How to deal with conflict on the forum

The odd conflict here and there is bound to happen on this forum. There are people of all ages, from all walks of life, dealing with different caring situations on here, so a difference in views is inevitable. Sometimes it can even make for healthy and interesting debate. We should also remember that some people on the forum are in incredibly stressful situations day in day out. Keeping in mind that everyone has bad days, and perhaps taking a step back from the situation to cool off, usually means these conflicts resolve themselves. If things do get out of hand we have rules and moderators to help deal with it.

However, there may be someone on the forum who you really don’t get along with or who simply annoys you, and this may be causing repeated or on-going conflict, or spoiling your enjoyment of the forum. In these situations we recommend you make use of the following tools:

1. Hide their posts
This is the online forum’s version of avoiding someone! If you click on a member’s profile and click Add Foe, you will not see posts made by this person. If you do choose to use the Foe button to avoid conflict please do this discreetly and do not discuss its use on individual members publicly on the forum. You are encouraged to contact a member of the admin or moderating team if you do want to raise any issues involving another member.

2. Block their PMs
A member will still be able to send you PMs even if you have made them a ‘Foe’. To prevent a member from sending you PMs, first make them a Foe, following the step above. Then:

  • Go to the User Control Panel
  • Click the Private Messages tab
  • Click Rules, Folders and Settings from the menu on the right-hand side
  • In the Add New Rule box, choose Sender and click Next
  • Select Is Foe and click Next
  • Select Delete Message
    Now if you make a member a foe, any PMs they send you will be deleted.

NOTE: If a member sends you a PM that breaks the rules or makes you uncomfortable, please let a moderator or staff member know. Please keep a copy of the PM for mods or staff to see, which will allow us to take appropriate action. For more info on PM rules, please see viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20526

3. Turn off the PM function altogether

  • Go to the User Control Panel
  • Click the Board Preferences tab
  • Click Edit Global Settings from the menu on the right-hand side
  • Select ‘No’ for the ‘Allow users to send you private messages’ option

4. Don’t allow members to email you

  • Go to the User Control Panel
  • Click the Board Preferences tab
  • Click Edit Global Settings from the menu on the right-hand side
  • Click Select ‘No’ for the ‘Users can contact me by email’ option

If you need help with any of these steps, please PM a moderator or email a staff member

Hi there, we are aware that the instructions in this post relate to the previous version of the forum. We will keep this pinned as a reminder to update it, thanks for your patience.