[Michel Fortin]

Dear members,

I'm concerned.

It seems that the board is getting a little out of hand lately with personal attacks. Admittedly, some criticisms are strong and harsh. This is good. I always refrain from interceding in such matters because healthy debates are productive. They help us grow, force us to learn from others, teach us to empathize with others, and add spice and controversy to the board that make our discussions more animated and passionate.

As copywriters, we are passionate people.

That's what makes us great copywriters in the first place! But also, that means that we have the power to carefully choose the right words to make our points, and to make them as effectively as possible.

But it's a double-edged sword. Words can also be harmful. They are used not only to stir the senses, create constructive debates, and highlight differences of opinion, but also to harm, denigrate, attack and hurt others, whether intentional or not.

Specifically, when criticisms begin to rebuke others not to debate the substance of their comments, but to attack another individual's character, even if unintentional, such flame wars and personality conflicts tend to degenerate threads into blackholes that serve no one, and even border on libel.

(And yes, I do mean "libel" in a very legal sense.)

I hate policing this board because I always felt and assumed that members are mature enough, responsible enough and diplomatic enough to know the difference between debating opinions based on substance versus attacking others based on personalities. I always try to see the positive in everyone and assume that common sense, logic and a desire to grow will always prevail.

Subsequently, I tend to be more excubant and tolerant than most board webmasters. But lately, these attacks are getting out of hand and to a point where it's hurting others, beyond the very individuals involved in such verbal fisticuffs. That's why I now need to put my foot down because the board is starting to lose members. And that is something I CANNOT and will NEVER tolerate. Today alone I received over seven private messages asking me to take charge.

We post our opinions, but sometimes such posts seem as if we are whining, complaining, attacking, bullying and harshly rebuking others without any thought or consideration that, on the other side of the post, there's a living, breathing human being, with equally important feelings, concerns, egos and desires to help or to be helped. Including people who are reading the threads and not necessarily participating in them.

Helping each other is what a community is. It's what this discussion board exists for. And it's what it should come back to, effective immediately.

In this spirit, I'm adding new rules, called "Board Netiquette," for the betterment of the CopywritersBoard.com community as a whole. Please read the following rules and guidelines before proceeding.

Your cooperation is not only encouraged but also required.

Message Board Etiquette (Netiquette)

Here are some simple guidelines to follow and keep in mind as you post on the message board:

1. This Board Is NOT a Democracy

The forum is run by the webmaster, and supported by a group of individual moderators. The webmaster is completely in charge. While the webmaster may make decisions based on popular opinion, this forum is not a democracy. Free speech is not an absolute right on message boards; there are practical limitations. The rights and respect of others are more important. And in "others" I'm including not only the participants in a given thread but also readers, guests and other board members.

2. Report Abusive or Questionable Posts, In Private

If you have a problem with how another member's posts, do not leave a message about your concerns on the board. Send a private message or email the webmaster directly. Most people are not interested in hearing complaints or comments, but the webmaster would like to hear from you. Or use the "report" feature, which you will find as the yellow-red button in the top-right corner of the post in question. Every message or email will be read, and appropriate action will be taken if and when necessary.

3. Refrain From Posting Personal or Private Information

Do not include anyone's private information, including your own. This includes email and postal addresses, phone numbers etc. This could prove to be very unsafe for you and others. Should you want to give out such information, do so in a private email or in a private message, but still use caution. While the message board is private (only registered members can participate), the content is public and read by the public at large. Your information can and will be seen by others, including clients, potential clients and peers who might refer clients to you, as well as scammers, spammers and hackers. Keep this in mind whenever you post.

4. Proofread Your Posts Before Your Submit Them

Read over your message carefully before you click the "Reply" or "Submit" button, and think about how the webmaster and others will feel when they read it. (Don't be shy in using the "Preview Post" feature to review your message before submitting it.) Most people will know you only by what you say and how well you say it. Take some time to make sure each posting won't embarrass you later. Be as clear as possible, stick with the thread topic, minimize your errors, and make sure that the post is easy to read and to understand, and avoid anything that may be confusing or misconstrued. When you send a message to the board, people all over the world are reading your words. Including clients and potential clients. (Many clients, before hiring copywriters, have used and searched this board to make their decisions. Keep that in mind.) Remember, if your message can be misunderstood, it will be.

5. Avoid Anything That May Be Construed As Offensive

Try not to say anything to others that might be offensive. This includes references to race, politics, sex or religion. Stick to the subject on the particular thread so as not to offend someone, even unintentionally. Remember that words alone, without context, body language, vocal intonation and history can easily be misconstrued and misunderstood. Know the people on this board before using slang, curse words, abbreviations and acronyms. And avoid messages without any backstory or explanation when those messages will be understood by a mere few. As the saying goes, "When in doubt, leave it out."

