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- Jan 19, 2009
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With Troy's announcement of a change in ownership of TRF, I thought it appropriate to explain where things are headed...
So, what's going to happen to TRF?
There are two things which will be the most noticable... A single banner ad at the top of the page, and a slight shift in moderation policies.
A single banner spot will be created at the top of the page, in the existing whitespace. This slot will be
a rotating banner, allowing multiple advertisers to use the same slot. Prices will be very low, as the slot
is shared, and the goal is to make it affordable for any vendor who is interested. There will be a maximum
number of slots, as well as a maximum number which any one vendor can purchase. The goal of this will be to cover the cost of making the forums available.
Second, the moderation policies. Everyone has their own view on what it should be, and here's mine... The vast majority of the users are adults, and want to be treated as such. Even those who aren't adults would
rather be treated as adults, as well -- think back to your childhood, and how many times you grumbled about being "treated like a child."
With that in mind, the policies are pretty straightforward. In terms of language, for those old enough to remember it, the policies will be equivalent to 1970s television standards. George Carlin and his Seven Words You Cannot Say On Television? Well, guess what? You can't say them here, either. Politics and Religion are also two highly volatile topics that we'll just stay away from.
The tone of your message also matters. If I'm in a disgreement with someone and I think they've made a mistake, I'll get a lot farther with them if I say "Hey, Bob, I think there's a better way" as opposed to "Geeze, Bob, you did that WRONG!" If you disagree with someone, feel free to express it. But do it in a way that's courteous and conducive to a discussion.
What about avatars, which have caused some contention in the past?
Pick up a copy of the Student Handbook for your local public high school, and look at the dress code rules. If the people depicated in the avatar are in compliance with the dress code, then the avatar is acceptable on TRF.
As far as the implementation of the policies, they're effective immediately. But that's not an invitation to head off to the races and test the boundaries -- it will take the moderators time to adjust, just like it will take the users time to adjust. So, I ask everyone be patient and let the entire user community adjust to this, over time.
Please remember, the TRF staff is made up of humans. We'll screw up at times, and make mistakes -- a few months back, I posted something which another one of the moderators pointed out wasn't really appropriate. Like any other user, I got admonished via PM by the moderator who realized what I had done. It got corrected. Relevance, you ask? Simple -- EVERY user on this forum will be held to the same rules. Doesn't matter who you are, doesn't matter what level of access you have to the forum, you break the rules, you get dealt with the same. If I break the rules, I expect one of the moderators to call me on it, and if one of the moderators breaks the rules, they'll get called on it, as well.
Hopefully that gives everyone an idea of what to expect.
-Kevin
So, what's going to happen to TRF?
There are two things which will be the most noticable... A single banner ad at the top of the page, and a slight shift in moderation policies.
A single banner spot will be created at the top of the page, in the existing whitespace. This slot will be
a rotating banner, allowing multiple advertisers to use the same slot. Prices will be very low, as the slot
is shared, and the goal is to make it affordable for any vendor who is interested. There will be a maximum
number of slots, as well as a maximum number which any one vendor can purchase. The goal of this will be to cover the cost of making the forums available.
Second, the moderation policies. Everyone has their own view on what it should be, and here's mine... The vast majority of the users are adults, and want to be treated as such. Even those who aren't adults would
rather be treated as adults, as well -- think back to your childhood, and how many times you grumbled about being "treated like a child."
With that in mind, the policies are pretty straightforward. In terms of language, for those old enough to remember it, the policies will be equivalent to 1970s television standards. George Carlin and his Seven Words You Cannot Say On Television? Well, guess what? You can't say them here, either. Politics and Religion are also two highly volatile topics that we'll just stay away from.
The tone of your message also matters. If I'm in a disgreement with someone and I think they've made a mistake, I'll get a lot farther with them if I say "Hey, Bob, I think there's a better way" as opposed to "Geeze, Bob, you did that WRONG!" If you disagree with someone, feel free to express it. But do it in a way that's courteous and conducive to a discussion.
What about avatars, which have caused some contention in the past?
Pick up a copy of the Student Handbook for your local public high school, and look at the dress code rules. If the people depicated in the avatar are in compliance with the dress code, then the avatar is acceptable on TRF.
As far as the implementation of the policies, they're effective immediately. But that's not an invitation to head off to the races and test the boundaries -- it will take the moderators time to adjust, just like it will take the users time to adjust. So, I ask everyone be patient and let the entire user community adjust to this, over time.
Please remember, the TRF staff is made up of humans. We'll screw up at times, and make mistakes -- a few months back, I posted something which another one of the moderators pointed out wasn't really appropriate. Like any other user, I got admonished via PM by the moderator who realized what I had done. It got corrected. Relevance, you ask? Simple -- EVERY user on this forum will be held to the same rules. Doesn't matter who you are, doesn't matter what level of access you have to the forum, you break the rules, you get dealt with the same. If I break the rules, I expect one of the moderators to call me on it, and if one of the moderators breaks the rules, they'll get called on it, as well.
Hopefully that gives everyone an idea of what to expect.
-Kevin
