The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Oh hi thar again (a.k.a. READ THIS, IT IS ALL THE WARNING YOU WILL GET)
ceres
When the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
When the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
Hey guys. It seems I've found myself with the ability to jail you all again. Life is a funny thing.
All kidding aside though, some people may remember me from the last time I modded this forum, but there are a lot of new faces since then as well. I've been meandering these forums for nearly six years... it's a good place.
I made this thread to say hello, and also to politely but firmly restate some rules that have been overlooked or forgotten by even some of the best of us lately.
First off, there has been way, WAY, WAY too much bickering in this forum as of late. WAY too much. If you don't like what someone has to say, direct your concerns about the wisdom of the statement to the OP. Light discussion about a particular course of action is not being discouraged. Bickering about a course of action is. If you feel that a post is breaking a rule or otherwise out of line, report it. Every member of these forums has the ability to push that button, there is no excuse.
DO NOT POST IN A THREAD SIMPLY TO ATTACK OR HARASS ANOTHER POSTER. We all love to hate Esh, but the presence of his name in a thread does not require your input. Do not make a post to tell everyone that you think someone is trolling. Do not pick fights. "Picking a fight" as I am defining it right now means "wording your disagreement in a needlessly or thoughtlessly provocative way". If you have doubts about the tone of your post, you can probably find another way to word it so that you don't. If you can't, don't post it. Again, as a rule, advice should be addressed to the OP and not to each other. If you do not have advice to give, do not post in the thread. This is not negotiable, and obvious covers like "FUCK YOU CERES. Oh and I agree with those guys" are obvious.
Along these lines, if I see one more person say in their post something akin to "Dammit Jim, this is the H/A forum, not a Mary Kay sales meeting" I am going to puke infractions all over them with the wrath of a thousand vomit lords. If you feel that the posts in a thread in general have become too judgmental or too sappy or too mean, report the thread and say why in the field provided. In general, though, we all have our ideas of what we want the H/A forum to be, and the absolute best way to bring that to fruition is not to complain bitterly in a thread, but instead to model that behavior ourselves. Try to keep that in mind.
Please also keep in mind that your threads as well as your individual posts are not made in a vacuum. In a lot of ways this is a good thing, because people who remember you can better tailor their advice using the information still out there. In other ways, if you make the same basic thread three times, people will be annoyed. If you fight with people who are trying to help you, they will remember it. If you say something that is absolutely moronic, people will be able to call it up at any time for years and years to come. If you are a regular here and you want a particular thread you make to be considered completely out of context, realize that it probably won't play out exactly the way you envision. That comes with the territory when posting on forums as heavily indexed as these, so exercise some common sense and don't get upset when people mention your history.
The rules thread is still stickied, and they really haven't changed. If you have a question or a doubt about the rules, it is there for you. You can PM me with questions, as well as any of the other mods.
It's good to be back. Thanks for reading this far to those who did, and to those who didn't... hehe.
tl;dr, I'm back so shape the fuck up and be civilized or else. Also hi!
All kidding aside though, some people may remember me from the last time I modded this forum, but there are a lot of new faces since then as well. I've been meandering these forums for nearly six years... it's a good place.
I made this thread to say hello, and also to politely but firmly restate some rules that have been overlooked or forgotten by even some of the best of us lately.
First off, there has been way, WAY, WAY too much bickering in this forum as of late. WAY too much. If you don't like what someone has to say, direct your concerns about the wisdom of the statement to the OP. Light discussion about a particular course of action is not being discouraged. Bickering about a course of action is. If you feel that a post is breaking a rule or otherwise out of line, report it. Every member of these forums has the ability to push that button, there is no excuse.
DO NOT POST IN A THREAD SIMPLY TO ATTACK OR HARASS ANOTHER POSTER. We all love to hate Esh, but the presence of his name in a thread does not require your input. Do not make a post to tell everyone that you think someone is trolling. Do not pick fights. "Picking a fight" as I am defining it right now means "wording your disagreement in a needlessly or thoughtlessly provocative way". If you have doubts about the tone of your post, you can probably find another way to word it so that you don't. If you can't, don't post it. Again, as a rule, advice should be addressed to the OP and not to each other. If you do not have advice to give, do not post in the thread. This is not negotiable, and obvious covers like "FUCK YOU CERES. Oh and I agree with those guys" are obvious.
Along these lines, if I see one more person say in their post something akin to "Dammit Jim, this is the H/A forum, not a Mary Kay sales meeting" I am going to puke infractions all over them with the wrath of a thousand vomit lords. If you feel that the posts in a thread in general have become too judgmental or too sappy or too mean, report the thread and say why in the field provided. In general, though, we all have our ideas of what we want the H/A forum to be, and the absolute best way to bring that to fruition is not to complain bitterly in a thread, but instead to model that behavior ourselves. Try to keep that in mind.
