# What rules would you change, add or delete?



## BeautifulPoeticDisaster (Feb 27, 2010)

Ok, I admit, I got this idea from a thread title in the Lounge, but it got me to thinking.....what rules would I change...if any?


The first thing I would crack down on would be the pictures. I hate how every thread that could be a great discussion ends up in star trek gifs, lolcats pics, or just random pictures. What happened to go old fashioned words? 

I remember when this place used to be serious and honest. Now it's just some real people and a whole lot of internet personas.

That is my biggest pet peeve. I'll have a think and see if I come up with more.



Side note. This thread is not about drama or bannings...just a general, *What would you change?* ok? ok???? No effing drama about feeder, fappers, bannees, or harpies...got it? Thanks


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## Dr. Feelgood (Feb 27, 2010)

BeautifulPoeticDisaster said:


> I remember when this place used to be serious and honest. Now it's just some real people and a whole lot of internet personas.



I was reading this and nodding my head when I had a sudden thought: has dims really changed that much, or is it me? I know when I first discovered dims I was overwhelmed with the seriousness and depth of the discussions, the poise and charm of the posters. After a few years, it seems less remarkable, probably because I've gotten _used_ to it. Do I take it for granted? I hope not, but perhaps...unconsciously...I do. This is not to suggest that BPD does, or to discount the importance of her post...it's just a question I asked myself and couldn't quite answer.


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## superodalisque (Feb 27, 2010)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> I was reading this and nodding my head when I had a sudden thought: has dims really changed that much, or is it me? I know when I first discovered dims I was overwhelmed with the seriousness and depth of the discussions, the poise and charm of the posters. After a few years, it seems less remarkable, probably because I've gotten _used_ to it. Do I take it for granted? I hope not, but perhaps...unconsciously...I do. This is not to suggest that BPD does, or to discount the importance of her post...it's just a question I asked myself and couldn't quite answer.



yes i think it has gotten that bad too. discussions get derailed a lot by the overuse of that stuff. its ok on an occassional basis but when it goes on for pages and pages...to me it looks as though sometimes there is an obvious attempt to stop communication between people especially if they might actually end up at least understanding each other even when they don't agree. it generally screws up the momentum of the discussion. no wonder people look at it and think its really an attempt to actually destroy dims and everything it is about or could be in the process of becoming by standing between people and their ideas. sometimes it just looks like a benign tantrum that says" if you don't think like me i won't allow you to think at all". but mostly it tends to have a way of belittling people and their concerns. 

i think there have been a lot of changes, mostly in the overall tenor. its gotten low brow snarky personal and rude. its easier to do that than to really think and address an issue or put forward the effort to actually persuade anyone of anything. if something bothers you don't say why just lift your leg personal attack and snark all over it . its a lazy way to try and get the attention people used to get for just making a good point.

most of the rules here are pretty reasonable overall its just that sometimes the application is so murky that it makes the mods look bad. sometimes its just that the decisions have been plain old wrong. thats bound to happen some. the problem has been that when it does instead of saying "hey maybe i should have done that another way" sometimes people get defensive. people are human. they are going to make a mistake sometime or another. people trust you more if you can just admit it. at least then they know you aren't after them for a personal reason or something. i think there needs to be more openess and clarity about that stuff just so people understand whats happening and don't think the worst.

what i would really like to see is a demise of the separate forums. i was all for anything that anyone wanted in the beginning. i would like people to be together again and learning from each other even when its uncomfortable. all these separate little fiefdoms are just making people feel more entitled to have their way with everything and control what other people say or think. we need to remember how to play together again.


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## goofy girl (Feb 27, 2010)

I think there just needs to be some clarification in some of the rules, not necessarily changed or anything. 


And yes, people (myself included) need to lighten up a bit sometimes. I used to come here and I swear I'd cry from laughing so hard. Now usually when I come read the boards I end up with anxiety and a stomach ache. But I'm also exceptionally sensitive and don't like controversy or confrontation. I used to be able to avoid that feeling by just not going into HP, but lately it doesn't matter what boards I read...I still feel sad when I leave.


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## Sandie S-R (Feb 27, 2010)

goofy girl said:


> I think there just needs to be some clarification in some of the rules, not necessarily changed or anything.
> 
> 
> And yes, people (myself included) need to lighten up a bit sometimes. I used to come here and I swear I'd cry from laughing so hard. Now usually when I come read the boards I end up with anxiety and a stomach ache. But I'm also exceptionally sensitive and don't like controversy or confrontation. I used to be able to avoid that feeling by just not going into HP, but lately it doesn't matter what boards I read...I still feel sad when I leave.





