Establishing ethical posting guidelines

[gypsey]

Barry,
Sometimes I've read posts on WACCO that to me seem cruel and libelous, but you felt differently and did not take them down. The WACCO readership is influenced by what we read just like viewers of CNN and FOX.

I would like to see ethical guidelines for posting that our entire community can embrace. I have offered to provide you with "Ethics Without the Sermon" as a starting point, if you are interested.

Thanks for navigating the choppy seas of WACCO! You're a great captain.

Freedom of speech doesn't apply here. In fact I wouldn't deny that WaccoBB is yet more restrictive then the PD. People can be quite rude and disrespectful there, more so than I will tolerate here.

When it comes to highly personal matters I think a distinction must be drawn about what is appropriate on a public forum.

Keeping a forum free of harsh comments actually enhances the freedom of speech of the community by maintaining the sense of safety and decorum that is required for people to willingly participate. I've written more about this here and here.

[Barry]

I would like to see ethical guidelines for posting that our entire community can embrace. I have offered to provide you with "Ethics Without the Sermon" as a starting point, if you are interested.

I am interested.

[gypsey]

Hello community,

After Barry set up this thread I did some research on ethical posting guidelines. There is lots of information on the net about this issue and many points of view about the role of ethics for bloggers, commenters, posters and other social media users.

The Blogger Code of Conduct by Sebastopol's own Tim O'Reilly draws on other internet codes of ethics to share some common guidelines. It starts with this statement:

"We celebrate the blogsphere because it embraces frank and open conversation. But frankness does not need to mean lack of civility. We present the Blogger Code of Conduct in hopes that it helps create a culture that encourages both personal expression and constructive conversation."

For a full reading please visit https://radar.oreilly.com/2007/04/dr...f-conduct.html

Among its guidelines (this is a summary-see link for full text.)

1. We take responsibility for our own words and for the comments we allow on our site. We will not post inappropriate content. (Defined as used to abuse or harass others, violates others' privacy/confidentiality, is knowingly false or misrepresents another person.)
2. We don't say anything online that we wouldn't say in person.
3. We connect privately before we respond publicly (when we encounter conflicts and misrepresentation.)
4. When we believe someone is unfairly attacking another, we take action. (Privately and publicly asking for withdrawal and apology.)
5. We do not allow anonymous comments.
6. We ignore the trolls. "Never wrestle with a pig" -don't encourage nasty comments by engaging.

Tim also proposes badges for sites:
A badge for sites that adopt these guidelines would say "Civility Enforced" and a badge for open uncensored forums.

Looking forward to fellow Waccoites comments, thoughts, and Barry's.

I am interested.