Post by Zorak on Jun 10, 2013 11:57:01 GMT -5
about a person, event, or business:
All that being the case, if an account with a small number of posts starts trashing someone, and fails to provide details, there's a good chance we'll end up locking the thread. People have a right to come here and complain, but without any details, there's no way for other forum members to judge the situation, but there's lots of opportunity to bicker about it. Bickering without useful information is the basis of every flame war, and we don't need that here.
I don't want to lay out lots of rules or criteria because this doesn't happen often. I just felt the need to put something out there so that when we do lock the occasional thread of this sort, the handful of people who read the rules will understand the basis for our decision.
- Anyone with an email address can get an account here. It's trivially easy to get lots of email addresses. Therefore, until you've met someone in the flesh, you have no idea who anyone is. Even at events, we often go by call signs. I met a couple dozen people at yesterday's event and I doubt any of them could tell you my real name, though you can certainly find it via basic internet detective work.
- Such being the case, your identity on this forum is the sum total of the posts you've made and the respect you've earned from other forum members. That respect doesn't come from being an awesome player. It comes from being a good guy who posts well, doesn't talk a lot of shit, and doesn't cheat. There is no short cut to it. Trying to find a short cut is more likely to hurt you than to help you.
- If your very first post here is to say that so-and-so ripped you off, our first question is going to be, "Why should we believe your version of the story?" That's not the same as saying we don't believe you. It's an attempt to assess credibility. If someone who's had an account for two years and has made 180 posts says he got screwed, and gets outed as a liar, his credibility suffers. Other forum members will hear the story and know that that guy can't be trusted or taken seriously. Established members thus have a strong incentive to be honest. New members don't have a reputation at stake, so we have to look for other reasons to believe them.
- Therefore, if you are new here, and you want to rip into someone, provide as many details as you can. What, specifically, did you offer to do or to pay? Did you actually do or pay any of that? What were you offered in return, and what portion of it did you receive? When did all this happen? What kept the deal from being honored? What's your real name? If you have all this data, it not only shows that you're serious, it gives the other party a fair chance to respond. They can look at their records and tell their side. By contrast, if you show up with just a forum nick saying "I was supposed to meet that guy but he never showed up what a tool I h@t3 him," a busy seller may have no idea which of the eight people he's been talking to is complaining about him.
All that being the case, if an account with a small number of posts starts trashing someone, and fails to provide details, there's a good chance we'll end up locking the thread. People have a right to come here and complain, but without any details, there's no way for other forum members to judge the situation, but there's lots of opportunity to bicker about it. Bickering without useful information is the basis of every flame war, and we don't need that here.
I don't want to lay out lots of rules or criteria because this doesn't happen often. I just felt the need to put something out there so that when we do lock the occasional thread of this sort, the handful of people who read the rules will understand the basis for our decision.
