^It's something I didn't think of at first, but this is quite important as well.

I've been yelled at before because i mix up sex & gender, while in my first language there is only 1 word for it. And with mess up's like that people tend to get aggressive and get their pitchforks ready because they don't feel respected ... but it was just a matter of not having English as first language.

& I have to say I'm a bit scared what will happen, there are a few really really sensitive people on the site who want to ban every form of freedom of speech and who scream fire and murder when someone says something they disagree with and then go on a blocking spree. And they seem to only listen to people agreeing with them. I usually disagree with them and I don't feel like getting reported because they only accept a yes :s

Basically also what on page 6.

I agree with adding the reminder that English isn't everyone's first language.

I think respect is the most important thing! Great ideas :)

Just echo-ing everyone else, but this is great! It's nice, polite, short, everything that type of rules/guidelines should be!

I agree with setting some obvious guidelines to how the administration (and most of us) would like the behaviors on the social areas of the site to be. I have to put in my two cents that in the 6 years I've been on this site I've had VERY little experience with anyone being downright mean/negative/etc. However, it's only in the past couple of years that I've been any sort of active in the forums. And, honestly, I mostly stick with the thread specific to my cult.

However, will all of that I agree to the guidelines and, not being a negative person, feel there's a fairness in setting about consequences of being that sort of person on the forums. No one wants to post something and then have someone gang up on them - or even just to feel like their opinion is ignored/doesn't matter.

I support this and am, as usual, honored and happy to be a part of this site.

very pleased with them, particularly the freedom of speech stuff :)

I agree with other users that adding something along the lines of 'not everyone's first language is English' would definitely be a good idea. Perhaps in the 'Be Patient' section since it would fit there pretty well.

But I love the wording. It's very clearly written! And since I'm one of those people who're afraid of overly negative people I totally support this!

I really like the Don't Be That Guy one.

The rules aren't overly-formal sounding, and as someone who has to constantly explain the rules at work, that is a very good thing. It shows that you're doing it to benefit users, not oppress us. Weirdly enough, that kind of thing does affect whether people will follow the rules (in general).

I want to echo others' thoughts on the wording of the guidelines - I think gentle is a great start. My concern is they can't be very specific, so it might be difficult for someone to understand how their behaviour was hurtful. For example, someone who has "a negative attitude when dealing with others" is likely to believe their attitude is just fine and it's others who have the problem. My hope is for a response that would explain the reason for the consequence, even if this eats up staffing resources... otherwise, the behaviour could continue without an opportunity for change.

I also value the 'take it outside' suggestion from (1st page). Folks who know each other in RL should solve their conflict there - the forums are for this community only.

Thank you SO MUCH for including transphobia in the list of unacceptable behaviours. I'm hoping most Subetans know what it means and includes any genderqueer and/or non-conforming folks, or teasing about drag, clothing, or gender identity in general. Seriously, thank you.

Lastly, thanks for working on this. I have always appreciated the priority and effort made to ensure the safety and accepting nature of this site, from the diversity of the people to the inclusive items. It is one of the many reasons I enjoy spending my time and money here.

Going to echo the thought of many - An add-in about English not being everyone's first language would be awesome.

Tarawr brings up a good point. Someone would be able to report Adrian Monk simply for existing should they ever feel the need to. (That is a link to a partial [text only!] list of Monk's phobias. Not a link to the pet with the same name.) ...Which I guess really just falls into the point about the vagueness I brought up last night.

I really do like these new guidelines, they are clear and to the point without beating around the bush. I especially like the freedom of speech one as I have had that used on me many times in the SB, the user not understanding that such a thing cannot be used in the way they were using it (They were basically being an asshole then when confronted quoted "Freedom of Speech" as an excuse.).

My only suggestion would be to maybe put something about where the ticket center is? I know it is under the Subeta drop down, but when I was a newer user I had no clue where it was or what it was for and people seemed to get very annoyed with me asking (I was used to just having a "report post" button on every post). Just writing "file a ticket using the option under the Subeta tab!" would work really.

Another small suggestion, would it be a good idea to point out that there is a fine line between giving constructive criticism and being an asshole? Obviously not saying it like that though, however I have seen people who have generally just been straight up cruel and negative about someones photography and then accused them for not knowing what constructive criticism is.

The main reason I don't use the forums though isn't just because of the negativity, I just feel like I'd get ignored in there. In every forum I've posted in I don't feel like I'm part of the conversation, I'm just the little noise in the corner which is often overlooked.

