# Forum Etiquette
**URL:** https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186
**Category:** Flame Wars
**Created:** [10 September 2010 12:40 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186 "2010-09-10T12:40:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mechanist1](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Mechanist1)
#### Post date: [10 September 2010 12:40 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/1 "2010-09-10T12:40:27Z")
The [sciencechatforum.com](http://www.sciencechatforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12180) has a useful summary on suggested forum etiquette:
> [b]Forum Etiquette[/b]
>
> We expect all members to conduct themselves in a manner which encourages growth in our community, and fosters an atmosphere of learning.
>
> I - Abusive behavior is strictly prohibited. Obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any communication through our forums which threatens, belittles or otherwise demeans our members will not be tolerated.
>
> II - Personal attacks are strictly prohibited. While it’s normal for debates to sometimes grow heated, all comments should remain focused on the actual theories being presented, and/or the responses to challenges from fellow posters. We do not tolerate posts which demean another user on a personal level.
>
> III - Offensive comments referring to a person’s gender race or religion made with the intent to offend are strictly prohibited. Using offensive language may result in the termination of your account.
>
> IV - General disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Disruptive behaviors include the following
>
> a) Posts deemed by the moderators to be devoid of any intelligent content.
>
> b) Repeated refusal to cite sources or other evidence to support your claims.
>
> c) Repeated refusal to respond to a moderators request.
>
> d) We do not provide a medium for circular debates which have no end. If a debate has gone on a significant length of time, and the moderators feel that it’s going nowhere, they are charged with refocusing the debate, or when that fails, to end it. If a thread is locked, do not start a new thread resurrecting old issues.
I like it.
Is there ANY chance that any of the regulars here even remotely like and agree with all of the above (except for the flaming section of course, this would be daft there :P)?
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### Author:  [@cyghost](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/cyghost)
#### Post date: [10 September 2010 12:58 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/2 "2010-09-10T12:58:38Z")
Jesus Christ, phrony, IV a) will leave you with no posts here!
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### Author:  [@Mechanist1](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Mechanist1)
#### Post date: [10 September 2010 13:17 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/3 "2010-09-10T13:17:56Z")
> [@cyghost post:2](#):
>
> Jesus Christ, phrony, IV a) will leave you with no posts here!
Wow, with that post your account would pretty much have been terminated, so I guess you don’t like it?
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### Author:  [@cyghost](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/cyghost)
#### Post date: [10 September 2010 16:14 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/4 "2010-09-10T16:14:16Z")
humor is verboten in phronyland? gottit. Won’t join your forum, never fear. I like the rules currently in place here just fine. I wouldn’t be here otherwise which is a point to ponder.
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### Author:  [@Mechanist1](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Mechanist1)
#### Post date: [10 September 2010 16:16 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/5 "2010-09-10T16:16:12Z")
> [@cyghost post:4](#):
>
> I like the rules currently in place here just fine. I wouldn’t be here otherwise which is a point to ponder.
Indeed.
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### Author:  [@cyghost](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/cyghost)
#### Post date: [10 September 2010 16:22 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/6 "2010-09-10T16:22:02Z")
So you missed it eh? _sigh_
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### Author:  [@Meadon](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Meadon)
#### Post date: [10 September 2010 16:49 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/7 "2010-09-10T16:49:54Z")
I’m all for I and IV. I’m for II liberally interpreted (repeatedly gratuitous insults no, occasional snark yes). III on race and gender is appropriate - but it shouldn’t be used to stifle any reasoned debate on racial / gender issues. III on religion seems silly for a skeptical forum.
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### Author:  [@Hermes](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Hermes)
#### Post date: [10 September 2010 18:10 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/8 "2010-09-10T18:10:36Z")
What? Turn our forum into a Sunday school picnic? Absolutely not!
Where several off-topic insults have been traded, I favour it being relegated to the flame-war section.
I’m sick of respect. Let the sparks and the feathers fly!
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### Author:  [@Mefiante](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Mefiante)
#### Post date: [10 September 2010 19:17 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/9 "2010-09-10T19:17:00Z")
> [@Michael Meadon post:7](#):
>
> … (repeatedly gratuitous insults no, occasional snark yes)…
I would add the rider, “… when directed at unrepentant disruptors and pathological violators of these rules.” There comes a point where neither redemption nor intelligent debate seems possible any longer, and only ridicule and mockery are justified in response. Or silence, but who among us is genuinely Zen enough to resist poking fun at a provocative poseur?