Be specific, please. Which rules aren't clear? Post any rule here and tell us what isn't clear about it, or what you don't understand. 

(BTW - not wanting to debate whether you think the rule is right or wrong or whether you disagree with it - just trying ascertain which specific rules are not clear to you?)


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## Shosh (Feb 27, 2010)

I agree with you 100% re the Star Trek gifs.


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## Blackjack (Feb 28, 2010)

Shosh said:


> I agree with you 100% re the Star Trek gifs.



But not the puppies and kitties?

Since I know that the comment in the first post was referencing me... I'll note that I only bring out Worf if it's a thread that's not likely to end up with decent discussion (for example, if there was a thread like "would u feed your kid to maek them huge?"). I don't use it to derail a thread, only to quickly and accurately display a general sense of "...ugh." at something. I feel that in some cases, an image speaks the message far better than a paragraph would.


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## charlieversion2 (Feb 28, 2010)

I sense some Star Trek in here...


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## exile in thighville (Feb 28, 2010)

goofy girl said:


> I used to come here and I swear I'd cry from laughing so hard. Now usually when I come read the boards I end up with anxiety and a stomach ache.



bang bang bang


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## Shosh (Feb 28, 2010)

Blackjack said:


> But not the puppies and kitties?
> 
> Since I know that the comment in the first post was referencing me... I'll note that I only bring out Worf if it's a thread that's not likely to end up with decent discussion (for example, if there was a thread like "would u feed your kid to maek them huge?"). I don't use it to derail a thread, only to quickly and accurately display a general sense of "...ugh." at something. I feel that in some cases, an image speaks the message far better than a paragraph would.



True. Those Lol Cats are pretty annnoying also. As for the puppies, well I am a dog person, so I think you can never have enough puppy pics.


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## Wagimawr (Feb 28, 2010)

There are things that need to be said that cannot because they will be ignored.

Thus, pictures.

p.s. macrochan.org. use it.


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## 99Haints (Feb 28, 2010)

Face Pawlm! Epic Tail! It just...couldn't be helped. 

View attachment star-trek-dog.jpg


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## LoveBHMS (Feb 28, 2010)

The rules are simple to understand, it's just that they're not applied evenly across the board. That's just how it is. Certain people simply openly flaunt them and get away with it.

Honestly i think the thing to do is just accept it. Except for a few times, i quit posting on the Main Board and the Weight Board simply because the drama, trolling, and bullying weren't worth it. It's not a big deal and seriously a much better solution than getting annoyed about something that won't change. These problems always largely sort themselves out anyway.


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## tinkerbell (Feb 28, 2010)

I wish you were able to go back and edit your posts at anytime. I've never been in a forum where you had a time limit. There are times where I'd like to go back and edit out my picture or just make a tweak or two to my post - or if I notice a spelling or grammatical error.


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## Ernest Nagel (Feb 28, 2010)

ADD: Any poster who causes Dims to need a new rule is banned. (This saves a lot of other rules from being needed.) 

ADD: No rep for posts containing lolcats, Star Trek gifs or bad puns. (Remove the incentive and watch the behavior disappear.)

ADD: Bonus rep for correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. Double bonus rep for proper use of the words loose and lose. :bow:


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## CleverBomb (Feb 28, 2010)

tinkerbell said:


> I wish you were able to go back and edit your posts at anytime. I've never been in a forum where you had a time limit. There are times where I'd like to go back and edit out my picture or just make a tweak or two to my post - or if I notice a spelling or grammatical error.


That's a great idea!

-Rusty


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## CleverBomb (Feb 28, 2010)

CleverBomb said:


> You don't want to go there.
> 
> -Rusty


...and this is why you don't want to go there.

The quote above is what was in the previous post before I edited it to its exact opposite. 

It's disturbingly easy to make mischief by editing what you've said AFTER someone responds to it. 

-Rusty


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## Webmaster (Feb 28, 2010)

superodalisque said:


> ...what i would really like to see is a demise of the separate forums. i was all for anything that anyone wanted in the beginning. i would like people to be together again and learning from each other even when its uncomfortable. all these separate little fiefdoms are just making people feel more entitled to have their way with everything and control what other people say or think. we need to remember how to play together again.



