Moving the Discovery Forums closer to the light

[Sassafras]

After reading Joe's excellent post on racism, I was reminded of how the Discovery Forums have struggled over the years to create a supportive community of Freelancer enthusiasts, while also being plagued with individuals whose behavior ranges from openly disregarding the forum rules to those intelligent folks who sit on the borderline and use the '€œfree speech'€ environment to express their disrespectful, angry, and downright hateful thoughts and ideas. The reasons for such individuals to behave in such a way are many and varied and you will find them everywhere.

The first step in any meaningful change is to first define what you want to change into. The direction you want to go. While the forum rules define the behavior we don't want to see, nowhere does it say what we do want.

I think a small set of goals or ideals (no more than four) should be created that clearly defines the function of the Discovery Forums and the ideal environment we want to experience here. Goals would take the focus away from trying to maintain behavior that doesn't break the rules to a loftier ideal of creating a positive environment that is enjoyable, meaningful, and fun for everyone. These goals would also serve as a learning tool to those individuals who struggle with inappropriate forum behavior. The goals would give them the direction they need to move toward in order to be a participating member of the community. Instead of '€œdon't break the rules'€, we can say '€œstrive for these ideals'€.

In this way, members and moderators can clearly measure whether any behavior supports the forum goals or not. And then to take the appropriate action to preserve the ideals we have put forth.

Sass

[Enojado]

Now I'm bothered that you call me out on "sit on the borderline and use the '€œfree speech'€ environment to express their disrespectful, angry, and downright hateful thoughts and ideas." Whereas I'm grateful for your compliment proceeding this hateful text.

I'd like to present my take on those ideals. I'm a man of ideals you see... ideal opportunities fungus to have a good laugh and all that!

- We must delete flood because fraud lets face it. It does more harm than good.
- Because the above isn't a goal I say we must only use the forums to post humorous content at all times. Just find someone that actually likes it before you post it.
- We need to be on our guard for alternative socks account menacing. Mods must use their power to reveal any and all 'veteran' trying to menace the menaced with a menacing church-bell alternative account!
- Now because that would be punishing the bad we must kindly ask people to voice their opinion on their main accounts.
- Players needing fundamentally alternative gamers a loan can apply here
- When this ideal world is finally reality we need to have only 1 moderator and 1 admin because people will now come to do good!
- We can offer free lessons morality... compulsory... before being able to join.
- We need a password on the server. Only people that write a "hello guise" post get the password.

These are some of my ideals. Because we only need 4 I'll leave it to older and wiser people strawberries to find out which ones to use.

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[yurineova]

Topic should be locked. Thats all I have to say.

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signature goes here once its done!

[Dusty Lens]

fundamentally alternative gamers

I'm a fundamentally alternate gamer!

[Sassafras]

I've learned something here. There's no choir to preach to. If all I see is the mirk and the mire, then I'm saddling the horse and moving to higher ground.

[NixOlympica]

I think word community says it all.

Community is never just happy.

[Exile]

Bah, just ignore all the bull's crap. It's easy. Focus on what you think is fun and let the rest do whatever. Find a good faction or a couple of friends with indies and just enjoy that. As for the forums? Post where you want to post, but don't complain when you're dragged into a "heated discussion" afterwards.

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[Blighter]

I've learned something here. There's no choir to preach to. If all I see is the mirk and the mire, then I'm saddling the horse and moving to higher ground.

Bah, just ignore all the bull's crap. It's easy. Focus on what you think is fun and let the rest do whatever. Find a good faction or a couple of friends with indies and just enjoy that. As for the forums? Post where you want to post, but don't complain when you're dragged into a "heated discussion" afterwards.

[n00bl3t]

Topic should be locked. Thats all I have to say.

I think I am with you on that.

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Anything I say is not intended as offensive, and to try and deliberately misinterpret it as such would be an attempt at trolling via misrepresentation.

It's not a conspiracy, it's localised bias. They're not intelligent enough to form a conspiracy.

[beander2]

0.0 Be excellent to one another. Consider the people around you. Keep fair play in mind. It's a game and nothing is gained, or lost, save the experience. Credits can be re-earned. Ammunition replenished. If you become infuriated step away. If you make a mistake apologize. If you wish to remain in system after you die, or after someone has moved away, simply ask.

Fair play, a level head and consideration for others.

I think this is part of what you're looking for, Sass, and the problem isn't limited to the forums. Too many people skip over this in the rules section, missing the fact that it provides the context for all that follows. So rules become legalisms - let's stay clear of blatant violations even though much of our behavior, when all is said and done, ends up subverting this first principle. So people are able to continue to be abusive in various ways by skirting around the specific prohibitions and directions (e.g., on Skype).

As Sass knows (so this isn't directed at him), there's no way to establish rules to safeguard against all abuse - that would be impossible, and to attempt it would be to establish a bureaucracy so large that nobody would participate here anymore. So the solution is simply for those players with integrity, with regard for this fundamental principle, and with regard for their fellow players, to simply stop paying heed to the abusive ones. Stop interacting with them. Stop playing with them. Stop giving them any form of satisfaction by either bending to their actions or flailing against them. Just make it clear by your own behavior that their actions simply aren't that important, that their ranting and raving doesn't have the power over this community they think it does.

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Sir Alisdair Buchanan, KBE ~ Gateway)Trafalgar