Board Etiquette

[oncesubtle]

After several posts, a buncha PM's and a very short conversation with CanuckBob, we will be tightening up the enforcement of rules for postings everywhere but the Octagon.

We will no longer tolerate sniping. If you must, take it to the Octagon. Having been one of the main combatants in the last snipe-a-thon under my 'civilian' screen name RoofBob, I apologize for my behavior.

[gringal]

Ya mean extreme name calling will be isolated from the general public? What a concept.

[oncesubtle]

I mean the slightest.

[ferret]

It was a full moon July 3rd...makes everybody manic...even the sane ones :)
Posting on this board is no different than in real life...sometimes "the straw that breaks the camel's back" has nothing to do with the person that we lash out at. We all have other things going on in our lives that affect the way we post.
By all means, put things in the Octagon. As soon as some people start to post on a topic, we KNOW where it will end up anyway.

[oncesubtle]

To be clear ferret and thanks for bringing it up. Offensive posts will be deleted and we will not be moving those threads. Habitual offenders will be punted.

[CanuckBob]

The problem is that too many good, informational topics are getting moved the an area where not all can see and some don't dare to enter. There are a small number of people here that have to give "their" opinion on just about everything and usually it is sarcastic or negative. Those people will be given a time out soon enough if they continue to wreck perfectly good topics outside the Octagon.

[espíritu del lago]

you do realize the same people will have to test the new NO SNIPING rule??

These are the board rules
by Admin on Mon Apr 05, 2010 8:44 pm

by CanuckBob on Mon Jun 04, 2012 12:20 pm

I decided to bump the board rules for the new members to read and be aware of.

Gracias
_____________________________

It been 31 days since Bob told everyone to keep it in the Octagon....

[Ms.Thang]

I have noticed that if you are not logged in there is no indication that the Octogon exists from looking at the homepage. I have forgotten how it looked before the recent changes but I do remember that before I became a member, the fact that there was a members only section and I was missing out on it was obvious from the first glance. So I signed up and eventually started posting.
I did find the information on the Octogon in the administration section when I looked for it today, but I did have to go looking for it and that's not something I would have done if I wasn't on a mission to find it. New members are the life blood of any web board, why isn't the Octogon visible to first time visitors anymore?
I would hate for anyone to miss out on the next episode of "As The Stomach Churns" because they are not a member and don't know about the octogon.

[gringal]

I still can't figure out whether some of the worst offenders have a fragile or an outsize ego. In either case, a "pause before sending" feature on the keyboard would be in order.

[espíritu del lago]

I find that there are two classes of people who cause maximum trouble on forums. One is of course, the traditional "troll" who wreaks havoc by anti-social behaviour and by deliberately riling up forum members to get kicks out of it, causing havoc and bad blood in the process.

There is another group which I would term as "online bullies" or "internet bullies". differ from trolls in the sense that they are not anti-social, but they are an accepted and sometimes well-respected members who assume a sort of informal and unofficial leadership role. They use this position to intimidate and assert their views on newer and less established members and often push their weight around to mark territorial rights. They will generally try and behave properly, but subtly try and behave like moderators and preach about forum behaviour. They will also turn and insult people as they wish and surprisingly other forum members will turn a blind eye to them.

These people are often the starting point of cliques because they can gather a group of yes-people around them in no time.

I think Trolls hardly respond to challenges. Instead they enjoy watching others fight. I hate them more than trolls because at least trolls are out in the open. Bullies are often sneaky, using PMs and emails to create cliques and undermine things to get their way. Bottom line,you nip it in the bud.

Bullies enjoy fighting and run around bashing everybody who dares oppose them.

[CanuckBob]

I have noticed that if you are not logged in there is no indication that the Octogon exists from looking at the homepage. I have forgotten how it looked before the recent changes but I do remember that before I became a member, the fact that there was a members only section and I was missing out on it was obvious from the first glance. So I signed up and eventually started posting.
I did find the information on the Octogon in the administration section when I looked for it today, but I did have to go looking for it and that's not something I would have done if I wasn't on a mission to find it. New members are the life blood of any web board, why isn't the Octogon visible to first time visitors anymore?
I would hate for anyone to miss out on the next episode of "As The Stomach Churns" because they are not a member and don't know about the octogon.

