Hi , gang. How's it going? Having fun? That's good.
Well, we've all had some time to settle in here. Spread our wings a little. Find out what works and what doesn't.
Now it's time to address some issues we've been having lately.
For those of you who may not have seen it yet or, perhaps you've seen it but just need a little refresher, I'd like
for you to take a moment and read through the ECCIE Mission Statement. It's located here:
http://www.eccie.net/announcement.php?f=16
If you take just one little tidbit of wisdom from that post it should be "respect for others".
Recently there has been, shall we say, a little "straying" from that message. Well, that "straying"
has come to an end.
Listen, I'm all for spirited, passionate conversation. Debates are all well and good.
It is when those conversations degenerate into rudeness, name calling, insults and
ultimately, flame wars that we have a problem. People end up with hurt feelings.
People end up on other people's DNS list. Nobody's happy.
In here, we pretty much know everybody. We've been reading each other's posts for years.
Now. Can you imagine what we look like to the newbies as well as the general public?
Not too friendly or inviting, is it? Someone who might have been that next "diamond-in-the-rough"
Provider or that next "all-star reviewer with tons of info" may have just taken a short look around
and said to themselves, "Screw that! Who needs that shit?"
We never hear from them. They're gone.
Contrary to what many may believe, there are rules in place to deal with these situations.
They aren't really posted anywhere. In the beginning, the owners of this site didn't feel they had
to be. It was assumed that people were coming here from other sites where these types of rules
were already in place and understood. Apparently, not by everyone.
Starting today, those rules will be enforced. Any infractions related to rudeness, name calling, and/or insults
will be met with a warning from staff. That warning may come in the form of a PM/EM from staff or it may come in
the form of points being issued. It will depend on the severity of the infraction and how well we (the staff) feel the
member receiving the warning will respond to it. Vacations from the board may also be awarded.
My friends, it is with deep regret that I must make this post. But, hard times call for hard truths.
ECCIE must remain a place where all feel welcome and where all feel free to post their thoughts and information.
Without the free flow of both we all lose.
gfe