Just so you can follow as we go, here’s the current link: The Rules of the Road
*******
And yes, some of this was covered earlier, in bits and pieces. However, just so I don’t miss anything…
#1: Do Not Endorse or call for violence against anyone, public figure or private blogger, not even in jest. Claiming hyperbole, humor, or poetic license/justice is no excuse.
This covers everything from “I’d like to slap him silly,” to “Bring out the guillotine,” to wishing someone would commit suicide, to making jokes about prison rape. Whether it’s simple masculine posing or a traumatized cry for vengeance, from frivolous to deadly serious, it doesn’t belong here.
I have seen entire diaries done trying to sell the thesis that without arming ourselves and being ready and willing to attack, we will not be able to survive as a democracy against the armed militias. Even without ever mentioning violence, they are endorsing it. How many of those make it through moderation, I do not know. Someone who seems to be writing from fear, rather than a desire for violence, can often gather enough recommends to avoid community sanctions.
Note: if you trigger on violence, consider avoiding trying to moderate these. If you feel you must, stick to quoting the rules, rather than trying to make your own statement against violence, or your reaction to it. Too often, these simply open up a longer argument, and bring in other users who “can’t see what all the fuss is about.”
*****
#2: do not Use bigoted language in stories or comments.
This includes but is not limited to slurs and stereotypes regarding race, gender, gender identity, sexuality, religion, age, class, locality, country or culture of origin, and physical or mental ability. Discriminatory speech of any kind is subject to administrative action, including banning. We respect everyone.
If you’re not sure that a word or phrase you’re reading counts as bigoted, do a search for it, or check your favorite dictionary. Then check the Urban Dictionary. If one or more of the definitions counts as bigoted, it’s worth a mention under this Rule.
If you’re not sure that a word or phrase you want to use will be seen as bigoted, take a few minutes and find another one, or several, that you can use in the future.
So much of our everyday language is built on top of the authoritarian/patriarchal assumption set that it’s easy to use bigotry without ever realizing it. Moderation doesn’t judge the intent behind a phrase, but rather whether the phrase itself carries a negative or bigoted intent.
Side note: this is the category into which “you’re off your meds,” and similar comments, fit. Even, or especially, if you thought the comment was serious rather than bigoted.
*****
#3: Do Not Make personal attacks or threats.
This includes, but is not limited to: name calling, harassment or bullying toward any other site user. Also don’t follow users you don’t like from story to story to harass them (See: Stalking)
I had not read the linked diary before — and it’s worth looking at if (or before) you decide that Stalking is a charge you wish to drop on someone. (You probably do not, btw.)
The rest is more ambiguous, as possibilities run the gamut from the trivial to the decidedly non-trivial. Technically, you could flag someone for calling another user a “snowflake.” In practice, you might want to check with the person being called out to see whether they consider it worthwhile.
Take complaints about bullying with a grain of salt, and in context with the rest of a user’s comments. If the purported cause of bullying is something that is explicitly allowed, such as adult language being used, then re-check your assumptions before automatically wading in. You may be watching some inverted trolling taking place.
*****
#4: do not Reveal the real-life identity (outing, doxxing) of someone who posts behind a pseudonym.
In practice, unless it’s definitely a public persona or business with a publicly listed contact method, don’t mention contact details for anyone, including yourself, in a diary or comment.
On the other side of the same coin, if you suspect a user of falsely using someone else’s identity, the proper place for those suspicions is the Help Desk, not the Comments.
*****
#5: do not Promote Conspiracy Theories (The Rule Against CT):
Debunked or unverifiable theories, rumors or speculation (e.g., 9-11 was a false flag attack), particularly those promoted by right wing or unscientific sites, are not tolerated in a reality-based community.
Always remember the difference between a conspiracy and a Conspiracy Theory; the vast and nebulous “they.” Caveat: sometimes this is not enough to truly separate the two, but in the majority of cases, it works pretty well. Also, true CT cannot be disproved; for every time it is questioned, there is a new and usually more hyperbolic “answer” which buries it beneath one more level of obfuscation.
I hope to present a fuller picture in the future, but for the moment, and the sake of reasonable brevity, this will have to do.
