OK, there's been an awful lot of direct abuse on the site, with attempts to flout the lighter-touch we tend to apply in some off-topic areas, and the fact that we don't police PMs.
We're changing that now, because there are simply too many people who think that this kind of attack is perfectly OK; it's not, and it's in direct opposition to the spirit of the rules...so we've changed the rules to make it more explicit:
2. Don’t be nasty. That means being personally and deliberately insulting, aggressive or vindictive towards any other member or group. This absolutely includes being abusive, and it includes sending direct messages for the purpose of abusing somebody.
Since I know that some will want to rules-lawyer their way around this, and that there are more than a few who think "He started it!" excuses their behaviour, I want to make this clear: that will not fly.
We're going to be tracking these offences, because they happen so often. There is a simple escalation of sanctions attached to this:
1 - Warning
2 - Cooler (1 week)
3 - Cooler (2 weeks)
4 - Ban.
Here are some recent examples of comments that will trigger this process:
"You're a cunt"
"Fuck you, you fucking moron"
"Go fuck yourself"
...etc etc
You may spot a theme here, but please be under no illusion that this is specific to naughty words. We will read it if it's flagged (and sometimes even if it's not), and we will make a determination one way or the other, and that will be final.
In short, "Play the ball, not the man".
If we end up in a situation where the "But he started it!" defence is applied, then there are two possibilities:
1 - Everybody involved goes to the next step of the above sanctions.
2 - It looks like the accused is just trying to get other people in trouble after they overreacted/screwed up/etc, in which case they skip a step and get closer to a full ban.
Now, if you've read through this and you're thinking of ways you can game the system, then consider the fact that most people on here just want this to be a nice place they can use to talk to their mates and other like-minded people, or have a good debate without it getting personal, or some combination thereof.
If your first instinct is to try to figure out a way around the rules, you're just ruining it for everybody else and you should either have a stern word with yourself or leave, because you're simply not welcome here.
Having read and taken all of that on board, you should also bear in mind that The Rob Chapman Rule is still in effect - do not post anything about celebrities etc that you wouldn't be able to write about a forum member.
<space for hire>
Comments
I really dont get why folk have to resort to abuse here or anywhere else…seems to be on the increase in society as a whole, baffles me…..
Just a shame the mods have more to deal with, for which I am grateful for your efforts..
But seriously, this is a positive step. Far too many people being abusive from the safety of a keyboard on here.
My Trading Feedback | You Bring The Band
Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youI'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
well done
phew….that’s a relief
https://i.imgur.com/GvVaKqt.jpg
Well, well, well ..... not before time.
'Playing the man, not the ball' was prevalent well before I took a sabbatical.
Seeing this post from DS gives me some hope for TFB. Let's see how it pans out.
Ebay mark7777_1
Offset "(Emp) - a little heavy on the hyperbole."