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I'm coming on this forum and moderating all posts for a good few weeks, and running searches on old posts. I'm noticing things, and some are being reported to me, that concerns me forum-wise.
The aim with this place is to be really helpful. No matter what the Original Poster (OP) has come here for, we need to respect the fact they took time to register, fill in all their details, find how to post a thread, and post it.
Rather than having lots of notices floating around the place, I thought I'd write some considerations down for you guys to get used to so that when I come over here, you're already sorted and I don't need to do anything.
(I wish!! haha)
Taking Threads Off Topic - Reallllllyyyy quickly!
I'm noticing that members are treating threads as if they are social media posts. And people are replying randomly to each other, rather than keeping it on-topic for the Original Poster (OP) / Thread-Starter.
Please consider when you reply, whether you're replying to the OP which is what you should be doing. Or whether you're actually quoting another member and just replying to them, then they reply to you, and you reply to them, and before we know it the OP has been left out, and you've gone off on one on your own.
Keep threads on-topic. Make your own thread if you want to waffle about a subject, the more threads the better!
You can click the "Reply" button in any post, and when it takes you to the reply box, rather than clicking reply there, copy the content of the post with the QUOTE code around it. Then go to a whole new thread of your own, and paste it into there. Give the thread a title suitable to what your new found discussion is about, and take your own waffling to your own thread. Then leave the OP to continue their efforts in trying to get some advice to their actual problem.
The OP is the author of the thread. All replies are to them. Please get used to that. The forum isn't Social Media. We don't just keep adding our own random comments, because they're slightly on topic. It's like Chinese whispers - they end up 3 pages long, nothing to do with the OP's first post.
So that's that one covered.
The second one is Providing Responses to People Asking About Gas and Boilers
Whilst I respect the fact that it's illegal to be messing with boilers, or gas, when it comes to UK regulations we have in place. We're not now a UK forum. We're not hosted in the UK. Our domain isn't UK. We just have a hell of a lot (13 years worth) of UK content. But we will now start seeing members from other countries. Where their Gas Regulations are not the same as ours.
So sharp witty un-thought-out replies aren't warranted, in these posts, or any others really.
If you do HAVE to reply to a person in saying 'please get a qualified gas engineer in on this one' then please be polite about it. They might actually one day use our directory that we will have soon on here. And we can forward them to that area. We even have 'Post a Job' forums on Tilers and Electricians. And if we're getting so many people ask about their boiler, and then realise they need a professional because it's law, we can link them to that area of the forum where lads on here get the business in from them.
Here is the Tilers Directory - here is the Tilers Post A Job Forum
Here is the Electricians Directory - here is the Electricians Post a Job Forums
Just so you have some visualisation of what it's going to be like here in a few weeks time.
Which brings me onto the next subject.
Gas Safe Register
I'm sick of linking to this site. Which keeps changing over the years. We have pages linking to their old pages, and they don't update them, so over time I have to keep changing the post content when I get notified of broken links.
Not only that, it seems to be the Go-To answer to questions. And we are here ourselves to answer questions. So you're welcome to screen print their page (if you screen print, then just click paste into a post, it will automatically upload and add it for you where you click) and include it amongst some actual content. But I'm blocking linking to the GSR website now. - I clocked a post earlier linking to their email address. What are we, their receptionists? - I don't think so.
Please just create your own content here. Rather than keep copying and linking to just one website all the time. We have tools on the forum now to create some really helpful pages of our own.
So no more links to GSR, email addresses of GSR, or phone numbers of GSR.
The response to people who can't touch gas, for now, is 'find a local qualified plumber' if that is all needed.
It will soon be 'find a qualified plumber on our forum' - Which is my way of paying it forward to you guys for posting here.
Another Subject: Don't Take Grudges To Other Threads
The forum isn't social media. It's a forum. If you disagree with a person in one post, don't look who it is posting it, look at their content. Ignore the username. Disagree with them, professionally, in that one post.
When you go to another thread, pretend every person in that thread is new to you. Assume (pretend?) they're not the same person and treat them with a fresh view.
I can click dislike on somebody's post in one post. And they will message me thinking I've got a problem with them. And I haven't. I often never remember doing it. I wont carry a grudge around the forum. So you try not too. I will click like on a dozen of their other posts in a dozen other threads. There's no need to get your back up about a post on the internet on some website about bloody plumbing of all things. It's not like we're discussing your will with your family or something actually important at the end of the day.
So try to do that, see how you get on.
