Community

[ABSpareEditor]

After the events that occurred over the weekend, rather than emailing several individual members, this is a public statement.

In life, you will find that you get along with some people more so than others. Online, this is amplified, as the Internet allows you to meet and communicate with more people than you normally would. This can be a good thing, getting you outside your "echo chamber" and "filter bubble" and introducing you to new ideas and experiences. But it can be a bad thing if people, rather than opinions, end up being attacked.

Therefore, please make sure that personal, harmful attacks do not get posted in your questions and answers. Such thoughts can’t be helped, however writing down those thoughts and clicking “Answer Now” is not acceptable. There is a space between action (somebody posts something you don't like) and reaction (you post something back) - that space is your thinking time, when you can choose to be better. Write the post, by all means, but do not click the "Answer Now" button!

If you know that there are certain individuals on The AnswerBank that cause upset beyond the topic of discussion, then you need to take it upon yourself to ignore, avoid or handle them better. Goading is unacceptable, do not rise to it, report it to us and we will deal with it as best we can. We can't referee "Who is right", "Who is wrong", "Who is lying", etc etc. What we can referee is "Did you post a personal attack". Don't do it.

Please realise that The AnswerBank is a community that connects us all. As part of the community, it is your responsibility to make it a place where other people want to be. This applies all of the time, not just some of the time or most of the time. If you can’t do this then we must and will take action for the benefit of the community as a whole.

[sunny-dave]

"I agree with Spare Ed"

[ not being entirely daft ]

Perhaps a specific reminder about not using (offensive) variants of usernames could also be useful?

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, ABSpareEditor. I'm glad you've set this out so clearly, I'd hate another dispiriting weekend!

[Lie-in King]

Thank you, SpareEd.

[anneasquith]

I’ll bet the offenders have had a libation or 4, you can see the behaviour change as the threads progress .

[pastafreak]

Thank you for this Spare Ed. I do hope people take this on board and give some thought to what you've said.

Anne, I agree with that observation.

[naomi24]

Well said, SpareEd. This weekend has been appalling.

[ducksie]

Thank you spare Ed, it was a very uncomfortable weekend here, to say the least.

[tiggerblue10]

It made me feel rather uncomfortable watching ABers I get on well with arguing. We all have a responsibility to step back and think before responding or step away.

Fight or flight? I'm with the flight mode which I'm not ashamed to admit. I hate confrontation.

[anneasquith]

It’s true tigger, when it becomes dreadful behaviour I and I suspect many more leave the site for fear of saying something and becoming a target .
I wonder though ED if you are preaching to the converted here ?

[LadyCG]

It must also be acknowledged that people who post here have the right to choose with whom they do and don't converse and if they have chosen not to interact with a certain poster and have actually been told not to interact with a certain poster, they should not then be followed around being attacked by that person's online buddies.

It should be noted that some of us never go on to certain people's thread and choose instead to keep our distance. That is our right, our choice.

We should not be hounded on our own threads simply for not wanting to interact with someone.

The offenders should not keep goading and prodding until they get a reaction.

From now on, leave people be and respect their wishes.

[pastafreak]

I sometimes feel people need their heads knocked together. But that's not a solution ;)

[pastafreak]

There are ways to interact politely without name calling. That seems to be sadly lacking.

[choux]

Thank you, SpareEd. I bet you did go "spare" this morning ;)
Calming, wise words that I hope people will take on board.
There was some good moderation too, so thank you also.

[ladybirder]

Hmmm! There is one on here who does nothing else other than goad and is still here.

[naomi24]

//I sometimes feel people need their heads knocked together. But that's not a solution ;) //

As a last resort I'd give it a go. ;o)

[pastafreak]

Want some help Naomi ;)

[lankeela]

Ignoring them is ok if it is their own post but when it is amongst other people's posts its difficult. Just wish there was a 'blocking' facility.

[naomi24]

Haaaa! Yes please. They might be bigger than me! :o)

[Ken4155]

LadyCG, are you advocating that the OP (whoever he or she may be at that particular time) has the right to choose which ABers can and cannot contribute to a thread?
Just because one person refuses to contribute on another's thread, doesn't mean the other has to reciprocate. Or does it?

[douglas9401]

The thing about bait is that it's put there to trap the unwary, dragging them to their doom.

Perhaps more attention should be focussed on repeat offenders and less on those who find themselves beguiled.

It could affect revenue stream for a period but it would eventually calm the waters.