Ah yes, adult webmaster message boards. Those of you who know your adult internet history know that YNOT was the first of the adult webmaster message boards. At least, if there was a webmaster board before YNOT, I am not aware of it. YNOT founder Rick Muenyong envisioned YNOT as a place where professional adult webmasters with a strong sense of business ethics could gather, network, lend each other support, and grow the industry together. The YNOT message board has been an industry positive since the beginning of this industry.YNOT has evolved since its beginnings. Our webmaster services now consist of much more than a webmaster message board, but our message board is still alive, kicking, and helping webmasters network and communicate. And of course there are seemingly countless other webmaster message boards in existence today. So many boards to choose from, what’s a webmaster to do?

Our industry’s webmaster message boards definitely serve a purpose, and that purpose can be quite valuable at given times. But like so many things in this world, in the hands of the wrong people message boards can be obnoxious, annoying, a liability, a waste of time, and just a plain old negative experience for webmasters. With that in mind, what follows is my list of the “Top 5 Most Obnoxious Webmaster Board Behaviors” for your personal consideration:

#5. Spam. Message board spam has gotten a lot better in recent years, which is why it ranks fifth on this list and not first. However, there are still some people who don’t seem to understand acceptable use of a webmaster message board. Webmasters use message boards to share industry news, to obtain knowledge about their trade, to foster relationships with other webmasters, and to just hang out a bit and chill. If you have a product to sell, try buying an advertisement, or use one of the many message boards, YNOT included, that allow “signatures” appended to each chat board post or reply that you make. And here’s a clue: Showing up on a message board that you seldom frequent and pretending that you just want honest opinions about your new website isn’t fooling anyone.

#4. Negative Attention Marketing. I don’t know of any other industry in which companies market themselves by purposefully drawing negative attention to their brands. People who market themselves by stirring up fake “drama” and constantly attacking others on a given board are exactly the kind of people with which I would prefer not to do business. We all have our bad days and say things that we later regret, but if you’re purposefully using negative attacks to market your wares then you are part of a serious industry problem. Please, grow up. And connected to this is the tendency some people have to build up their brand by knocking down someone else’s brand. That could include starting lies about a company, having one’s friends join in on a thread condemning a company to make it look like a bunch of random webmasters are speaking out, or any other activity basically designed to stir up shit rather than offer something constructive and useful.

#3. Loose Lips Syndrome. Message boards can be dangerous for people who don’t know when it’s a good time to shut up. For example, talking about how your company isn’t 2257 compliant yet is probably not the brightest idea – especially when you consider that it’s almost certain that the government’s “bad guys” who are targeting the adult industry with oppressive censorship campaigns are reading the boards. And be careful if you have a really good idea you hope to develop that you don’t blab about it before you have a chance to make it happen. Will others steal your ideas without so much as a “thank you” in return? You bet. So protect any information about your company that might be used against you.

#2. Spreading Misinformation. The problem of misinformation is most evident when legal issues are discussed, but by no means is misinformation a problem limited to the law. It’s important to remember that just about any adult can get an account on an industry message board, and just because someone knows how to post and sounds smart doesn’t mean his or her information is sound. Some people even purposefully post misinformation just to confuse other webmasters or muddy up an important issue. And for those of you who are posting legal information, keep in mind that a misstep in this area can lead someone to time in prison. Do you want to be responsible for that? Take everything you get from the message boards with a grain of salt, and think twice before you post something vitally important that you are claiming is fact.

#1. Public Customer Service Demands. Now we get to the top prize winner for obnoxious webmaster board behavior. Why do so many webmasters keep making public posts on message boards demanding a response from a company not affiliated with said message board, and then ripping the company when they do not reply? This quite literally makes me want to bang my head against the desk! Your favorite message board might be the world to you, but that doesn’t mean every company in the industry wants to hang out there all day long waiting for a webmaster to start demanding answers to questions. If you have an issue with a company, try taking it up with that company! Call them, email them, ICQ them, check their website – but don’t ask customer service questions on a message board and then get annoyed when the company doesn’t reply! If you are having an issue with a Microsoft software application, do you call Microsoft tech support or do you find the nearest message board not operated or affiliated with Microsoft and then demand answers from Microsoft there? Think about how many webmaster message boards exist, and how many posts are made each day. Additionally, professional companies are not going to be very eager to handle their customer service issues out in a public forum. So please, for the love of Jesus, stop making customer service demands on message boards that aren’t intended for that purpose!

End rant.