Universal Rules of Civilized Discourse Online

This thread is for discussing how to build better online communities.

I was reading this about it: http://blog.discourse.org/2013/03/the-universal-rules-of-civilized-discourse/

As this site deals a lot with the arts, there are a lot of subjective opinions, which can be really fun to share and discover.

But there are at times when this site feels chaotic and anarchic. The rules in the link are certainly not exhaustive and should not even be mandatory, but it is an interesting notion, especially with regard to the dynamics of ILXor.com.

What do you think?

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4020k6NbN1r63cico1_500.jpg

there are at times when this site feels chaotic and anarchic

This feeling is not misleading, but it would be incorrect to presume that this is so because the participants lack a knowledge of civil discourse. This misperception would originate in thinking that the purpose or goal of each thread, or of each participant is to engage in civil discourse. Sometimes the purpose or goal of the participants is simply play or a desire to vent feelings in a place where the consequences of such venting are minimal.

Play is anarchic. Feelings are chaotic. These have a place in social discourse, even if they do not always result in entirely civilized conduct or serious discourse.

http://www.anarchism.net/images/download_bf_1.jpg

I happen to be a moderator at another forum site. The owner of that site has a fairly strict set of rules for what is acceptable participation and what is not. As a mod, I didn't create those rules, but I do enforce them. The result is highly civil and well-focused discourse upon the subject matter of the forum, because those who step outside the lines are banned swiftly and permanently. I appreciate that forum for what it is. Few forums are as well-mannered or content-driven as it is. However, it doesn't accumulate new members very quickly and is somewhat stagnant at times.

ILE is not like that. It has much looser and broader standards for what is acceptable. It is voluble, funny, coarse, thoughtful and piss-taking by turns, but it is always lively. It does have rules and moderators, but the rules are few and the moderating is light-handed. I appreciate it for what it is, too.

whiney should hire you as his publicist.

I've been kicking around in various internet forums for close to 20 years now, and ILE is positively benificent compared to many I've been on. ILM, otoh, is much more brawling than ILE and I have no interest in that nowadays.

Please treat this discussion forum with the same respect you would a public park. We, too, are a shared community resource —a place to share skills, knowledge and interests through ongoing conversation.

Public parks wouldn't be the same without the shouty winos imo

In any case if I found myself bothered by the "chaos" of ilx my 1st priority would be removing the massive stick from my shitter, not sayin just sayin

shall we test this hypothesis, you deluded goat's ass

guess that's not especially chaotic, more sharply pointed and laser-aimed to the heart of wins' deepest insecurities

http://www.geaugaconstitutionalcouncil.org/userfiles/image/GoatBehind.jpg

googling 'goat from behind' gets you the monty hall problem which is an excellent thing to help teach kids probability & logic btw

it probably gets you a few more unsavoury things but tbh I didn't scroll to p2

Ur gettin my goat

thx x

Have u read Giles goat-boy

It's diverting

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/picture/steviexo/ElephantPigFetusThing.png

the sot-weed factor & chimera sit ominously on my bookshelf waiting to be read, but it may be a while given the queue

...
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/picture/steviexo/ElephantPigFetusThing.png

&also i'm currently reading mason & dixon which is a) wondrous and b) everything i'd hope from the sot-weed factor AND MORE (n.b. am still going to read the latter)

./.
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/picture/steviexo/ElephantPigFetusThing.png

gotta chew thru a load of nabokov first, mebbe that joseph mcelroy behemoth too

Have u read unfinished tales yet

,/.
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/picture/steviexo/ElephantPigFetusThing.png

nay dmac; I've also got Gaddis' first two, and some other shit

I'm spending far more time writing my own novel than reading anyway

Haven't read m&d but im sure you're right. Swf is ace tho

Anyway back to ch405

when's my goat arriving

Just got offed wrote this on thread Does the entire Innocent Smoothies aesthetic strike you as deeply fucking irritating? on board I Love Everything on Jul 20, 2008

OMG IN THE TOP CORNER ON THE SITE THERE IS AN ACUTE ACCENT ON THE E OF GLACEAU

THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MICROSECOND

THEN READ ALL THE BLURBS ON THE SIDE OF THEIR VITAMINWATER BOTTLES

THEN SCREAM A LONG LONG SCREAM

Thread got capricious

http://www.geaugaconstitutionalcouncil.org/userfiles/image/GoatBehind.jpghttp://rootfun.net/images/2012/01/Caprice-Bourret-Wallpapers.jpghttp://www.geaugaconstitutionalcouncil.org/userfiles/image/GoatBehind.jpg

