Guys... please... ALL READ.

[tiggerai]

All,

It's not often that I've got to put my foot down like this but I've noticed some things are getting out of hand. So I will be instating some "common decency" rules.

1. Swearing - we're having a crackdown. Anyone caught swearing will be reprimanded. Please watch your language. OiD has already warned about this one.

2. Talk to people on here as you would wish to be spoken to - There have been way too many instances recently where members have turned to the community for advice only to be berated for it. We are here to support one another as a community and that is also what we pride ourselves on.
What we're NOT here for is berating people for their individual circumstances. Please only constructive advice from now on, we don't need everyone's opinions on everything.

3. If you don't agree with something and you can't be constructive about it, leave it be, walk away and remember people are entitled to their own opinions that may or may not be in line with your own. Flame wars are not fun, they're uncomfortable to read and just give everyone a bad experience. If you have an issue with a post - please report it and it will be picked up by one of the Mod team to review.

Hexus has pride in it's community, please be civil to each other and it'll be a better place. We don't want people with a genuine need for advice to be turned away because of some petty individuals voicing negative opinions when they're just not needed.

Offenders will be warned by PM, repeat offenders will be dealt with at the Mods discretion.

If you have any issues with this, then please let me know.

Tigs.

[Disturbedguy]

Well said to be honest Tigs!

[pollaxe]

Time for a:

[Salazaar]

Spread the

[Behemoth]

Well said

[Lowe]

Time for a:

Not really. More a case of having to dust off a whip which hasn't been cracked in... well, ever! A line needs to be drawn and understood by the community. Hexus is generally self modding, hence why there's not that many in the mod squad. However with increasing numbers of posters the community loses the 'community' feel. For example newer members sometimes get picked on, cliques begin to form, longer standing members which have previously got away with rules being lax feel aggrieved when they're picked up on minor rule transgressions, etc.

There's plenty more examples out there, but I'm naming the things that worry me personally. Hexus' forums are a strong, growing community but for the benefit of all we need to draw a couple of lines and make sure everyone knows where they are. A few people are probably going to have their noses put out of joint as part of this. But I honestly think it's for the greater good, otherwise Hexus runs the risk of being a bit of a free for all 'boys club'.

Tig's has summed it up very eloquently I think.

[Mike Fishcake]

Totally agree. It's one of the reasons I don't post here as much as I used to any more. Any time I think about posting something new, I think "OK, now is there any way someone could take this the wrong way?" and quite often don't bother because I think that someone's going to quickly jump on it and pick it to pieces.

It's all too easy to criticise when you're not in the same situation yourself. Too often, people are made to feel like an idiot for even considering writing something in the first place. People shouldn't have to feel like that because someone feels they have to play the one-upmanship game. If I want my opinion or situation to be insulted, I'll post something on a Youtube video comments section.

[matty-hodgson]

Totally agree. It's one of the reasons I don't post here as much as I used to any more. Any time I think about posting something new, I think "OK, now is there any way someone could take this the wrong way?" and quite often don't bother because I think that someone's going to quickly jump on it and pick it to pieces.

I know exactly what you mean with that! And can think of about 3 or 4 members who do it regularly. That's also the reason why I've stopped writing so many news articles on HEXUS, cos the slightest little slip up and you get made to feel like an absolute idiot.

[tiggerai]

Thanks guys - it seems this has hit a chord with some of you.

I will not be naming and shaming, but I will be being tough. If that means instating a cool-off period for those that we (as a team) deem necessary then so be it.

I am going to be instating some of the rules that my Social area has adhered to over the last few years. Anyone who has been to a meet will know that we go out of our way to help, to welcome new members and offer advice. I want this to start spreading throughout HEXUS as a whole. Anyone not abiding gets a reprimand.

It will never be that we don't want you in the community, but that you're welcome to join in if you're going to be a civilised member.
If you don't think you can do what I've been describing, then there are plenty of other forums out there.

Remember - Hell hath no fury...

[kalniel]

That's also the reason why I've stopped writing so many news articles on HEXUS, cos the slightest little slip up and you get made to feel like an absolute idiot.

I think there's a difference between posts made as forum users on an informal forum and Hexus written articles that are effectively professional publications. If someone points out improvements in an article then it's not attacking anyone personally and it shouldn't be taken that way - usually it's wanting to improve the article so that Hexus keeps the highest quality of journalistic output possible. Standards are high for such articles and people want to keep them high. Pointing out grammar or whatever on a forum post however is more personal, and while it can be done in a nice way, it's not always.

[tiggerai]

Well said Kal, while errors do jump into editorials and we're quick to spot them, this isn't what we're talking about here.

If there are errors in articles then it's a corporate job to improve the editorial side of things (this is what proofing is for)

We are discussing the informal, non-corporate side of things here. One step at a time please.

[jim]

As long as we don't kill humour, I'm fine with any attempt to make things more accessible/friendly to all.

For the record, I agree with Kalniel as well.

[matty-hodgson]

I think there's a difference between posts made as forum users on an informal forum and Hexus written articles that are effectively professional publications. If someone points out improvements in an article then it's not attacking anyone personally and it shouldn't be taken that way - usually it's wanting to improve the article so that Hexus keeps the highest quality of journalistic output possible. Standards are high for such articles and people want to keep them high. Pointing out grammar or whatever on a forum post however is more personal, and while it can be done in a nice way, it's not always.

Yeah, if it's done in a nice way. Which 95% of the time it's not.

Tigs Edit - We don't need examples thank you, we know what the issues are.

[Disturbedguy]

Indeed. Matty if someone points out a spelling mistake, don't take it personally, as if Steve or Tarinder made a spelling mistake, they will get picked up on also and pointed out .

I like Hexus, a lot, I have been a member on a number of different forums, varying in size but have remained most active on Hexus, infact I dont visit the other forums any more as they just don't have the same feeling and I would hate for Hexus to lose that appeal.

[kalniel]

Yeah, if it's done in a nice way. Which 95% of the time it's not.

I don't see any personal attacks there - pointing out a spelling mistake/typo shouldn't be a problem and there's no other comment aside from the 'seriously?' which suggests he's just checking if it's the right name (ala the website) or whether it's a mistake. Likewise I think the whip/mod thing later purely means that higher privileges might be needed to make a correction.

I think 99% of the time, if not 100% of the time, corrections to articles are suggested in a non-offensive manner by intention.

[tiggerai]

Yeah, if it's done in a nice way. Which 95% of the time it's not.

Which is acceptable. This is what we're trying to change, but we also don't need "Victims" playing the victim. Victims pointing the finger is just as bad as the offence committed in the first place.

If you have an issue with a comment that a member has left - report it using the reporting tool, or PM myself or another Mod. Don't try and whip up an attention storm.

No one on here is completely innocent, myself included as we all have bad days, but a little bit of thought in your posts, opinions and comments goes a long, long way.

As long as we don't kill humour, I'm fine with any attempt to make things more accessible/friendly to all.

For the record, I agree with Kalniel as well.

Sensible humour is what we're missing... more of that please.