Community Policies - The Admin
01-15-2009, 10:37 PM
In general, I don't like forum moderation. I don't like having to delete posts or ban users, and as far as I'm concerned the editing of post content is just not on the table for 99.9% of cases.
However, just as a nod to community-building and the need for some semblance of order, I can't let this place turn into a free-for-all. With that in mind, here's a list of somewhat formalized policies.
I. Open Discussion and Post Content. In any of the on-topic open discussion forums, logic and factual accuracy will always take precedence over presentation or attitude. Keep this in mind before you go in there with some half-baked Bro-theory and then get defensive because someone calls you out.
The primary guideline here is that I won't ever moderate factually-correct posts in the open discussion forums simply on the grounds that they offend someone. Further, arguing dishonestly is itself grounds for being flamed.
Don't PM the staff if this happens. You've been warned.
II. Don't be a Jerkass. The open discussion policy is not an excuse to be a dick just because it's technically allowed. You can debate with civility, and I expect you to do this unless it's obvious the person in question is being obtuse.
With that theme in mind, lay off the personal attacks. Again, while I won't necessarily moderate purely on those grounds, it's a pretty low blow if your own argument stands up to scrutiny. It's one thing to say "you're a moron because of [X argument]". It's another thing entirely to go off on a diatribe about the person's life/family/etc.
As much as I hate censorship, that sort of thing doesn't contribute and I do reserve the right to remove that kind of material. Debate, disagreement, and argument are fine and encouraged. Just remember that there are limits.
III. No-Flame Zones. I've created a handful of forums where flaming/trolling is off-limits; like it or not, some people just aren't comfortable with the idea that they could be flamed.
If you go trolling in the no-flame zones, you're going to lose access to those areas. You're free to say/do pretty much whatever you want in most places; asking you to not be a jerkass in a few spots isn't excessively oppressive.
If you don't like what goes on in those areas, just stay out of them.
IV. Abuse and Non-contributing Activity. This is a catch-all term for anyone not actively contributing to the community.
Spammers and lame/unfunny trolls are the obvious offenders; these guys are booted on sight. Additionally, I reserve the right to publicly post any information that the forum or server obtains about your account.
Funny and original trolling may be tolerated. Just understand that funny is defined at my discretion. Posting a lot of irritating crap or otherwise being a rampant jerk that hasn't actually posted anything useful would qualify as a non-contributor.
At any rate, I reserve the right to ban, restrict, or otherwise alter the account of any non-contributing member.
V. NSFW Content. Because I don't want to deprive people of the right to safe browsing at work, and because we may have young 'uns lurking about, don't post Not Safe For Work content.
Rule of thumb: if you wouldn't want your boss to know you're looking at it, or your 15 year old daughter seeing it, don't post it.
If there's really a demand for it, I'll consider creating a usergroup for that sort of thing to keep the kiddies out; but really, there's plenty of porn forums out there for that kind of thing.
VI. Board Policies, Staff Actions, and Transparency. If you've paid attention, you see that a lot of these rules are vague and subjective; that's for good cause. It's hard to define things without saying "don't be a jerkass just to be a jerkass".
I want people to be welcome here, but at the same time I want to uphold some standards for information content - thus why I put a premium on quality of content.
I also don't want people to feel that this is some kind of dictatorship or what have you. It is in technical terms, but I want people to realize that I am open to suggestions with regards to board features, rules, and so on.
If you have an issue, a comment, an idea, or anything else, then either contact us via PM or make a thread in the Site Feedback forum - that's what it's for.
However, just as a nod to community-building and the need for some semblance of order, I can't let this place turn into a free-for-all. With that in mind, here's a list of somewhat formalized policies.
I. Open Discussion and Post Content. In any of the on-topic open discussion forums, logic and factual accuracy will always take precedence over presentation or attitude. Keep this in mind before you go in there with some half-baked Bro-theory and then get defensive because someone calls you out.
The primary guideline here is that I won't ever moderate factually-correct posts in the open discussion forums simply on the grounds that they offend someone. Further, arguing dishonestly is itself grounds for being flamed.
Don't PM the staff if this happens. You've been warned.
II. Don't be a Jerkass. The open discussion policy is not an excuse to be a dick just because it's technically allowed. You can debate with civility, and I expect you to do this unless it's obvious the person in question is being obtuse.
With that theme in mind, lay off the personal attacks. Again, while I won't necessarily moderate purely on those grounds, it's a pretty low blow if your own argument stands up to scrutiny. It's one thing to say "you're a moron because of [X argument]". It's another thing entirely to go off on a diatribe about the person's life/family/etc.
As much as I hate censorship, that sort of thing doesn't contribute and I do reserve the right to remove that kind of material. Debate, disagreement, and argument are fine and encouraged. Just remember that there are limits.
III. No-Flame Zones. I've created a handful of forums where flaming/trolling is off-limits; like it or not, some people just aren't comfortable with the idea that they could be flamed.
If you go trolling in the no-flame zones, you're going to lose access to those areas. You're free to say/do pretty much whatever you want in most places; asking you to not be a jerkass in a few spots isn't excessively oppressive.
If you don't like what goes on in those areas, just stay out of them.
IV. Abuse and Non-contributing Activity. This is a catch-all term for anyone not actively contributing to the community.
Spammers and lame/unfunny trolls are the obvious offenders; these guys are booted on sight. Additionally, I reserve the right to publicly post any information that the forum or server obtains about your account.
Funny and original trolling may be tolerated. Just understand that funny is defined at my discretion. Posting a lot of irritating crap or otherwise being a rampant jerk that hasn't actually posted anything useful would qualify as a non-contributor.
At any rate, I reserve the right to ban, restrict, or otherwise alter the account of any non-contributing member.
V. NSFW Content. Because I don't want to deprive people of the right to safe browsing at work, and because we may have young 'uns lurking about, don't post Not Safe For Work content.
Rule of thumb: if you wouldn't want your boss to know you're looking at it, or your 15 year old daughter seeing it, don't post it.
If there's really a demand for it, I'll consider creating a usergroup for that sort of thing to keep the kiddies out; but really, there's plenty of porn forums out there for that kind of thing.
VI. Board Policies, Staff Actions, and Transparency. If you've paid attention, you see that a lot of these rules are vague and subjective; that's for good cause. It's hard to define things without saying "don't be a jerkass just to be a jerkass".
I want people to be welcome here, but at the same time I want to uphold some standards for information content - thus why I put a premium on quality of content.
I also don't want people to feel that this is some kind of dictatorship or what have you. It is in technical terms, but I want people to realize that I am open to suggestions with regards to board features, rules, and so on.
If you have an issue, a comment, an idea, or anything else, then either contact us via PM or make a thread in the Site Feedback forum - that's what it's for.