I do believe that people should be discouraged to post certain types of content. That’s a big part of what moderation is and the guidelines or terms of any community speak to: the discouragement of the posting of certain types of content.
Thanks again,
Patrick
Nice tip. Sometimes the simplest guide lines are the most important ones to follow.
Thanks Alex.