A word about forum etiquette

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Niall

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In recent times, there has been a noticeable increase in the amount of personal abuse being directed at members.

This is taking the form of:
  • personal attacks on members after they make a post (e.g. "shut up spastic", "you're a Ihni binni dimi diniwiny anitaime", "you retard")
  • stalking member's posts (i.e. targeting a person's replies and constantly criticising them)
  • ganging up on specific members to try and hound them out of a topic / forum
This is making many of the forums quite unwelcoming and it's affecting the quality of discussions.

Differing opinions are part and parcel of a forum like this and I'm not asking everybody to suddenly just start getting along. Rather I'm asking for a bit more maturity and to treat your fellow members with more respect. Everyone is entitled to an opinion on here and they should never feel worried about being abused for expressing it. If you don't agree with what someone has posted, by all means criticise it, but don't make it personal.

Criticise the post, not the poster.

Hopefully this announcement is enough to see an end to this kind of behaviour, but if not we'll be clamping down on incidents with warnings and bannings for repeat offenders.

Also, if you see any personal abuse going on, please use the 'Report' link to let the moderators know. You'll be helping to improve the forum for everyone.

Now go give the next person you reply to a big e-hug! ;)
 
Needed saying - and well said (especially about the ganging up thing - which is probably something that happens quite a bit and you don't even realise it's happening/you're a part of it)... you rapscallion you.
 
Have not seen much personal abuse but agree fully with the post, there is no need for it.

A lot of opposition fans will judge United fans on what they read on here, so we represent all United fans, don't do anything that gives them any kind of ammo.
 
As an opposition fan I am disheartened at having my ammo taken from me.
 
The OP did need saying, I've never been a member of a forum where there's so much hostility to one another, these people would never go through a day speaking to one another like it face to face but think it's ok in here?
 
Niall said:
In recent times, there has been a noticeable increase in the amount of personal abuse being directed at members.

This is taking the form of:
  • personal attacks on members after they make a post (e.g. "shut up spastic", "you're a Ihni binni dimi diniwiny anitaime", "you retard"
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Slightly sad that it needed saying, these kinds of words particularly need weeded out.
 
charlenefan said:
The OP did need saying, I've never been a member of a forum where there's so much hostility to one another, these people would never go through a day speaking to one another like it face to face but think it's ok in here?
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You've never worked in a warehouse have you? :lol:
 
As a relatively old redcafe member i agree with this wholeheartedly
 
Duafc said:
Slightly sad that it needed saying, these kinds of words particularly need weeded out.
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It would help if some of the modmins themselves didn't use them in abundance. Having CP myself, I don't particularly appreciate seeing some of these words used.
 
A lot of it is tongue in cheek and that stuff is ok in my opinion. When it's regular posters who know each other holding a level of banter I don't have a problem with that, and I don't think the majority see a problem either.

But...

Sometimes people who don't know the person jump in with insult after insult, and rightfully get lambasted for being over-familiar.

99% of arguments in the FF end up being insult tennis. Most of the time it seems like people aren't able to disagree without taking it to a personal level.

Overall, I'd rather have a place that's too PC than one that isn't PC enough. Some people really do say some shocking things on here, and that's coming from someone who has worked in a factory, and also been on a forum for a shock-humour podcast (Every other post was an insult which ended in them telling the other person to kill themselves). I'd say it's somewhere in between, not good at the moment, but not bad. I'm disappointed with quite a few posters at the moment.
 
I think a difference in culture doesn't help. Some people may find being called a 'cnut' acceptable and just banter in Great Britain but outside could be seen as very offensive. It should not be happening anyway. In my short time at the mains, i can see that posters that disagree with your opinion tend to try and ridicule instead of debate the argument at hand which is a shame. I even stopped trying to debate a point in a thread because of it which should not be happening.
 
That'sHernandez said:
It would help if some of the modmins themselves didn't use them in abundance. Having CP myself, I don't particularly appreciate seeing some of these words used.
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The problem with the forum and it's increasing size is that there are all sorts of e-relationships. The words are just words, and depending who they are between can carry all sorts of different weights. A lot of the modmins have been here a long time and the caf is a wildly different place than when many signed up.

Why don't you take the OP on face value and move on instead of turning every admin issue into some pop at the site moderation, If we are that intolerable to you to the point you need to whine constantly maybe you should consider posting somewhere where your standards are met?
 
Quality stuff, Niall.

And I agree. There's a trend towards people being a lot more uptight and unnecessarily confrontational immature which doesn't make for great debate.
 
Lowkey said:
I think a difference in culture doesn't help. Some people may find being called a 'cnut' acceptable and just banter in Great Britain but outside could be seen as very offensive. It should not be happening anyway.
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This is true, but the caf is huge now, and niche attitudes will be squeezed out.

