Would you ban a popular member?

[Shawn Gossman]

Scenario: Let's say you have a member who posts a lot, is popular, and gets a lot of engagement on your forum. But they're a bully and they treat a lot of new people like complete and utter crap. You've asked them not to do it and they do it anyways.

Would you ban or discipline them in some way but risk losing tat popular engaging member?

What if banning them meant losing their buddies, too?

 

[AWS]

I will and have. The user was an admin too.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I will and have. The user was an admin too.

That's always a hard one.

I've done it...

On my big weather-related forum long ago, I had a member who was always nice, active and an admin. Someone joined and informed me the member was a registered sex offender. I confronted the member and asked if it was true. They said yes, but it was a case where she was 17, and he was over 18, and she got mad. I couldn't have known the truth either, or all I knew was that he was a registered offender. I banned him immediately. Lost a few staff members and members who were Team-Him, but I still don't regret my decisions.

He kept it hidden, to begin with. That, to me, was wrong.

 

[JoelR]

That's always a hard one.

I've done it...

On my big weather-related forum long ago, I had a member who was always nice, active and an admin. Someone joined and informed me the member was a registered sex offender. I confronted the member and asked if it was true. They said yes, but it was a case where she was 17, and he was over 18, and she got mad. I couldn't have known the truth either, or all I knew was that he was a registered offender. I banned him immediately. Lost a few staff members and members who were Team-Him, but I still don't regret my decisions.

He kept it hidden, to begin with. That, to me, was wrong.

Wait, why would you ban someone for being a registered sex member? What does that have to do with online participation in a weather forum?

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Wait, why would you ban someone for being a registered sex member? What does that have to do with online participation in a weather forum?

He is a sex offender. He had sex with a minor as an adult and was charged for it. There were minors on the forum. Why wouldn't you ban someone like that?

 

[Jason]

Well, you gotta do what you gotta do. Do you want to be seen as a weakling? I think the pros of what you did will outweigh the cons in the long run.

 

[Bawse]

I would ban any member. Popularity doesn't factor into my decision. If they don't follow rules, or scam any members. They will be gone.

 

[Mike30]

Each forum has their own rules and members should follow them. Been popular does not grant any rights to misbehave.