One time or another, you've probably used at least one internet forum in your time on the internet. Forums can be a great place to chat, as it's often easier to carry conversations online then in real life. However, they can also be a source of many flame wars, hateful attitudes, and hate -- all aspects of cyber-bullying. In fact, it has been reported that cyber-bullying had been experienced by more than half of America's teenagers.[1]
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Also, approximately a third of teens using the internet claim that they were victims to "a range of annoying and potentially menacing online activities." [2]
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Scary statistics? You should be glad to know there is a way to stop it. If you're struggling with other members at a forum and want to be a voice of reason and help cut down on all the hate on the internet, or you feel that you habitually mistreat other members and feel that you need help putting an end to it, you can try doing one thing - being nice yourself by learning how to behave on an internet forum.
Read the rules before you sign up. That way, you will know what is allowed and what is not.
Get to know the rules of a forum; especially before signing up. If you know the rules of a place, you can avoid some trouble with the moderators in the long-term. If you're finding it difficult to understand the rules, ask a Staff Member (typically those who have a rank that includes the word "Administrator" or "Moderator" in their rank). Forums almost always come with a means of Private Communication - usually called "Private Messaging" or "PM".
Be courteous and considerate of everybody. Consider that people have feelings, and that what you say to somebody can hurt that person. You should also be willing to lend a helping hand to anybody who needs help. If the forum you browse on has a welcome section, then be sure to welcome new users and guide them around the site as necessary.
Ignore trolling attempts and avoid trolling the trolls. Usually, it's not like that person is hurting anybody on purpose. Somebody speaks like a 12-year-old? Makes a lot of useless threads? Don't give them grief for it. It's not like they wronged you. You should especially not cyberbully an irritating member - not only is it plain hurtful, but please consider that it is becoming illegal to cyberbully in increasingly more states.
Give people the benefit of the doubt. Don't jump to conclusions; this is important to avoid unnecessary flame wars. Sometimes, people may accidentally say something in a more snarky fashion then they actually meant, or they may have misinterpreted something somebody else said and retaliated back.
Don't stir up drama. Seeing some drama at an Internet forum you go on may seem fun, but it leads to hurt feelings. Chances are, you'll also get banned, so it probably wouldn't be worth it anyway. If there's a drama event going on at a forum, don't join in. Make your efforts to defuse the drama instead.
Speak up for what you believe in if you meet a rude forum member. One source of regret on a forum is not making a post and speaking up in a situation when necessary. First, consider if what you feel the need to say will actually set things straight rather than just hurting them. Use calm confrontation as a first resort. Be sure that you aren't seen as acting like a jerk yourself. Also, if you pass off as a "mini-modder," people won't take too kindly to your message.
Think before you post. One thing to consider is if your post fits the topic of the thread? Or whether or not your post is appropriate for the forum? If you are not sure about it, don't post it. The saying, "no answer is better than a stupid answer" holds quite true on a lot of forums.
Stay on the topic. If what you want to post relates to a different topic, start a new thread.
Do not post the same thing again and again. A lot of forums regard this as spam.
Do not post merely for the sake of posting. Such behavior could be mistaken for trolling, which can get you banned from the forum.
Do not type in ALL CAPS. That is all block capitals in any part of your posts. As this is read as shouting. But this varies depending on the forum.Some forums also forbid bold or red text. Check with the forum rules.
Avoid bumping old threads. "Bumping" refers to replying to an old thread and is bad forum etiquette because it pushes other forum threads down. In simple: if the discussion is over, the discussion is over.
Refrain from indicating that you were banned from a forum in the past. Some forums may actually ban you if you reveal that you were banned from another forum.
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