Hey All:

I hang out mostly in the UBB.X forum so I hope I am not duplicating a question that has been recently asked.

I have a user on my board who acts as if he is the administrator or a moderator. To make matters worse, he uses a screen name that implies he might be someone of authority. And he always has to get the last word in. Even if a user posts a question and it is suitably answered, he'll still respond. This turns me off and I've had a couple of comments from other saying the same. I'm a sure many others are thinking it.

I know who he is in "real life" and know that he probably doesn't have a whole lot more going on in his life so I don't want to me rude to him. And his posts many times are useful, though wordy and overbearing.

Anyone have any ideas how to reign him in? I feat that some might be sick enough of him to not return to my board. I have tried a few gentle nudges before and they have seemed to help for a while but after a few days, it's back to the 'ole tricks.

Thanks.

Harris

http://nonsportupdate.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x

Just my two cents, but for starters, I would strongly suggest you contact him about changing his screen name to something less misleading.

As for the rest of it, I can understand your unwillingness to alienate the guy, but you also have to consider the good of the rest of your community.

If you've contacted him previously about his "getting in the last word" type posts, then I'd suggest a "final" warning. Make it clear that if he continues, you will have no choice but to remove his membership status.

Removing a member is always an unfortunate thing to have to do, but members who repeatedly ignore your "suggestions" are rarely worth what they actually contribute to a forum.

I've had to do this myself, but to my surprise, it *increased* the activity on my board. Apparently, the person involved was making many members uncomfortable and they were quite relieved when he was gone.

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Bill
Disabilities Bulletin Board

H-toser, how is it going now?

I agree w/ sysweb, btw. At the very least you have the right to ask him to change his username. Sounds trite, but do whatever you need to do to make your community the type of place you want it to be. "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood . . ."

Hi Kimberly:

Thanks for the input. I haven't done anything just yet. I was kind of waiting to see if I'd get some more input here and also, to talk to one of my forum's moderators. If he had his wish, the user would simply be booted off but I don't feel that he has done anything overtly wrong. In fact, in my mind, that's what makes it so hard. If he blatantly misrepresented himself or did something else in violation of good conduct, I would have no trouble kicking him off. But he is honestly trying to be nice and I'm sure he thinks he is doing the community a service.

Thanks also Bill for sharing your thoughts/experience. If anyone else has thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

Harris

http://nonsportupdate.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x

I've dealt with many people like this on my UBB and also on the community I run for AOL.

The use of a screen name to imply he has some authority, that he doesn't have, is grounds for banning in my book. You must understand that impersonation is a form of social deviancy and is usually the first stage of escalation. (They'll keep testing the waters and the more they're able to get away with, the more and more they'll escalate their undesirable behavior.)

I'd use the confusion around the name as the "excuse" to revoke his posting privileges immediately until he changes the name. You can then also say you have been getting complaints about some of his posts and that your patience is wearing thin. If he is sane he'll get the hint. If not, you'll find out by his response and you can ban him in good conscience.

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Steve
Moderator - UBB™Central's Advanced UBB.classic™ Forum

BowlingFans.com™ | BowlingCommunity.com™
Sorry, I won't answer support questions by e-mail, PM, or IM.

I agree with Steven. Keep it nice and concise and polite, and I'm sure everything will work out.