I think that this needs to be prefaced with the following:
This post does not contain 'rules', as such. The material in this post is meant to be a guideline. These aren't rules for us to blindly behave. These are guidelines that we should use for our interactions here on Linux.org.
This post contains the guidelines that you should aspire to. They're a description of how to be our best selves while here on Linux.org.
One of the most basic guidelines is to 'be kind'. That shouldn't be controversial. Don't be snarky, biting, aggressive, or things like that.
When we do respond, do so with curiosity, not accusation. Ask to know more. Ask for clarification. Make sure that they're being understood properly.
When we do respond, it should be thoughtful and have substance. A comment should add more to the conversation. If it's a divisive post, respond with care towards fully understanding their position.
There will be times when we disagree with someone. That is perfectly normal. If you disagree with somebody, disagree with the substance of their argument. Don't turn it into a personal attack. Address the substance of their comment, not the person commenting.
Don't call people or things names. Instead of using a pejorative, use the proper names/abbreviations. We should be polite in our discourse. Even if you don't respect them, be civil in your discussions.
There's no reason to protest groups of people, software projects, Linux distros, or things like that. It's okay if you have your favorites. Give that same kindness to others. Allow them to have their favorites, even if you disagree. This is not a place to campaign for your cause. Zealotry is always frowned upon.
This next one is probably a good example of the guidelines we're suggesting:
When we respond to someone, we should not attack the weakest argument. When we read their post, read it as though you're looking for the strongest interpretation of what they're saying. If you're going to respond to a post, assume good faith. That is, assume that they're making the post with the best of intentions with the information they have on hand.
There's no reason to troll. Flamebait is right out of the question. Don't try to stir up controversy. Don't try to be divisive. There's no reason to pick two sides to an argument so that each side can lob couched insults at the other side.
If we're just going to dismiss a comment as it being worthless, don't comment to let them know how you feel about it. They don't care, and we are not adding anything to the discussion.
We are going to sometimes be critical. That's fine, but it should be on its merits. If you're going to make a critical comment, do it right. A good critical comment will teach somebody. Constructive criticism is okay. Criticizing just to criticize is not okay. Don't be critical of the trivial things. They don't matter, and doing so achieves nothing.
When reading a comment or the content of a shared link, don't look to criticize the easy stuff. Instead, concentrate on the positives. Additionally, apply the other guidelines posted here. We want to build things (and people) up, not the other way. It's better to build someone up than it is to take someone down.
To add to that last one, if it looks like someone didn't read the comment/thread/linked article, don't say things like, "Did you read the article?" Instead, and only if it's important, you can be polite about and simply say, "That's in the article/comment."
Don't use all caps. It's considered 'yelling', and nobody likes it when people yell. Instead, look to other text formatting options.
We have an Off-Topic section. If your comment doesn't fit in the thread, maybe post it there. If the comment is more about you, then you have a whole profile that you can post on.
That said, there will always be some digression. Let's try to keep it to a dull roar. If you are going to go off on a tangent, make sure it's actually a tangent (meaning it somehow relates to the discussion).
There's no fast and hard rule about digressing, but we like to keep things on topic. One thing we can do is reply to the tangent while also writing something that adds to the thread.
Don't make comments that imply the person is shilling for another cause. That doesn't help anything and is terribly rude for you to claim without having extremely strong evidence to suggest they're being compensated for their post. The same goes for accusing them of astroturfing, brigading, etc...
Remember, you're (probably) not a moderator. If you see something that you think violates a rule, you can hit the report button. Yes, it's tempting to point others in the right direction, but it just seems to lead to resentment. People respond better when it's a staff member who takes care of things. Plus, the staff is privy to some information you don't have.
Again...
This isn't some grand list of rules. The contents of this post are meant to be guidelines. They're the things we should want to do if we're going to be a good contributor. These guidelines obviously don't cover everything. They're also not entirely universal. That is why they're things we should aspire to, even in the worst of conditions
This post was not done in a vacuum. This post is in response to some complaints that we've had. Some of the complaints were valid. Having looked at the possible solutions, this seems like a good way to avoid some of those problems. I did remind folks that it would take some time before there was a response. This is the response to those issues.
We already have enough rules. The rules allow trusted members (staff) to perform all sorts of arbitrary actions. As a general rule, we don't do that. We moderate with a soft touch, and this has been successful. However, we can be even more successful if we aspire to follow these guidelines.
These aren't just guidelines for you. They're guidelines for all of us. There are things that we mods/admins can do better. These goals are also applicable in other areas of your life, but we'll just concentrate on our lives here on Linux.org. They're not just good aspirations for our activities here; they're good aspirations most anywhere we go.
Credit goes to HackerNews, which has been used to create some of these guidelines.
NOTE: This may get edited a few times. When I think I'm 'done' editing it, I'll remove this line. We'll see how it goes. I'll open a thread in off-topic for people to respond to this.