RootFun.net

rule 1 - BE SMART OR GO HOME

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/fez_/goat.gif

*goes home*

nah you're alright champ

the crimson permanent assurance tho, oy vey

morelike crimsonned permaban, uh, assurance

Ha

(that's what you call a baby goat)

&also i'm currently reading mason & dixon which is a) wondrous and b) everything i'd hope from the sot-weed factor AND MORE (n.b. am still going to read the latter)

― imago, Saturday, August 24, 2013 11:05 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is silly. A book you're halfway through reading is fulfilling your expectations for a book you've never read? And that puts you off reading the book you've never read (which it must do or your aside would be meaningless)? I mean, I haven't read any Barth either, but I'm not about to *not* read it because I've already read stuff that's clearly loads better than it has any hope of being.

um "am still going to read the latter"

i don't ask for civilized discourse but i do ask for reading comprehension

u greedy bastard

Yeah imago don't be silly

i don't ask for civilized discourse but i do ask for reading comprehension

UH

(which it must do or your aside would be meaningless)

READING COMPREHENSION

You can challenge my interpretation, but you cannot challenge my comprehension. Fucko.

call it a score draw then given yr ridiculous initial extrapolation

n.b. I took 'your aside' to be the whole post, which was an aside ('&also')

Sorry dude, extrapolation !=ridiculous.

No rational human being would consider not reading unread book x because half-read book y is "everything i'd hope" from the former. So no rational human being would interpolate that into your post. The very fact you mention you're still going to read book x positions you as a non-rational human being.

^^ the very model of the well-crafted internet argument

I forgot to call him a poisonous cuntbubble this time, though, so I lose.

(I feel I should add the caveat 'jokes, bruv', in case imago actually takes that seriously)

PEOPLE YOU CAN'T FIGHT IN HERE THIS IS THE UNIVERSAL RULES OF CIVILIZED DISCOS THREAD

i would feel honore to be called a poisonous cuntbubble by you, possibly

don't drag Balzac into this too

(looks sheepish)

baaaaah!

i would feel honore to be called a poisonous balzac

Have you ever noticed that balzac sounds a lot like scrotum? no? ok, nvm

i believe he changed his name from Bolloque

Ha - I was thinking of that haircutting thread even before your reference

If you can prove I firmly implied I was in any way put off TSWF, rather than minded to construct a fairly sizeable hurdle for my expectations, you can have this one

Internet decorum rule #1:

I have the right to my opinion. When my opinion is criticized or challenged, I will restate this over and over in lieu of an an actual defense of my argument, because your critique is infringing on my constitutional internet right to an opinion free of challenge or dispute.

I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

Your death, that is, by my hands...after which I don't have to defend shit.

Just saying the two books would at first glance appear to occupy a similar niche (with Barth's perhaps more on the side of out-and-out farce, Pynchon's more sophisticated and philosophical, but with significant overlap) and that the one I'm reading is filling that niche with devastating aplomb - so much so that the other would not, according to my presumptions, represent a particularly enlightening experience - but these presumptions will of course be challenged when I read it, as I have vowed to do. All reasonable?

Shit thread

it had goats tbf

Sot-weed factor is plenty philosopical you dick

GUYS

CIVILIZED

Says neandarthal

lol

Tell a six year old boy it's not polite to point and as soon as you are not looking, he'll point his finger at you. That's ILX in a nutshell, c21m50nh3x460n.

PEOPLE YOU CAN'T FIGHT IN HERE THIS IS THE UNIVERSAL RULES OF CIVILIZED DISCOS THREAD

― the arpeggio as will and idea (Noodle Vague), Saturday, August 24, 2013 4:08 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ty

http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/6476249-M.jpg

Main thing I've always thought about this place is even when we're being twats to each other, it's still more or less like a group of people being twats to each other as opposed to faceless, personality-free shells queuing up to call you a faggot, or people with one-note agendas arguing with you disingenuously

that's a good point. every other messageboard i've read is astonishingly terrible compared to ilx. ditto comments sections for news articles, although i made a friend once in the comments of a nypost article that claimed zizek was dating lady gaga.

https://i.imgur.com/Knsqzqe.jpg

This long Slate Star Codex post on why he had to shut down a subreddit captures much about what s wrong with the current media ecosystem--and especially, why things feel so toxic https://t.co/37VgkalczK But folks, it doesn't have to be this way.

[thread incoming]

— T. Greer (@Scholars_Stage) February 23, 2019