Handling difficult forum visitors?

[Commerce Brian]

I've certainly encountered a few "challenged and challenging" people across various websites.
 
But what I've most certainly learned as a forum admin is that you deal with it quickly and properly. You nip anything destructive in the bud.
 
On one of my forums I had someone approach me once, stating that they were being "stalked" by someone else - gave user names - and then nothing for a couple of months. Then I get a panicked e-mail about a new member who'd just posted - the name tallied.
 
I did some research and found that the pair had a sort of inter-forum war going on right across the internet - basically, these two would enter a community and rip it to shreds.
 
So I apologetically e-mailed the new member, informing that I had been made aware of a certain situation that I needed to investigate, and that their account would be suspended in the meanwhile.
 
That cut-off the threat of an inter-forum flame war.
 
But it really had me worried for a while. I had been perfectly accomodating before then - forum admins often are with newer forums - but that defined a certain hardening of policy towards members. For the most part, most got on fine enough - all I ever ask of my members is civility, in any of my forums.
 
Anyone else had some interesting members, though? And how did you deal with them?

[altyfc]

The only problem forum posters I encounter are spammers.  If they try to sneak in a semi-relevant advert, I (usually) let them off with a warning (first time around), assuming they catch me in a good mood.  If they spam with something that's totally irrelevant, they get a straight ban.  If they spam (relevant or not) multiple forums, they also get a straight ban.  If they question my moderating, they get a straight ban.  I don't suffer fools gladly.
 
Aaron

[becki]

Trolls are trolls and have no place in a moderated newsrgoup.

[Commerce Brian]

Absolutely right there, becki.
 
And listen to altyfc - don't suffer fools gladly - or at all - when moderating forums. Otherwise you get bitten.

[altyfc]

We're banning people on our travel forums on a pretty much daily basis now...
 
Aaron

[Suzanne]

The first rule of leadership is to never allow your leadership to be in doubt. Just thought I'd say that. Never run a forum, no patience.

[Commerce Brian]

We're banning people on our travel forums on a pretty much daily basis now...
 
Aaron

Sorry to hear it - but at least that must be a sign of achievement to some degree.

[altyfc]

That's true.  The glass is always half full for you, isn't it Brian?
 
Definitely the way to be...
 
Aaron

[becki]

I tried normal newsgroups on outlook express but there was always so much abuse and rubbish and insults. I like proper newsgroups like this because you know theres people looking out for the one who post.