My life as a community manager often throws up some interesting insight into people, and sadly more often than not what I see is the darker side of folk; people who think they are outside of the rules or who just don’t have any basic social skills or manners. But today, one such disgruntled member took an inventive and humorous approach to getting my attention.
Here’s the back story: I did delete one of his posts; it had been reported, I agreed that it was indecent, and I deleted it. It is not policy to contact each member once a post has been deleted, this would take an age. I also did overlook his private message, and as such, he took to our feedback forum and posted thus:
“Dear Admin,
When you first joined this forum things where great between us, we laughed, we joked, we frolicked together in cyberland without a care in the World. We teased you about your Blue Peter badge and your silly Christmas hat and you were there for us when we needed a shoulder to cry on. All the times you’ve changed peoples usernames, whilst smiling beguilingly, we knew you loved us.
Do you remember not long after you joined us, how you helped me?
A nasty man on here (I see you’ve allowed him to stay, do you smile at him too!) started phoning my clients from the testimonials on my website, you went right through the whole forum with me, holding my hand, whilst we deleted every last mention of my website, together! Now look, look what’s happened to us?? You delete my posts without explanation, you don’t answer my messages, you ignore me on open forum!! My heart sinks, to think of how we were, how we could be, is there anything left for us??
When I was 8 years old, Admin, I had a pet hamster called George. George was a lovely pet, cute, fluffy and loyal, we would cuddle together and I would pick the fleas off him and keep him nice and clean. One day after cleaning his cage out and feeding him peanuts as a little treat, I was tickling his belly, he liked that. George turned and bit my finger!! Well I can tell you, I was shocked but I didn’t hesitate, I knew exactly what to do, I smashed that rodents head against the wall and gave him to the neighbour’s cat!
After this I got a goldfish.
Please Admin, don’t be George.
Yours truly
Despondent Forumite.”
Oh how I laughed out loud! And duly responded:
“Hi Despondent Forumite
First of all, thank you for the kind letter – very amusing and brought several tears to both my eyes, not just the one which is usually predisposed to weeping at emotional or humorous moments, so well done you! Incidentally, I was being introduced to a new member of staff just at this moment, who now either thinks I am mental or that he made me cry for some reason.
Anyway, to get to the matter of deleting your post (and apologies for missing your PM, I was not deliberately ignoring you, I like you too well to do that [wink emoticon]). Your post was reported by another member who suggested that you were condoning and inciting illegal activity. I agreed with them, and so it was that it came to pass your comment was deleted. You were not singled out, I was not having a bad day, and I have not forgotten about all our good times together (and many more to come hopefully), but I did think the geezer had a point. So, sorry about that.
Hug?”
This prompted a closing response of:
“Hi,
Thank you, of all the ‘hall monitors’ you are by far my favourite and I will luv you forever and ever. Would you like a peanut??
[blow kiss emoticon]
It wasn’t the deleting of my post, sometimes my posts do fly a little close to the knuckle and if BCU didn’t like my post, that’s fine. But when you didn’t reply I thought you didn’t luv me anymore!!
[Mr Man-esque stretched arm hug emoticon]”
If only every disgruntled member could write like this and be so self aware, my community manager world would be a much prettier and funnier place to be.
Thanks, Despondent Forumite, you made my week! And yes, I would like a peanut.
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