- Reaction score
- 184
- Points
- 1,210
All,
Lately, we've had a number of posts that have clearly been personal attacks and a violation of the Conduct Guidelines. We've also had many more posts which amount to nothing more than thinly veiled barbs. The targets of these have ranged from other Army.ca members to journalists to serving senior officers, but the target is largely irrelevant. What is relevant is that some of these posts have resulted in complaints against Army.ca or it's members. Your first instinct may be to simply shrug this off nonchalantly. After all, Army.ca is an unofficial site where most users enjoy at least some level of anonymity. There are however there are a few problems with this approach:
1. We attempt to promote Army.ca as a good source for professional, well rounded discussions. For the most part, I believe we achieve this. However we cheapen ourselves when we resort to name calling and mud slinging. I know for a fact that some who would make great contributions to our discussions have turned away from Army.ca because we can't seem to control this issue. As a site, we will never progress past our current status of vacillating commentary so long as it continues. We have lost out as a result of this, and gained nothing in return.
2. Every time Army.ca gets a complaint, I have to spend a great deal of time researching and responding to it. Army.ca is a hobby to me. I have a family and a job that take precedence over it, and to be blunt, I don't like spending my free time in this way. It may seem harmless to take pot shots or skirt around the conduct guidelines, but these actions generally end up creating administrative work for me. As a hobby, there comes a "break-even" point where it becomes more work than it's worth. I would very much like to avoid that point, which is why I'm posting this now, vs. taking more drastic action later.
To those who think there is no consequence to making an oblique, anonymous jab, think again. We have a good thing going here, with a lot of potential. Let's take care not to ruin it.
We have a well defined set of Conduct Guidelines in place here. They are open enough to allow reasonable discussions to run their course, while protecting us from trolls and troublemakers. They're here for everyone to follow, and there is absolutely no reason that they can not be adhered to. Users who post outside the Conduct Guidelines run the risk of not only personal warnings/bannings, but also of tarnishing the professionalism of Army.ca, and ultimately of more far-reaching consequences.
If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Likewise, if anyone sees a post (new or old) that breaches the Conduct Guidelines, please use the "Report to Moderator" function. I appreciate your assistance on this, and look forward to where we can take Army.ca under this system.
Cheers
Mike
Lately, we've had a number of posts that have clearly been personal attacks and a violation of the Conduct Guidelines. We've also had many more posts which amount to nothing more than thinly veiled barbs. The targets of these have ranged from other Army.ca members to journalists to serving senior officers, but the target is largely irrelevant. What is relevant is that some of these posts have resulted in complaints against Army.ca or it's members. Your first instinct may be to simply shrug this off nonchalantly. After all, Army.ca is an unofficial site where most users enjoy at least some level of anonymity. There are however there are a few problems with this approach:
1. We attempt to promote Army.ca as a good source for professional, well rounded discussions. For the most part, I believe we achieve this. However we cheapen ourselves when we resort to name calling and mud slinging. I know for a fact that some who would make great contributions to our discussions have turned away from Army.ca because we can't seem to control this issue. As a site, we will never progress past our current status of vacillating commentary so long as it continues. We have lost out as a result of this, and gained nothing in return.
2. Every time Army.ca gets a complaint, I have to spend a great deal of time researching and responding to it. Army.ca is a hobby to me. I have a family and a job that take precedence over it, and to be blunt, I don't like spending my free time in this way. It may seem harmless to take pot shots or skirt around the conduct guidelines, but these actions generally end up creating administrative work for me. As a hobby, there comes a "break-even" point where it becomes more work than it's worth. I would very much like to avoid that point, which is why I'm posting this now, vs. taking more drastic action later.
To those who think there is no consequence to making an oblique, anonymous jab, think again. We have a good thing going here, with a lot of potential. Let's take care not to ruin it.
We have a well defined set of Conduct Guidelines in place here. They are open enough to allow reasonable discussions to run their course, while protecting us from trolls and troublemakers. They're here for everyone to follow, and there is absolutely no reason that they can not be adhered to. Users who post outside the Conduct Guidelines run the risk of not only personal warnings/bannings, but also of tarnishing the professionalism of Army.ca, and ultimately of more far-reaching consequences.
If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Likewise, if anyone sees a post (new or old) that breaches the Conduct Guidelines, please use the "Report to Moderator" function. I appreciate your assistance on this, and look forward to where we can take Army.ca under this system.
Cheers
Mike
