Notice to Users - Posting Guidlines

[sky's the limit]

It is time to address a growing problem here on Avcanada, please read the following carefully.

There are a number of posters here on Avcanada who are extremely knowledgeable, experienced, who have impeccable credentials, and who have contributed much to this site over the years in terms of information and advice to others. However, and this is a big however, in the last year there have been more and more cases of threads being hijacked to pursue the pet issues of some of these users, personal attacks and fights being carried on through from thread to thread and topic to topic, while others continue to bait, poke, and prod these users into arguments filled with vitriol - this must stop, it is detracting from the site in a way that is preventing much valuable discussion and contribution from others.

We (Mods/Joe) have been discussing this at length for some time, and now feel this has come to a head and must be dealt with.

I will suggest that we create a sticky topic in General or wherever suites it the best, dedicated to all things TC, and where conversations regarding the failings of the Regulator can be discussed at length for as long as anyone cares to, yet not pollute or derail other threads where useful discussion is lost amongst the clutter and inevitable personal battles that have been fought countless times already. Feel free to PM me to set this up if anyone wants to go there, or if you have another suggestion, I am open to any good ideas. You can decide - if not, understand that threads will be more heavily edited in line with the Forum Rules to keep them on track and warnings will be used to let users know when lines have been crossed. That includes personal attacks, condescending posts, and off topic posts.

Of late there have been numerous posts/attacks that can only be described as hateful, and that is not what this site stands for, so to that end users of any post count engaging in these types of posts will be warned, given time-outs, and if necessary, banned from posting, in that order.

We have a fantastic asset here with Avcanada, its posters, and its owner, and after many years of involvement I am getting tired of the direction many of these "discussions" have taken. I would be very happy if the Moderation Team does not have to get involved in this change, as I think it is the users who drive the site and it is the users who should be responsible for the tone, unfortunately that is not happening on its own, consider this a new start - you decide how it will proceed. That said, we will use a heavier hand if required to cut this behavior out.

Again, I leave this issue to you to correct and any suggestions are welcome.

stl

[AMM]

It would be interesting to quantify the correlation between certain users and these sort of threads.
Seems to me that some people (for one reason of another) bring out the worst in almost everyone.

[mattedfred]

sad state of affairs but i applaud you for your efforts. i don't think that certain mods should be allowed to post or mods should figure out whether they are a user first or a mod first. lead by example then the user won't be as upset when they get edited. i also don't think that users should be able to create and post using multiple usernames.

[CD]

I will suggest that we create a sticky topic in General or wherever suites it the best, dedicated to all things TC, and where conversations regarding the failings of the Regulator can be discussed at length for as long as anyone cares to, yet not pollute or derail other threads where useful discussion is lost amongst the clutter and inevitable personal battles that have been fought countless times already.

Speaking of which... whatever happened to the Underground site? (Note: link is to an archive.) Maybe a section like that could be a consideration, rather than just a single sticky thread?

[sky's the limit]

First off,

Many thanks for all the PM's and feedback so far. Keep them coming.

I want to be very clear that the subject of TC is not in any way taboo, I think it's safe to say we all have a vested interest in it, and much to contribute towards it. However, while it is linked to a number of other topics of frequent discussion, it has started to take over the board with the usual polarizing effects and the inevitable spiral downwards into nastiness and personal attacks.

We are all subject to the rules of the board, and regardless of rank, age, title, or experience, we must follow them. These rules ensure some protection against attack, racist or sexist comments, and slander. They are designed to guide the tone of the board, the rest is up to you the general users, and we the Moderation Team to figure out and enforce. Some of the mud-slinging of late has degenerated into ever lower forms of nastiness to the point where it has distracted from the reason we log on in the first place, and a number of users have declined to continue their involvement which is a loss for everyone here.

The last thing I want is to see people with a vested interest in the Canadian aviation scene driven away from the site, but that is what we are seeing lately, in ever greater numbers. This is, and always will be, an anonymous forum, and with that comes a certain abdication of personal responsibility - what I am saying is follow the rules, accept responsibility for what you post and HOW you post it, and make a positive contribution to the site, if you can't do that then stated consequences/results will take effect without exception.

Once again, any suggestions on how we can improve Avcanada for ALL users are welcome. In the mean time use the tools you are given; PM's, and reporting unacceptable posts to help us improve the product here.

stl

[Brown Bear]

i don't think that certain mods should be allowed to post.. i also don't think that users should be able to create and post using multiple usernames.

I don't think either of these comments are in the spirit of STL's post? Mods shouldn't have opinions, and users can "hide" between multiple identities? Don't want to start anything here. Not the time, place or thread for that, but I wouldn't want to see the site go in that direction. Personal opinions will often differ. The trick is, deal with your disagreements like ladies and gentlemen.

