Rules and Guidelines For Forum Posting

[cricket]

Originally Posted By: cricket

Link??

I don't believe I would be at liberty to share that. I would have to ask the administrators of other forums if their materials could be shared.

Dave

My apologies. I should have been more specific in my question. I was referring to a link here at Adventistforums, formerly ClubAdventist, in which you had previously been supportive of the ideas for rules and regulations. I would like to read that to which you were referring. The link to the other forum's rules and regulations will not be necessary as I am already fully aware of their rules--having been a member at their forum for over two years now, myself.

[nuff sed]

This forum is not a Democracy. Why don't you leave the Rules and Guidelines to the one who owns and runs it? He can set it up any way he wishes.

[David Koot]

I agree with what you say here - and I'm sorry if I bridled a bit when it sounded like you might have called my family here dysfunctional.

I was actually reflecting on something I have seen for decades--and it is by no means unique to the SDA church, although it does occur within the SDA church, as in many group settings. The issue assumes urgency with regard to a church, which, Scripturally, has a mandate to grow and prosper spiritually and bring people in from the outside. Too many times, a dysfunctional church situation is allowed to continue for years, resulting in no significant church growth or progress. I do not believe such a situation is right. On that point, I notice in the book Evangelism that the author speaks of a church's mission to bring in new people, but if a church group continues a negative or destructive pattern, then God's workers should leave them to their devices and go out and raise up better material for a church. There is a saying in church planting, "It is easier to give birth than to raise the dead."

Dave

[David Koot]

I was referring to a link here at Adventistforums, formerly ClubAdventist, in which you had previously been supportive of the ideas for rules and regulations. I would like to read that to which you were referring.

I wouldn't recall a link, but I do recall the discussions--and I expect Redwood may have a recollection of them as he, too, was involved in them. It was a bit of a lively time. Here is some of what I recall urging:

1) Rules should be applied even-handedly across the Board;

2) Personal sniping, ad hominem attacks and defamatory material should not be allowed;

3) If a moderator is going to participate in a discussion, he or she should take off the mod hat and act as a participant, with someone else moderating.

Dave

[Woody]

Yes Dave ... I recall them. Problem number one is that #1 as you have written ... will not happen. So ... there is no use to have rules when #1 will not be able to be accomplished for various reasons ... one being that #3 will not happen.

[David Koot]

Yes Dave ... I recall them. Problem number one is that #1 as you have written ... will not happen. So ... there is no use to have rules when #1 will not be able to be accomplished for various reasons ... one being that #3 will not happen.

Speaking from the perspective of having been absent from this forum and quite busy elsewhere, and not knowing what has been going on here, I would simply say in general terms, that if what you say were true of any discussion forum, then we are looking at a dysfunctional situation, and a place that is unsafe. Having been out and about, and seen what goes on outside the precincts of C/A, I am pleased to be able to report that there are safe places to participate and post, where there clearly-defined guidelines which are applied reasonably, where moderators who participate in discussions MUST recuse themselves, and where moderator actions with respect to members and posts are done by consensus based on reports and feedback from the moderator staff--and where there are separate boards for discussion and recovery issues, which are handled differently.

There are also places that are not like that. I have experienced both types, and am quite comfortable with my present involvment. As for Club Adventist, I am pleased to see the rules which apparently have been posted, and would encourage the rest of the framework as well (which may already be done, I wouldn't know): apply those rules consistently, even-handedly, and moderators who are active on a thread should take off the mod hat and let someone else moderate that particular discussion. Those two items would go a long way, and really are quite important, I should think.

Dave

[jasd]

>>...however dysfunctional that may be. Indeed, some people may prefer a dysfunctional situation [...] normalcy<<

Dysfunctional and lack of normalcy: a premise not obtaining re C/A, yes?

>>Others may not be willing to tolerate it.<<

Others may be unaware of the negatives attributed to vigorous dialogue... preferring, perhaps, a format less dependant upon PC.

>>Last year, I decided to check out different Christian forums. [...] I became very active on that forum, and was very well received.<<

An experiment in forum-sleuthing?

>>...very, very good policies and procedures--and ones which I personally had advocated here on C/A. Having been exposed to that, I can truly appreciate the difference<< [ed.jasd]

I notice you have a certain fascination for “policies and procedures, aka rules”... Do I err?

>>--which is between the 'bush league' and the majors. Of course, there may well be those who prefer the bush league. To each his own.<<

Indeed, “To each his own” – unless one really doesn’t mean that – being, seemingly, consumed with the fabrication of rules... Having noted that...

“the majors”? well, I confess that I don’t know from nothin’ about “the majors”; however, should I have a need-to-know – I wonder – whomever should I ask, hmmm?

Personally, as long as we’re utilizing metaphors, I’m a sandlot kind of guy – no, not playing on sandlots, but warming the bleachers – y’know, yowsa! yowsa! yowsa! ...huzzahing, Hoo-hahing, fist-bumping, high-fiving, and sharing pizzas and brewskies

while cheering thems ladies from the Sec’y pool in their Hooters T-shirts. (oh, wascally me)

Ahh, indeed, to each his own. [/sigh]

By the way, how does advocating “policies and procedures--and ones which I personally had advocated here on C/A.”

equate to the implied – “the majors”? (or do I misread you?) I would have thought

that someone inherently composed and measured in his or her posting – rather than someone dependant upon imposed externals – typified “the majors”; otherwise, doesn’t the proposition you’ve raised smack rather vaguely of

a logical contradiction.

____________________

Beware the self-perpetuating dynamic