A Word on Conduct When Interacting with Mods
Jul 17, 2021 12:14:41 GMT -5
El Pollo Guerrera, DSR, and 31 more like this
Post by HMARK Center on Jul 17, 2021 12:14:41 GMT -5
It's been brought to my attention that there has been some less than stellar behavior and responses from some posters towards moderators of late, whether it's been publicly sniping at mods calling out improper conduct in a thread, or even cases of people deciding to insult or harass moderators over private messages.
To be clear, we understand that such behavior is not reflective of the majority of posters here; however, the minority engaging in it has become a big enough issue that I want to make it clear to everyone what the deal will be on this going forward:
-If a mod tells people in a thread to calm down, not engage in insults, or otherwise seeks to enforce the board rules, do not question them about it in-thread. This isn't about being authoritarian, it's about keeping threads on-topic and maintaining a respectful atmosphere for discussion. If you have a question about a mod's decision to call out potential rule-breaking behavior, or feel something might have been decided in error, please respectfully reach out in private. Otherwise, do not take such public "call outs" personally; more often than not they're directed at a general tone in a thread and far less at specific posters.
-Again, if you are discussing a board/rule question with a mod in a PM or other private setting, remain respectful, as board rules will still apply to your conduct in that situation. Posters who use a private mode of communication to harass or insult mods will be immediately suspended, or even banned depending on circumstances and previous history. Mods aren't doing this for money or public acclaim, and frankly it is not their responsibility nor their job to put up with such nonsense or abusive behavior. I encourage any mod who's subjected to such conduct moving forward to share their experiences with their fellow staff members so that appropriate actions can swiftly be taken.
-If you feel that rule enforcement has been carried out in a way that doesn't reflect our commitment to fairness towards all posters, or that there has even just been an error on the part of a mod or staff member, of course you may ask for clarification or discuss the matter with mods/staff members, myself included. I once more reiterate, of course, to do so politely; we're all adults here (well, ok, some of us are younger than that, but not by much), and drama shouldn't be the name of the game around here.
Once again, I emphasize that this is not directed at the majority of posters; we have a pretty danged open, largely polite community here, and a lot of that is due to the posters upholding that culture on their own. But it's also the product of our staff taking that community goal seriously and working to preserve it, and actions that try to abuse them for doing the job they've volunteered for are simply not going to be tolerated.
If you have any questions about this, please leave them below.
To be clear, we understand that such behavior is not reflective of the majority of posters here; however, the minority engaging in it has become a big enough issue that I want to make it clear to everyone what the deal will be on this going forward:
-If a mod tells people in a thread to calm down, not engage in insults, or otherwise seeks to enforce the board rules, do not question them about it in-thread. This isn't about being authoritarian, it's about keeping threads on-topic and maintaining a respectful atmosphere for discussion. If you have a question about a mod's decision to call out potential rule-breaking behavior, or feel something might have been decided in error, please respectfully reach out in private. Otherwise, do not take such public "call outs" personally; more often than not they're directed at a general tone in a thread and far less at specific posters.
-Again, if you are discussing a board/rule question with a mod in a PM or other private setting, remain respectful, as board rules will still apply to your conduct in that situation. Posters who use a private mode of communication to harass or insult mods will be immediately suspended, or even banned depending on circumstances and previous history. Mods aren't doing this for money or public acclaim, and frankly it is not their responsibility nor their job to put up with such nonsense or abusive behavior. I encourage any mod who's subjected to such conduct moving forward to share their experiences with their fellow staff members so that appropriate actions can swiftly be taken.
-If you feel that rule enforcement has been carried out in a way that doesn't reflect our commitment to fairness towards all posters, or that there has even just been an error on the part of a mod or staff member, of course you may ask for clarification or discuss the matter with mods/staff members, myself included. I once more reiterate, of course, to do so politely; we're all adults here (well, ok, some of us are younger than that, but not by much), and drama shouldn't be the name of the game around here.
Once again, I emphasize that this is not directed at the majority of posters; we have a pretty danged open, largely polite community here, and a lot of that is due to the posters upholding that culture on their own. But it's also the product of our staff taking that community goal seriously and working to preserve it, and actions that try to abuse them for doing the job they've volunteered for are simply not going to be tolerated.
If you have any questions about this, please leave them below.