We don't need anymore forum vigilantes...
Ravenkallen
Posts: 1,057
I have noticed a disturbing trend. We have a bunch of forum members masquerading around as moderators. They often explain the rules of the forum in a belligerent way and the end result is the forum new comer leaving the forum or sparking tensions. They do not want to be told off by someone who is their equal. I am not saying this only because i was a recipient of this abuse, i am saying this for the good of the forum and the company.....Let the moderators do their job. IF they are not complaining or taking action, you should talk to a moderator about it, DON'T get all preachy and start biting people's heads off. We must maintain civility if we are to succeed. We must be better than the rest. We can recommend for people to re-post, but we should refrain from swearing or being as equally rude as we say they are.............Soapbox := 0
Comments
I'm at the age where I don't believe the internet can be cleaned up so I don't care anymore not because I don't care but because there isn't much you can do about it. They will clean you up before you clean them up.
It is only through love that this world might change.
Also posting things in Completed Projects that are obviously not complete and do not provide the information described in the Sticky Thread is also annoying. I hope the moderators reject some of this junk...
It is the responsibility of all forum members to abide by the "rules" and to politely remind others of them when necessary. It's also the responsibility of all forum members to help others when they can. Sometimes people haven't read the "rules" and sometimes they've chosen to ignore them. A polite reminder is perfectly appropriate, whether among "equals" or not.
Here is a link to one of the related posts.
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?t=126233
The whole thing was no big deal; except the forums lost a user and Parallax may have lost a customer.
Regards,
Zappman
P.S. Thanks for all your hard work on the new forums, they are looking great.
-Phil
The new forum system has been an interesting project but I have received a lot of help from a few of our fellow forum members. They deserve recognition as well.
Now, about that next software upgrade....
It isn't a question of having the "nerve" to do something. It's a matter of these forums being somewhat like a family with people usually being polite and considerate, but some members having different opinions of just what that entails, sometime with conflicting opinions, sometimes strongly held. The elders' job in any family or whoever serves in that role is partly to balance all these different viewpoints and behaviors, to keep the family mostly together and mostly talking to each other, partly by doing as little as necessary other than observing what is done over time and trying to guide people into a "right" behavior.
If i may ask, Humanoido. What has you so angered towards the moderators?
Sometimes whimpering about an apparent slight is more annoying to rest of us than the original offense could possibly have been. 'Just saying...
-Phil
What I don't agree with is Phil, who thinks being rude is perfectly fine and you need thicker and thicker skin to contend with it. Now I know Phil is a good old man, I just don't agree with the "rude is ok" philosophy.
Just because another person has some good data or info to share does not give him or her a ticket to be mean. Should we all be rude and grow thick skin? We can, it's easy, but I think not. Approving wrong behavior was never an option.
I'm happy with the moderators - they do a great job at what they do within the confines of what was outlined earlier. Do they address the actual issue talked about, outside of those boundaries? No or rarely.
I've seen moderators posting within the same threads as insulting hecklers and they think nothing of it. So we have another issue, i.e. what Phil finds perfectly acceptable, other people will find rude. Clearly, Ravenkallen, you have addressed a very important issue.
-Phil
"Once the curtain is raised, the actor ceases to belong to himself. He belongs to his character, to his author, to his public. He must do the impossible to identify himself with the first, not to betray the second, and not to disappoint the third." Sarah Bernhardt
Route A) I would like to suggest a special school for "not nice" Forum offenders. Lasting two weeks, take the online study course, read it, pass the written exam, and the rehabilitated offender will be allowed back into the Forum. Fail the polite manners test and only posts in the Jail House Forum will be allowed.
There's one major consideration about being polite. It is not based on your background, education, religion, political party, gender, social status, sexual preference, color of your skin, nationality, or whether you were raised by wolves or not. Anyone can be polite. It's simple and an absolute.
Got those mean tendencies coming on? Stop in the name of politeness! Take a break. Deep breath. Sign up for our help Webinar sessions.
Route
Hope this signature will help ;-)
Cheers
Sorry for not speaking English? uh no.. It's an international world of many languages. In fact, if you speak a second language you are to be congratulated for your talent and ability. By example, I have much better understanding in the German Forums when I announce that I'm a student of German. I'm sure English speaking people can exhibit the same courtesy and friendship. Thank you for setting a good example.
As an English teacher, it is relatively easy to recognize ESL. Look for variances in tense, conjugations, plurals, gender and sentence structures. If it seems a bit unusual, it could be a second language communique. There is no shame in asking your friend if English is his or her second language. They will be honored that you are so thoughtful. Just remember to be polite. It sets a good example for everyone.
I don't personally think it is appropriate to be rude on the forums (or anywhere else) but people are who they are. You shouldn't judge a person on just a single post. As Computer Geek mentions a person may have just had a bad day or their message may have had multiple meanings and misinterpreted by others. It's better to look at the history of what they've posted to make a judgment about them. Also, there are a few who seem to come off as rude but are very helpful and contribute to the forums. Once you get used to them it doesn't even register and you end up expecting it from certain individuals. So, if there is someone you don't like just ignore them.
Adding a point system is something I'm not in favor of. On forums that implement that type of system I've seen tons of trite and crappy posts from people just to get the number of posts up. There may be some out there that work but I haven't seen one yet. If you are on the forum for a while you'll end up getting a good idea of who really contributes and also who you may not want to deal with as well.
Robert
I personally don't worry to much about offending others, then again i don't go around intentially trying to elicit conflict. My upbringing and my large family both have forced me to develop a thick skin and a razor sharp sarcastic wit. I do my best to keep it in check but sometimes if someone is going to pitch one right down the pipe, you've got to hit it out of the park
Hope to see you all around in the forums and I look forward to learning as much as I can here.