Trying to make the place lovely again. Get some good staff on board with the existing lads who are doing awesome. I'd like to have a female on the team too. I want one on each forum that can join Lou in helping with moderating and whatnot. It's a massive issue in the industry that needs addressing. In fact new people male or female are lacking coming into the trades. That's for another thread. But if you clock a female plumber and gas engineer on here, try to not put them off with smarmy remarks. Be professional. They may one day have the ban button! (I jokes - I don't want wave that around anymore). That brings me onto the next subject.
Banning Members
We don't want to do this anymore. There's an option to delete your account. When I find trolls now, I stick them in a 'Baby Monitor' group that blocks them from using the forum messaging system, blocks them from using the likes system, and sticks all their posts in a moderation queue, which I wont spend too much time on while I'm busy. So it slows down their content. We delete their useless flaming and swearing posts (usually get those for a day or two) and they tend to calm down.
After then, when they troll, I'll PM them personally, have a word, and ask them to calm down.
After that, if they still troll, I ask them to delete their account themselves if they can't stick to the rules. I explain professionally why. If it is just they're costing moderation time, and that actually they're sound and their advice is good, it's a shame. But I'd ask them to leave. If they don't we go round again.
Just because you have 20000 posts, or whatever (not aiming at anybody here) it doesn't mean you have the right to make other members feel smaller than you. They're not. Everybody is the same to me. Doesn't matter who you are. Whether you've subscribed or not. Won competitions or not (happened on tilers). Who you have in your Whatsapp Groups (possibly staff) or even if you're staff (has also happened recently).
The rules apply to you all. We don't want to ban anybody. We don't want to lose anybody. But equally, we don't want to spend time wasting it on people who probably need professional help off the forum. A friend in life. A wife. A dog. A holiday. Whatever. But they for sure need to get off the forum and other social media sites, it doesn't do them any good being a troll on a forum.
So - If you're still happy to be a member,
Hello, I'm Dan. Your new Admin.
If you've got to here and you know you have an ulterior motive and are here financially, or you're here to sway members somehow to some way of thinking, or you know you're a troll and you're not going to change, then please please do us all a favour and click the delete account button here: https://www.plumbersforums.net/account/delete
Nobody will know. We don't say anything to anybody. We'll just part ways.
If you're still here, and here to stay. Thank you. Thanks for being a member here. For however long you've been one. And thanks for staying and following the rules.
I'll update this helpful page (no rules, just guides) as I see fit.
All the best.
The aim with this place is to be really helpful. No matter what the Original Poster (OP) has come here for, we need to respect the fact they took time to register, fill in all their details, find how to post a thread, and post it.
Rather than having lots of notices floating around the place, I thought I'd write some considerations down for you guys to get used to so that when I come over here, you're already sorted and I don't need to do anything.
(I wish!! haha)Taking Threads Off Topic - Reallllllyyyy quickly!
I'm noticing that members are treating threads as if they are social media posts. And people are replying randomly to each other, rather than keeping it on-topic for the Original Poster (OP) / Thread-Starter.
Please consider when you reply, whether you're replying to the OP which is what you should be doing. Or whether you're actually quoting another member and just replying to them, then they reply to you, and you reply to them, and before we know it the OP has been left out, and you've gone off on one on your own.
Keep threads on-topic. Make your own thread if you want to waffle about a subject, the more threads the better!
You can click the "Reply" button in any post, and when it takes you to the reply box, rather than clicking reply there, copy the content of the post with the QUOTE code around it. Then go to a whole new thread of your own, and paste it into there. Give the thread a title suitable to what your new found discussion is about, and take your own waffling to your own thread. Then leave the OP to continue their efforts in trying to get some advice to their actual problem.
The OP is the author of the thread. All replies are to them. Please get used to that. The forum isn't Social Media. We don't just keep adding our own random comments, because they're slightly on topic. It's like Chinese whispers - they end up 3 pages long, nothing to do with the OP's first post.
So that's that one covered.
The second one is Providing Responses to People Asking About Gas and Boilers
Whilst I respect the fact that it's illegal to be messing with boilers, or gas, when it comes to UK regulations we have in place. We're not now a UK forum. We're not hosted in the UK. Our domain isn't UK. We just have a hell of a lot (13 years worth) of UK content. But we will now start seeing members from other countries. Where their Gas Regulations are not the same as ours.
So sharp witty un-thought-out replies aren't warranted, in these posts, or any others really.
If you do HAVE to reply to a person in saying 'please get a qualified gas engineer in on this one' then please be polite about it. They might actually one day use our directory that we will have soon on here. And we can forward them to that area. We even have 'Post a Job' forums on Tilers and Electricians. And if we're getting so many people ask about their boiler, and then realise they need a professional because it's law, we can link them to that area of the forum where lads on here get the business in from them.
