Cyrus12
Well-known member
Nunya":2nwginzh said:I have been involved with internet forums for over 20 years. There are a few things that are fairly consistent with EVERY forum....whether it be Sports, Games, or Politics.
1. They need money and people to run them. Servers to handle the traffic, anti-hacking tools, repairs after hacks (and there will be hacks), hosting costs, website design.....they all cost time and/or money. The more active the site, the more money needed. Many forum users do not donate...but may over time. Example: I normally do not donate right away. I give it time to see how much the forum feels like "home". If I feel comfortable where I think i will spend a lot of time on the site, I will donate regularly. However, there are many who will never donate....and these people should not be shamed into donating. All that does is drive them away. "Begging for money" (not saying that is happening here) will turn people off and drive them away fairly quickly. In my opinion, the best method of passively aggressive method to request donations is to have a pinned thread at the top of each sub-forum titled "How to Donate"....and maybe have a visual bar at the top showing the target dollar amount needed to keep the forum open and the progress towards that target.
2. The forum atmosphere can be determined by the moderators. Moderating an opinion forum is like herding cats and is a thankless job. Too little moderating and the forum turns into a cesspool. Too much moderating and people feel censored. Not moderating equally (whether intentionally or not) with all members and the claim of "favoritism" is made. Moderators should have no reservations of removing posts or even a portion of a post if they believe the tone is too aggressive toward another member. Moderators must be willing to remain non-bias, be willing to commit a lot of their time, pretty much be willing to read almost every post....or be proactive to react to every complaint, and understand that people posting on an opinion forum are opinionated and may let emotions take over at times. Good moderators, in the numbers needed, are very hard to find.
3. People posting on opinion forums are often very opinionated themselves. That is why they are here. They often think they are right on everything and anybody that hold an opinion opposite as theirs are lacking in intelligence or critical thinking. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to get your point across. NEVER resort to making a member the topic. Stick to and address the topic itself. NEVER resort to name calling or Ad Hominem attacks. NEVER re-word what another member posts to show YOUR definition as to what they said. ALWAYS provide links or data to back up your stance (if possible). If you are posting opinion, show that it is opinion and do not try to present it as fact. Be respectful. All of these are easy to say....but often hard to do.
4. Those posters that many members seem to constantly argue with or "gang up on" are important to forums.....they create discussion. There is nothing worse than a forum where everybody agrees on everything. Don't attack them personally, address what they post. Nobody will stick around long if they feel they are the "whipping boy". Other, less active members, will not stick around long if the forum turns into a sniping range. Be respectful and try to be polite. In the words of Dalton: "Be nice....".
Sorry this is so long.
TLRD: In the end, the forum is what us members make it. Not the owners, not the moderators, but us members. If you act like you are in a cesspool, it will be a cesspool. Be courteous, be respectful, and most of all, "be nice..."....even if you think the person you are responding to has no clue on what they are talking about.
Good post! Wen it's nice to see you asking members for input on the direction of the forum. At the end of the day you own it and pay the bills to keep it afloat. I doubt you are doing this to get rich and have a passion for the forum and seahawks. I really dont see it as a sinking ship like some others do.
