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Lord Barrius -> =ED= Reminder About Courtesy (1/14/2012 20:08:31)
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I'm extremely disappointed.
When I assumed this job, I got the impression that perhaps the General Discussion's ongoing reputation was unfair. I figured that a lot of the people were being unfairly labeled and that you were all just upset with the ways things were being handled. So when I became Head Mod, I took steps to ensure that everyone would feel welcome, that you'd all get a chance to say what you wanted (whether you were with ED since the start or you're an AE player who joined when they joined us), and I trusted in you to prove me right and help build this community into a positive place that everyone could enjoy.
But some of you have violated that trust, and because of that, I'm really hurt and quite disappointed.
Let me repeat one of the forum's golden rules: "Treat each other with kindness, respect and tolerance. This is not a request."
That is correct. It is NOT a request. As a member of our community, you are permitted to post your thoughts and opinions, even if they don't agree with the social norm. That's perfectly fine. But it's not a matter of what you say so much as how you're saying it. And a lot of people are not respectful of others or of staff members when they make their posts. That's not okay, that's not optional. It's a requirement and a rule. It's expected of you in every post you make. If you can't find a constructive way to say something, don't say it. Period. You are not special and no one is above this rule. Whether you pay $1000 a day to AE or have never paid us a single cent, everyone is bound to the rules and everyone is expected to be respectful of their fellow community members. If you really are so outraged at the notion that other people deserve to be able to express their opinions without fear of being attacked for them, then perhaps this forum is not for you. But as long as you intend to post in these forums, you will respect other people and show their opinions due consideration even if you don't agree. If you don't like a new feature and they do, that's no excuse to attack them.
I didn't want to do this. I had wanted to avoid being the "oppressive dictator" and just let you all develop the community naturally, building relationships and making friends. That's why I kept rule changes to a minimum and tried not to overdo it with my moderation in here. I want you to feel welcome and I really want you all to have a growing, thriving, successful community that doesn't NEED hard-handed moderation. But you're giving me no choice. Some of you are ruining this place for everyone else, making it a place that people don't want to come to and scaring other people away. If we actually have to have a "be nice" rule just to stop this sort of behavior, then I have no alternative. I'm sorry, but this needs to be done. I can't have you guys tearing each other down like this, people's feelings are getting hurt and that's not acceptable. And I know the immediate response from those who have been causing these problems would be "maybe they should grow up, then, lol". No. Maybe YOU should start acknowledging that people other than you will have different opinions than you, and that their disagreement does NOT give you the right to degrade them as a person. Whether you're a kid or an adult, you would want others to show you the respect and courtesy you're due, and the same is expected of you in turn. When I have people telling me that they play ED but avoid its forums because they're afraid of being attacked and flamed, that's a sign that it's time to act.
Starting today, if you are found to be showing a discourteous attitude towards other forum members (regardless of who they are, and this includes staff), you will be issued a Warning minimum and your post/thread will be deleted on the spot. There will be no ordinary deletions now. Mean-spirited posting in an attempt to attack a person's character is now an instant Warning at the very least. If your attitude is especially inappropriate, you may find yourself either issued a Severe Warning or Ban depending on the content of your post.
I apologize to those who have been working very hard to build up this community and to keep things friendly and constructive. I encourage you to keep working hard at it. I'm certain that your efforts will yield a better community in the long run. Please do not give up and continue to provide the sort of positive support that this community needs. I want to see this community become an example for everyone, a lofty standard for other game communities to look up to, and I know you can get us there.
And as for those of you who are only here to tear everyone else down, to ruin the community and experience for everyone else....you will not be staying with us much longer.
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