It has recently been observed, as well as being brought to our attention by a couple of members that the levels of rudeness, sniping, pedantic and snide comments have increased within The Backroom.
Not only can arguments and in-jokes be unwelcoming for newcomers, they can have the same negative effects on regular members. For starters it can lead to unpleasantness, misunderstandings and name calling just because of a few misplaced words. It can also lead other members to think a certain way of behaving is acceptable, and where they see one person doing it, so like sheep they follow suit.
I am not for one minute about to start naming individuals who are considered to be the culprits; I am hoping that you can recognise yourself from the above text and learn to be more polite and friendly toward your fellow members. This forum thrives because of the diversity of members who are prepared to use their knowledge to argue a point. By all means don't be afraid to, BUT do so in a polite, civilised and constructive manner.
If you post what you consider to be a 'tongue-in-cheek' comment that shouldn't be taken seriously, then remember to include a smiley - something along the lines of ;o) or ;) will suffice - to clearly indicate so. This goes a long way toward smoothing things out before any misunderstandings occur.
In short, I want to nip things in the bud before the BackRoom descends into a 'spit & sawdust' pub type atmosphere. I'm sure you want to as well. After all, the majority of past comments whenever discussions about the BackRoom have cropped up have said what a pleasant forum this is and that is why you keep returning time and time again.
If you do object to a posting, or you feel that someone else's view could be considered objectionable, rather than argue back to them, please use the "report message as offensive" button and let a moderator deal with it (if we consider it necessary). Amongst other things, that is what the button is there for.
Smokie, Pologirl and I can moderate the forum until our edit buttons have worn out, but without your contribution and input there wouldn't be a forum here in the first place. So, with your help, let's keep the forum a pleasant place to visit, both for new and regular members alike.
Thank you.
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