Respect is earned, not enforced. Most people in any case start from a position of respect, assuming that those with whom they differ know what they are on about. It is when it becomes clear that this assumption is completely flawed that respect begins rapidly to wane – on both sides of the line.
'Luthon64
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### Author:  [@rwenzori](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/rwenzori)
#### Post date: [11 September 2010 03:20 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/10 "2010-09-11T03:20:43Z")
> [@Teleological post:1](#):
>
> The [sciencechatforum.com](http://sciencechatforum.com) has a useful summary on suggested forum etiquette:
Heh heh - feeling the heat hey Phroners?
😛
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### Author:  [@Faerie](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Faerie)
#### Post date: [13 September 2010 05:17 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/11 "2010-09-13T05:17:26Z")
A bit puzzled as to why this is even a discussion on this forum? Think its relatively well mannered and if you want to dish out disrespect you must be able to manage it if it comes back your way.
We’re thankfully dont have many whiners here (actually I have’nt identified any, but I’m not a mod, so could be wrong), and 'ol Telly is like the bumbling cop added for humorous content in the old skop, skiet en donner movies, so I’ve got a soft spot even for him.
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### Author:  [@Mechanist1](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Mechanist1)
#### Post date: [13 September 2010 06:03 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/12 "2010-09-13T06:03:46Z")
> [@rwenzori post:10](#):
>
> > [@Teleological post:1](#):
> >
> > The [sciencechatforum.com](http://sciencechatforum.com) has a useful summary on suggested forum etiquette:
>
> Heh heh - feeling the heat hey Phroners?
> 😛
More like “feeling the boredom”. Kind of boring to see how someone tries over and over to demean others. I think there can be more constructive and positive threads here. Trolling is a bit boring honestly.
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### Author:  [@mdg](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/mdg)
#### Post date: [13 September 2010 06:22 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/13 "2010-09-13T06:22:00Z")
> Trolling is a bit boring honestly.
Concern troll is concerned.
Honestly, if anyone is guilty of trolling it’s you, Telly, old bean.
I’m quite happy with the forum rules as they are, thank you.
> Respect is earned, not enforced. Most people in any case start from a position of respect, assuming that those with whom they differ know what they are on about. It is when it becomes clear that this assumption is completely flawed that respect begins rapidly to wane – on both sides of the line.
What Mefi said…
> A bit puzzled as to why this is even a discussion on this forum? Think its relatively well mannered and if you want to dish out disrespect you must be able to manage it if it comes back your way.
Exactly!
mdg
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### Author:  [@Mechanist1](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Mechanist1)
#### Post date: [13 September 2010 06:30 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/14 "2010-09-13T06:30:12Z")
> [@mdg post:13](#):
>
> > Trolling is a bit boring honestly.
>
> Concern troll is concerned.
>
> Honestly, if anyone is guilty of trolling it’s you, Telly, old bean.
Ah, even when muffles admits to trolling my posts, you still think I am the one trolling.
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### Author:  [@cyghost](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/cyghost)
#### Post date: [13 September 2010 07:01 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/15 "2010-09-13T07:01:47Z")
Where dear muffles “admits” to trolling needs to be revisted… by you.
Before you do, you need to read up on the finer points of sarcasm and irony. I’ll explain a little, simply because it is Monday and I have a ton of work and I am putting that off a bit. (okay, for as long as I possibly can)
Your position is a priori that mefiante trolls your posts. And she is using that to needle you. Which you completely miss every time. Like when you started discourse with her you called her posts uncivil when it was clear it wasn’t (at the time only myself and rwenzori were uncivil to you from our prior understanding of what you are.) You took her disagreement with you badly and lashed out. Repeatedly. She now _has_ turned uncivil but what she is doing is ignoring you for the most part and not responding to you directly. A great loss in my opinion, but completely understandable. She still has no problem with enlightening others as to what you are.
Stop seeing any disagreement with you as “trolling” and try to understand why people disagree. Address that. You are quite happy to make things personal and sling the ad hom or two and then cry foul when it is returned. You, for instance, think it is okay to tell someone to “sod off” but cringes at “fuck off”. I find that amusing.
