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If you like the idea of the reputation feature suggested in the comments, why not share some thoughts on it on this thread?
Hello folks, I'd like to talk about something that concerns me. There have been quite a lot of people who have mentioned the Aywas community has not felt the same and has seemed, almost... colder and ruder.
In the beginning, we all knew each other from a small handful of common sites. We recently passed 30,000 users - so we've grown a whole bunch from the original beta testers, and people from all kinds of sites have joined and made Aywas their home.
With more people, the original family feel gets diluted. I suppose that happens when you have so many people coming in. We can, however, all work together on that.
First thing is, for those of you coming from more aggressively moderated sites, you may not know that the moderators are all really, really nice people. If someone rubs you the wrong way or behaves disrespectfully to you, our staff is always here to help. We've seen a large number of these sort of reports lately and we encourage you to keep reporting. We want to help!
Second thing is, we have always required that members be mature and respectful - it's a staple of our TOS . It's kind of awkward phrasing, but I think it's still a decent description - to show respect to other members, the staff that works hard to entertain you, and the site as a whole.
This seems to be slipping. More and more, there are people who are not acting mature and/or respectful. We've seen a larger increase of individuals who express damaging and hurtful comments in public places, on and off site. This also contributes to an overall feeling of coldness and breeds pain and anger, because whether it's here or not, it still affects all of the community in the way that it infects. We encourage thoughtful feedback, but we don't tolerate bashing and mindless insults, whether here or elsewhere. That hurts our community feel, and does not represent a mature and respectful attitude.
While we want to welcome everyone, maturity and respect is necessary to keep our community thriving, and keep that family feel we all yearn for. The best way to ensure this is to report inappropriate behavior and contribute ideas, not venom and hatred.
That said, please remember that Aywas is a private website. It's one of the things that sets us apart from other ones - our ability to filter registrations. That doesn't end at the sign up page, though. We want a community full of awesome people who have fun together and are, of course, mature and respectful. Please remember to be mindful of how you treat others, the staff, and the site - everywhere. Our community does not welcome hurtful attitudes, and we as staff will step up and do our best in preserving the purpose of our filter.
Your reports are the most helpful in aiding us there - whether it's someone speaking in chatspeak or someone who acts disrespectfully toward you, site, or staff, your reports can make or break our efforts.
I think our community needs healing, but I know we can do it. :) Thanks to all for reading. Now let's do our best!
Posted by Jack
(#1) on Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:33pm
- Narwhal
(#18635)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:18pm
Slash deserves a big plate of cookies and hugs. This site is amazing.
- Sinabon
(#3168)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:19pm
Like! <3 I really appreciate this being addressed and we can all do a little bit better to bring us all together. I still think that Aywas is one of the friendliest communities I have been a part of in a long time. I'd love to keep it this way! Group Hug! <3
- birdyj
(#1164)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:20pm
I heartily agree with this on all counts.
- Sinabon
(#3168)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:23pm
Oh and as for the reputation feature. It could be a neat feature. I guess I have never been a part of one so it would be hard for me to give an educated opinion. I don't see how it could be a bad thing though. You have my Vote! :D
- Jay & Micah
(#4366)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:26pm
Just to further add reasons to my support for a reputation feature: From what I've seen, on websites that have it, it kind of makes people think twice about interacting with someone in a rude way. "Oh no, it might ruin my ~reputation~ /sobbu" and then they might take a step back and not be as mean. It is also a good way to separate good and bad traders/sellers and such. Mmyup. ~ Krill
- God
(#4)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:27pm
I think it would be beneficial for users to note that their comments on other sites, messengers, etc. will be taken into account onsite, and if found to be bashing (or other such things) Aywas, they will be reminded/warned/banned onsite as punishment. I think that is the general gist of what has been stated to me? I dont particularly agree with attempting to moderate user behavior offsite unless it is allegedly attempting to do something illegal or overtly harmful to Aywas... mostly because I think it's a very slippery slope to tread on due to how hard it is to be definitive about identity outside of Aywas iteself. But that is just my personal stance on this. Hopefully all will go well.
- Amagami
(#10414)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:27pm
Quote Slash*and sometimes good people have bad days.*This.So.Much.And i'm sorry to have been a real nightmare on my first days here...
- Kingston A
(#13602)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:29pm
I prefer this site to many of my others actually, people are so much nicer here and the mods and admins do soo much more then other sites.
- Purpleash
(#26511)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:29pm
i think this is one of the friendliest sites i have been on. everyone has been very kind, giving and helpful. that is part of the reason i have stayed, still rather new. thanks for a great site and hopefully lots of new friends.
Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:17pm
Beautifully written, Slash :) thanks!