# trolling/flaming - general warning - please read



## MikeH (Jan 29, 2018)

Good afternoon all

The volume of posts that could be classified as trolling and/or flaming has been on the rise over the past few months and it's now at a level where I feel I need to issue a warning to all members of the forum to refrain from this type of posting

The moderators (of which I am one) assess all the reported posts and decide whether or not we need to take action in the form of issuing warnings, infractions or even bans and while we would feel there is an element of some posts being banter that have been misconstrued and this is set against the usual 'winter syndrome' where so many of us are understandably frustrated by poor weather and a lack of golf (which often leads to a rise in ill tempered forum interaction, the trend is going in the wrong direction.

The number of posts reporting this type of behaviour to the moderators has increased in the last couple of months not just from forum members who feel they are the subject of the trolling/flaming and general insults but also from other forumers who have felt the need to highlight posts to the moderators that they feel overstep the mark and verge on, or are basically, online bullying. As editor of Golf Monthly and the person who is ultimately responsible for the website I can't allow that to continue unchecked.

The result is that going forwards, forumers who indulge in trolling and flaming can expect immediate infractions rather than friendly warnings and temporary or even permanent bans rather than infractions if the moderators feel a period on the sidelines is needed.

Please don't let it come to that but those who seek to disrupt the forum community be assured you will not be allowed to get away with it any longer

thanks
Mike


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