Reading these, the rules are so broad (and like others have said, kind of kindergarten-y) that it seems like hypothetically they could be applied to anybody who's not 100% positive. I see a lot of people complain about things on Subeta, but with the aim to make it a better place. Obviously mods shouldn't tolerate bullying, bigotry, and other things generally not allowed on the site--but I feel like either these rules would lead to a lot of people getting reported for overall innocent things (a "negative attitude" on a bad day) or the rules would be completely ignored, since they apply so generally.

I feel like I should be in favor of the guidelines but I'm not, I'm sorry. But I'm not very active in the forums (and I have my shoutbox settings off) so I guess you can take that with a grain of salt.

Quote By Duska

I love the rules ❤ Of course someone can give an opinion, but you can say it on a nice decent way. You dont have to call names or anything like that, because it wont make the message any more clear. So I see no problems here 😊

I have to agree with a few of the other posts I've seen. They look like they're written for kindergarteners.

And maybe it's just me, but I feel like there's an underlying sentiment in there that if you aren't all rainbows and sunshine all the time you should expect there to be consequences. Like these guidelines are so kindergarten and :)))) that they actually sound threatening.

They could also be summed up so easily by reducing them to one sentence: Don't be a dick. And that ought to be common sense already.

I think it would be nice to able to have an option for example in a gallery shop, if we could put like search for example: book, and it would show all the books in an item list in that particular gallery. Because books for example have so many different titles/names and this search would make it easier and faster. Especially like the hoard, since a player is putting all kinds if items in their hoard. This would come in handy during the reading contest for example. I so hope this can be done. If no one said it, today. Keith we appreciate you and your hard work. I love this site and its concept.

I don't know how helpful this comment is, but I was to reiterate what and others have said about "Neo-baggage". I'm really afraid of engaging in any kind of conversation on the forums, particularly those that involve me asking questions, due to the mentality I was exposed to there. And unfortunately, which I have sometimes seen actualised here as well :/

I guess that it isn't necessarily about positivity/negativity, but rather intent, which is non-trivial to conceptualise and measure.

Microcosm of society, anyone? ;)

I like it - well worded.

I've worked as a nursery teacher and yeah they do sound a bit like early years classroom rules. But thinking about it, what's wrong with that? The basic, fundamental principles of getting along in a social environment are there, and it reads brilliantly, touching on empathy for other players and using positive reinforcement rather than threatening rules. We set out rules like this for children because the rules don't change (they just get more complicated) and it works really well. :D

I mostly lurk on the forums, and I think that's due more to personal preference than the community here! But I do think it's important to highlight that many people are struggling to get by here with additional communication needs, such as a disability or english as a second language - and we're all at a bit of a disadvantage because we miss out on tone of voice, body language, etc. Sometimes disagreements are more misunderstandings than anything else, and a little clarification either way would totally smooth things out :)

So far my experience has been that you guys are very kind and welcoming, staff are helpful and quick with tickets, and you're generally a lovely bunch. All communities have a little conflict, but ever onwards and upwards!

: I love your condensed one-rule system. It should be common sense by now, it really should :')

I agree with those saying the guidelines sound very kindergarten-y. I mean they look nice, but eh. Some people aren't rainbows and sunshine all the time, but they're not posting personal attacks either. So I just hope that whenever these guidelines get implemented, they won't be an excuse to censure. I also hope posts that are nothing BUT a personal attack - and I've seen some nasty ones - get reprimanded. (Even though I hope action has already been taken and subeta hasn't been letting personal attacks or trolling posts slide for years, because if it has, the guidelines seem more like a wake up call for staff rather than for users who should know better when posting on public forums.)

These are great! Simple to follow. I've never felt at home in the forums just because I'm not very good at being social on pet sites but these mat help me (and a lot of other) to feel more comfortable.

I don't really post but I can't say that the community is more negative than positive. Though there are places that seem very intimidating to certain people. I still suffer from the high school mentality look at things and I'm sure others do too. Hangouts, the chatterbox, etc. seem intimidating because it brings a 'pack mentality' feeling. Where they're the pack and you're the stray wondering if you could befriend them. That's what I think the issue is. If not specifically that, something around that nature.

