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

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.

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…