That is an insightful observation. It also is the exact reason why I had serious reservations about setting up the requested BBW, FA and GLBTQ forums. Separate forums is not an inherently bad thing; the food, fashion and health forums, for example, all work beautifully and I am glad we set them up. The more recently established separate forums do, to a greater or lesser extent, show some of the problems you mentioned. I am not ready to give up on them just yet, but so far they have shown that the Balkanization I feared would occur is a real issue.


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## CleverBomb (Feb 28, 2010)

There might be a server load issue, but if it was possible to force entry to the board to go through "today's posts" or "new posts" (depending on whether or not the user is logged in) it would tend to flatten the boards out.

I usually view posts that way, and as a result mostly see things as threads and posters rather than what forum they're posted in. The forums, then, are essentially categories rather than separate entities. 

I may be unusual in that, though.

-Rusty


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## Webmaster (Feb 28, 2010)

goofy girl said:


> I think there just needs to be some clarification in some of the rules, not necessarily changed or anything.



Thing is, Dimensions really has very few rules. 

There are the rules for Hyde Park (see here), there are the rules for the Plus-Size Paysite board (see here), and there's my favorite, the chat room's lighthearted Code of Conduct (see here), but that's really about it. 

Other than that, we like to rely on simple common sense. In the overall Dimensions FAQ (see here) it, for example, says, "_But just like there are some generally accepted rules on how we behave in a restaurant, a theatre, a doctor's office, there are some rules on how we expect people to behave on our boards. If they do not respect those rules, they may get placed on a list of posters whose messages will be examined by a moderator before they go up_." 

I don't think there is a need to spell out every common sense rule. When you go to a friend's house, you won't find posted rules telling you that you must not pee on the floor or assault other guests. One look at the collective IRS rules shows what happens when an entity tries to have rules about EVERYTHING. One look at a camera manual shows the idiocy of posting every conceivable warning ("Do not eat batteries!"). One look at the vast armies of lawyers in our society shows what happens when EVERYTHING needs to be interpreted and clarified.

Often it's really just a matter of asking yourself, "would I do or say that in real life, if I faced a real person?"


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## TotallyReal (Feb 28, 2010)

AND THATS THE BOTTOM LINE, BECAUSE DA CHIEF SAID SO 
_____\


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## butch (Feb 28, 2010)

Just something that makes me giggle: the GLBTQ Forum hasn't had a post in a week. Maybe that forum worked so well encouraging queers to mingle with the rest of Dimensions that it has outlived its purpose? If so, then at least one forum here at Dimensions has brought different types of people closer together.


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## Paquito (Feb 28, 2010)

Ernest Nagel said:


> ADD: No rep for posts containing lolcats, Star Trek gifs or bad puns. (Remove the incentive and watch the behavior disappear.)



I agree that we get a little carried away with the picture posting, but the GIF with the Star Trek guy with the hand on his forehead and the black-and-white guy clapping do serve purposes. I think that those two GIFs in particular should always be allowed.

And the oh snap flowchart of course should stay.


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## tonynyc (Feb 28, 2010)

mod for a day


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## Ernest Nagel (Mar 1, 2010)

tonynyc said:


> mod for a day



Brilliant! Sorry I can't rep you Tony. Maybe this should be a pre-banning requirement, like community service for reckless drivers?

& FTR I don't necessarily think my suggestions should be implemented. They just reflect my personal peeves.


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## BeautifulPoeticDisaster (Mar 1, 2010)

Webmaster said:


> Thing is, Dimensions really has very few rules.
> 
> There are the rules for Hyde Park (see here), there are the rules for the Plus-Size Paysite board (see here), and there's my favorite, the chat room's lighthearted Code of Conduct (see here), but that's really about it.
> 
> ...



Actually, there are invisible rules...I have gotten in trouble for breaking those rules...that I didn't know existed. The WLS board for example. There needs to be a sticky with clear cut rules. I understand there is no cheerleading, but what exactly constitutes cheerleading? There is a thread there now with a member who just went through a lot of surgery and she posted pics. I want nothing more than to tell her how great she looks...but if it is considered cheerleading, I don't want to be told off. 

I got told off for starting a blog type thread about my journey to wls and the mental struggles....and I was told those types of posts are not allowed even though there are other threads dedicated to others journeys. It is not clear at all what is expected or allowed on that board.

That's just an example. Another example is, it is ok for certain people to talk about dieting if that person is doing so for a medical reason, but it is not ok for me to talk about needing to lose weight even though I have several medical conditions. If there were clear rules about who could talk about what, it would make it a lot easier to post here. I hate getting into trouble, I hate opening up this page to see I have a PM from a mod as I know I have crossed yet another invisible line.


