wejo wrote:
7) The one debate we are having internally is whether to ban people who are uncivil or make personal attacks. I think they should be banned. You can disagree with someone without name calling . Disagree with them on the facts. Even if someone posts something you consider racist/sexist. Argue against it. The worst of the worst will be removed (ie racial slurs, etc), but if someone posts something you find offensive why not argue against it instead of calling them names?
Wejo, many years ago, I ran equal opportunity programs for an entire Air Force base. This was after the Watts riots in LA so tensions were high. We had no rules about what was or was not discrimination. Sure, sometimes it was easy to see, but occasionally actions would fall into a gray area. A few years later when sex discrimination came to the forefront, it was even harder to define, especially when sexual banter was acceptable to some women and not to other women.
So we sat down and made our own rules... me (a white Southern guy), a Puerto Rican woman, a young black guy from Detroit, and an older black guy. Keep in mind, we had FAR more power than you have. We could destroy careers, and sadly we sometimes did, but what we really wanted to do was change behaviors.
Our rules were...
1. If you reverse the actions (or ranks) of the individuals, would it discrimination?
2. Do we recommend punishment or is a reprimand enough? Should the reprimand be written or verbal? (A written reprimand is a BIG deal in the military.)
3. If it's a reprimand, who should do it? What should it be? (Sometimes, we'd recommend that I give a verbal reprimand instead of the commanding officer. My reprimand, behind closed doors, was merely a chewing out... after it was over, nothing permanent happened, but I would make grown men cry in those reprimands. It was for their own good. Their behavior HAD to change.)
For LetsRun, you have a much easier role. Your golden rule should be...
1. Be civil or you will be banned.
2. Don't say anything to anyone that you wouldn't say to their face. If you would say it to their face, but it violates rule 1, you'll still be banned. Be civil.
You be the judge of what that means. If you try to set boundaries, trolls are going to try to push them.
If people step over the line, ban them for a short time but long enough to send a message... 24 hours maybe... longer if the offense is deemed more egregious. If they argue or try to work around the ban, ban them for a week or a month or if it's a severe violation of rule 1, ban them indefinitely.
Personally, I'd do away with the "registration" policy you currently have. It's nearly worthless. Require registration through Facebook. Lock threads to registered users only more often.
You could attract more elite runners, coaches, and authors here if you cleaned up the trolls.