Forum etiquette and behavior

[ComputerLady]

... Anyway, part of the reason I'm moving away from phpBB and considering SMF (I'm about 80% convinced) is that on the phpBB forums you will find not just users/members entering inappropriate comments, but you will find some of their Developers literally attacking other members because of their posts.   I asked a simple question on one of the forums there and basically got the snot beat out of me by one of their developers because I had missed the answer to that question in a previous post, this was on a thread with 24 pages!  Like I'm going through 24 pages for a simple question!

Same thing happened to me! I had 2 forums I'm supporting using their product for nearly a year. Really did try to use their search funcitons to locate stuff, but could rarely find anything that way. Half the time the words used to describe problems are not the ones I would use. I've been using computers since the early 80's and one of the first things I learned was how fast 'buzzwords' can change!

Let's put it this way, take 2 IT people specializing in different aspects of that world and watch them try to have a conversation with each other! Believe me, they will often run into problems understanding each other's jargon. Now, compound that with the fact people have such different cultural backgrounds and language issues... The only way things can get done is if both parties are willing to work through those communication barriers...

... As to the bipolar comments, again you just can't please everyone, and some people are just more sensitive than others. . . and before you go off on me about being lenient, I have a daughter with multiple handicaps and I have exceedingly thick skin, which you grow into in dealing with idiots and morons who ask stupid questions and make stupid comments.  If it offends you, but it's not truly entirely offensive, then shrug it off... that's my motto anyway...

Too true! My daughter has a profound developmental disorder too. (Autism, mental retardation, epilepsy, etc.) When you're a parent to a child with significant disabilities, you either grow a thick skin or you're not going to make it as a parent! People will say and do the darnedest things without really thinking things through. Many simply have no clue as to how offensive something they say can sound. (The examples I could give!) Most of the time I ignore them too. I know they are speaking from ignorance and not intending to be malicious. But, then you have those who do attack others with little or no provocation. (Intolerance toward other viewpoints, ways of life, belief systems, etc.) Sad....

[TANDIONO.COM]

ahh news rules again 

[chrisdevey]

[quote author=ComputerLady
Let's put it this way, take 2 IT people specializing in different aspects of that world and watch them try to have a conversation with each other! Believe me, they will often run into problems understanding each other's jargon. Now, compound that with the fact people have such different cultural backgrounds and language issues... The only way things can get done is if both parties are willing to work through those communication barriers...

... As to the bipolar comments, again you just can't please everyone, and some people are just more sensitive than others. . . and before you go off on me about being lenient, I have a daughter with multiple handicaps and I have exceedingly thick skin, which you grow into in dealing with idiots and morons who ask stupid questions and make stupid comments.  If it offends you, but it's not truly entirely offensive, then shrug it off... that's my motto anyway...

Too true! My daughter has a profound developmental disorder too. (Autism, mental retardation, epilepsy, etc.) When you're a parent to a child with significant disabilities, you either grow a thick skin or you're not going to make it as a parent! People will say and do the darnedest things without really thinking things through. Many simply have no clue as to how offensive something they say can sound. (The examples I could give!) Most of the time I ignore them too. I know they are speaking from ignorance and not intending to be malicious. But, then you have those who do attack others with little or no provocation. (Intolerance toward other viewpoints, ways of life, belief systems, etc.) Sad....

[/quote]


very well put. have to agree 100%
chrisdevey

[MacGig]

yeah, lets all play nice.

[Xarcell]

I wrote a "Forum Etiquette" a few weeks ago over at Tiny Portal for SMF.

You are welcome to use it, or alter it to suit your needs.

http://www.tinyportal.net/smf/index.php?topic=2520.0

-Xarcell

[mforum]

Let's put it this way, take 2 IT people specializing in different aspects of that world and watch them try to have a conversation with each other! Believe me, they will often run into problems understanding each other's jargon. Now, compound that with the fact people have such different cultural backgrounds and language issues... The only way things can get done is if both parties are willing to work through those communication barriers...

I believe that too, good willing is all we need......

As an admin of a forum i often come to a dilemma "is this guy a trouble maker or is he has mental or whatever problems?"
I would be gratefull if someone can put the line of who's bad and who's problematic 

[Aslan]

One simple Golden Rule:

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

[Harzem]

"behave others as you want them to behave you" would be a better translation, Lion

[daftasabat]

volunteers should be praised for all the hard work they do and not verbally bashed or abused for it, none of us would be here if it wasnt for you guys. 

[kozuch82]

Well,

i understand it is necessary to keep the site in good manners. I think SMF handles this pretty good in comparison to its competitors.

[CeltAnkh]

Hi people

I myself have recently been diagnosed as suffering with bipolar disorder. It's the technical name for manic-depression. What this means is that I have, so I am told, a chemical imbalance in my brains ability to release hormones / seretonin, compared to 'normal people'. Personally I think it's more likely to do with the additives they put in water here in the uk but that's my theory. In practice it means I am depressed for most of the time and then have a short period of a few hours of feeling ecstatic, during which time I find my mind and metabolism has accelerated. It is a very creative time for me. Often the peak of this comes at the same time as a full moon, no kidding; it helps to remember that we are approximately 80% water-based creatures and so it seems unsurprising to me that the moon should affect my psychology. I prefer to use my own diagnosis as 'sensitive' than the medical professions austere and vague definitions. All this is besides the point.

