The Tone and Mood of a Forum

[doenut]

I have been reading with interest the threads relating to creating, operating and using forums. There seems to be a lot of people on here who have vast forum operating experiance.



I joined another forum about 18 months ago. At the time the general mood was happy, congenial and people were polite and respectful. There was a steady core of members who left their daily deposits on the site and there was a real sense of community which operated on the basic principle of respect. Over the last 6 months the tone and mood of the forum has changed to one of fear of posting, critcism and intolerance. The change didn't happen over night but there was a slow slide.



A couple of questions:



Have you seen this sort of thing before on other forums?

Who really sets the mood and tone of a forum?

Do the moderators have a role to play here or should they be hands off?

What can be done to lift and change it? Can a forum really go back to what it once was?



Would appreciate your insights.

 

[Cranos]

Have you seen this sort of thing before on other forums?

Yes I've seen forums that eventually died because of it too.



Who really sets the mood and tone of a forum?

all the members that pop in regularly/daily. It really only takes one person to start a flame war and if the staff doesn't deal with it more people will become involved. That eventually sets the tone for a hostile environment, because people who hate all the arguments just leave and the others continue doing it.



Do the moderators have a role to play here or should they be hands off?

As I said before, moderators shouldn't have allowed the arguments to escalate that much. Now the only thing they can do is clean up the bad posts and try to make sure people stop fighting by imposing new, stricter rules they actually enforce.



What can be done to lift and change it? Can a forum really go back to what it once was?

As I said, cleaning up the forum and enforcing the rules correctly. Other than that you might be forced to ban some of the worst players. Normally the mood should change then, although it'll take some time. Also, I doubt it can go back to the exact state before everything went bad, but at least the mood will be better.

 

[Jazzy]

I have been reading with interest the threads relating to creating, operating and using forums. There seems to be a lot of people on here who have vast forum operating experiance.



I joined another forum about 18 months ago. At the time the general mood was happy, congenial and people were polite and respectful. There was a steady core of members who left their daily deposits on the site and there was a real sense of community which operated on the basic principle of respect. Over the last 6 months the tone and mood of the forum has changed to one of fear of posting, critcism and intolerance. The change didn't happen over night but there was a slow slide.



A couple of questions:



Have you seen this sort of thing before on other forums?

Who really sets the mood and tone of a forum?

Do the moderators have a role to play here or should they be hands off?

What can be done to lift and change it? Can a forum really go back to what it once was?



Would appreciate your insights.

Here to address your questions:



1. Yes. I have experienced this on other forums.

2. The members along with the staff sets the mood and tone of a forum. Both groups have to work together to accomplish this.

3. The moderators have a role to play and should never abuse their role. Moderators are first and foremost just regular members who members feel comfortable with and they should always remain neutral and if they can't, they need to step down.

4. When a forum becomes a place where members experience a of fear of posting, critcism and intolerance, IMO, that forum is doomed.

 

[Cinnamon]

I have been reading with interest the threads relating to creating, operating and using forums. There seems to be a lot of people on here who have vast forum operating experiance.



I joined another forum about 18 months ago. At the time the general mood was happy, congenial and people were polite and respectful. There was a steady core of members who left their daily deposits on the site and there was a real sense of community which operated on the basic principle of respect. Over the last 6 months the tone and mood of the forum has changed to one of fear of posting, critcism and intolerance. The change didn't happen over night but there was a slow slide.



A couple of questions:



Have you seen this sort of thing before on other forums?

Who really sets the mood and tone of a forum?

Do the moderators have a role to play here or should they be hands off?

What can be done to lift and change it? Can a forum really go back to what it once was?



Would appreciate your insights.

Yes, I've seen that from board to board, but not all of them. I've been an on again, off again multi-board poster since 2001. I'm a board hopper too since I get bored easily. I post mostly for the humor, entertainment and information. I like boards that have a wide variety of posters who are fun and respectful of opposing opinions. There's a lot to be learned that way. Angry posters and trolls are a turn off.



As for the mood, I think it's a combination of all of the members and how they interact.



Moderators certainly have a role and it's a thankless job, I know. However, I've been on boards where mod's get some kind of control freak power mindset and that's usually the death of a board.



To answer your last question - I've never given it any thought. Usually once I move on, I'm gone. There are so many boards out there and online entertainment time is really limited.



Again, welcome!