[Invertago]

I think the quantity of TC rantings simply warrants its own Forum. If we can allot a dedicated forum to Jazz, I'm sure we can put a few gigabytes if chatter into a separate TC forum. If any particular user derails another thread in to a TC rant, simply warn the user and snip the thread sending it over to the TC forum. Anyhow I think this is basically what you where suggesting STL, and I'd say go for it, sounds great!

[sky's the limit]

I think the quantity of TC rantings simply warrants its own Forum. If we can allot a dedicated forum to Jazz, I'm sure we can put a few gigabytes if chatter into a separate TC forum. If any particular user derails another thread in to a TC rant, simply warn the user and snip the thread sending it over to the TC forum. Anyhow I think this is basically what you where suggesting STL, and I'd say go for it, sounds great!

Thanks for the feedback Invertago - much appreciated.

stl

[B-rad]

I think everyone has had far too many warnings and users should be banned.

[swixtt]

I think everyone has had far too many warnings and users should be banned.

i agree... it's about time. i MAY continue to read this site but overall in past while i can't stand reading it. i certainly hope it gets better.

too little, too late?

adios

[. ._]

I think a TC forum is a good idea. It's worth a try anyways, we can see how it goes.

[altiplano]

-

[Dust Devil]

Does the board software support an ignore feature? I know a number of boards that I frequent have this feature.

[lilfssister]

Does the board software support an ignore feature? I know a number of boards that I frequent have this feature.

User Control Panel

Options

Friends & Foes

[CD]

Now I see, so that probably explains the proliferation of duplicate posts (sometimes in the same thread!) of information on some of the popular topics. Members using the "Foe" feature must not realize that the info they're adding to a thread was sometimes just posted an hour before... I was wondering how that was happening.

[tapaflyguy]

Mods, I have been reading Avcanada for many years now. It used to be an informative site, but now it seems to be a website of cowards hiding behind user names. Everyone loves to bash each other, their employers, their competitors etc. I bet we could fix this, if Avcanada started again and had all users use their "real name", with some sort of way to verify their identity. I give credit to . and Dave P, that have given their real names to answer questions and not hide behind alias's. Do people at Zellers or the Bay, hate and bash people that work for Sears or The Brick?? Everyone cannot work for the same company. How boring would the world be with 1 airline, 1 grocery store, 1 department store etc!!! Is Air Canada better than Westjet? Some say yes, but then is British Airways better than Air Canada? Depends on who is asking? We are human, and entitled to our own opinion, but sometimes use your "inside voice". There was a case in August in the USA with a woman using defamation on Google towards another woman, she was taken to court for $3 Million USD and her name exposed worldwide. I would love to see this site go back to the way it once was. For all you armchair quarterbacks that are so judgemental and have holier than thou attitudes, remember in aviation, there are "those who have, and there are "those who will". Be careful judging others, as anything that happens to others can and WILL Happen to either you or me, or someone close to you!!

[seniorpumpkin]

Altiplano has some great ideas if you ask me. probationary periods and limits to new users would go a long way to eliminate some of the riff raff. I presume that would add a lot of work load to the moderators though.
I would be very sad to see the anonymity of this site disappear. Anonymity affords posters the freedom to post whatever they want without fear of losing their jobs. In many cases I believe posting here is the only medium some people have to voice safety related concerns without the serious risk of reprisal.
Any time I meet someone who wants to be a pilot, I immediately ask if they know about this web site. I think it is one of the most valuable institutions Canadian aviation has. That may be sad, but really, there is so much value to this site, I can't even begin to describe my gratitude to Joe and the moderators for giving us this gift. Thank you, and I appreciate your continued efforts to keep this site in order.

[Donald]

The mods on this site are getting just a wee bit over zealous.

I'm not saying it's an easy job, or a rewarding job, but the direction this site is taking...

[lilfssister]

The mods on this site are getting just a wee bit over zealous.

I'm not saying it's an easy job, or a rewarding job, but the direction this site is taking...

It is SO not easy or rewarding. If you mod too much, people bitch. If you mod too little, people bitch. There will never be a happy medium.

You can expect that:

Profanity in other than Misc forum will be edited.

Name calling versus intelligent argument will be edited or deleted.

"Calling out" of other members will be edited or deleted.

ANY post that gets reported via the "!" in the lower right corner will be edited, deleted, or moved to the mod cave for discussion and may or may not be reinstated.

Threads started purely to do any of the above will disappear.

Bear in mind, we all have day jobs so the whining about "my post got edited, but his has been there all day" is just too darn bad.

edit to add: thread drift MAY be split to another thread. Topics that revisit previously discussed topics may be merged with the old one. Topics in the wrong forum may be moved to another forum. Use the "View Your Posts" at the top right of the page before you complain your post has disappeared

[Donald]

I've read the rules, I understand them just fine.

I just happen to be losing faith when seemingly innocent posts, definitely TOS-abiding posts, just go poof with no rhyme or reason or explanation.

I guess one just has to accept that a private site, is just that.

How is no names-Lil doing these days anyway?

Well, that's enough from me, see you later.