The main issue with the caf is the idea that there is only one right answer, which in football is rarely true.
 
moses said:
The problem with the forum and it's increasing size is that there are all sorts of e-relationships. The words are just words, and depending who they are between can carry all sorts of different weights. A lot of the modmins have been here a long time and the caf is a wildly different place than when many signed up.

Why don't you take the OP on face value and move on instead of turning every admin issue into some pop at the site moderation, If we are that intolerable to you to the point you need to whine constantly maybe you should consider posting somewhere where your standards are met?
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I'm not Moses, I'm just of the opinion those who are in a position of responsibility should lead by example. That seems like common sense to me. How can you expect everyone else to follow a set of rules when they see others flaunting them? It sends a mixed message. If you're taking it as a pop, that's on your end, not mine.
 
That'sHernandez said:
I'm not Moses, I'm just of the opinion those who are in a position of responsibility should lead by example. That seems like common sense to me. How can you expect everyone else to follow a set of rules when they see others flaunting them? It sends a mixed message. If you're taking it as a pop, that's on your end, not mine.
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This OP was discussed by the mods, thus making your latest pop at the modmins utterly redundant.
 
disagree tbh, the mods are a good bunch but at the end of the day they're just regular posters, some of the best ones at that. They shouldn't become personality-less abstract rule enforcers, it would be to the forums detriment & probably just increase that 'us v. Them' attitude some seem to enjoy so much.

it's all about tone & totally situational... It's clear as day when its a laugh between efriends but equally clear when its just spineless nastiness - that instance needs reporting.
 
I recently got a warning for using the word 'retarded'. Now I can see how that can be seen as offensive and haven't used it since but it seems to be a word that is used very commonly on the caf including the mods and admins.
 
akash02 said:
I recently got a warning for using the word 'retarded'. Now I can see how that can be seen as offensive and haven't used it since but it seems to be a word that is used very commonly on the caf including the mods and admins.
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Er, dude... you just used it again.

Nice knowing you.
 
Duafc said:
disagree tbh, the mods are a good bunch but at the end of the day they're just regular posters, some of the best ones at that. They shouldn't become personality-less abstract rule enforcers, it would be to the forums detriment & probably just increase that 'us v. Them' attitude some seem to enjoy so much.

it's all about tone & totally situational... It's clear as day when its a laugh between efriends but equally clear when its just spineless nastiness - that instance needs reporting.
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This. (You bastard)
 
The Don said:
I'm a bit confused (surprise) but am I still allowed to insult people I get along with and who I know won't take it seriously?
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I report every single one of your offensive posts while laughing along with you.

Nev down, TDon to go...
 
The Don said:
I'm a bit confused (surprise) but am I still allowed to insult people I get along with and who I know won't take it seriously?
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Most of the modmins are ok with silly insults in the general. You should probably try to keep it covert in the football forums etc.
 
Duafc said:
disagree tbh, the mods are a good bunch but at the end of the day they're just regular posters, some of the best ones at that. They shouldn't become personality-less abstract rule enforcers, it would be to the forums detriment & probably just increase that 'us v. Them' attitude some seem to enjoy so much.

it's all about tone & totally situational... It's clear as day when its a laugh between efriends but equally clear when its just spineless nastiness - that instance needs reporting.
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Absolutely, the mods come here for the same stuff the rest of us do, so why should they be limited as the what they post more than anyone else.

Thats not to say this new e-friendliness movement shouldn't include them, as it should, one set of rules for everyone.
 
akash02 said:
I recently got a warning for using the word 'retarded'. Now I can see how that can be seen as offensive and haven't used it since but it seems to be a word that is used very commonly on the caf including the mods and admins.
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So? If we see something we don't want on the site, we'll let you know, usually with a warning. That's how it works.
 
Duafc said:
disagree tbh, the mods are a good bunch but at the end of the day they're just regular posters, some of the best ones at that. They shouldn't become personality-less abstract rule enforcers, it would be to the forums detriment & probably just increase that 'us v. Them' attitude some seem to enjoy so much.

it's all about tone & totally situational... It's clear as day when its a laugh between efriends but equally clear when its just spineless nastiness - that instance needs reporting.
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Kissarse. :rolleyes:
 
Duafc said:
disagree tbh, the mods are a good bunch but at the end of the day they're just regular posters, some of the best ones at that. They shouldn't become personality-less abstract rule enforcers, it would be to the forums detriment & probably just increase that 'us v. Them' attitude some seem to enjoy so much.

it's all about tone & totally situational... It's clear as day when its a laugh between efriends but equally clear when its just spineless nastiness - that instance needs reporting.
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I agree that the moderators are good people, that's not my point.

Imagine a steward at a United game telling you to stop smoking, if they had a cig in their mouth you wouldn't listen.

As much as I like them, asking people to tone down on the language that mods freely use will fall on deaf ears. I don't have a problem with the mods at all.
 
I know that Weaste tends to use exclamation points when he's not being serious, maybe we could all apply that technique to our own posts!
 
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