*****
#6: do not Post “Fake News”:
An especially dangerous type of CT, “Fake News” presents a threat not only to the site’s reputation but to political discourse in general. If a claim seems especially exciting or surprising, take a moment to verify it before posting it, even if it fits a left-wing narrative. Fake news of any persuasion is prohibited on Daily Kos. Posting stories judged to be Fake News can not only lead to the removal of the story from the site, but also to banning of the poster’s account.
I did four diaries on this, back when it first became a rule
They weren’t my best work, but I’ve got nothing more at the moment. If you think you spot Fake News, report it to the Help Desk rather than commenting on it as such. If they agree, steps will be taken. Don’t expect direct feedback on this one, as the situation may be more complicated than is obvious.
*****
#7: do not Plagiarize or violate copyright.
Do not post long excerpts of material from other sources without explicit permission from those sites. You can post 2-3 paragraphs with a link for attribution. (The blockquote and link tools are your friends.)
If the material is under a CC (Creative Commons) license, it needs to post attribution at the same time in order to be in compliance with the terms of license. If the material is from a site or author that routinely grants permission for reprints, that needs to be stated with each article posted.
To clarify one point of confusion — It used to be the case that, on evidence of plagiarism, the Help Desk could do some creative editing, short of taking the offending diary down, and that still gets called for. However, the law has changed, and though Daily Kos sanctions still apply against the user who posts the piece, and they may certainly choose to unpublish it, the diary itself will otherwise be left unchanged for future removal by its author or their agent.
(Elfling, or any admin who’s watching, if I’ve stated this last badly, please chime in?)
*****
#8: do not Steal photographs. Make sure that you have the rights to post an image when you upload it and attribute your image source whenever possible.
Double-check when you use an image from the Image Library. Respect people’s intellectual property. And yes, posting without authorization is stealing from someone’s livelihood.
My particular pet peeve. So much of the time, there’s a great image out there that is licensed under Creative Commons, or free to use, like NASA images or other government agencies in both this country and others, and the image I see is a screenshot with the overlay of the site on which it is for sale. With no attribution except for the site which it was illegally copied from.
For those who are interested, “Pinterest” is not attribution; “Getty Images” is not attribution; “Instagram” is not attribution. Attribution is the name of the person who originally painted, or drew, or designed, or photographed the image, plus the year of copyright, plus the name of the current license holder, if it is not the same as the original artist. In the case of Getty Images, it consists of both the name of the original artist/photographer, and Getty Images, which holds the license to that particular image. Always assume a working copyright on an image unless you are certain there is none, or document why you’re sure there is none.
Moderation in this area should simply note that attribution is not given, supply it where possible, if you can find it easily, and leave it alone otherwise, unless you have a lot of spare time. Trying to track down the original of an image to make certain of its provenance can be a major undertaking. It’s a complex subject, so if you don’t have the background to be comfortable with it, leave it alone.
*****
Enough. There are 15 more of these to go, and I’ll take more of them up next time, which will be April 13th.
*******
Comments are open. For agreement and argument and everything in between — and sideways, too. Enjoy.
*****
Next time: More of the DO NOTs
Tentatively, these diaries are set for Tuesday and Friday evenings at 9:00 pm Eastern time/8:00 pm Central/6:00pm West Coast. If you have a topic you’d like to see discussed in one of them, leave a comment or kosmail me about it.
Anyone who wants to discuss community moderation topics is welcome. Of course, if you wish to tell us that community moderation is a failure and it’s all just an excuse for some people to set themselves up to judge others, please remember that Conspiracy Theories are not acceptable topics for discussion.
Previous diaries in this series, and a compilation of historical diaries showing the growth of Community Moderation on Daily Kos, can be found at A Guide to Community Moderation.
A caveat:
I do not speak for the Help Desk. This group does not speak for the Help Desk. In the unlikely event that any member of the Help Desk joins the group it still will not speak for the Help Desk. Kos and the rest of the Daily Kos staff, usually speaking through the Help Desk, are the ultimate authority in any and all disputes. Moving on...
Decisions about what to moderate, what to say, and how to say it, have always been individual ones. At most, it’s my hope that this group will offer advice which will make at least some parts of moderation more comfortable for more users.