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## Geektastic1 (Mar 1, 2010)

butch said:


> Just something that makes me giggle: the GLBTQ Forum hasn't had a post in a week. Maybe that forum worked so well encouraging queers to mingle with the rest of Dimensions that it has outlived its purpose? If so, then at least one forum here at Dimensions has brought different types of people closer together.



No. Not for me, anyway. I still feel a need for the GLBTQ forum. I really miss it, actually. There are a lot of reasons why I just don't feel like posting anymore.


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## mossystate (Mar 1, 2010)

As long as HP is allowed to stand, cuz that is bringing people together in a powerful and meaningful way. :bow:


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## DitzyBrunette (Mar 1, 2010)

BeautifulPoeticDisaster said:


> The first thing I would crack down on would be the pictures. I hate how every thread that could be a great discussion ends up in star trek gifs, lolcats pics, or just random pictures. What happened to go old fashioned words?



Completely with you on this one. LOLCats are NOT FUNNY. Neither is the internet-speak that so many think is cute and clever (haz, pwned, FAIL!, oh noes, woot, etc). When I see grown men and women using internet-speak and constantly posting not funny LOLCats and any other "clever, hip" gif they can find, I just can't read anything else they have to say. They lose all credibility, I can't take them seriously.


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## Shosh (Mar 1, 2010)

tonynyc said:


> mod for a day



How about Mod elections? Maybe mods could hold their posts for twelve months, and then the membership would vote for new ones.

Disclaimer- I am not unhappy with any of the current mods. It is just a suggestion.


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## Gingembre (Mar 1, 2010)

CleverBomb said:


> ...and this is why you don't want to go there.
> 
> The quote above is what was in the previous post before I edited it to its exact opposite.
> 
> ...



But doesn't it say at the bottom of your posts when an edit was made? So you'd be able to see from the time & date whether someone was back-editing? I would also like the edit functionality to be constantly active - it annoys me if I notice a spelling/grammatical error and can't go and fix it...likewise if I have posted a photo from photobucket, sometimes I would like to remove that link after a few days or so.


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## Carrie (Mar 1, 2010)

I would pee myself in happiness if it was not possible to "quote" and repeat images in subsequent posts, so images are not repeated over and over. I'm aware that this desire makes me a big fat grumpy killjoy grinch, and I'm quite okay with that.


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## DitzyBrunette (Mar 1, 2010)

Carrie said:


> I would pee myself in happiness if it was not possible to "quote" and repeat images in subsequent posts, so images are not repeated over and over.



If I could rep you a hundred times for this one I would. *ETA:* Ick, it says I have to spread it around...

I do not get this rep thing, I don't even remember the last rep I gave you.


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## Wagimawr (Mar 1, 2010)

Carrie said:


> I would pee myself in happiness if it was not possible to "quote" and repeat images in subsequent posts, so images are not repeated over and over. I'm aware that this desire makes me a big fat grumpy killjoy grinch, and I'm quite okay with that.


I like images AND I like this idea.



Gingembre said:


> if I have posted a photo from photobucket, sometimes I would like to remove that link after a few days or so.


I think that was one of the reasons the edit ban was originally established; between that and some people who said inflammatory things and then later returned and edited them out of existence, thus, a ban.


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## SoVerySoft (Mar 1, 2010)

Gingembre said:


> But doesn't it say at the bottom of your posts when an edit was made? So you'd be able to see from the time & date whether someone was back-editing? I would also like the edit functionality to be constantly active - it annoys me if I notice a spelling/grammatical error and can't go and fix it...likewise if I have posted a photo from photobucket, sometimes I would like to remove that link after a few days or so.



If you need a spelling or grammatical correction for one of your posts, you can try asking a mod.


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## Carrie (Mar 1, 2010)

DitzyBrunette said:


> If I could rep you a hundred times for this one I would. *ETA:* Ick, it says I have to spread it around...
> 
> I do not get this rep thing, I don't even remember the last rep I gave you.


Oooh, speaking of rep, I wish we could save rep messages like we can PM's. I've gotten some really funny and nice ones that I sometimes wish I could re-read.


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## Shosh (Mar 1, 2010)

Speaking of rep, I wish we could give just a few more each day.


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## Blackjack (Mar 1, 2010)

Shosh said:


> How about Mod elections? Maybe mods could hold their posts for twelve months, and then the membership would vote for new ones.
> 
> Disclaimer- I am not unhappy with any of the current mods. It is just a suggestion.



The most popular members wouldn't necessarily make the best mods.


