On this one forum that I am a member of, one of the moderators seems a little "oppressive." Meaning, he makes comments that can make new members not feel welcome. When I posted a question in the suggestion section, his reply was not very nice, to say the least. Maybe that is why the forum is not growing? Its very important for moderators and especially members not to appear as rude to new members. The more friendly the community appears, the more likely the members are to stay around.
I agree wholeheartedly, Kevin. When it comes to presenting yourself in a kind manner, it's especially important to do so when it comes to welcoming new members and/or accepting the suggestions that they may have to offer (regardless of whether or not you may agree with it/them).
Bad moderation in a forum is one way to kill it. The reputation of the staff is vital. It's why DP has a terrible reputation imho as staff is just weilding it's power and rarely is helpful.
I agree with everything that has been said so far. Moderators and members need to be welcoming and personable in order to contribute to the success and thriving of the community. If they aren't, the forum quickly becomes an undesirable place to frequent. Think DP and our biggest competitor and you will realize that a lot of people stay away, mostly because of the way those sites are managed. I have encountered so many communities that are not fun places to be. They do so many things wrongly. I use this experience to my advantage, by doing the opposite of what these forums do. This includes being open and welcoming to members, considering all feedback put forth, etc. And if an administrator isn't like that, they must be in it for the money or some other tangible benefit other than creating a successful community.
I know of a similar situation that confuses the hell out of me. A very large forum I used to post on is actually targeted at a younger audience. They have many, many rules which are highly enforced (by many active moderators around the clock). You will rarely see anything inappropriate there (all foul language is censored). However, one of their moderators, a quite popular one (notorious for this), is a complete [****][****][****][****][****][****][****]. He avoids word censors, breaks many rules, and just tries to act like a complete badass overall, making fun of many people in the section that he moderates. I never understood why they let him be like this.
They may feel as if he's unapproachable - or, in other words, would cause harm to the community if they were to contact him regarding his behavior.
I don't know...but I hate to be the party pooper, but there are a LOT of sites like this yet they have a HUGE audience, for example 4chan and other trolling forum ._. I know it's not a good example and such...but it's one. I dislike a site that I would get banned for being 'not funny' or for being 'too happy'...which has happened before.
Totally agree - i expect my mods to support the site, that means coming across as friendly and helpful. If one comes across as less than, they are quickly removed.
