Recently, I've seen far too many interesting threads delve down into arguments about things like tone of voice or other silly procedural things. I'm not pointing any fingers here (in fact, I'd point the finger at myself first), but this has got to stop. It brings down the discourse and makes people worried about expressing their opinions.
So, from now on, there will be no more comments made about anything that isn't substantive. Any comment that includes an objection to something procedural will be deleted. Procedural comments include, but are not limited to, the following subjects.
- Any comment about inflammatory language or tone
- Any comment telling people they should click reply
- Any comment that is overly sarcastic
- Anytime someone says "+1" (use the "Rec" button instead) or tells someone to use the software
- Any comment that asks people to stop being repetitive and excessively negative
I'm establishing a new process instead to address these issues of procedure. If you see a comment that you feel is a violation of site standards in any way, please flag it as "inappropriate" and describe why you think so. You can do that by clicking the "flag" button that's on the same line as the reply button. Those flags are visible to moderators only, so nobody will publicly see themselves being called out, and nobody will know where the complaint comes from when they have a violation.
(Just so we're clear, comments that violate the rules set in this post should be flagged too. Just because one person didn't follow this post doesn't give you the right to do the same).
Jake, Truth and I will periodically check for flags and issue warnings if we feel the complaint is appropriate. We'll also issue warnings on our own. These warnings will serve as the police keepers for the procedural aspects of conversation that keep the level of discourse high. Repeated violations and warnings may eventually result in bannings in rare instances.
As a personal request, please please use the flag option anytime you see something that ticks you off. Even if it's with a comment Jake, Truth, Rook or I make. We all read the flags, so we'll take the complaints to heart. I'm not writing this post because I'm tired of procedural complaints. I'm writing this post because I'm tired of those discussions happening in public in a place where substance should be the topic of conversation.
I am closing comments on this post. If you have any further questions, suggestions or concerns, e-mail me.