Please also keep in mind that your threads as well as your individual posts are not made in a vacuum. In a lot of ways this is a good thing, because people who remember you can better tailor their advice using the information still out there. In other ways, if you make the same basic thread three times, people will be annoyed. If you fight with people who are trying to help you, they will remember it. If you say something that is absolutely moronic, people will be able to call it up at any time for years and years to come. If you are a regular here and you want a particular thread you make to be considered completely out of context, realize that it probably won't play out exactly the way you envision. That comes with the territory when posting on forums as heavily indexed as these, so exercise some common sense and don't get upset when people mention your history.
The rules thread is still stickied, and they really haven't changed. If you have a question or a doubt about the rules, it is there for you. You can PM me with questions, as well as any of the other mods.
It's good to be back. Thanks for reading this far to those who did, and to those who didn't... hehe.
tl;dr, I'm back so shape the fuck up and be civilized or else. Also hi!
And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
ceres on
0
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
Seriously though it's great to see you in this position. You're one of the best H/A posters.
To clarify, naming posters is fine. Fighting with someone because that's just what you do when they post is inappropriate in H/A such a high percentage of the time that it's really just best no one does it at all.
Good job Ceres.
https://medium.com/@alascii
will there be epic mods wars between you and than and pheezer for our hearts and minds
because if so i'm firmly in pheezer's camp
Nobody said anything about wars
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Shogun Streams Vidya
ceres you have been a consistently sound and sage poster in H/A
I'm going to leave this thread open over the weekend for questions and comments.
And yeah, if you think a thread is just devolving, report it so that it can be locked instead of posting in it to say that this thread is going to shit.
I keed. Anyways, man, now I'm going to have to go back to D&D. Thanks a lot ceres.
Ok, maybe fondly isn't the right word.
No.
These are the best rules.
This made me laugh a little, but it wasn't awesome. Two stars.
Also yeah, I stopped reading that bird thread pretty early on. :P
Paintball guns
Fuck you, Esh. Oh, and I agree with Ceres!
Edit: Oh.. oh... this is an awkward TOTP.
They are good.
If you are just posting to make the joke, then no.
An old forum I used to visit used to actually have a designated Anonymous login that anyone could use for that purpose, which I thought was a good idea, but I've always been curious about H/A's stance on alts (and how it differs from the rest of the forum, for obvious reasons). What sayeth you, new old mod?
Some guidelines for when you make an alt:
- If you feel you need to make an alt to post a new topic, make sure you really want to make the topic at all. Some people will and that's fine, but this is still a pretty public place.
- The alt CAN be traced back to you. When you make an alt, Joe Schmo Forum can't see who you are, you sneaky bastard. Generally speaking, MODS CAN. Generally speaking, we won't tell, but if you use an alt to be obnoxious or troll or break another forum rule your alt will be banned and you will be in jail or worse.
- If you are making a new alt for every thread you make in H/A, consider yourself abusing the privilege. This will have consequences.
I know the use of alts in H/A is pretty controversial among some of the regulars, but honestly, if someone uses the same handle for every site and wants to make a thread asking for advice about their sweaty boot rash or what a little bitch their brother is, it doesn't hurt anyone to allow them this layer of anonymity. Allowing it can be enough to encourage someone to post if they have a serious problem they wouldn't otherwise want to talk about publicly, and that's sort of what this forum is here for.
Look, people can't stop you from showing initiative and using the search button. If you're an ass with it, you're going to get hit with the same infraction you would being an ass any other way. Keep it on-topic, and don't be a dick.
edit: This can change if I see enough people being an ass with it enough of the time.
I don't think this has been at all a problem and I think banning the mention of previous threads would be a pretty extreme thing to do.
EDIT:
Are those honestly topics that you'd allow for an alt? I think it should be restricted to only extreme cases. If people can create alts for things like "My friend is being a jerk!" it's going to get out of hand real fast.
Thank you for restating my post.
I only said something because this is something you already stated in your OP and I wondered why it needed to be brought up again.
May I ask why how long ago you used to be a mod here, and why you stopped?
Feel free to answer "No."
I've only been on the PA forums for a little under two years - I'm not in league with the veterans.
I've been here for a few years now, and I mostly stick to the homework threads, or a few other things involving my direct experience, rather than relationship/lifestyle threads, so I almost never reply to "alt" threads. I just skip over 'em.
That being said, I really like the idea that if someone feels they need a place to get help safely they can do it here, that we are the good guys, and that this community (PA in general) is mostly made up of Team Winner. I'm willing to put up with a few extra silly geese threads cluttering up my page in order for those people who really need it to feel comfortable talking about their problem. Odds are if someone thinks this is the only place they can go for help, they're already feeling shut down by other venues.
If someone is on the fence about asking a question b/c of anonymity, I want them to ask it.
3clipse: The key to any successful marriage is a good mid-game transition.
Sanity is in short supply! Thanks, I was just curious.