Forums » Smalltalk » Influx of swearing in the public forums.

So lately I've been noticing a serious influx of swearing in the public forum (and peoples profiles too). At least I feel like it's suddenly a lot more prevalent. Which is concerning you know as it's against the rules.

I've seen the F word, the B word, the A word. Several times in several posts the last week or so. I'm wondering if it's because there are also a lot more new people and they might not have read the rules?

Because of that I've been conflicted on reporting the posts and tried to tell some of the people that you can't use those words in the public forums (or groups unless they're private) but it's not had any effect.

I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed, maybe just crazy, but I'm also kind of confused if the mod's haven't been noticing because it's been a lot lately.

I don't not like wearing, I swear all the time in PM; it's only starting to bother me because it's not allowed but it keeps happening very frequently lately.

Does anyone else notice or just me?

I think the F word is not allowed, but the others are to an extent. I can't be 100% sure, so an Admin or mod should put their two cents in.

I am not phased by swearing, but when it is done excessively out of character, I find it annoying.

The "a word" and the "b word" are not disallowed on our forums if they are not used to excess, and if they are not being used to disparage another person.

The F-word is banned in all contexts, including abbreviations and partial censors (like starring out one letter.)

It is completely okay to report someone who is a new player and who might just not know the rules; they will absolutely not get banned or railroaded for a first offense. A mod is just going to drop by, make a minor edit, and let them know privately what the policies are so they can settle into the community more easily and avoid getting in bigger trouble later. They will not be told who made the report either, because it's really not relevant how we know that a rule is being broken.

In general, the report button can be used even when you're just a little concerned about someone. It does not need to be reserved for when there's a huuuuuuuuuge problem you think someone needs a ban over right now; helping people get used to the rules with the little stuff can make a huge difference in helping them avoid big offenses down the line that might get them banned! The mod team greatly appreciates community members helping out with reports, even for stuff that doesn't yet rise to the level of actual rule-breaking.

I'm going to toss out that I have been contacted by mods for slips I've had, and they really are super nice about it. Actually, I had to be contacted twice about the same rule on the same profile (I had misunderstood an update, so I did it again), and they were still super awesome. And since I don't intentionally break rules, I've experienced no lasting repercussions.

And lordy, you have no idea how much I report, and most of it is cases where I'm certain no harm was intended - misplaced threads, little slip-ups, emotionally concerning posts fast I don't have it in mean to help with... Unlike some places, a report here isn't an instant "this person messed up, grab the pitchforks!" but rather a flag that alerts Kim and the mods that something should be looked over (they have a lot to do, so pointing things out is helpful!). And I have actually had them tell me, "We checked it out and they are within the rules. Thanks for checking!"

I'd argue it's best to report things. That way, more people get a chance to learn that they can actually trust the mods here, and the rule is explained by someone with both practice (so they don't sound scary or demanding) and authority. I don't think there's any harm in giving the offender a single, quick FYI, but I've seen that turn a thread into a debate or just generally fill a thread with off-topic rules posts that we, as regular members, can't delete once the issue has been taken care of.

Thanks everyone.

It's good to know that certain words aren't against the rules; I guess I still feel like even those words that are allowed in moderation have been popping up a lot more recently, and it's just weird to be since I'm not used to seeing really any swearing in the forums at all suddenly it seems like there's a lot more. You know?

But it's good to know what is allowed specifically and under what circumstances and what's not.

Been here a week and got warned twice already, it's been pretty smooth and took place in the same day about posts that dated prior. Even when you have read the rules, you occasionally forget that the F-bomb isn't allowed especially if you're the type to use it extremely casually in other settings, so I appreciated the patience the admins had in regards to me. A small edit there, a quick reminder there, and BOOM! no further issue.

Please please please do use the report button

The more people come to our lovely little community, the harder it gets to keep up, because some topics reach over a hundred pages and new ones get created pretty quickly. So if you think maybe we missed something, hit that report button, I promise we won't be mad if we end up deciding the reported post isn't an issue.

Just as a clarification, if we were to put something along the lines of "this character is an a--/b----" in their personality traits, would that not be allowed then?

That should be fine. We just really don't want to see the words used against real human beings.