No more cussing - or you will be suspended.

[Cloudbringer]

I think Wellard got the idea here. It's not that nobody ever uses that kind of language in daily life, we all know that's not true. It's about respecting those who don't (like your parents! [img]smile.gif[/img] ) or those for whom it's not a daily thing like the younger folk here or indeed, some of us old farts.

My husband uses the f word so much in regular conversation for 'emphasis' it annoys me, but it's really not getting his 'point across' as I hear it so often I don't know when he's just griping or truly ticked off about a topic anymore! It loses it's impact if you use it all the time. In the end it's just so commonly heard it doesn't really add any 'shock' or 'emphasis' value for some people.

[Timber Loftis]

I want Donut banned for cussing in rhyming slang dialects. BTW, I just cannot grok that whole sub-language, I think only a British mind can make the necessary connections. Crazy stuff, man.

Anyway, here's what I don't want: to ask Ziroc to put a big legal box around the whole thing. I think we all have a general sense of what is and is not appropriate, and that of course changes often from post to post, and based on the current discussion. I see the "curse policy" as (mostly) a sub-part of the "be nice and play friendly" rules and (minorly) a protection for the younguns and other "family forum" members.

So, what I won't do is pull text from the rules, cross-reference prior posts, compare language, and issue form in triplicate with attached legal briefs. If I did that here, then it'd be like escaping work just to go to work. Besides, at the end of the day, it'z Z's house and he can change or apply the rules as he sees fit. Remember, it's a choctatorship here.

I think, though, that we all have a general sense of what is fair and what is inappropriate. I also think we're pretty good at self-policing ourselves. Anyway, rhyming slang questions still excepted, I think we do know what's allowed and what's not.

[Khazadman Risen]

How about this rule; if you can say it on NYPD Blue you can say it here?

[Donut]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: I want Donut banned for cussing in rhyming slang dialects. BTW, I just cannot grok that whole sub-language, I think only a British mind can make the necessary connections. Crazy stuff, man.

It's a London thing!

[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Khazadman Risen: How about this rule; if you can say it on NYPD Blue you can say it here?

Under that rule, we can also show our bare arses!! [img]graemlins/moon.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/moon.gif[/img]


---edit: (sorry, I hit edit instead of quote!)*gets out camera and a comfy chair* Bring them on.......bare them now! *snicker* C'mon TL, bet you've got a cute tushie there... hehe.

Cloudy

[ 05-27-2004, 01:12 PM: Message edited by: Cloudbringer ]

[Mouse]

Here's some of the rules and regulations from a BBC creative writing site and their general rule about the type of language allowable.

NETIQUETTE

Netiquette is the term for a (highly subjective) list of suggestions to make online conversations more pleasant. Following these guidelines will not prevent heated debate, but it may avoid discussions which become personally upsetting.


General Principles:

Treat others as you'd like to be treated yourself. That means, treat them with tolerance, civility and respect.

Always try to give people the benefit of the doubt in ambiguous situations - they hardly ever intend to be unpleasant, and usually make it more obvious if they do.

Unless you're in a general conversation thread, try to stay on-topic.

Always try to make it clear who you're replying to, especially if there are intervening posts from other people on the conversation.

Always remember: unless it's an extreme case, a post is on the site permanently. Whatever you say now you will be accountable for later! Count to ten. Think carefully.

Don't try to write too much in one post - people are very unlikely to read everything in a long posting.

Show respect to other cultures and traditions, and their points of view. Yours are not necessarily any more 'right' than someone else's - just different.

Read as much of the conversation as possible. Try to read the last couple of days' backlog at least.

Make sure that the point you're about to raise hasn't already been covered, and don't open a thread about one subject if there's already one open.

Always preview your posting. This doesn't just help with getting smileys right, but allows you to check for silly typos, and poorly structured, easily misinterpreted sentences.

Never ever use all-capitals because it's commonly interpreted to mean that you're shouting LIKE THIS! IT LOOKS TERRIBLY RUDE, AND GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT THE POSTER CANNOT EVEN CONTROL THEIR OWN CAPS LOCK KEY!

Abbreviations and acronyms are best left back in the world of instant messaging and mobile phones. This site is about creative writing after all!



Danger Phrases
Certain phrases, which can be perfectly innocent in the right tone of voice, can be easily misinterpreted in plain text. Smileys can sometimes get round this, but there are some phrases to avoid as they more often than not cause people to respond badly.

"It's obvious that..."
Is it? It implies that no one else's opinion is carefully considered, or in any way valid. Dangerous!
"In my opinion (IMO)"
Of course it is. Everything you say is your opinion. Redundant!
"You'd be really stupid to think..."
Someone will think it (how many thousands of people are reading your conversation that you don't know about?), and you've called them stupid. Dodgy!
"Lighten up"
How to throw fuel on the fire of someone's passionate beliefs. Patronising!
"You are (wrong/talking rubbish/arrogant/egotistical/etc.)"
Does it need an explanation? Argue with the ideas, not the person. Hostile!



What to Do in a Hostile Situation
Before making your point to the person you're arguing with, carefully read what they say and try to see their point of view - it always helps. They might actually have a point!

A situation may arise simply because someone misunderstood you. If someone has, don't shun them for it - be polite, apologise for being unclear and correct the misunderstanding.

If someone does go on about something incessantly, it's usually best to ignore them.

