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Parallax forum etiquette to be increased with new rules — Parallax Forums

Parallax forum etiquette to be increased with new rules

Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,401
edited 2011-09-02 14:18 in General Discussion
Hey all,

Our internal forum team is going to be making some improvements to our forum management with the intent of keeping these a welcome and productive place. These forums are among the most productive I'm aware of and we want to keep that level of quality. I'm not exactly sure of the exact tactical plan, but here's the basic idea:

- new rules to be published
- general vibe should be positive as appropriate
- proper etiquette will be encouraged
- intent is to support our products (discussion about other products is welcome, but intent to lead our customers away is not appreciated)
- a Parallax moderator account will keep threads on topic and encourage following rules
- threads will be relocated where they belong
- environment will welcome newcomers so people are not afraid to post
- community forum moderators will help with the same rules

Keep in mind that most of this is already done, by you, and that we appreciate it. But occasionally we've got a few errant missiles here and there which we would like to safely land. Since we have so many skilled and helpful contributors we want to be able to back their support with the best environment possible.

We'll wait to hear from Bump with a plan, in about ten days (he gets some time off), but if you want to convey anything to the internal team you can do it in this thread. There's another thread about etiquette recently posted by a forum member which you may want to read.

Ken Gracey
«13

Comments

  • Roy ElthamRoy Eltham Posts: 3,000
    edited 2011-08-26 15:08
    I really like hearing this, because I have been turned off from time to time by some threads and or posters that I felt a little more moderation could have prevented.

    Glad you guys recognize that something needs to be done, and are doing it.

    Roy
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,401
    edited 2011-08-26 15:09
    Roy Eltham wrote: »
    I really like hearing this, because I have been turned off from time to time by some threads and or posters that I felt a little more moderation could have prevented.

    Glad you guys recognize that something needs to be done, and are doing it.

    Roy

    Yes, our team is finally worn out thinking about it and we're ready to act. Thank you for the support.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2011-08-26 15:50
    Good call, Ken. Honestly, this is the most civilized and upbeat forum I have ever seen. Personally, I've grown a thick skin and I don't mind the occasional "errant missile" from the panoply of personalities here. Even when I get rowdy myself, I've been impressed with the intelligent and supportive replies from the crowd. But from Parallax's perspective, I fully understand & support your goal of more unified, positive and professional guidelines to promote fair play and encourage newcomers to join our ranks. The bigger and better the Parallax community, the better.
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2011-08-26 16:36
    Those points seem to be a reiteration of what has already been implemented? In any case, I don't think more moderation is the solution. Curtailing the freedom to post what each person thinks is appropriate will limit the amount of innovative/useful information, and the general attractiveness of the forums is due in part to the wide variety of answers posted here. It's boring and, more importantly, not very useful when all the answers agree.
  • edited 2011-08-26 17:07
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    but if you want to convey anything to the internal team you can do it in this thread. There's another thread about etiquette recently posted by a forum member which you may want to read.

    Ken Gracey

    It might help others know about the rules if you make this post a sticky until the new rules are posted and that way people may try to do what they can to cooperate.
  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2011-08-26 17:11
    It's boring and, more importantly, not very useful when all the answers agree.
    I don't think the object is to agree but just to be civil. As Bill would say "Be excellent to each other"
  • ZootZoot Posts: 2,227
    edited 2011-08-26 18:03
    Thank goodness. It's about time. I'd like to note that in some of our formal research, the most heavily -- and sometimes brutally -- moderated online communities are the ones that are most successful. Keeping threads on-topic, policing uncivil discourse, discouraging multiple posts, etc., make the forum more vibrant and helpful.
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2011-08-26 18:07
    Ut-oh.
    Lemme guess.
    From now on I'll be required to post this in my signature:
  • davejamesdavejames Posts: 4,047
    edited 2011-08-26 19:29
    ...does...um...does this mean I have to take down my fruit pie search request?
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2011-08-26 19:57
    davejames wrote: »
    ...does...um...does this mean I have to take down my fruit pie search request?

    Give it up. It was a fruitile exercise.
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2011-08-26 20:08
    Thank you Ken!!!
    general vibe should be positive as appropriate

    A moderation control on some of the negativity which has been allowed to reign lately will be welcome!
  • davejamesdavejames Posts: 4,047
    edited 2011-08-27 08:26
    Give it up. It was a fruitile exercise.

    :lol::lol::lol:
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2011-08-27 08:34
    A moderation control on some of the negativity which has been allowed to reign lately will be welcome!

    I'd even go so far as to say some of these posters are nattering nabobs of negativity. Spiro thinks so, too.

    -- Gordon
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2011-08-27 09:29
    I'd even go so far as to say some of these posters are nattering nabobs of negativity. Spiro thinks so, too.

    -- Gordon


    That would be Spiro Agnew for all you pre-hippy whipper-snappers out there.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2011-08-27 12:36
    That would be Spiro Agnew for all you pre-hippy whipper-snappers out there.[/IMG]

    Correct. It's a fun line to repeat, plus when he made it, it was directed at those who found fault at everything, even in the face of positives. Seemed appropriate in this case.

    Besides, when it came to slinging insults, Spiro was no pusillanimous pussyfooter.

