Forum Moderators: rogerd
Where I work, the objective of many encounters is to score points, to win the debate, win the argument. I work in a world where certain approaches, techniques, devices, strategies hold sway that are not necessarily conducive to dialogue but where the approaches have proven a certain mettle and merit. Despite whatever merit they may have I'm thinking of putting a new sticky on my already sticky covered monitor: "Leave the lawyer at the login". Why? Because sometimes I forget or simply fall into it: the L-mode.
Which leads to me wonder: Am I alone in my plight?
Do managers bring their managerial style to forum interactions? What is that?
What about programmers? Is there a "programmer's approach" to issues? What is that?
What about engineers, retailers, profession writers/editors, marketing specialists, homemaker, . . . you?
What curious quirks of your occupation color your keyboard persona?
What is it that may work in the context of your work life that may not work in a forum?
What's it like when you find yourself in forum dialogue "being the other you"?
Do you labor to keep "occupational tendencies" in check? I do, but it doesn't always work . . so I try harder . . or back away from the keyboard. ;o)
Has anyone come across forum TOS or policy statements that were particularly well crafted to address the peculiar communication and interaction tendencies of that forum's expected membership? What was the target audience and what was it about the rules that made them unique?
I submit that in a blended community, such as WebmasterWorld, we manage - in part - due to a willingness to bring out our best, a proposition that sometimes requires that we leave our other selves at the login.
I am in awe of your civility.
How is it possible?
[edited by: Webwork at 2:18 pm (utc) on April 15, 2007]
I know that sounds cringy, or simplistic, but there are other forums which achieve the same in their subject area. It's hitting the sweet spot where there is no point in 'trying it on', as their is nothing to gain from doing so.
Or something.
What I find even more amazing, when it comes to us "leaving our(whatever) at the login" is not only the range of work backgrounds and perhaps, communication styles/approaches, but also the range of cultures that may effect communication.
How is it possible? Bouncy - what if anything do you do differently here than you would in the world your work in or live in? How are you different here?
Are we just a more civil crowd? How? Why? For you or anyone who choses to delve into this, I'm just asking anyone to answer the question for themselves.
What I do differently here, as opposed to my day job, is that I am generally asking for advice, rather than being the one who is in the know. In print design (or even web design, when it comes to graphics rather than coding), I have been around long enough to be the know-it-all in most situations.
I'm not sure that I am necessarily answering your question, but there you go.
Looking at the several message boards I'm active in, I'm tempted to say that civility has something to do with the topic of the forum. But for each "civil" board I participate in, I can think of at least one that covers exactly the same topic but is full of flame wars and/or just plain rudeness. So I think it comes down mostly to the expectations of the forum members. In the beginning, this will depend a lot on the moderators to set the tone. As time goes on, though, and the forum gathers members who specifically want civility, someone who comes in and tries to change that tone will often simply be "frozen out" and will have to go elsewhere.
