Community Chat

[hildyjohnson]

Since some of us spend time on the internet social media boards the practice of 'netiquette' enters into our daily life.

It's been said that society today isn't as interested in being courteous or respectful of other people. I wonder if this is reflected in the way we use chat boards.

Seeing old threads 'bumped' got me thinking about it. 

I think the most important netiquette to follow is reading each board terms and standards and posting within them. If we disagree with the rules I think we should try to get them changed or clarified instead of breaking them imho.

What are your thoughts on internet etiquette 'netiquette' and being respectful of board policies and other posters?

Tia! 😀

[happycat]

My thoughts are in real life, more and more, people are rude and inconsiderate. And there are always those who think the rules apply to everyone but them. Internet threads are no different. It would be nice if people followed guidelines, but it probably isn't ever going to happen, IMO.

[chickenbutt]

Ruh roh.    On this board, discussing netiquette usually gets you attacked.  Here, you can't even ask people not to type in all caps or all bolded (both considered very rude and yelling) without getting the finger.

I do agree that the basic etiquette that many of us, who have been online for quite a while, is no longer popular.  It's a shame.  IMO, manners are always 'in'.  

Poster attacking and misspelling peoples' names seem to be fine here, although both are considered very disrespectful.  On normal boards you can have conversations where people take on a POV, not a poster.  Everybody is expected to act like a grown-up.  Not so much here.

There ARE a lot of nice, kind, and helpful people here, though.  That's what one has to keep in mind.  

[PurpleBunny]

I tend to pull up old threads, but I don't consider it 'bumping' - I consider it 'catching up' when I haven't been here in a while. 

[jaxs mom]

Just follow the TOS that you agreed to when you joined. I don't see the point of trying to change the rules. We're all guests here. 

As far as bumping, it depends on the website/forum if bumping is an issue. Most places I go to bumping isn't a problem unless you're bumping someones deeply personal thread from 2+ years ago to give them advice on the issue. 

[dooBdoo]

          When we use a forum, we give our word that we will abide by all the published standards and guidelines (not just the ones we think are "good rules"😉).    I believe when we give our word, whether using an "anonymous" nickname or not, that's important, it's about ethics and integrity, and possibly something modern society has neglected to emphasize.  

          There's a standard that "ignorance of the law isn't a good excuse" and I think this applies to posting on social media, including chat sites.    I'm surprised at anyone who would use a site without first reading the guidelines.   I think our integrity and our true character is on display when we post, in the way we treat others and in the way we do or don't follow the policies to which we agreed when we registered.  

[dooBdoo]

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PurpleBunny wrote:

I tend to pull up old threads, but I don't consider it 'bumping' - I consider it 'catching up' when I haven't been here in a while. 

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         Hi, @PurpleBunny!   Pulling up very old threads is bumping.   This site prohibits it, and doesn't list exceptions to the rule.    You'll find it's normally not allowed on chat sites...  it's considered impolite, and once a thread is old it's more respectful to start a new thread if someone has new information.  For the most part, it's inconsiderate toward the OP of the old thread as well as those who posted on it.   That's why it tends to be a universal "netiquette" principle on social media, and many sites actually lock older discussions so no one can bump them.    Also, specifically, it can be jarring if we see names of posters who have since passed away or we know are no longer posting here for other reasons.    That said... if we don't like the policy, rather than ignore it I agree with @hildyjohnson we should, instead, try to have it modified.  

[Moonchilde]

The world at large is full of people who think rules of any kind are for other people and simply don't need to be paid any heed. That's been my experience throughout my 70-in-a-few-years lifetime. I suffered being raised by Someone Special and it is one of my pet life peeves.

However, the issue here, on QVC forums, is a matter of repercussions. If there are rules but no repercussions when they're broken/flaunted/ignored then why pay any attention to them? Post/thread deleted? Big deal. Given a 3-day or 30-day Time Out? You can come back. Banned? You can still come back :-(

Truly moderated forums, with moderators chosen specifically to be moderators and nothing else by experience, temperament, knowledge and diplomacy, lay down the law, give a warning or two, and that's it - boom goes the hammer. They also can see and pay attention to posting patterns, and consult with other moderators for their opinion, and have a group concensus, so that any action taken is fair and applied equally with personality not entering in.

This does not occur here. Most of it is not the moderators' fault - QVC tells them what they can/can't do in their job, they have little autonomy. Some bust their buns to be fair and take their moderating seriously; others, not so much. And they aren't "just" moderators, they are CS and have other duties we rarely hear about; they have to do the best they can with what QVC gives them.

So when you have situations where Person A says something that is clearly rude and offensive per anyone, or breaks an obvious rule, and gets away with it - nothing removed, insult stands, etc. and Person B says something and is deleted because Person A reports it out of spite (after having insulted Person B first) - how would you think Person B feels about "the rules" and their equal application?

Obey all rules always just because everyone online should obey every netiquette rule just because they're there, while others break them right and left with impunity? WHY? I don't think that many of us aspire to be Little Mary Sunshine Just Because.

I don't think netiquette is an issue when the rules are clearly spelled out AND there are repercussions - at least, if a person chooses to socialize like an adult - many people online never give that a consideration.

[PurpleBunny]

@dooBdoo The problem is, where is the line between old and new threads?  After ten posts?  Twenty?  Nothing beyond the first page?  I can see not bringing up a thread from page five or one that hasn't had a post in months, but I don't see any problem with answering a thread that has slipped to page two. 

[dooBdoo]

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PurpleBunny wrote:

@dooBdoo The problem is, where is the line between old and new threads?  After ten posts?  Twenty?  Nothing beyond the first page?  I can see not bringing up a thread from page five or one that hasn't had a post in months, but I don't see any problem with answering a thread that has slipped to page two. 

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          @PurpleBunny,  Thread bumping isn't about page numbers or post numbers, it's about the date and age of the thread.   I don't know the answer to what the cut-off point is...  I think it would be helpful if the Q standards were modified to make it clear.    It seems to me the moderators permit it if a thread is only maybe 2 or 3 months old, but beyond that they seem to shut them down if someone bumps them.   On the forum I helped moderate, threads were automagically locked once they were 3 months old...  helped the obsessive bumpers curb their impulses to "necropost" (said jokingly).😉