If someone has annoyed you, and has later apologised honestly, don't continue to shun them. Always keep an open mind on these matters - life's too short to bear grudges.

Think about whether there's any point in replying, even if you think you're right. If it looks as if the other person's mind is made up already, there's no point in trying to convince them - it'll just prolong a futile argument. Just 'walk away'.


Using Smileys
In online communication, a lot of important information can be missed - information of tone and connotation, normally expressed by body language, vocal and facial expression.

Smileys can be used to add emotion and intention to plain words (hence the term 'emoticon'), and they are invaluable for indicating the manner in which you're posting.

A smiley can lighten the tone. If you're being sarcastic, you might use an appropriate smiley, like . If you don't, the plain text might look harsh, and be misunderstood by the reader.

Try not to use too many smileys on one post. On Get Writing, our ambition is to improve our grasp of language as much as anything. Expressing your thoughts in carefully crafted words will impress far more community members.

Unlawful, harassing, defamatory, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, racially offensive, or otherwise objectionable material is not acceptable. You'll notice 'profane' in the list here. This means that hardcore swearing is not allowed on Get Writing, and if you do swear, Get Writing Moderator will **** out all except the first and last letters. Some swearing - such as quotes from poems or plays in reviews, for example - may be editorially acceptable, but in everyday communication, it is not. All the types of content above break these House Rules. Please don't post it, or you may find we close down your account if you keep breaking the rules.

[Barry the Sprout]

Originally posted by Donut: quote: Originally posted by Timber Loftis: I want Donut banned for cussing in rhyming slang dialects. BTW, I just cannot grok that whole sub-language, I think only a British mind can make the necessary connections. Crazy stuff, man.

It's a London thing! [/QUOTE]One of the many reasons I'm quite glad I'm leaving... [img]tongue.gif[/img] I only understood half of them!

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Davros: quote: Originally posted by Cerek the Barbaric: quote: Originally posted by Donut: Don't know what's allowed and what's not.

Why don't you try a few and see what happens? [/QUOTE]Isn't baiting outlawed as well? Oh - sorry - I see your smiley now .

Oh, and that should have read "flamebaiting" which is nothing at all like baiting a hook - my most earnest and gosh darned apologies neighbour. [/QUOTE]Flamebaiting??? by me??? [img]graemlins/saywhat.gif[/img] Verily thou dost jest, my good fellow. [img]graemlins/laughsaywhat.gif[/img]

I made no disparaging remarks regarding (either obvious or subtle) regarding the character or integrity of Good Sir Donut.

He expressed confusion and I merely offered the most obvious suggestion for clearing the matter up.

On a serious note, most of the members here should have a good idea of what is acceptable and what isn't. But if you still have doubts, a good rule of thumb would be this:

If you aren't certain about a word, then you shouldn't use it.

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Cloudbringer: My husband uses the f word so much in regular conversation for 'emphasis' it annoys me, but it's really not getting his 'point across' as I hear it so often I don't know when he's just griping or truly ticked off about a topic anymore! It loses it's impact if you use it all the time. In the end it's just so commonly heard it doesn't really add any 'shock' or 'emphasis' value for some people.

That's the same point I was making earlier, Cloudy. And it was a lesson I learned as a teenager.

I was going through the "rebellious stage" and establishing my own identity. My dad was a lot like Jim, cussing every over breath. He took his car to the shop one day to have the oil changed and the joints greased. When he got it back, only half the work had been done, but he had been charged full price. My dad was furious (as you might well imagine). I rode back to the service station with him and listened to him cuss the owner out for everything he was worth. But I noticed that, since dad cussed all the time, he had to use even MORE profanity to show that he was really hacked off this time. He even used "G.D." (which he almost never did under any circumstances). But he also had to string several profanities together to fully emphasize how made he was.

That made a big impact on me, and I realized that having profanity as part of my ordinary dialogue would ultimately defeat the purpose of using it at all.

As a contrast, many years later I had come back home after moving away and "testing my wings" after college graduation. I started playing AD&D with a local group of people I knew and I really made an effort to be a positive, Christian influence in my behavior. I had used profanity very liberally during my college years, but I was making a conscious effort to get away from that. So I rarely used any form of harsh language at all during our games or with any of the group outside of the games. Then one day, I went to visit the guy who ran most of the games at work. As soon as I walked in the door, this guy jumped all over me for "breaking" a promise he thought I had made to him (I hadn't made the promise, I just told him I would do something if I could, but I couldn't garuantee I would be able to do it). Anyway, I was completely shell-shocked. This guy didn't even say "Hello". He just pointed his finger in my face and said "I've got a bone to pick with you" then proceeded to blast me about this promise he thought I had broken. I just looked at him in stunned silence until he was done. Then, when he finished, I looked him straigh in the eye and told him to "K.M.A." - then turned around and left without saying another word. When I looked back, his jaw was hanging to the floor.

Simply put, the fact that I never used profanity around him meant that even the mildest form of profanity carried a HUGE IMPACT when I DID use it - and it got my point across in no uncertain terms.

[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Cloudbringer: My husband uses the f word so much in regular conversation for 'emphasis' it annoys me

Troubles in paradise already, I see. Hey, Jim, she's even quit calling you her "new" husband. She got you doing dishes yet? Welcome to it, guys. (*Assumes the lovely newlyweds know he's joking*)