This whole thread is a testament to that - please re-look at why I said “Fuck you” in that thread. I won’t do that if you don’t deserve it 😃 Change your own behavior and see if that helps? Be the xtain you are supposed to be 🙂
/disclaimer - this was not a waste of my time. It was written in the interest of putting work aside for a while longer.
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### Author:  [@Mechanist1](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Mechanist1)
#### Post date: [13 September 2010 07:15 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/16 "2010-09-13T07:15:02Z")
We clearly have a different view of the situation.
Muffles troll, she admits it.
I don’t see disagreements as trolling, that is a misrepresentation/lie from your side. A troll is someone who does not contribute to a discussion in any positive or constructive manner and is purely there to disrupt it. To this, muffles admits.
I wouldn’t be surprised if your “prior understanding of what I am” is also a misunderstanding.
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### Author:  [@Mefiante](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Mefiante)
#### Post date: [13 September 2010 08:02 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/17 "2010-09-13T08:02:33Z")
> [@Teleological post:12](#):
>
> More like “feeling the boredom”.
You’re bored here? Interesting. So the fact that you keep coming back can be taken to mean that your life outside this forum is even more boring then, yes?
> [@Teleological post:16](#):
>
> Muffles troll, she admits it.
> … A troll is someone who does not contribute to a discussion in any positive or constructive manner and is purely there to disrupt it. To this, muffles admits.
I do? Where? Or is this yet another instance where you seriously overreach the available evidence?
'Luthon64
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### Author:  [@Mechanist1](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Mechanist1)
#### Post date: [13 September 2010 08:24 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/18 "2010-09-13T08:24:06Z")
> [@Mefiante post:17](#):
>
> > [@Teleological post:12](#):
> >
> > More like “feeling the boredom”.
>
> You’re bored here? Interesting. So the fact that you keep coming back can be taken to mean that your life outside this forum is even more boring then, yes?
Not bored of the forum, bored by some elements who desperately want to get a rise out of others by trolling.
> [@Mefiante post:17](#):
>
> > [@Teleological post:16](#):
> >
> > Muffles troll, she admits it.
> > … A troll is someone who does not contribute to a discussion in any positive or constructive manner and is purely there to disrupt it. To this, muffles admits.
>
> I do? Where? Or is this yet another instance where you seriously overreach the available evidence?
>
> 'Luthon64
You admit to trolling. You did not delete the post did you?
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### Author:  [@mdg](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/mdg)
#### Post date: [13 September 2010 08:32 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/19 "2010-09-13T08:32:19Z")
Here’s one definition of a Telly,… er, I mean a troll…
From the Urban Dictionary.
> One who purposely and deliberately (that purpose usually being self-amusement) starts an argument in a manner which attacks others on a forum without in any way listening to the arguments proposed by his or her peers. He will spark of such an argument via the use of ad hominem attacks (i.e. 'you're nothing but a fanboy' is a popular phrase) with no substance or relevence to back them up as well as straw man arguments, which he uses to simply avoid addressing the essence of the issue.
> You’re bored here? Interesting. So the fact that you keep coming back can be taken to mean that your life outside this forum is even more boring then, yes?
…and then proceeds to bore everyone else on the forum…
There’s a couple of questions I’d like to ask you Telly; (I’m just being curious.)
Do you converse the way you write your posts? The reason I ask is because you never seem to contribute to any casual conversations or just chat informally with anyone here.Do you feel that it’s “below” you to interact casually with others here?
Do you have any friends? I ask this because judging by the way you do interact with us (like a pompous know it all - this is just my view), it seems that you might not have any, and you try to compensate by trying to impress others with what you think are highly intelligent posts.
mdg
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### Author:  [@Mefiante](https://forum.skepticza.org/u/Mefiante)
#### Post date: [13 September 2010 08:47 UTC](https://forum.skepticza.org/t/forum-etiquette/3186/20 "2010-09-13T08:47:35Z")
> [@Teleological post:18](#):
>
> … bored by some elements who desperately want to get a rise out of others by trolling.
Looked in a mirror lately?
> [@Teleological post:18](#):
>
> You admit to trolling. You did not delete the post did you?
Once again: Where? What part of that one-word question is giving you trouble? And by what contorted logic is my “not delet[ing] the post” (which one?) an admission of anything?
'Luthon64
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