6. Be Clear, Be Concise and Be Brief

Be brief. Say what you have to say succinctly and it will have a greater impact. Remember that the longer you make your article, the fewer people will bother to read it. Some people post long-winded replies in an effort to complain, attack or bully their way into a thread. Keep in mind that being wordy only serves to demonstrate how defensive you are (and being defensive can be perceived as a lack of confidence in your opinion, an unwillingness to be open to other opinions, or an attempt to sidetrack the issue), and can become counterproductive. Also, remember there's a difference between being brief and being curt. The latter is just as harmful as being too wordy. Curt posts are rude and leave too much to the imagination, which can therefore be misinterpreted as an attack, even if unintentional.

7. Backup Your Claims And Identify Your Sources

Cite appropriate references, especially on threads related to facts, laws, scientific and technical information, or authoritative data. If you are using facts to support a case, state where they came from. If they are your personal experiences or opinions, then state them to be as such. For example, do not state that "Brand X is the best!" Instead post, "In my opinion, Brand X is the best." By doing so, you can avoid others taking your opinion or personal experiences as fact, which could be harmful.

8. Stay On-Topic, And Avoid Meaningless Messages

"Trolling," "sidetracking," "hijacking" and "flooding" are prohibited. Do not "Flood" the board, and don't post meaningless messages. When a user posts a lot of chatty messages, even if their messages are not particularly inflammatory, they can be so numerous and off-track that they drown out the regular conversations (this is known as 'flooding' or 'trolling'). Other than the introductions forum on this board, please don't post just to say hello or to chat with one single person. A message board is not a chat room. Do not clog the message board with repetition, subjects that are not pertinent, long personal anecdotes, or short posts that most people would not care to read. Use private messaging or email for all of the above.

9. Be Respectful, Show Restraint And Don't Be Rude

Avoid any posts or actions that may be construed as rude, abrasive or inflammatory. If a post or thread upsets you in any way, report it to the webmaster, take some time before replying or refrain from posting at all. Threads that show your maturity, your levelheadedness and the strength of your position are, oftentimes, threads that get out of hand in which you do not respond. Remember, implication is more powerful than specification! Also, please use mostly mixed case when typing. UPPER CASE LOOKS AS IF YOU'RE SHOUTING, and many people consider it to be rude. However, if you feel that you need to shout to make a point effectively, then that's fine and perfectly acceptable but try not to overuse them. Use discretion.

10. Use Private Messages, But Avoid "Backdoor Bullying"

If your message is personal in nature, or if may be misconstrued as offensive (and the key words here are "may be"), consider sending a reply by private message or email. Some replies are better sent privately, rather than posted to a board. Personal messages and especially critical comments are more appropriate when sent directly and privately. Ever heard of the saying, "Praise in public, reproach in private?" This is a good model to follow, here. However, this does not give you the permission to send hateful, inflammatory or derogatory messages in private. It is often a good strategy to ask someone to clarify their position first before you pass judgment. This helps to settle differences of opinions in private that may be construed as personal attacks, not only by the individuals involved but also all the other members of this board who read such public messages. But private messages and emails should never be used as a backdoor to bully, denigrate or attack others. (These actions should be equally reported to the webmaster or its moderators, and decisive action will be taken if and when they occur.)

11. Try To Look At Things From a Different Perspective

If you are upset at something or someone, wait until you have had a chance to calm down and think about it. Oftentimes, there's a misunderstanding, a lack of clarity, or simply a lack of communication. A cup of coffee or a good night's sleep works wonders on your perspective. Remember, hasty words create MORE problems than they solve. Sometimes, a strongly worded opinion on a subject matter may be misconstrued as a personal attack, when it's far from true, or far from the original intent of the poster. If the poster who upset you jumped to conclusions, don't add fuel to the fire by doing the same. Understand that we're all human, we all have bad days and we all seek to be understood. Often, a simple email or private message asking the other to clarify their position, before you jump in head first, can make a world of difference.

12. Take Your Time Before Jumping In

Speaking of "jumping in," do not jump in "with both feet" when you first start posting. Remember, although the board may be a new place to you, it has probably been online long before you found it. Regular posters may have been communicating together for years and they won't "take kindly" to a new poster jumping in like they own the place. Start posting gradually. Introduce yourself at first and read previous message threads so you can get to know the people who are already there. Meeting a group of new friends online is no different than meeting a group of new friends in real life!

