Disclaimer: I’m not sure if this comment should be posted or not. On the one hand, my post is argumentative, it quotes problematic things, and it takes the bait instead of ignoring bait. On the other hand, Boaz’s post brings up some common sentiments which come up frequently and may be worth addressing instead of ignoring. When these things come up people may be angry, but they don’t seem to have harmful intent, and their feelings probably shouldn’t be ignored.
So… if this shouldn’t be here, please let me know and I’ll remove it. It seems like the most common sentiments should be addressed somehow though, even if not by me.
Oh. I guess I should leave.
…
More seriously though, I could write a dissertation on the negative effects this type of attitude has, not just on internet forums but society in general… but on to more focused matters instead:
Although this takes things a bit far, I do think there is a valid point in here. The rude/report button goes a long way toward reducing bad behavior, but sometimes it’s not enough. Sometimes it’s important to also say something about why a post is problematic. Especially if the comment’s core message happens frequently.
… which is why I’m responding to this instead of clicking the button.
Sometimes a private message is a good way to do that. Sometimes something more visible is needed though, because the direct recipient isn’t the only one who needs to see the message. Something more visible can make the difference in whether new members join the forum, whether old members leave, or whether a troll feels safe posting something rude later.
Granted, it’s very difficult to challenge a troubling post in a way which doesn’t make things worse, so people should normally use the button instead. That’s kind of the point of it, to end fights before they start. And to move the handling of these things to someone who is both good at it and has the power to take action if necessary.
I think sb does a really good job striking a balance between too much intervention and too little intervention, between a police state and a troll haven.
Are you sure that fear is the healthiest way to encourage good behavior? Surely, there are other motivations which could work? Research has shown that the carrot is usually more effective than the stick.
This is a common complaint lately, all over the internet. But it seems like people may just be upset that a lot of the internet is becoming a legitimately nice place where bad behavior isn’t tolerated any more, where people aren’t okay with rudeness or sexism or slurs or meanness in general. People all over are generally just preferring to be nice and get along and try to make everyone feel welcome. It’s not about censorship or being pansies. People can handle the bad behavior; it’s just that they are rejecting the idea that poor behavior is cool or desirable.
Political slogans, just like politics in general, are counterproductive to the forum’s health.
It’s bad enough when people put strong political or religious opinions into their signatures; please don’t make it part of the post itself.
Irony intentional?
One thing I’ve tried very hard to do when I’m around is to make sure new members’ voices can be important too, not just old members. Sure, maybe some people show up with no clue and say things which are misguided, but other new people show up with really good ideas which breathe life into the forum. I don’t think it’s beneficial to ignore people until their post count is big enough to graduate from the kiddie table. At minimum, new members are good at seeing what is in the older members’ blind spots.
For example, two people who showed up and started making valuable contributions almost immediately are pepinfaxera and zeroflow. I’d hate to think how things would be if people like this felt too unwelcome or too invisible to participate.
Me too, honestly. And I’m more guilty than most. In such a “man’s forum” though, it’s kind of a requirement for a girl to have a, um, how shall we put it… a healthy self-image… in order to even participate in such a place without pretending to be a guy.
And that’s an issue I hope we can change.
Install the “Stylus” extension. Put this into it as a new theme:
http://toykeeper.net/torches/css/limit-quote-depth.css.export
Suddenly, no more quoted-quoted-quoted quotes.
Also feel free to edit it to change the maximum quote depth.