    -- Gordon
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-08-27 13:21
    Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In programme was always poking fun at him, IIRC.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2011-08-27 14:18
    Not to negate Gordon's narrative by correcting "negativity" to "negativism" or to imply negligence -- or even simple neglect -- over such a negligible niggle, but here's Mr. Agnew's quote in full:
    "In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism. They have formed their own 4H Club: the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history."

    Heavens! He had a heyday heaving humorous harangues and alliterative allocution.

    -Phil
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2011-08-27 15:21
    Not to negate Gordon's narrative by correcting "negativity" to "negativism" or to imply negligence -- or even simple neglect -- over such a negligible niggle, but here's Mr. Agnew's quote in full:
    "In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism. They have formed their own 4H Club: the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history."

    Heavens! He had a heyday heaving humorous harangues and alliterative allocution.

    -Phil

    Phil,

    He actually said, "...They have formed their own 5H Club: the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of historical hypotrochoids."
    Agnew came out at about the same time my Spirograph showed up under the Christmas tree, so he was the guy who invented that gizmo that allowed me to make all kinds of interesting patterns.
    Man, don't you know nothin?

    HypotrochoidOutThreeFifths.gif
  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2011-08-27 17:26
    Man, don't you know nothin?
    Oops.....
  • xanatosxanatos Posts: 1,120
    edited 2011-08-27 17:32
    Just want to express my gratitude for the intent of excellence on these forums. I have never, ever, seen a more harmonious, well-run, helpful, drama-free board than this. Not that there aren't a few occassional odd posts that randomly show up, often without explanation or followup that make one scratch one's head... but they're exceedingly rare, and more to the point, they rarely incite the raging wildfires that are so commion on other technical boards I frequent. These forums, and all the participants on here, deserve a great deal of credit for maturity and the level of excellence shown. I'm sure that the new rules will only serve to strengthen something that is already great.

    I can't begin to count how many times these forums have saved me.

    The hypertrochoid graphic above is pretty cool, too! :-)

    Dave X
  • potatoheadpotatohead Posts: 10,261
    edited 2011-08-27 17:44
    "Be Excellent To One Another"

    That basic rule is in play for a few forums I frequent. In this place, I see it a lot. Not all the time, but a lot --more than most, and for that I second the post above. Really like the people here, and the tech acumen is off the charts good. Can't even begin to tell you how much I learn, and that it's fun, if only there were more time. Can you all imagine being, say 16 again, with this resource at hand? (Microcontrolled can)
  • piguy101piguy101 Posts: 248
    edited 2011-08-27 17:51
    What is with these forums? How come most people can form a proper sentence? On these forums no one is saying a 100W light bulb will draw 100W / 12V = 8.3 A from a car battery. (I read that on a forum today not from Parallax)
  • potatoheadpotatohead Posts: 10,261
    edited 2011-08-27 18:01
    I personally believe there are three factors contributing to the high literacy level here.

    1. The general culture, or what I like to call "The Parallax Way", articulated by Ken, Chip and others, from time to time. It's a general call to excellence, and encouragement that is really catchy, and is nearly always done in good form, humble too.

    2. A new CPU, which the Prop is, attracts some of the more experienced people because they are best positioned to make use of it, and perform the boot strapping activities required to solidify the software ecosystem surrounding it.

    3. The expectation that there will be newbies needing to get on board the Propeller, having used the other products, means keeping it clean, simple, encouraging, and that is largely due to the experienced people knowing what a new CPU means, and this CPU in particular is very distinctive, meaning there is a lot to discuss, and it's gotta be approachable or it all will wither on the vine, limiting the return on the investments made as a whole.

    Those are the common elements that I have observed. Whatever the reasons are, the people-ecosystem surrounding the Prop and Parallax in general is very high quality. Huge value add, IMHO.
  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    edited 2011-08-27 19:11
    Ut-oh.
    Lemme guess.
    From now on I'll be required to post this in my signature:

    cat-heart.jpg

    Can you make me one of these in a spherical configuration? z.B. Cat's Aye???

    Frank
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2011-08-27 20:04
    Can you make me one of these in a spherical configuration?...

    As I understand it, to sphericalize a cat is pretty easy: simply increase its usual sleeping habit from 23.2 hours a day to 23.96 hours a day. Which is not too hard to do.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2011-08-27 23:59
    piguy101 wrote: »
    What is with these forums? How come most people can form a proper sentence? On these forums no one is saying a 100W light bulb will draw 100W / 12V = 8.3 A from a car battery. (I read that on a forum today not from Parallax)

    Grogg say 100W/12V=8.333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 A, but incandescent bulb for 115VAC, and automotive applications nominally 13.6V. Apples/oranges.

    Grogg hate bulb, want smash bulb. Grogg like apples & oranges.
  • ctwardellctwardell Posts: 1,716
    edited 2011-08-28 08:27
    erco wrote: »
    grogg hate bulb, want smash bulb. Grogg like apples & oranges.

    roflol.

    C.W.
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2011-08-28 09:50
    potatohead wrote: »
    "Be Excellent To One Another"

    Excellent.
  • Kevin WoodKevin Wood Posts: 1,266
    edited 2011-08-28 18:03
    This thread needs some background music. For some of the older forum members this might even bring back some memories. :)

    Enjoy.
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2011-08-28 18:23
    Thanks Ken!
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