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Collegiality
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Posted by Jeffery Smith
Jun 16, 2019 at 02:51 PM
I hope that my positive developer posts (Sheetplanner, Aquaminds Notetaker) outnumber my negative posts (DropTask). It comes down to whether the app is making my life more orderly or less orderly and less predictable. Part of it is the genre of software we have embraced. We all know how many excellent apps were discontinued because there are too few people like those in this group who think in outline or mindmap form. Like the drug Atenolol, sometimes something good and inexpensive is pulled from the market so that something less good and more expensive can be substituted. Makes me grouchy.
Posted by Graham Rhind
Jun 16, 2019 at 03:06 PM
Erm ...
tightbeam wrote:
>You don’t get to control how others
>express themselves, nor do you get to censor what they choose to post
which you then follow by a list of things you think should be censored:
> personal attacks, insults, or profanity, which none of us
> want to see
Which really epitomises the problem because we’re different people from different cultures with different expectations and with different linguistic abilities. Personally, I couldn’t give a flying f*** how much profanity gets flung around, but that’s me personally - clearly you’re sensitive to it whereas I’m not. On the other hand, I would add bullying to any banned list, as a victim in real life I know how damaging it is, and how it can’t be avoided just by not reading posts that may or may not contain it - but other clearly don’t share my views on that and just think we’re snowflakes who need to man up. Personally I try to behave online as I would in real life, and that’s why I don’t hide behind a pseudonym like so many others.
Don’t @ me - I’m just pointing out an apparent paradox in your post.
Posted by tightbeam
Jun 16, 2019 at 04:08 PM
Erm…
Isn’t it simply common sense not to tolerate “personal attacks, insults, and profanity”? And yes, bullying, too. I’m not sensitive to any of it, though I believe its absence constitutes the bare minimum for civilized discourse. Of course, this being a free, public forum, no one (and that includes me) can “censor” such things, so if you want to say that my mother wears army shoes, or that I’m a piece of [insert favorite pejorative here], okey doke. The appropriateness of a post ought to be the value it contains.
Graham Rhind wrote:
Erm ...
>
>tightbeam wrote:
>>You don’t get to control how others
>>express themselves, nor do you get to censor what they choose to post
>
>which you then follow by a list of things you think should be censored:
>
>> personal attacks, insults, or profanity, which none of us
>> want to see
>
>Which really epitomises the problem because we’re different people from
>different cultures with different expectations and with different
>linguistic abilities. Personally, I couldn’t give a flying f*** how much
>profanity gets flung around, but that’s me personally - clearly you’re
>sensitive to it whereas I’m not. On the other hand, I would add bullying
>to any banned list, as a victim in real life I know how damaging it is,
>and how it can’t be avoided just by not reading posts that may or may
>not contain it - but other clearly don’t share my views on that and just
>think we’re snowflakes who need to man up. Personally I try to behave
>online as I would in real life, and that’s why I don’t hide behind a
>pseudonym like so many others.
>
>Don’t @ me - I’m just pointing out an apparent paradox in your post.
Posted by Chris Murtland
Jun 16, 2019 at 06:40 PM
I have really enjoyed providing this site for thirteen years now. The main reason is the excellent and insightful discussion of software. A secondary reason is that I have had to do almost zero policing of the forum, to the point where I hardly feel like a moderator. Which is great, because it isn’t a role I particularly cherish.
I have never banned any user (that I recall), and I have removed profanity from posts only a few times. Regardless of one’s personal sensitivities, it does seem superfluous when communicating any points regarding software.
Let’s try to maintain the spirit of this forum and remain civil. The purpose of the forum is to discuss software.
Posted by Ken
Jun 16, 2019 at 11:02 PM
Chris Murtland wrote:
>
>Let’s try to maintain the spirit of this forum and remain civil. The
>purpose of the forum is to discuss software.
As always, thanks Chris! The forum is a very special place on the web for me, and it does seem to have a special spirit that makes it what it is. Maintaining it can sometimes be a challenge as we only have the written word for communication, many members have primary languages other than English (which makes using localized slang in posts interesting and educational, albeit sometimes a bit challenging), and we have an open door. Nonetheless, it seems to keep that spirit and maintain itself year after year and that does say something about the many members who hold the belief in giving their fellow members the benefit of the doubt. We are also gracious about the occasional OT post, but almost always seem to find our way back to the software. I am hoping that despite the lack of “formal” rules and moderators, that we can continue ahead in that same spirit despite a few bumps. IMHO, the loss of information, feedback and support from folks here would definitely be noticed if the forum was not able to keep going as it has in the past.
Thanks,
—Ken