Re: Gay Pilots?
First of all, Joe, thanks for posting these concerns. I welcome them. I may move this discussion to Site feedback, and out of this thread, just to keep the thread itself on topic.
Joe Williams said:
But it's just words. This site is not particularly welcoming to conservative viewpoints.
Well, I think you woujld be more accurate in saying that "some of the
members of this site are" not welcoming...because a person's politics don't play a role in how this site runs. The Rules of Conduct do.
Just watch what happens to my reputation after the last couple posts, which I feel are perfectly reasonable ones.
I'll be very interested in seeing what happens. The reputation system in use here is something fairly new to me, and to a large extent is still experimental in my mind. The reputation system is a reflection of how the community of PoA has reacted to your posts, and as it is a fairly new concept for me, I tend to keep an eye on what goes on with reputation. Mainly because I still retain a healthy level of cyncicism about how it will work in the long run. (I do see that people are much quicker to give negative reputation for posts they don't like than positive reputation for posts they do...so who knows, maybe everyone will end up in the red in the long run...) I dunno - I may "chuck" the whole reputation system in the long run if it turns out to be serving only as a means to show disapproval. Its supposed to be for both. (I do know that you've gotten your fair share of positive marks, though - and while I wont disclose reputation information more than is already given - you'ld be surprised at where some of it has come from...
)
In any event, don't take reputation too seriously. Take the RoC seriously.
I've been made to feel welcome here for the most part, but I'll bet that changes if I express my beliefs too openly.
If a poster express their beliefs and opinions as just that - THEIR opinions and THEIR beliefs - as opposed to posting them as attacks upon other people, then we shouldn't have any problems. It's when individuals start attacking other individuals because they believe differently that trouble develops - and I give you my word that *if* flame wars start, the management will be dousing the fires by dealing equally with people on both sides of whatever the issue is.
We'll see, I suppose, but I'm still betting that the civility that people say they hope for only extends down one side of the street.
As I said - worry about the rules of conduct, not reputation. I don't care if its a 1st time poser or a member of the Mangement Council - I don't care if we're diametrically opposed on every issue or if we're in a vulcan mind meld like agreement - the rules apply equally.
As testament to the sincerity I can only offer up my years of experience in running larger forums. At the risk of sounding boastful, I know what it takes to make these rules work - I learned the hard way! Heck, even I'm prone to occasionally losing my patience with someone - it happens - but when I do, I go, I chill out, I come back, and I apologize, and we move on. I never use the administrative powers I have to punish someone because I disagree with them. I only use them when a person deliberately wants to disrupt the community (porn, trolling, spam, etc.) and then its never vindictive.
