I was going to call them the "Ten Commandments" but felt someone might be offended by that (either a religious person thinking I'm blasphemous or a secularist thinking I'm showing a bias towards religion. Lose, lose, you see). Also, I couldn't come up with ten rules.
So instead, observe the Golden Rules of the Debate Spot.
1) RESPECT your fellow debaters. They believe what they do for a reason just like you do. As opposed to simply trying to explain why they're wrong, explain your point of view and LISTEN to theirs. If you find you simply just cannot understand their views, or that they will never understand yours, politely say so and end the conversation (or just don't respond).
2. No swearing, or course language, please. Particularly offensive slurs will not be tolerated. This just degrades the whole debate and it disintegrates into uncivilized mudslinging like cavemen. We don't want to act like cavemen, do we? Please, no Geico activists call me racist.
3. If someone says something you are offended by, please try to respond in a calm manner and argue your point civilly. If a troll comes along and upsets you, the best you can do is ignore him/her. But if he makes an "argument" the argument being that "All Muslims are terrorists!" or "All conservatives are ******* stupid!" Then my favorite way of biting back at those kind of remarks are providing counter-examples. Like a Muslim humanitarian or a Christian terrorist, or a smart republican. (These things exist people, no smart mouths!) I then proceed to ignore whatever "**** YOU"s that may ensue.
4. If you're going to make a pick you feel strongly about, do not make biased choices. For example.
Do you like picking flowers?
NO! I'm not silly and stupid!
YES! I'm a fruity little freak!
Those picks make it seem like you are just trying to make your opinion win over someone else's instead of gain any insight, and go against the "respect other opinions" rule. If you feel strongly about the subject, argue your point in a comment in a constructive way.
5. No petty ratings, or petty actions of any kind in retaliation to a user whose arguments you may dislike. Please see link for what this entails.
6. NO REPEAT PICKS OR FORUM TOPICS. Search before you post. I think that should go for all Fanpop Spots. I know that most of the times people post things twice on accident. This is the most forgivable of the Golden Rules.
7. HAVE FUN! That's what fanpop is for, isn't it? Learn something knew. Expand your horizons. Crack a joke every now and then to ease some building tension in a particularly heated debate. I love controversy because it's out of controversy that we grow and appreciate other points of views. So just kick back and relax a little. We're all friends here!
These rules are to be followed at all times, and enforced by those at the spot who follow the rules. So you are your own policeman. If you misbehave, I expect you to punish yourself. I am, of course kidding, but in all seriousness if you as a rule-abiding fanpopper see someone breaking these rules, please ignore it or, in extreme cases maybe, report the user. If they are obviously attention-seekers, ignore them. If they are offensive, respond politely. If I see anyone breaking the rules, I may PM them politely to try and resolve the issue, I may not.
The best thing you can do to dispel negative air is to be positive, so counteract their negativity with happy thoughts!
Thank you, and if you have any additions to make to this, please tack it on. This soapbox will be updated as needed.
For a summation, please see included image.
link As of February 2008, all content should be contextualized as explained by the pick and harold's comments on said pick to be found link.
link Swearing for emphasis and not out of disrespect or ad hominem attacks, will be allowed, but may be subject to review on a case-by-case basis.
(Last updated September 2015)
So instead, observe the Golden Rules of the Debate Spot.
1) RESPECT your fellow debaters. They believe what they do for a reason just like you do. As opposed to simply trying to explain why they're wrong, explain your point of view and LISTEN to theirs. If you find you simply just cannot understand their views, or that they will never understand yours, politely say so and end the conversation (or just don't respond).
2. No swearing, or course language, please. Particularly offensive slurs will not be tolerated. This just degrades the whole debate and it disintegrates into uncivilized mudslinging like cavemen. We don't want to act like cavemen, do we? Please, no Geico activists call me racist.
3. If someone says something you are offended by, please try to respond in a calm manner and argue your point civilly. If a troll comes along and upsets you, the best you can do is ignore him/her. But if he makes an "argument" the argument being that "All Muslims are terrorists!" or "All conservatives are ******* stupid!" Then my favorite way of biting back at those kind of remarks are providing counter-examples. Like a Muslim humanitarian or a Christian terrorist, or a smart republican. (These things exist people, no smart mouths!) I then proceed to ignore whatever "**** YOU"s that may ensue.
4. If you're going to make a pick you feel strongly about, do not make biased choices. For example.
Do you like picking flowers?
NO! I'm not silly and stupid!
YES! I'm a fruity little freak!
Those picks make it seem like you are just trying to make your opinion win over someone else's instead of gain any insight, and go against the "respect other opinions" rule. If you feel strongly about the subject, argue your point in a comment in a constructive way.
5. No petty ratings, or petty actions of any kind in retaliation to a user whose arguments you may dislike. Please see link for what this entails.
6. NO REPEAT PICKS OR FORUM TOPICS. Search before you post. I think that should go for all Fanpop Spots. I know that most of the times people post things twice on accident. This is the most forgivable of the Golden Rules.
7. HAVE FUN! That's what fanpop is for, isn't it? Learn something knew. Expand your horizons. Crack a joke every now and then to ease some building tension in a particularly heated debate. I love controversy because it's out of controversy that we grow and appreciate other points of views. So just kick back and relax a little. We're all friends here!
These rules are to be followed at all times, and enforced by those at the spot who follow the rules. So you are your own policeman. If you misbehave, I expect you to punish yourself. I am, of course kidding, but in all seriousness if you as a rule-abiding fanpopper see someone breaking these rules, please ignore it or, in extreme cases maybe, report the user. If they are obviously attention-seekers, ignore them. If they are offensive, respond politely. If I see anyone breaking the rules, I may PM them politely to try and resolve the issue, I may not.
The best thing you can do to dispel negative air is to be positive, so counteract their negativity with happy thoughts!
Thank you, and if you have any additions to make to this, please tack it on. This soapbox will be updated as needed.
For a summation, please see included image.
link As of February 2008, all content should be contextualized as explained by the pick and harold's comments on said pick to be found link.
link Swearing for emphasis and not out of disrespect or ad hominem attacks, will be allowed, but may be subject to review on a case-by-case basis.
(Last updated September 2015)