If you’re ever in need of some interesting reading, just ask me for the keys to my inbox. You’d certainly want to grab a bag of popcorn and a soda because once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop.

The emails that community managers receive from members run the gamut. They can be comical, threatening, pathetic, sad, sometimes refreshing but more often than not, downright disturbing.

I ran across Smiley, in the comments section of this post written by Martin Reed, author of the blog Community Spark.

Smiley shared an e-mail he’d received from a user that was so familiar to me I couldn’t help but laugh. Here it is:

“You are making more ******* rules tom than the marie celeste did when it sunk which is exactly what you will do …i hate to tell you that i have around 300 isps and can change and am on as we talk on this message ..so whats your ******* point ….you are so insecure cause you no that you are not and never will be good enough for holly ..your hollys parents will be horrified by the looks of you a neo nazi punk skinhead with pink walllpaper ,looking like a raving poofta ….in your picture ….as i say its no point banning cause we are all doing what i do anyway is change isp at a flick so let your forum run down and holly will go running to a man in london she used to see and still is ..”

Geez! What this tells me is that Smiley is managing his community well. But see what we’re up against? I still can’t wrap my arms around the mindset of a person who lives to destroy an online community. I find it mind boggling.

So, after i finished laughing at Smiley’s plight I checked my BlackBerry and found my own little gem.

Here it is:

Hello Angela,
I want to discuss the reason why I was banned? I got banned because I copied what _____ said to me? She made a public life threat on your site, and I get banned for it?
I suggest you ban ______, or you might want to start looking for a new job.

Talk about being direct! I will look into this person’s claim, of course but wow…I might lose my job for banning someone, who for the record , I didn’t even ban.

I’d like to read some of your e-mails. So if you’re up for it, post one (or more) in the comments area below, and let’s have a good chuckle.

We all know that in this business, a sense of humor is a must!

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