RULES UPDATE: Rule #2, "Don't be nasty"

digitalscream

OK, there's been an awful lot of direct abuse on the site, with attempts to flout the lighter-touch we tend to apply in some off-topic areas, and the fact that we don't police PMs.

We're changing that now, because there are simply too many people who think that this kind of attack is perfectly OK; it's not, and it's in direct opposition to the spirit of the rules...so we've changed the rules to make it more explicit:

2. Don’t be nasty. That means being personally and deliberately insulting, aggressive or vindictive towards any other member or group. This absolutely includes being abusive, and it includes sending direct messages for the purpose of abusing somebody.

Since I know that some will want to rules-lawyer their way around this, and that there are more than a few who think "He started it!" excuses their behaviour, I want to make this clear: that will not fly.

We're going to be tracking these offences, because they happen so often. There is a simple escalation of sanctions attached to this:

1 - Warning
2 - Cooler (1 week)
3 - Cooler (2 weeks)
4 - Ban.

Here are some recent examples of comments that will trigger this process:

"You're a cunt"
"Fuck you, you fucking moron"
"Go fuck yourself"
...etc etc

You may spot a theme here, but please be under no illusion that this is specific to naughty words. We will read it if it's flagged (and sometimes even if it's not), and we will make a determination one way or the other, and that will be final.

In short, "Play the ball, not the man".

If we end up in a situation where the "But he started it!" defence is applied, then there are two possibilities:

1 - Everybody involved goes to the next step of the above sanctions.
2 - It looks like the accused is just trying to get other people in trouble after they overreacted/screwed up/etc, in which case they skip a step and get closer to a full ban.

Now, if you've read through this and you're thinking of ways you can game the system, then consider the fact that most people on here just want this to be a nice place they can use to talk to their mates and other like-minded people, or have a good debate without it getting personal, or some combination thereof.

If your first instinct is to try to figure out a way around the rules, you're just ruining it for everybody else and you should either have a stern word with yourself or leave, because you're simply not welcome here.

Having read and taken all of that on board, you should also bear in mind that The Rob Chapman Rule is still in effect - do not post anything about celebrities etc that you wouldn't be able to write about a forum member. 

paulnb57

Good to see the change
I really dont get why folk have to resort to abuse here or anywhere else…seems to be on the increase in society as a whole, baffles me…..
Just a shame the mods have more to deal with, for which I am grateful for your efforts..

TeleMaster

I have to say that this is a good, positive change. It appears that some have been hiding behind the amnesty of PMs for a while. It will make things more civil all round. 

Legionreturns

Is it till OK to abuse someone using your second account?  

But seriously, this is a positive step. Far too many people being abusive from the safety of a keyboard on here. 

VimFuego

well I'm still a cunt and no amount of rules is gonna change that!

digitalscream

VimFuego said:

well I'm still a cunt and no amount of rules is gonna change that!

Hmmm. Nothing in the new rule against self-flagellation, so I'll let that pass.

thumpingrug

Is self abuse still ok - just want to clarify.

VimFuego

thumpingrug said:

Is self abuse still ok - just want to clarify.

only if you get written consent and attend a compulsory sensitivity course afterwards.

digitalscream

TeleMaster said:

I have to say that this is a good, positive change. It appears that some have been hiding behind the amnesty of PMs for a while. It will make things more civil all round. 

The thing is...we don't look at PMs except for legal reasons. However, we will respond to reports of abuse by PM; it stands to reason that if you're sending somebody an abusive PM, the relationship between both parties is now such that the recipient has a good reason for reporting it, so it's really not a good idea.

sev112

I would love to see overt aggressive / bullying type posts, especially when there is a gang up / group jump on a poster.  But that’s much harder to police

But this is an excellent move and I thank and credit you all for doing / saying this 
well done

tone1

Having read and taken all of that on board, you should also bear in mind that The Rob Chapman Rule is still in effect - do not post anything about celebrities etc that you wouldn't be able to write about a forum member.

phew….that’s a relief 

https://i.imgur.com/GvVaKqt.jpg

Hootsmon

What if the guy is a fuckin' moron?

TeleMaster

Hootsmon said:

What if the guy is a fuckin' moron?

Put them on ignore and actually ignore them.

Funkfingers

digitalscream said:

"You're a cunt"
"Fuck you, you fucking moron"
"Go fuck yourself" 
etc.

Those are all normal Glaswegian greetings between friends and family.

fandango

digitalscream said:

OK, there's been an awful lot of direct abuse on the site, with attempts to flout the lighter-touch we tend to apply in some off-topic areas, and the fact that we don't police PMs.

We're changing that now, because there are simply too many people who think that this kind of attack is perfectly OK; it's not, and it's in direct opposition to the spirit of the rules...so we've changed the rules to make it more explicit:

2. Don’t be nasty. That means being personally and deliberately insulting, aggressive or vindictive towards any other member or group. This absolutely includes being abusive, and it includes sending direct messages for the purpose of abusing somebody.

Since I know that some will want to rules-lawyer their way around this, and that there are more than a few who think "He started it!" excuses their behaviour, I want to make this clear: that will not fly.

We're going to be tracking these offences, because they happen so often. There is a simple escalation of sanctions attached to this:

[...]

You may spot a theme here, but please be under no illusion that this is specific to naughty words. We will read it if it's flagged (and sometimes even if it's not), and we will make a determination one way or the other, and that will be final.

In short, "Play the ball, not the man".

[...]

Having read and taken all of that on board, you should also bear in mind that The Rob Chapman Rule is still in effect - do not post anything about celebrities etc that you wouldn't be able to write about a forum member.

Well, well, well ..... not before time.

'Playing the man, not the ball' was prevalent well before I took a sabbatical.

Seeing this post from DS gives me some hope for TFB. Let's see how it pans out.

mrkb

Funkfingers said:

digitalscream said:

"You're a cunt"
"Fuck you, you fucking moron"
"Go fuck yourself" 
etc.

Those are all normal Glaswegian greetings between friends and family.

I think that might be considered racist. Might be worth rephrasing.

WiresDreamDisasters

I have zero problem with this.

Emp_Fab

Excellent move Lee.  For too long threads that otherwise contain good debate end up being closed because a small handful of folk are seemingly incapable of expressing disagreement on the subject without resorting to personal abuse, resulting in no further discussion for the rest.

WiresDreamDisasters

Yeah Lee, I agree with Kev. Excellent move.

poopot

Excellent idea. Will hopefully stop a lot of bitching!..

Mellish

To my mind anything that enforces a friendly forum is worthy of support, so I wish it well