Edit: This is the link to the discussion thread.
This post does not contain 'rules', as such. The material in this post is meant to be a guideline. These aren't rules for us to blindly behave. These are guidelines that we should use for our interactions here on Linux.org.
This post contains the guidelines that you should aspire to. They're a description of how to be our best selves while here on Linux.org.
One of the most basic guidelines is to 'be kind'. That shouldn't be controversial. Don't be snarky, biting, aggressive, or things like that.
When we do respond, do so with curiosity, not accusation. Ask to know more. Ask for clarification. Make sure that they're being understood properly.
When we do respond, it should be thoughtful and have substance. A comment should add more to the conversation. If it's a divisive post, respond with care towards fully understanding their position.
There will be times when we disagree with someone. That is perfectly normal. If you disagree with somebody, disagree with the substance of their argument. Don't turn it into a personal attack. Address the substance of their comment, not the person commenting.
Don't call people or things names. Instead of using a pejorative, use the proper names/abbreviations. We should be polite in our discourse. Even if you don't respect them, be civil in your discussions.
There's no reason to protest groups of people, software projects, Linux distros, or things like that. It's okay if you have your favorites. Give that same kindness to others. Allow them to have their favorites, even if you disagree. This is not a place to campaign for your cause. Zealotry is always frowned upon.
This next one is probably a good example of the guidelines we're suggesting:
When we respond to someone, we should not attack the weakest argument. When we read their post, read it as though you're looking for the strongest interpretation of what they're saying. If you're going to respond to a post, assume good faith. That is, assume that they're making the post with the best of intentions with the information they have on hand.
There's no reason to troll. Flamebait is right out of the question. Don't try to stir up controversy. Don't try to be divisive. There's no reason to pick two sides to an argument so that each side can lob couched insults at the other side.
If we're just going to dismiss a comment as it being worthless, don't comment to let them know how you feel about it. They don't care, and we are not adding anything to the discussion.
We are going to sometimes be critical. That's fine, but it should be on its merits. If you're going to make a critical comment, do it right. A good critical comment will teach somebody. Constructive criticism is okay. Criticizing just to criticize is not okay. Don't be critical of the trivial things. They don't matter, and doing so achieves nothing.
When reading a comment or the content of a shared link, don't look to criticize the easy stuff. Instead, concentrate on the positives. Additionally, apply the other guidelines posted here. We want to build things (and people) up, not the other way. It's better to build someone up than it is to take someone down.
To add to that last one, if it looks like someone didn't read the comment/thread/linked article, don't say things like, "Did you read the article?" Instead, and only if it's important, you can be polite about and simply say, "That's in the article/comment."
Don't use all caps. It's considered 'yelling', and nobody likes it when people yell. Instead, look to other text formatting options.
We have an Off-Topic section. If your comment doesn't fit in the thread, maybe post it there. If the comment is more about you, then you have a whole profile that you can post on.
That said, there will always be some digression. Let's try to keep it to a dull roar. If you are going to go off on a tangent, make sure it's actually a tangent (meaning it somehow relates to the discussion).
There's no fast and hard rule about digressing, but we like to keep things on topic. One thing we can do is reply to the tangent while also writing something that adds to the thread.
Don't make comments that imply the person is shilling for another cause. That doesn't help anything and is terribly rude for you to claim without having extremely strong evidence to suggest they're being compensated for their post. The same goes for accusing them of astroturfing, brigading, etc...
Remember, you're (probably) not a moderator. If you see something that you think violates a rule, you can hit the report button. Yes, it's tempting to point others in the right direction, but it just seems to lead to resentment. People respond better when it's a staff member who takes care of things. Plus, the staff is privy to some information you don't have.
Again...
This isn't some grand list of rules. The contents of this post are meant to be guidelines. They're the things we should want to do if we're going to be a good contributor. These guidelines obviously don't cover everything. They're also not entirely universal. That is why they're things we should aspire to, even in the worst of conditions
This post was not done in a vacuum. This post is in response to some complaints that we've had. Some of the complaints were valid. Having looked at the possible solutions, this seems like a good way to avoid some of those problems. I did remind folks that it would take some time before there was a response. This is the response to those issues.
We already have enough rules. The rules allow trusted members (staff) to perform all sorts of arbitrary actions. As a general rule, we don't do that. We moderate with a soft touch, and this has been successful. However, we can be even more successful if we aspire to follow these guidelines.
These aren't just guidelines for you. They're guidelines for all of us. There are things that we mods/admins can do better. These goals are also applicable in other areas of your life, but we'll just concentrate on our lives here on Linux.org. They're not just good aspirations for our activities here; they're good aspirations most anywhere we go.
Credit goes to HackerNews, which has been used to create some of these guidelines.
NOTE: This may get edited a few times. When I think I'm 'done' editing it, I'll remove this line. We'll see how it goes. I'll open a thread in off-topic for people to respond to this.
Edit: This is the link to the discussion thread.
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