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(I think I said I was going to post this a month or two ago. Finally getting around to it. Apologies for the delay.)
There has been an influx of personal attacks in the lounge as well as politics being injected into non-political threads which results in what should be considered a benign warning which turns into the "s/he started it", "moderators are biased", "I'm leaving bye", and/or <insert whatever excuse you have here> complaints to the moderators.
I was sure I'd get support from all the moderators when it was proposed to ban political topics from the community entirely but we have more level-headed moderators who suggested some alternatives and these changes are what came out of that discussion.
tl;dr summary:
- Political topics will have its own sub-forum within the lounge
- All existing political topics that currently is active in the lounge will be moved to the new sub-forum
- The new sub-forum will require opting in (instructions below)
- Political Topics forum will have a one strike out policy for access
- Political references outside of the political topics forum will result in the thread/post being removed and a friendly reminder being sent
- Subsequent posts will result in regular warnings being sent
This is Georgia Tech Swarm. Political topics will always be N-th citizen here and not our priority and will never be. There's really only a few dozen members of the community that enjoy discussing politics. While political discussions are not inherently toxic on its own, over the wires and behind a keyboard, we sometimes go overboard on how we react to someone we disagree with. We are too quick to make a comment personal perhaps because there's no real world consequences to insulting someone on the internet. Please remember that we are all here as Georgia Tech fans.
To my surprise and dismay, there are some that believe personal attacks are allowed in the lounge because of the rampant personal attacks that exist in political threads. If it's not clear, personal attacks are not allowed in any of the forums at GT Swarm. If you see one, that is not an excuse for you to launch a personal attack of your own to your arch nemesis; it just means moderators haven't seen it.
There are three topics on the internet that seems to rile people up and bring out the worst: religion, politics, and what offense a head football coach runs. For some reason, religious discussions aren't a problem here and while the football discussions can get pretty heated, most of us are here to actually discuss topics about Georgia Tech so that's not really a concern.
Lastly but most importantly, there are more members here that have come to read/participate in Georgia Tech discussions. By requiring members to opt-in, we give everyone a choice for them to decide if they want to see political threads when they use the "New Posts" function to see all the latest discussions.
What does opt-in mean?
By default, the political topics sub-forum will not be accessible for all members. Members that are interested in discussing politics at this forum, will need to explicitly opt-in. This is an easy process and can be done by clicking both "Yes" checkboxes next to the "Political Topics Opt-In" preference:
https://gtswarm.com/account/preferences
I opted in but still don't have access, why?
Please wait for the top of the next hour as this is run automatically.
When will the political threads be moved?
Let's say Sunday April 5th in the evening. Give you guys a few days to get political in the lounge.
What is the one strike out policy?
One warning and you will be forever banned from the political forum. No second chances. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. No appeals. You can continue to participate in Georgia Tech forums although it may just be a matter of time until you get yourself banned.
How can I help political forums be a regular open forum not requiring opt-in?
Show the moderators that the political discussions can be civil. Self-moderate; if you see a personal attack at all (not just an attack on you), report it to the moderators and allow us to handle it.
If we have enough people in the politics forum that understand the level of civility we are trying to accomplish, it's possible that we may open the forum back up to all.
What happens to political references outside of the political topics forum?
For first-time offenders, moderators will send friendly reminder that politics are only allowed in the political topics forum and the post will be removed.
For those that have already opted into the politics forum, you will be sent a regular warning and your post will be removed.
Why did I get warned if he/she started it?
Personal attacks in retaliation are still personal attacks. Please do not assume you were the only one that received a warning.
What if I don't agree and want to leave the site?
Let's try this out and see how it goes?
If you really want to leave because of this change, I'm very sorry you feel that way. There are plenty of other sites on the internet where you can discuss politics.
Incessantly complaining or attacking the moderators for doing their job will result in warning(s) and eventually a permanent ban.
