When Staff Members Reply, It’s Bigger Than Them
You will have members on your forums (sometimes crazy people) who will speak in a way that will frustrate you or a member of your staff. Whether it’s the way they express themselves or what they are saying, Maybe they’re just annoying, in some sort of way. However, they are still following your guidelines, so their posts remain and they must be treated with respect.
What I try to always keep in mind (and what I tell my staff members to keep in mind) is that when I reply to someone, I’m not just replying to them – I’m showing our members how to reply to them. As the administrator, or as a staff member, I must set an example for members to follow. So, even though I think BeeBooBop23 may be the biggest idiot on two feet, I’m not going to allow that to cause me to speak to him in a manner that could be perceived by members as disrespectful.
Why? Because my responsibility and the community are bigger. They are bigger than this moment, bigger than BeeBooBop23 and bigger than me. As a leader, or as a staff member, you must always consider how you words will be perceived and whether or not you are setting a suitable example that your members can follow.
Participation constitutes agreement to our User Guidelines. I want to keep the environment work-friendly. Please no advertising (posting links to your site or any site you are affiliated with, unless it was requested, even if you feel it is related), inflammatory or disrespectful remarks (including personal attacks of fellow commenters) or profanity.
If you are not sure if a comment would be appropriate, have a product to pitch or are wondering why a comment was deleted, please contact me directly. I'm happy to help, and I appreciate you keeping all of this in mind. Thank you for reading and commenting.