Here is the Tilers Directory - here is the Tilers Post A Job Forum
Here is the Electricians Directory - here is the Electricians Post a Job Forums
Just so you have some visualisation of what it's going to be like here in a few weeks time.
Which brings me onto the next subject.
Gas Safe Register
I'm sick of linking to this site. Which keeps changing over the years. We have pages linking to their old pages, and they don't update them, so over time I have to keep changing the post content when I get notified of broken links.
Not only that, it seems to be the Go-To answer to questions. And we are here ourselves to answer questions. So you're welcome to screen print their page (if you screen print, then just click paste into a post, it will automatically upload and add it for you where you click) and include it amongst some actual content. But I'm blocking linking to the GSR website now. - I clocked a post earlier linking to their email address. What are we, their receptionists? - I don't think so.
Please just create your own content here. Rather than keep copying and linking to just one website all the time. We have tools on the forum now to create some really helpful pages of our own.
So no more links to GSR, email addresses of GSR, or phone numbers of GSR.
The response to people who can't touch gas, for now, is 'find a local qualified plumber' if that is all needed.
It will soon be 'find a qualified plumber on our forum' - Which is my way of paying it forward to you guys for posting here.
Another Subject: Don't Take Grudges To Other Threads
The forum isn't social media. It's a forum. If you disagree with a person in one post, don't look who it is posting it, look at their content. Ignore the username. Disagree with them, professionally, in that one post.
When you go to another thread, pretend every person in that thread is new to you. Assume (pretend?) they're not the same person and treat them with a fresh view.
I can click dislike on somebody's post in one post. And they will message me thinking I've got a problem with them. And I haven't. I often never remember doing it. I wont carry a grudge around the forum. So you try not too. I will click like on a dozen of their other posts in a dozen other threads. There's no need to get your back up about a post on the internet on some website about bloody plumbing of all things. It's not like we're discussing your will with your family or something actually important at the end of the day.
So try to do that, see how you get on.
Trying to make the place lovely again. Get some good staff on board with the existing lads who are doing awesome. I'd like to have a female on the team too. I want one on each forum that can join Lou in helping with moderating and whatnot. It's a massive issue in the industry that needs addressing. In fact new people male or female are lacking coming into the trades. That's for another thread. But if you clock a female plumber and gas engineer on here, try to not put them off with smarmy remarks. Be professional. They may one day have the ban button! (I jokes - I don't want wave that around anymore). That brings me onto the next subject.
Banning Members
We don't want to do this anymore. There's an option to delete your account. When I find trolls now, I stick them in a 'Baby Monitor' group that blocks them from using the forum messaging system, blocks them from using the likes system, and sticks all their posts in a moderation queue, which I wont spend too much time on while I'm busy. So it slows down their content. We delete their useless flaming and swearing posts (usually get those for a day or two) and they tend to calm down.
After then, when they troll, I'll PM them personally, have a word, and ask them to calm down.
After that, if they still troll, I ask them to delete their account themselves if they can't stick to the rules. I explain professionally why. If it is just they're costing moderation time, and that actually they're sound and their advice is good, it's a shame. But I'd ask them to leave. If they don't we go round again.
Just because you have 20000 posts, or whatever (not aiming at anybody here) it doesn't mean you have the right to make other members feel smaller than you. They're not. Everybody is the same to me. Doesn't matter who you are. Whether you've subscribed or not. Won competitions or not (happened on tilers). Who you have in your Whatsapp Groups (possibly staff) or even if you're staff (has also happened recently).
The rules apply to you all. We don't want to ban anybody. We don't want to lose anybody. But equally, we don't want to spend time wasting it on people who probably need professional help off the forum. A friend in life. A wife. A dog. A holiday. Whatever. But they for sure need to get off the forum and other social media sites, it doesn't do them any good being a troll on a forum.
So - If you're still happy to be a member,
Hello, I'm Dan. Your new Admin.
If you've got to here and you know you have an ulterior motive and are here financially, or you're here to sway members somehow to some way of thinking, or you know you're a troll and you're not going to change, then please please do us all a favour and click the delete account button here: https://www.plumbersforums.net/account/delete
Nobody will know. We don't say anything to anybody. We'll just part ways.
If you're still here, and here to stay. Thank you. Thanks for being a member here. For however long you've been one. And thanks for staying and following the rules.
I'll update this helpful page (no rules, just guides) as I see fit.
All the best.
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