Sounds good to me. And I agree, is awesome!

"And, by "other phobias" you're opening a pretty large door, unless you seriously mean that I could report someone who tells me about the giant snake they killed/the only good snake is a dead snake (as I view that akin to telling someone how much they love to kill dogs or cats). Its a phobia. Ophidiophobia"

I think what you mean is "dick". They're just being a dick. There is a difference between actually fearing snakes to the point of anxiety and killing them because you're, well, a dick. Then bragging about it.

Which reminds me, homophobia and transphobia aren't even real phobias. (A phobia is an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of an object or situation that poses little real danger but provokes anxiety and avoidance.... Like what is a transgendered person going to do... be a PERSON? OH NO SO SCARY) Why are we still using these terms. Can't we just say "Hey don't be a dick". Because that's basically what these people are.

(Am I going to be reported for saying dick too much?)

what i am curious to learn more about are the consequences, and how a report will be investigated. will the staff monitor said user x10 more closely? or are they just going to be like "k, will ban for a week"

i play league a lot, and it seems like they have this issue as well.

Perhaps I am the one out of place the voice of darkness that depresses the rest. I fully understand the need for community guidelines. I support the need that the persecution of members who have trouble with English spelling and grammar needs to stop. I understand the the social norms of the community are inclusive of many points of view and support such a broad spectrum of humanity. However I fear that the guidelines could easily become the catalyst for a new round of persecution one that is targeted at the members of the community who are not all sugar and kitties. As one that has bin told that they are a downer, a dark soul that has no place in such a bright and enlightened place or generally socially shunned outside of a small pocket within Subeta. I have seen many times where well thought out and stated constructive criticism of something on any number of forums has become a crusade to have that person harassed or driven from our number. We are supposed to be a mutually supporting community here and it is my hope that as we become more inclusive and tolerant we do not instead create new forms of discrimination as the legacy of our actions.

I think the "hate" area should list discrimination towards e.g. physical and mental disabilities, as well. They are big issues too.

I think the guidelines are wonderful. However, I am fearful of the follow up. That "other site" made interacting with people terrible. There was such a feeling of censorship I felt like I was in the book 1984, with Big Brother always watching. Sometimes RL happens and a lot of us find our communities here are the only place we feel comfortable sharing, and having to worry that something might be seen as attempting to be "subtle" or misconstrued or in any way twisted from what was intended... like when I linked to a song in a foreign language or when someone told a joke (in my joke forum) that offended someone else, who brought friends in to heckle and then ran off to report that person. Subeta should be a place to have fun, and people should be able to be civil and respectful of/to each other here and their questions responded to with patience, OF COURSE. I am afraid of the scrutiny by staff to uphold these guidelines, and having to put "punishments" in place.

I didn't see this addressed yet since 's post on page 9, so I'm just going to post it here, in case more people didn't know:

[li] Any warnings (even verbal ones) can be appealed immediately after being issued. Most of the times I've seen or heard of such tickets, they were addressed by . I'm fairly sure they would assign a different staff member if she was the one to issue the warning on the first place, though, to ensure there will be no bias.

[li] Warnings that aren't a strong violation of the site's TOS expire and can be cleared after two years. However, there isn't a comprehensive list anywhere that tells people which violations expire and which can't; it's pretty much dealt on a case-by-case basis. I understand there are nuances of infractions that can't possibly be detailed or anticipated, but I wish there were at least rough guidelines as to which infractions can not be cleared, ever. An example of an infraction that does not expire would be attempting to sell pets, if I recall correctly.

[li] I have said this before, and I'll reiterate it. I wish the "warnings" amount displayed on our User Preferences linked us to a different page (like the Referrals do) with a small, brief list of which warnings we have (the rule we broke and the date). I think nearly all my friends opened tickets just to ask when were their warnings issued, and, again, they're usually assigned to . I'd really love if we could access that sort of information without adding to her workload :(

All in all, I think there could be a little page explaining better the mechanic of warnings (would prevent tickets like the one I opened to ask about it) and that little page informing us of our personal record.

Short, sweet, and to the point. There are a few things that people have brought up (The "not everyone speaks English" is a great one) that I feel too should be added but otherwise it looks good.

I think these are wonderful. I rarely get to go on Subeta nowadays since I go to school up by my mom's place (she has no internet), so I miss out on a lot of things and get lost pretty easily. It'd be nice to be able to ask "what is this new feature?" without some snarky comment to answer.