People who don't know what a [BLANK] is for...

[sentora]

I must confess that I stole that idea from the Questionable Content forum, where I lurked once until my sanity could bear no more. There was a thread way back titled "Worst things to say during sex,"

Dammit, now I'm having flashbacks… (Still I think nobody quite topped Marten there.)

(And it suddendly occurs to me how very very much more orderly this place is than the QC forums… or for that matter, some of the other similar webcomic forums I've poked my nose in. I wonder if it's an issue of moderation or demographics.)

#1: No "General Interest" forum. While those can be interesting, they're also, as Shortpacked! told us, where you learn that the people who like the comic you like also believe/support something you find reprehensible. I know of at least one forum that nearly imploded because of the revelation that the owner/operator was a xenophobic, racist, torture-loving neoconservative gay diaperfur. (Do not attempt to wrap your brain around that entire clause. It cannot be done.)

#2: Firm-and-fair moderation. T. sometimes lets stuff slide (especially if a heated discussion turns ugly overnight), but eventually, he WILL step in and chide posters who get out of hand. At the same time, if you're not a complete asshat, he also gives you a warning. This serves to both support a civil environment, and makes it less likely that you'll end up with someone who is so bitter about getting banned that they come back with five different handles in order to stir up trouble.

Whoa, who are you talking about in 1#? I'm too curious for my own good.

[FarkUp]

I must confess that I stole that idea from the Questionable Content forum, where I lurked once until my sanity could bear no more. There was a thread way back titled "Worst things to say during sex,"

Dammit, now I'm having flashbacks… (Still I think nobody quite topped Marten there.)

(And it suddendly occurs to me how very very much more orderly this place is than the QC forums… or for that matter, some of the other similar webcomic forums I've poked my nose in. I wonder if it's an issue of moderation or demographics.)

#1: No "General Interest" forum. While those can be interesting, they're also, as Shortpacked! told us, where you learn that the people who like the comic you like also believe/support something you find reprehensible. I know of at least one forum that nearly imploded because of the revelation that the owner/operator was a xenophobic, racist, torture-loving neoconservative gay diaperfur. (Do not attempt to wrap your brain around that entire clause. It cannot be done.)

#2: Firm-and-fair moderation. T. sometimes lets stuff slide (especially if a heated discussion turns ugly overnight), but eventually, he WILL step in and chide posters who get out of hand. At the same time, if you're not a complete asshat, he also gives you a warning. This serves to both support a civil environment, and makes it less likely that you'll end up with someone who is so bitter about getting banned that they come back with five different handles in order to stir up trouble.

1: Why does Jack spring to mind?