How to handle errant author postings

So this afternoon we had a new author posting a number of times, some of which were in places where promotional postings are not allowed.
One, funnily enough, was in Spam fighters, in this post. There were several posts in Hobnob as well, which while in the right group were not all on topic of the thread.

Spotting the post in Spam fighters, I posted a message pointing them to the Ts&Cs. I had a reply, thanking me for the advice (which was nice, that doesn't usually happen) and what I thought they should do about the threads posted in the wrong place. I suggested edit them, or add a reply apologising for the post in the wrong place. Message back went like this:

Thanks. I'm done with this site for now- just received so many rude messages. When I tried to post a thanks for the guidance of the right places to post and apology, the site has now blocked me from replying at all. I am just an individual trying to figure out how to interact with this community, and there is no clear guide on the site- we rely on folks like you to point me in the right direction. I guess it is an insular culture for regulars only, who enjoy being mean to others. How is a new person supposed to engage? If you want to share this feedback you are welcome to- maybe the site does not want to grow, but if it does, this experience was a big turn off. I made a mistake, got it, happy to own up to that, apologize/delete/correct it. Can't do that because of the flags and attacks. Thank you for the actually helpful info, Helen. Goodreads, KBoards, Riffle etc. have more respectful, friendly communities- hope LT moves in that direction.
Robin

Now I assume that the failure to be able to post was due to the user having hit a new user post limit, not being flagged? It doesn't appear to have been blocked, so I am working on that assumption, but don;t know for sure.

I have not made a conscious effort to find and read all the replies they have received to their posts, I can only find 2 and I don't consider either to be overly rude. Slightly sarcastic, perhaps, but that's as far as I'd go. But I've got used to it round here. There are only my comments visible on their wall, so unless there were other, private comments posted, I am left thinking this is thin skin not the site actually being massively rude and confrontational.

I suppose I just wanted to share and wonder are we, as a forum, approaching this the right way? Is there anything else we or the site could or should try and do? You can't legislate for people not reading things, and it's been a while since I joined, is there anything in the sign-on process that could alert authors to the Ts&Cs more overtly? Without bending over backwards to tend each delicate flower, that would be too much.

>1 Helenliz: I think she may have meant that her advertisements being flagged was rude. I'd say that posting such a thing in Spam Fighters might not have been the wisest choice. You're being very generous and kind.

I'd also point out that the very things she finds welcoming on places like goodreads are the very things I don't like about it.

I think a reasonable place for a new person to start to engage is by reading the Terms of Service.

I also don't think it unreasonable to expect a person to actually read the topics she choses to post in. Failure to do so is really quite rude in my opinion.

I suspect that there is an automatic stop when a new member has multiple posts flagged.

Her profile is still up.

In my regular Spam patrol, I've taken to giving new members who are authors a quick post helping them to get acclimated. I've had mostly good responses and the offer of a free book ;)

And I've seen several posting correctly on Hobnob with Authors at my suggestion.

But most of them don't start by flooding lots of topics with their ads.

I have also gotten thanks and cleanups by new authors - often they have been able to delete before the topic has been totally flagged away. And all I post on their profiles are the links to ToS and About Authors.

There may be a correlation between that kind of behavior out of the gate and an undeserved sense of importance and an easily wounded ego. Probably not very thoughtful writers as well for those reasons.

There have also been a few who thought they were doing LT a favour by deigning to come and place their ads here. After all, as an author they are the most important ... Usually self-published.

>3 MarthaJeanne: It might be reasonable to expect all new users to read the Ts&Cs, but I bet it doesn't happen. I spend my life working on establishing and trying to design out causes of mis-use in medical products, because almost No One Ever Reads the Instructions. It's a tiny fraction who even unfold the leaflet. If they don't do it in something they're about to swallow, inject, shove up their nose, what makes you think they'll do it to an internet site? I don't believe it's going to happen, how ever much it might be desired. Human nature is a fabulous thing, and utterly annoying at the same time.

Failing to read the thread, not just the topic title, before posting, in that area I'm more in agreement with you. I wouldn't describe it as rude so much as foolish; it certainly makes the poster look somewhat stupid.

>4 2wonderY: Really? This is the first time I've posted to a new author and even had a reply. Good on those that have stepped up, I find that encouraging, that it does happen and they don't all vanish in a flounce of petticoats.

>2 Lyndatrue:: Thankyou for your kind comments on this and the other thread. I'm not going to throw brickbats at you. If flagging her posts is seen as rude, I hate to think how such a delicate flower would survive in LT. Maybe GR will welcome her and her ilk and all will be sweetness and light. That may have nothing to do with why I left GR after joining LT. Honest.

>8 Helenliz: Actually, I do read, well at least skim, the paper in new medications. They tend to be created by cut and paste from some very wordy standard brochure, and then printed in some ridiculously small font, but at least I can learn standard dosage, any special rules about taking them, and what side effects to be aware of. Oh, yes, and whether or not the doctor forgot that this is actually a form of penicillin, so I should NOT be taking it.

>8 Helenliz: Your previous working life was well-spent. *I* read each and every brochure in medications. I am dangerously allergic to far too many things, and I don't depend on the doctor, or the pharmacist, to understand every possibility (or to realize the relationships between things). I've handed back more than one thing after reading the information, pointing out to the pharmacist where and how it was bad.

I've actually given a very stern lecture to a pharmacy that was wanting to vaccinate me against Shingles. It'd be a death sentence. It may only be a fraction that read those things, but I'm really grateful that they are there.

Most of the folks in Spam Fighters are overly cautious when flagging. I think some of the discussions in "Is This Spam?" are proof of how carefully we consider things before flagging.

I think both Marthajeanne and 2wonderY post about the same thing in comments to new authors. I don't make those comments on walls; I just always hope someone else will. I do see very good reactions most of the time. Hobknob is filled with people who made a mistake or two, and quickly learned better.

Not everyone who flags posts reads the Spam Fighters group though. I suspect that most do not.