Ms Thang, the Octagon has never been visible to guests (or members who have not signed in). Nothing has changed in that regard. The reasons it is not available to guests are:

- Most guests checking out our board would probably turn tail and run if they saw the Octagon first.
- I don't want it accessible to any minors that may be innocently surfing the web and stumble across us.

[Ms.Thang]

Oh no, I didn't mean the contents of the Octogon, just that there is one and you have to sign in to enter...that was never on the home page? I must be just hallucinating then (again) ...never mind!

[juanrey]

The problem is that too many good, informational topics are getting moved the an area where not all can see and some don't dare to enter. There are a small number of people here that have to give "their" opinion on just about everything and usually it is sarcastic or negative. Those people will be given a time out soon enough if they continue to wreck perfectly good topics outside the Octagon.

Smart move Bobs, this will improve the informational quality of the board.
Although I did enjoy RoofBob's little rant from yesterday (kudos Bob) I thought at the time that for many who are using this forum as a research tool about moving to the area, it probably was not amusing.
You run a good board, and every now and then housekeeping and reminders are required.
You guys aren't enforcing a dress code though are you?

[gringal]

Juanrey: Put some pants on before you start posting?

[CanuckBob]

Oh no, I didn't mean the contents of the Octogon, just that there is one and you have to sign in to enter...that was never on the home page? I must be just hallucinating then (again) ...never mind!

Nothing has changed in that regard. I am not even sure I can make the heading accessible without the content. I do like that idea though and will do some experimenting ASAP.

[Parker]

Oh no, I didn't mean the contents of the Octogon, just that there is one and you have to sign in to enter...that was never on the home page? I must be just hallucinating then (again) ...never mind!

Nothing has changed in that regard. I am not even sure I can make the heading accessible without the content. I do like that idea though and will do some experimenting ASAP.

What I believe Ms Thang is referring to is there used to be a header, where the advertisements are now, mentioning the fact that only members can read and participate in the “Octagon”. That’s actually why I joined.

P.S. Maybe that was on the old format?

[CanuckBob]

Oh that. Yes, we are now using that field for the banner ads. I'll see if I can insert that statement elsewhere. Thanks for pointing that out.

[CanuckBob]

I added that statement to the Board Rules topic heading on the main page so it should be fairly visible for the guests. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Mainecoons]

One always has the option and the opportunity to discuss things civilly in the Octagon. Cursing and namecalling simply tells everyone you can't back up your argument and you hate it that the other person can.

[MexicoPete]

This is just another vote saying, yes we are moving in the right direction. To where? I don't know.

But darn, how am I going to tease and be teased by John.

Only kidding.

[twelveoaks]

I am glad to see that action is finally being taken on this issue. Prior to moving to Ajujic I used Mexconnect frequently to attempt to obtain information vital to making the move. What I found was that the thread quickly got off topic and was overtaken by smart--- know it alls that offerred opinion, not fact and attempted to humiliate anyone who disagreed with them. Upon arriving here I quit using Mexconnect and found Inside Lakeside only to realize that many of the offenders had moved over here and were doing the same thing. Since then any reply I have made has been via PR to avoid the circus. This site can be a valuable source of information to newcomers and regulars as well but we need to eliminate the negativism, conjecture and dominance by a few. I realize that Inside Lakeside prides itself on freedom of speech and being an open forum but it is being ruined by a few.

[CanuckBob]

I totally agree with your observations twelveoaks. Thanks for posting your thoughts. We have the Octagon for those that can't discuss things civilly. The frequent fliers that are always firing little barbs or snide comments outside the Octagon will be given some time out.

For those choosing to enter into discussions under the "Octagon umbrella" it is buyer beware and best avoided by those who are thin skinned or easily offended. However even in the Octagon we will not tolerate racism, extreme foul language or threads that are slanderous and use company/peoples real names.

[CheenaGringo]

While having an opinion is an accepted matter in our society, in my estimation it should be made clear when stating an opinion or a guess or a theory. We often see opinions stated as fact with zero documentation or evidence. I am very guilty of jumping on instances where this takes place as I see it as an opportunity for people to be mislead. There is no need to give recent examples of this because we have seen them and members may start getting defensive once again.

[LMarkoya]

Who on the board et a cat? One of the Bob's? Damn, they seemed civilized

[johninajijic]

This is just another vote saying, yes we are moving in the right direction. To where? I don't know.

But darn, how am I going to tease and be teased by John.

Only kidding.

You are too funny Pete. I guess you'll be forced lower youself and go to Octagon.

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