Perhaps also why people don't post is because of blogs that like to target individuals (some know what I'm speaking of). It makes the community seem like a pool of sharks ready to eat up the next person who jumps in.

The rules are nice though! Simple and may seem childish but some people need to be reminded that they should get themselves together and act civil.

Tbh I'm a fan of the idea of these guidelines? I don't participate much on the forums because I'm bad at talking with people, but I don't think it hurts to remind people to be nice. From some of the things I've seen, there are times when I didn't really want to participate in the community because people just weren't nice.

I did want to say though, that I have the same concerns as @ Shalashaska. It's very tough for me to express emotion appropriately over the internet esp being ND, and I would hate to be considered rude/mean because I didn't know how to word something right!

Edit: I posted too soon oops

I love this idea! Its nice to have something set in writing to just let everyone know to be nice to each other and help out when possible:) Thanks Keith!

The forums have felt way too serious for a long time, so it would be lovely to lighten things up. It always felt like there were people who only come here to have debates or make fun of people. Subeta doesn't seem like the right place for it.

If people are too worried about the site becoming a hugbox, it might be worthwhile to try relaxing the rules in the debate forum so the site can still provide a place for people to opine, argue, and maybe even poke a little fun during debate. Let's face it: sometimes negative people are also fun people, and it would be a shame for those people to leave because they feel like they're being treated like children. Other sites tell those people to "take it to Debate" so they won't complain about having no outlets for creative expression.

These are really well-worded and fun. A+.

I think the rules are worded simply and are straight forward. While they do seem a bit like they adhere towards a personality that's happy go lucky, I feel that they signify your behavior determines how others (and the site admins) will act towards you.

Also with the suggestion of moving the debates/threads on highly opinionated topics (ie. Threads debating about racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or other types of phobia/ism/hate speech) to private messages only would limit discussion of these terms, and while this would limit the amount of heated discussions in the forums it could also be seen as trying to remove these discussions from the site which would have a negative impact in my opinion.

Having the ability to openly/publicly debate allow users to read how others feel about certain sensitive topics and may be able to take the new information and learn something by it (ie. Realizing that the way they think can be hurtful to others). It also allows users to vent about how they feel and explain why they feel this way. A response towards differing and sensitive opinions does not have to be negative as long as you are able to see and understand the other persons point of view, only focusing on what the topic is about, and not bashing individuals or groups of people (by stereotyping, by name calling or by using hurtful or rude terms). As well as maintaining the knowledge that everyone opinions are their own and just because they differ with yours does not mean they are stupid or wrong for thinking a certain way.

So I feel that degrading or just plain negative user-focused responses should be talked about in the guidelines (something like everyone has different opinions and that doesn't make yours correct & responses to sensitive topics should be well thought out and not negativeky directed at any individual or group) instead of taking out important heated and/or sensitive topics from the forums.

(Sorry for odd words or grammar mistakes, tablet-texting is a little clumsy)

I personally have never had a bad experience with a user. Being online sometimes things may be taken the wrong way depending on wording and try to be careful of that and if there is an instance where something may have been misunderstand everyone I talk with, we try to fix the situation.

I have never been in the Shoutbox area of Subeta based on things I have heard about what goes on in there. I have no clue if they are true or merely rumors, but always felt it best to just stay away.

We were all NEW users at one point in time and needed help. So I think that is a great idea about remembering to be helpful. It has been awhile, but I use to go and meet new members and try to give the first sticker and comments post achievements. (granted I am only a few years on here myself, but still), I haven't done that in awhile. This may help remind me to do that :)

Looks really nice

I agree with those comparing the guidelines to those found in class rooms. The only suggestion I can think of would be to set these rules in a more strict, but still good-intentioned and appealing manner. Perhaps include a serious undertone to eliminate the "childish" feel.

I'm so happy to see this is happening! They are nice and simple, just as guidelines should be. No one wants to read a novel when checking what's okay and what's not. I especially like the "Be Patient" one as even I, a fairly old user, still have questions and problems that I'd like fixed or answered that might be simple fixes to other users.