Rosey, can you tell us about the posting rules?

[*Shira*]

Rosey, I see a "posting rules" box that says "you may post new threads, you may post replies", etc. Do you currently have those enabled for all users, or do you have some boundaries on it?

I kind of like the idea of having some limits on a person's ability to post. For example, if someone new joins bhuz it might be nice to have a rule where they can't post the first 48 hours they're a member but they can read. This would help control the problem of people who join solely for the purpose of saying hostile things on threads that have grown heated.

Dance.net has some rules around what newly-joined members can do. It has been a long time since I joined as a new member, so I don't remember the details, but it might be interesting to see what they've got and think about whether it should apply here.

What do others think?

[laura 2]

I think that's a great idea!

I'm not sure if this is a good idea for bhuz necessarily, but another board I'm on using this software has a time limit on editing posts. They do this to prevent people from posting, then, after a day or so of people negatively reacting to their post, go back and remove the evidence.

[rosey]

Limits on posting automatically apply to people who are viewing the forum, but are not members. In other words, non-members cannot post - the site won't let them. This is the way the "old" forum was set up also (hate to call it that, we need to find a name for it! - the classic forum?). Other "rules" would be self-policed by the membership, and actually I believe we have these rules -- look at the FAQ on the nav bar on the forum, as well as the home side of the site.
Remember, I had a thread on the "classic" forum about netiquette - I took the suggestions there and used it in the FAQ. However, no one (including me!) reads that stuff, but we can point to it if someone is being bad.

Also, take a look at the little icons at the bottom of each member's name box. The triangle is a "report post" icon. If you click on that in a person's post, the admin gets an alert and will take a look at the post, and remove it, or edit it, if necessary. Now, that won't happen immediately - I do have to sleep occassionally, but it provides a very nice, easy way to handle the issues you bring up. Lots of new stuff to get used to!

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Rosey, I see a "posting rules" box that says "you may post new threads, you may post replies", etc. Do you currently have those enabled for all users, or do you have some boundaries on it?

I kind of like the idea of having some limits on a person's ability to post. For example, if someone new joins bhuz it might be nice to have a rule where they can't post the first 48 hours they're a member but they can read. This would help control the problem of people who join solely for the purpose of saying hostile things on threads that have grown heated.

I really like the imposed 48-hour waiting period. For those who come just to stir the pot, it imposes a "think about it" rule!

[*Shira*]

Since I raised the question of posting rules, here's what they are on dance.net:

What is a NEW member?
A new member is someone who has just created an account, but has not met the minimum requirements for full membership. New members can only post new messages or reply to existing ones. New members cannot view other members' profiles, enter chat, create polls, post photos, or send private messages.

What is a FULL member?
A full member is someone who has:

* Posted at least 20 public comments
* Been a member for at least 7 days

Full members may view others' profiles, chat, create polls, post photos, and send private messages.

Why are there requirements for full membership?
The requirements are used to protect our members' privacy and ensure that new members are serious about joining our community. New members should post public comments to begin participating in this community.

When I think about bhuz, I'm inclined to think that the dance.net rules aren't quite a match with what make sense with the way the bhuz community works.

For example, I think it's okay for a new member on bhuz to view profiles and send private messages. But as I mentioned earlier in this thread, it might be interesting to have a 48-hour waiting period for new members before they can reply to an existing thread.