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## DitzyBrunette (Mar 1, 2010)

Carrie said:


> Oooh, speaking of rep, I wish we could save rep messages like we can PM's. I've gotten some really funny and nice ones that I sometimes wish I could re-read.



Well you can click print screen and then paste it into whatever program you're most comfortable with (MS Paint is easiest for most, Photoshop for the more advanced user) and then just crop what you want and save as a .jpg. Voila, saved rep


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## MizzSnakeBite (Mar 1, 2010)

Ernest Nagel said:


> Double bonus rep for proper use of the words loose and lose. :bow:



:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

I'm not the grammar/spelling queen, but "loose" and "lose" used incorrectly for some reason make me LOSE my mind! :blush:


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## SoVerySoft (Mar 1, 2010)

Carrie said:


> Oooh, speaking of rep, I wish we could save rep messages like we can PM's. I've gotten some really funny and nice ones that I sometimes wish I could re-read.



I've actually cut and pasted them into word documents to save them. Just snag all the ones you can see and voila! It works like a charm.


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## MizzSnakeBite (Mar 1, 2010)

BeautifulPoeticDisaster said:


> Actually, there are invisible rules...I have gotten in trouble for breaking those rules...that I didn't know existed.



Yep, been there........ I even looked around for a rule on a particular issue/item I wanted to post about........and found nothing.......and no, it wasn't something I would feel bad/uncomfortable talking to a complete stranger about...... And I got slapped on the hands by mods. And it issue was very important to me, wasn't sexual in *any* way, wasn't weight related, no bashing of men or women, and was in a thread for random stuff...


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## Shosh (Mar 2, 2010)

Blackjack said:


> The most popular members wouldn't necessarily make the best mods.



I don't mean popular people, I just kind of thought it might be good to have a say in whoever gets chosen.

It would be a nightmare logistically though, so it wll probably never happen, which is fine, I am not bothered either way. Just a suggestion.


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## Carrie (Mar 2, 2010)

DitzyBrunette said:


> Well you can click print screen and then paste it into whatever program you're most comfortable with (MS Paint is easiest for most, Photoshop for the more advanced user) and then just crop what you want and save as a .jpg. Voila, saved rep





SoVerySoft said:


> I've actually cut and pasted them into word documents to save them. Just snag all the ones you can see and voila! It works like a charm.


Hmm. Let me rephrase that. 



Carrie said:


> Oooh, speaking of rep, I wish we could _*effortlessly*_ save rep messages like we can PM's. I've gotten some really funny and nice ones that I sometimes wish I could re-read.



There. :happy:


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## IrishBard (Mar 2, 2010)

I think the only rule that I would change is down to the fiction section. as a writer, I find it rather constraining to try and get rid of certain words, like hell, damn, and so on. 

meh, I can work with it.


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## Angel (Mar 2, 2010)

Carrie said:


> Hmm. Let me rephrase that.
> 
> 
> 
> There. :happy:





Notepad works if you just want to save the messages in a simple text form. That's how I save them.


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## Carrie (Mar 2, 2010)

Angel said:


> Notepad works if you just want to save the messages in a simple text form. That's how I save them.


You guys are really underestimating my laziness, hehe. 

I guess what I meant to say is I wish there were a way to save them here at dims and have access to them here at dims whenever we are here at dims. Reading dims. 

Like PM's, except different.


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## disconnectedsmile (Mar 2, 2010)

BeautifulPoeticDisaster said:


> The first thing I would crack down on would be the pictures. I hate how every thread that could be a great discussion ends up in star trek gifs, lolcats pics, or just random pictures. What happened to go old fashioned words?



i think ever since memes like "i can haz cheezburger" and "i herd you liek mudkips" became popular, _all_ message boards on the internet have become clogged with gifs of various sorts.


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## Green Eyed Fairy (Mar 2, 2010)

disconnectedsmile said:


> i think ever since memes like "i can haz cheezburger" and "i herd you liek mudkips" became popular, _all_ message boards on the internet have become clogged with gifs of various sorts.



I concur....I like some of the gifs actually. 

They ARE quite easy to skip past when scrolling down.....and they are better than some of the long winded nasty stuff that I have seen people post.


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## Littleghost (Mar 2, 2010)

Carrie said:


> You guys are really underestimating my laziness, hehe.
> 
> I guess what I meant to say is ...dims and ...dims ...at dims. Reading dims.
> 
> Like PM's, except dims.



Edited for clarity. I'm pretty sure I got all the important parts.


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