13. Be Sensitive, Be Tolerant, And Use Diplomacy

Be sensitive and tolerant with others on the board. Use diplomacy and tact when initiating or replying to threads. A great technique for doing so is called the "sandwhich method." What you do is start by saying something nice or highlight in what ways you agree with the original poster, followed by your opinion, and then close by saying something nice again. This relieves the focus from the negative aspect of your post, causes your message to be better understood and accepted for its substance or principle (and not its harshness), and seeks to find commonalities between one and other rather than differences.

14. Don't Get Mad, Just Report It

Finally, report any abuse, questionable posts or "out-of-handedness" you see on this board using the board's "report" feature. (It's the yellow-red colored button on the top-right corner of the post.) The webmaster and its moderators will be alerted to the post and take appropriate action. We will ask the poster to edit their post immediately, delete the post in question, lock the thread or, in some extreme cases, suspend the user for a period of time or ban them altogether. While we may have been more tolerant in the past, I will ask my moderators to use these control features more aggressively in the future. As well, if this happens to you or your posts, please do not take such measures as personal attacks. They are not. They are done without prejudice, for the betterment of the community as a whole.

These new rules are effective immediately, so please govern yourselves accordingly.

Bottom line, don't get mad, be tolerant, stick with the topic at hand, respect others, be considerate of who reads your messages (including the public in general), and remain steadfast to the objectives of this board, which is to help and support each other. If your posts do not contribute something positive, or if they are too self-serving and fail to help others, you not only harm yourself by making you look bad, childish and immature (including to your peers, clients and potential clients), but also harm more than the just the individual(s) involved.

Keep that in mind next time you post.

Thank you for understanding.

[Bailey]

Long overdue and good to see, IMO. But, rules are only a start. Follow-through is essential, and I hope that there are some teeth behind the bark.

Bailey

[marciayudkin]

Michel,

Thank you.

It really hurts all of us when mean-spirited, hurtful things are said here, and I hope that the atmosphere changes so that we can continue to have healthy disagreements on issues we care about as copywriters.

And thank you for all the work you do to keep this forum running. I appreciate it greatly, and I suspect just about everyone else who posts here does, too.

Marcia Yudkin

[Motley1]

It is sad that Michel had to be put in this situation.

I fully support and shall abide to this policy.

[netvicar]

Thank you big time for taking this approach. I agree too it's long overdue. Several posts were so painful to read I just skipped them -- at my loss because of useful information that may have appeared later.

This change should fix that. It's amazing professionals couldn't police themselves and avoid bothing you with these hassles.

Thank you

Andre

[jbillh]

Rodney King said it, and now Michel is saying it..."Can't we all just get along?"

As a green-horn in this arena I have occasionally wondered about the folks I am learning from. A pretty harsh bunch sometimes to be sure; but also very generous and good-hearted.

So many expert level chefs in one small kitchen I suppose.

Thanks to all of you for your contributions to my education.

Warm Regards,

Bill

[Eileen]

I am delighted to hear of your new policies, and they have my wholehearted support. I've been visiting the boards much less often in recent months because there's been so much negativity. I'm glad to hear things may turn around soon.

[JanetB]

I too have avoided the board for months at a time. Once again I came here a couple of weeks ago and saw the same kinds of hurtful posts. And I decided to avoid the board again, even though I've often found it quite helpful.

Now that I have seen this, I will give the board another chance. Thank you, Michel!

Namaste,

Janet

[Stephen Davies]

Don't be discouraged and don't be afraid to send me a PM.

I will be more than happy to help out if you feel a post is getting too personal or offensive (especially if I am the perpetrator).

Of course, I might have to discuss some of this with Michel and the other mods, but please don't let it stop you from visiting this board.

Michel isn't here 24/7 (he's got a lot going on in his personal life, as you already know) ... that's why you have mods to help you out.

If I get criticized for editing or deleting an offensive post, the only one I will take with my tail between my legs will be from Michel.

We want this board to be a friendly community. It should be a place where anyone can come for help or be of help.

Sure there are going to be disagreements, but when it starts getting downright dirty and personal, it WILL come to a screeching stop!

There is no room for this here.

As I said, if you have any problems with "anything", feel free to contact one of us.

[Michel Fortin]

I've taken the liberty to clean a few recent theads based on the new rules. But please note: I'm not going to do this all the time. I'm not the board's censor. (I hate censoring anyway.) But please, refrain from stating an opinion about a person, and make sure that it's clear your opinion, if any, is specifically about the content of that's person's post, it is on topic and it is clear that is also your opinion -- not a statement of fact.

I really appreciate you all. And I thank you for helping me out. For everybody's benefit.