[DISCUSSION] Forum Rules

[danp]

Please post your ideas for rules that need to be implemented and enforced on this forum.

As you all know we have always had a very hands-off policy on what people are allowed to post / say / do on this forum.

I'd like to know if you guys think this policy is too loose and if / what we should be doing differently.

I'll collect the ideas in this post and then after a few days we can take some votes on things.

Some possible ideas we should discuss:

1. Stricter rules for posts that are unnecessarily offensive / attack other users.
2. Possibility of a rule against profanity.
3. Adding some sort of rule about quote manipulation.

One thing we all have to keep in mind as we discuss this is that in my and others' experience too many rules will kill a forum. I think we need to come up with a short list of very important rules.

[exceltoexcel]

I think the forum is running well, we might have an incident or two here and there but for the most part I think we're all mature enough to stay civil.

We were all having some good fun ripping on each other, basically it was internet horseplay for the most part. However, I would suggest that if you are going to do that make sure you don't play with people who you know will get offended. Also the old saying has a lot of truth to it, it all fun and games until someone gets their eye poked out.

[danp]

Originally Posted by exceltoexcel

I think the forum is running well, we might have an incident or two here and there but for the most part I think we're all mature enough to stay civil.

We were all having some good fun ripping on each other, basically it was internet horseplay for the most part. However, I would suggest that if you are going to do that make sure you don't play with people who you know will get offended. Also the old saying has a lot of truth to it, it all fun and games until someone gets their eye poked out.

I think overall we're running very well also, but this week was a pretty bad week with people basically just being jerks to each other. If we keep going in this direction I can see a lot of people getting fed up and no longer wanting to take part in the forum

Joking around now and then is one thing, what I've seen happening goes beyond that I think.

At this point I'm not even proposing that we actually change anything. I just wanted to provide you guys (who really are the most active users of the forum who have shown a very strong interest in this organization) a place to civilly discuss where we are and where we want to go.

Perhaps we'll spend a few days discussing things and realize that nothing needs to be done, or perhaps we'll realize that some minor changes could do a lot of good.

[phillyd2]

I too thought that all has been going very well so far. However from what I read in the past few days "just use common sense" does not look like it will please some folks.

Better to just post the words that are not allowed to be posted as to avoid offending some members. Lets not just limit it to George Carlin's 7 Dirty Words. Lets start hearing from all what words they find offensive so the rest know what not to post.

May even want to post some rules on topics subjects as to make sure all feel welcome and well informed.

We also will need some kind of guidelines so that quotes are not modified in any way shape or form and only Mods are allowed to delete or modify posts.

Just to be sure, I suggest no Politics, Religion or Sexual posts or topics as these subjects are always a breeding ground for disagreement.

Lastly, I think a rule is needed so that we can not mention any other member unless in a positive light. This would allow all to feel welcome and validated.

The above rules should make PFOA a happy and safe place for all of our valued members and guests.

And yes, I'm serious. As has become clear we must all be considerate of the sensibilities of our fellow members so lets get on with it.

[The Drew]

My only suggestion is that in the event that moderation is needed, only the offensive post should be moderated (deleted) with a message from the moderator as to why. Other than that I think things are working well. But I do caution about restricting thought too much.

[ChamberedRound]

Originally Posted by danp

I think overall we're running very well also, but this week was a pretty bad week with people basically just being jerks to each other. If we keep going in this direction I can see a lot of people getting fed up and no longer wanting to take part in the forum

Joking around now and then is one thing, what I've seen happening goes beyond that I think.

At this point I'm not even proposing that we actually change anything. I just wanted to provide you guys (who really are the most active users of the forum who have shown a very strong interest in this organization) a place to civilly discuss where we are and where we want to go.

Perhaps we'll spend a few days discussing things and realize that nothing needs to be done, or perhaps we'll realize that some minor changes could do a lot of good.

Personally I like the mostly hands-off approach. I understand that there were a lot posts in the last week that people didn't like, but in those cases I think people should just get a thicker skin and move on. If someone's being a jerk, see it for what it is, call 'em on it, and move on.

As I've mentioned before, I do not think posts should be edited by moderators unless we're dealing with legal issues, spam, or the like. This is supposed to be a place where people can speak their minds, even if what they say is seen by offensive, rude, or cruel. IMHO, these situations typically resolve themselves in the long run, as people who act this way are generally not tolerated by most of the members.

To address the specific suggestions:

Originally Posted by danp

1. Stricter rules for posts that are unnecessarily offensive / attack other users.

See above on this one. In addition, don't forget that all users, not just mods, can give negative reputation to a user, or report users as well so that the mods can review on a case-by-case basis.

Originally Posted by danp

2. Possibility of a rule against profanity.

I think there's no reason for this. We're all adults here, and even those that may not be aren't going to see anything here they don't see every day in high school.

Originally Posted by danp

3. Adding some sort of rule about quote manipulation.

Now I do believe this one needs some discussion. I'm not sure if there's anything we can do with vBulletin to enforce this, but personally I can't STAND when someone modifies what I've posted. Add a few spaces for formatting, no problem. Bold some text, reword something, or make ANY change which could affect the intent or meaning of my words, and that to me is a problem.

[exceltoexcel]

I say just don't be a F#$%tard, and lets move on from this.

[The Drew]

Originally Posted by phillyd2

Just to be sure, I suggest no Politics, Religion or Sexual posts or topics as these subjects are always a breeding ground for disagreement.

Umm... we are a political forum... and this forum should not be limited to firearms only political debate, as there is much in the area of other civil rights that either directly or indirectly affects our gun rights.

And just because a certain post is a "breeding ground for disagreement" doesn't mean it should be taboo, I think that if someone cannot debate a certain subject in a rational and/or reasonable manner, than that offender should be given a Private warning by the moderators and if the behavior cannot be kept in control by the offender, said offender should be banned.

Banning topics of discussion is sort of like banning guns, take away the ability of the responsible ones because of a few bad apples. It doesn't make sense to me in regards to guns, so it doesn't make sense to me when it comes to debate in a forum either.

[ChamberedRound]

Originally Posted by The Drew

My only suggestion is that in the event that moderation is needed, only the offensive post should be moderated (deleted) with a message from the moderator as to why. Other than that I think things are working well. But I do caution about restricting thought too much.

I agree, and would go so far as to suggest that we NOT remove or edit the offensive post. If it gets so bad that we have to get involved, I suggest we keep the post up and unedited so that everyone knows what's going on, follow it with a post from one of the mods commenting, and lock the thread.

[phillyd2]

Originally Posted by exceltoexcel

I say just don't be a F#$%tard, and lets move on from this.

LOL, but I still know the words you are using. Sorry but using #$% does not remove the offensive nature