(Okay, so this won’t necessarily have that big of an effect on civility, and it’s not so much a ‘project’ as something that I’m proposing be adopted by everyone for all time, but I had to come up with a catchy name.)
We’ve seen a lot of ideas on ways to improve the community interactions here lately, and now I’m throwing in my own 2 cents.
It’s simple, really:
Go compliment at least 10 people right now.
- Choose at least 1 person who you always get into huge arguments with, and tell them something you like or admire about them.
- Choose at least 5 people that you don’t talk to on a regular basis. It's cool to compliment your friends but they already get the benefit of knowing you like them enough to consider them a friend. Those who don't have a bunch of friends or don't know that you appreciate them need it more.
- Choose at least 9 people that aren't on the Front Page, have never (or almost never) gotten diaries to the recommended list, and/or don't get a lot of comments in the really good diaries they write.
And whatever you do, be genuine and real about it. Don’t use it as a way to put down someone else; don’t be sarcastic about the compliment (unless you can say something sarcastic and get the point across that it is a compliment... not many people can do that effectively on the Internets, though.)
After you do that, keep doing it. Most of us explain why we troll-rate someone. Why wouldn’t we do the same, or more, for those who actually make valuable contributions? Sometimes, there just isn’t anything to say or hitting the recommend button is more eloquent, but saying something as simple as "Thank you for trying to make the world better" can really make a difference. I'd much rather go the positive reinforcement route than the hope-that-they-can-absorb-through-the-ether-how-appreciated-they-are route. Taking the time to explain why you recommended someone's post shows that you care enough to take that extra minute and compose a sentence about it, no matter how simple that sentence may be.
We focus so much on the bad things in the world, we forget to appreciate the good things too. One of the greatest things in my life is the wonderful, highly intelligent, demanding, active, informed, and insightful community that we have here. It bothers me that the inevitable negativity sometimes overwhelms the positivity and makes the place unpleasant for people. There will always be unpleasant aspects, and people who can't bear the criticism, but I think this would help balance that for most.
So thank you all for reading this diary. Thank you for participating. And thank you for doing what you do, every day, even though you may end up feeling like Sisyphus. You don’t get enough credit for what you do, and so I am saying thank you.
And be excellent to each other.