Topic: Moderation Policy
There is no strict moderation policy here, just common sense. Members are usually intelligent, considerate, and honest enough to keep discussion flowing elegantly even when there are differences of opinion. So the atmosphere here is pretty relaxed.
At most, here are some suggestions:
* keep humor in good taste
* keep profanity/cursing to a minimum
* think before you react to provocation
Occasionally members post who are:
- incoherent
- extremely arrogant and abrasive
- incapable of restraining their overreactions
- inconsiderate
- just plain crazy
As moderator, I usually email them offline to discuss and resolve any problems. In extreme cases, these disruptive members show clear signs of having ill intentions or else they lack the self-awareness to see their own behavior from another's point of view.
Those who continue being disruptive despite warnings are eventually banned or deleted. Banning is for those with malevolent agendas, while deletion is a respectful way for a member to leave the forum. Because there is no unsubscribe function, some wishing to unsubscribe have asked me to delete their membership. This means not all with the title "guest" beneath their name have necessarily been kicked out.
If one has a problem with this forum in general, then:
1) give a thorough description of your problem and be specific
2) be constructive in your criticism by offering practical solutions or suggestions for improvement
3) if your solutions or suggestions are not even feasible, your remaining option is to leave
4) do not consistently resort to personal attacks, logical fallacies, or irrationally reject disagreement
I've been in other forums where either the board was overrun by sabateurs or the moderators were tyrannical. Here at Noble Realms we are aiming to avoid both of these pitfalls, and so far things have turned out great. Ironically, it's always the honest people who worry about being admonished while the troublesome ones rarely admit to doing wrong. So in reading this, if you have joined this forum with honest intentions, then have no worries about posting freely.