Changes to Series Threads & Constructive Posting

[relentlessflame]

The Summer anime season is here, and as we enter this new season with lots of new topics to discuss, we would like to mention two small policy changes affecting discussion on the forums.


Upcoming Series Threads
First -- and you may have noticed this already -- we have decided that, instead of moving a thread from "Upcoming Series" to "Current Series", we will now instead create a new thread in Current Series when the show airs, typically copying the original opening post as a reference (since it often contains useful show data). The Upcoming Series thread will then get locked and moved to the "Upcoming Archive" (which is a pretty silly name, I know ).

We made this change because we've discovered that the sort of discussion that happens before an anime airs and that which occurs after it airs is pretty different in tone and nature. Upcoming threads tend to feature a lot of mild speculation, because most of the people who will be posting about a show before it airs are either a) people who already know the source material, or b) people who want to know a little bit about the source material to see if they'll be interested in the show. (We still don't allow spoilers to be posted.) With this change, people who wish to avoid this sort of speculation can just start right with the Current Series thread, where discussion will start right with Episode 1. We ask that no source-based speculation or guidance occur in the Current Series thread (as defined in our existing Spoiler Policy).

We are considering making some further changes in this area going forward, but this is a first step.


Constructive Posting Clarification
Second, we have introduced a new Forum Rule. This is actually not a change in our moderation philosophy as a staff, but an attempt to more-clearly capture the staff's views on what it means to post constructively on the forum. I've copy/pasted the rule below:

Originally Posted by Forum Rules

2.9 Always Remain Constructive
Discussions tend to attract a large variety of different opinions; all opinions are welcome on AnimeSuki as long as they contribute constructively to the conversation at hand. Focus on providing the reasons why you believe what you do, and support your opinions with explanations and evidence so that others can understand where you're coming from. If your apparent goal is simply to attack a show, its staff/cast, or other posters for not agreeing with your preferences and opinions (whether positive or negative), or to lord your opinions over others in such a way that antagonizes other posters (whether fans, critics, or anyone else), this does not contribute constructively to the on-topic conversation, and typically results in derailed threads. Ad hominem attacks, poisoned-well arguments, smear campaigns (against a show, genre, trait, character, person, group, or otherwise), and similar comments that provoke and inflame the conversation are not acceptable. Posts that lack objectivity or constructive purpose, for any of the aforementioned reasons or others, may be edited or deleted. Offending posters may be warned, infracted, temporarily banned, or forbidden from accessing and/or posting in certain parts of the forum, at the full discretion of the Forum Staff. Repeated infractions for this or any other sort of forbidden Forum behaviour can also result in a permanent ban from the site.

A lot of this will hopefully be obvious to most, but I'd like to make a few additional comments about it.

First, I want to repeat what I said above that this isn't actually a change in the way we moderate, but just a way of capturing/explaining our expectations for posting. We wanted to have a place in the Rules where we spell out particularly the sort of posting we would and would not allow, so that people can't say "Where in the Rules does it say that?!". While the Rules do not and won't ever capture every single possible thing that could result in moderation, we hope this will help provide better guidance.

Second, I want to emphasize that our objective is to promote constructive conversation from all sides. This change is not designed to make anyone with a legitimate opinion feel unwelcome. However, there are certain kinds of posting that we will continue to discourage, particularly:

1. People who are so overly-defensive of their favourite work that they attack anyone who offers even considered opinions that may seem to criticize the work.

2. People who are so overly-biased against a certain work that they keep on posting the same negative tirades week after week without being constructive.

These sorts of posters (among others, as suggested by the rule) derail threads and create an unwelcoming environment for discussion, and so will not be tolerated. If you are so invested in a work that seeing negative opinions makes you irrationally angry, you need to step away. And if you despise a work so utterly but keep forcing yourself to watch/read it seemingly just so that you can complain about it week after week, please keep your masochism to yourself or get a blog. Constructive posting encourages discussion about ideas and opinions between equals, and doesn't belittle, demean, or needlessly-provoke. This also includes "shipping", which is strongly discouraged.

So all this basically reinforces the old saying "it's not what you say, it's how you say it". On a forum, your words are everything, and though you may be a totally good-natured person in real life, if your words online make you sound like a jerk, then you're being a jerk from everyone else's point of view. So please try to stay constructive and, for those for whom this is an issue, hold back your tendency to be overly-aggressive and/or demeaning when you encounter something or someone you don't like.

If you encounter a post that seems to be questionable or unacceptable, please report it () so the staff can review it and take action if necessary.


If you have any questions or concerns about either of these changes, or have suggestions about ways we could further clarify the issues or improve in general, please let us know. We hope you enjoy the Summer anime season, and thank you for spending your time here on AnimeSuki.