I have also had my unfair share of trouble with board moderators. In the last year I have been banned from 2 php forums, and now have discovered there are many others that have been warned against my URL. I can't access a lot of great places and a peer group who would enjoy my company as much as I would theres, from what I can gather of who is around on the forums by posts people are making.

The two forums I have been banned from are both moderated by two friends, neither of whom like me and who have abused their positions so as to bully me. I have seen them do this with other people also. These situations and the way that people react to being set up by corrupt moderation has very little to do with bipolar disorder whatsoever. It's an excuse. Bi-polars and spammers are as different categories as chalk and cheese. Bipolar itself is not responsible for peoples arguments on websites. It's a ridiculous association. Claiming forum users are obviously crazy and banning them for it is a poor tactic often used to discredit those who manipulative powermongers are afraid of.

In the last year I have been banned from 2 sites for pointing out that the moderators are acting out of order and have themselves broken the rules that everyone has agreed to, with the evident agenda to provoke a reaction they can justify banning me for in the eyes of their board's admin. The admin are usually too busy to listen to my complaints and take the moderators word for it, and so seldom listen to both sides of the argument. Not until after I have been insulted, slandered and my access denied, not just from the site in question but from all associated on the network. This has nothing to do with manic-depression, other than reduction in quality of life capable of driving vulnerable people further toward suicide.

I practice Buddhism and believe in live and let live. I also am determined to speak up for 'the little people' who are being pushed around by jealous and spiteful moderators, admin, politicians and so forth. Letting people know what I know about who is around, so that we may all make our own minds up about the energy we are spending with various forums. On this occasion I am not going to announce the names of the mods and admin responsible for bullying, nor their websites, as this is my first post here and first impressions count. Passing peoples URL's around backstage along with lies and twisted versions of the truth is a game that I have been caught up in. What advantage this brings perpetrators is anybodies guess. Truth knows Truth, and the heart weighs according to that which it recognizes itself to be. 

As a result I have decided to build my own chat forum and use the software available from the great and kind people here at phpBB/SMF. It seems the only way forward other than to stop using the net altogether, having been bulllied out of town by the local small-minded element who don't agree with freedom of speech. This will be forthcoming and I'll post a link up on this site as and when it's ready.

In the meantime, remember that people being different is what makes life worth living, and the ones who lose their tempers for no good reason are lesser people than they think. Our actions betray our personalities. Stay bright and may the light work through you. Thanks for reading.

Blessed Be

CeltAnkh

PS; 'phpBB' isn't in your spellchecker yet!

[Fizzy]

from the great and kind people here at phpBB/SMF.

Look around you and work out which is which 

PS; 'phpBB' isn't in your spellchecker yet!

And it should be because? .......

[H]

PS; 'phpBB' isn't in your spellchecker yet!

SMF uses the standard aspell english dictionary

[Aslan]

PS; 'phpBB' isn't in your spellchecker yet!

SMF uses the standard aspell english dictionary

Gee guys, Meow! What a nice welcome to a Newbie on his first post.

Let's cash a Reality Check, shall we? SMF Doesn't recognize the word Blog. However, it does offer you the opportunity to capitalize the word English.

Making clever comments at the expense of a person who only tried to open up and share is going too far.

I know you are all volunteers. Well guess what, so are we. We volunteered to use this software. We volunteered to run a Forum. We volunteer our comments and our questions, not to criticize, but to help what should be a team effort. We volunteer to [ay for a Charter membership. We volunteer donations.

We volunteer to share a bit of our personal life, and are teased? Not nice. Not nice at all.

Being a volunteer support person does not give the right to fling what read like smart ass comments at a person who just described himself as mentally ill.

If I did that to a member, I'd be ashamed. And I am not going to be afraid to say it openly and proudly, even at the risk of a ban. Mocking and teasing and making fun... just plain wrong.

daftasabat:

What you said was very kind. And I believe that none of them would be here if it were not for us.

CeltAnkh:

I am sorry to hear that you suffer from a disease that many know and few admit. I am sorry people are not more compassionate. I am sorry that this world sometimes seems to get meaner every day. Forgive them. They are having a bit of a Roman Holiday, wouldn't you say?

Feel free to visit our Forum, and I guarantee a much kinder and gentler reception, that is, if it is still up and running.

My name is Aslan, and we would be proud to have you as a member.

http://aslansattic.smfpro.com/ [nofollow]

Gee, a bump and a plug. I just can't wait to hear the next comment.

edit: Removed unecessarily large text
Aslan Edit: Changed the color. 

[H]

Let's cash a Reality Check, shall we? SMF Doesn't recognize the word Blog. However, it does offer you the opportunity to capitalize the word English.

SMF uses the aspell dictionarys that are installed by your host. The aspell dictionarys don't have tech words like blog in them.

Being a volunteer support person does not give the right to fling what read like smart ass comments at a person who just described himself as mentally ill.

I am sorry if you find this insulting however I was simply pointing out how SMFs dictionary system works

[azc]

Adding words to the spell thingy

geez guys...

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=95530.msg623547#msg623547

peace 

[TANDIONO.COM]

I always obey the Law 

[Karuhun]

I think we all need the rules.

[DaBoROE09]

yeap...i agree the more people you have on a forum the more trouble you will most likely have. i  have not seen the trouble but i guess that is because the staff has found it before i have. good work all who run this forum.

[Leonardo]

Hi Jeff

Very good rules to follow, it will create a friendly atmosphere.

Take Care

Leo