Howdy all. I'd like to address everyone who frequents the dungeon of our forum.
Our rules of what is acceptable or not here are going to change in the near future. The course of action is yet decided, but consider this post a tentative 'heads up'.
Generally what i want to see is OTD no longer be a rules-free zone. Not because i don't like what's being said, but that we need moderation so that the discussion can be productive.
This will mean that ad hominem attacks, threats, would be no longer acceptable here, at a bare minimum.
It also means this is no longer a dumping ground for bad threads. That will be established later and 'other toxic discussions' will be renamed 'off topic' or something to that degree.
It is a big moderation burden to allow political speech on this forum, because it's responsible for the most misbehavior. The moderation team will need to decide if they want to handle the interpersonal drama or not. If they won't, we shouldn't allow political discussion at all.
I'd be happy to get another moderator or two on board who have a centrist/politically apathetic bent who can objectively diffuse things between the liberal and conservative factions. If you feel you fit the role, please send me a PM. Right now, we lack moderators who are skilled at this.
Ultimately Justin will make the final choice on how things go. Hint: he is not pleased with the amount of political excrement-flinging that goes on here.
I want the most conservative course of action we can get away with. I want to believe you guys can handle a high degree of free speech. I want you guys to still have an outlet. I want conservatives, liberals, and any other faction to be able to enjoy this place.
I know that's a tall order, but i'd like to see if we can do it as a collective effort. ES is full of exceptional people who have helped this place be a shining success for 15 years. I'd like to believe we are exceptional enough to also not only understand WHY some changes need to be made, but also adhere to them.
Things down here have came to a boil. A few of our political posting junkies have reached out to me saying that they're scared to post here lately. I've seen some death threats made and had to intervene. This kind of stuff makes me sick to my stomach and i will not tolerate it anymore.
So just a heads up, this will change in the future. When the rules change, people will not be retroactively punished... but rules will be consistently enforced until everyone gets the memo.
I'm open to any feedback you have to make this a more peaceful place. I've said my piece, now let's hear yours.
Our rules of what is acceptable or not here are going to change in the near future. The course of action is yet decided, but consider this post a tentative 'heads up'.
Generally what i want to see is OTD no longer be a rules-free zone. Not because i don't like what's being said, but that we need moderation so that the discussion can be productive.
This will mean that ad hominem attacks, threats, would be no longer acceptable here, at a bare minimum.
It also means this is no longer a dumping ground for bad threads. That will be established later and 'other toxic discussions' will be renamed 'off topic' or something to that degree.
It is a big moderation burden to allow political speech on this forum, because it's responsible for the most misbehavior. The moderation team will need to decide if they want to handle the interpersonal drama or not. If they won't, we shouldn't allow political discussion at all.
I'd be happy to get another moderator or two on board who have a centrist/politically apathetic bent who can objectively diffuse things between the liberal and conservative factions. If you feel you fit the role, please send me a PM. Right now, we lack moderators who are skilled at this.
Ultimately Justin will make the final choice on how things go. Hint: he is not pleased with the amount of political excrement-flinging that goes on here.
I want the most conservative course of action we can get away with. I want to believe you guys can handle a high degree of free speech. I want you guys to still have an outlet. I want conservatives, liberals, and any other faction to be able to enjoy this place.
I know that's a tall order, but i'd like to see if we can do it as a collective effort. ES is full of exceptional people who have helped this place be a shining success for 15 years. I'd like to believe we are exceptional enough to also not only understand WHY some changes need to be made, but also adhere to them.
Things down here have came to a boil. A few of our political posting junkies have reached out to me saying that they're scared to post here lately. I've seen some death threats made and had to intervene. This kind of stuff makes me sick to my stomach and i will not tolerate it anymore.
So just a heads up, this will change in the future. When the rules change, people will not be retroactively punished... but rules will be consistently enforced until everyone gets the memo.
I'm open to any feedback you have to make this a more peaceful place. I've said my piece, now let's hear yours.