HiTech, thanks for soliciting member opinions on your thread management thinking. Sorry for this rather lengthy response, but this is a tough topic.
I was a little confused reading the sequence of threads on this topic and finding them closed after a burst of activity. Hence this thread since the last one (#8 ) was closed.
Like most Americans, I think, I'm all for freedom of speech and freedom from censorship unless there is a clear threat to overall group welfare.
I've been surprised to find myself enjoying the Aces High bulletin board about as much as I enjoy the game, which is a lot.
There are some amazing posts here. The Aces High bulletin board has become one of the best places on the internet to find information about a ton of topics and to get quick and competent advice on many questions.
That's saying a lot for your foresight in creating the bulletin board and for the expertise of your staff and many of your members.
There are also some posts reflecting adversely on their originators. Generally speaking, people should have the opportunity to make an bellybutton of themselves as long as they do not threaten or harm others or adversely affect your business that allows them this venue.
Much of this problem stems from the relative safety and anonymity of personas which embolden some people to make comments they likely would not risk if using their real name and being face to face with their audience.
Putting myself in your shoes, I would be concerned primarily about any posts that could result in a lawsuit against Aces High, however frivolous, or otherwise adversely affect your company.
How to control that? I suppose it would be what I think you're already doing:
(1) Have fireproofing disclaimers in the Aces High membership and visitor legalese including bulletin board access.
(2) Have clear guidelines about what is acceptable posting and what is not.
(3) Have clear penalties, including disbarment from board and membership, if the guideline requirements are violated.
(4) Delegate bulletin board monitoring to your staff and give them authority to deal with transgressors.
I join others in expressing concern about the latter point since we would much rather your creative game work not be distracted or diluted by bulletin board monitoring.
If worse comes to worse, you could greatly reduce the main topic areas to strictly those dealing only with Aces High gameplay. Forums such as the Officers Club are unexpected luxuries anyway. If they become uncontrollable problems, eliminate those forums.
I wouldn't like that to happen, but you have a business and reputation to protect. If a few people are sabotaging that, you must do what is necessary to defend your creation.
One final point -- some people like to show how tough they are if ever given an opportunity to confront an authority, be it teacher or police officer or celebrity, if they do not fear the expected consequence.
You're giving some of these people cheap shots at you by only closing threads or banning the transgressors temporarily.
If some people are that socially inept or aggressively disfunctional, don't play around with them giving them bragging rates for defying you or getting a thread closed.
Ban them from the game and the bulletin board. You don't need their $14.95 a month. Their conduct may be costing you several other memberships.
Fortunately the vast majority of Aces High members know how to conduct themselves. And some of the borderline cases are more mischievous than malicious -- they can't resist a challenge even when the consequences will be painful for them, like the people in the movie Jack(posterior).
It's like the risks of imposing the death sentence; sooner or later you might ban a few essentially innocent people along with others clearly deserving no further access to Aces High.
However, how much of this or more severe conduct can Aces High tolerate without eventually being adversely affected?
I obviously have no idea what you already do behind the scenes -- certainly it has been a lot to keep Aces High so successful. But the fact you found it necessary to start this sort of thread suggests you need to:
(1) increase squelching and banning of bulletin board or game disruptors, and
(2) if that doesn't produce the desired results, reduce bulletin board forums to only those dealing specifically with Aces High gameplay.
