I talked a bit about what I expect here in the FAQ thread, but I never really wrote up a set of rules, so I'll do it now. These are the real, complete rules -- nothing more, nothing less. This is the basic principle behind how Wikipedia's "anyone can edit" thing works, and it's actually pretty effective. These rules are subject to change, but I'll let you know if they do. They probably won't, though.
1. This is not a democracy. That means I can do stuff other people can't. It's an easy and effective way to keep small forums in check, and it's how this one is going to work. I'm not going to pull a Saddam and do all sorts of horrible things, but keep in mind that there isn't really any sort of bureaucracy that tells me what to do or how to do it. I just go by what I think works.
2. Don't be a dick. This one was taken directly from Wikipedia. It's pretty simple: don't be needlessly cruel or rude and treat other people with disrespect. Dickish behavior includes flaming, berating, or insulting another member. Or doing things like changing someone else's profile or settings without their consent (and yes, I do have a log of who does what with their administrative powers). All that stuff. You all know the drill by now.
3. Don't be a nazi. A lot of people hold a lot of power here, and that's fine. But you can't let it go to your head or go on a power trip because of it. If someone has done something obviously, absolutely wrong, yes, let them know. But otherwise, it's fine. We don't need to have an entire set of rules about posting in certain topics or locked threads or blah blah blah. Don't spam and don't post porn. Other than that, go crazy. It really does not matter. As far as warnings and bannings go, block people who are spamming or posting dirty pictures, and let me know if some sort of other conflict arises and I'll take care of it. You all are responsible enough, so you don't need to give official warnings to each other about this kind of stuff.
4. Keep it simple. This is the one rule I emphasized before and that you all should have heard by now, but I'll reiterate it anyway: keep things as simple and easy as possible. If everybody decides that we need more boards, then make more boards. But keep it simple. And go slowly -- if you need one or two more right now, make one or two more right now and then more later if need be.
5. Do things within reason. If I've promoted you, it's because I think you can handle it. And I expect you to be responsible. Feel free to mess around, but don't go changing other people's posts or thread titles or anything like that... It causes problems and you get into these big admin fights that don't end well. Just don't be stupid and you'll be fine.
If I think of anything else, I'll update this. But I probably won't, and this is all you'll really need to know. I suppose that I should have specified how this works earlier, but then I'm not used to working in a position like this with people who aren't from Wikipedia.
Fri Nov 07, 2008 5:19 pm
