International Skating Union

[siteadmin]

It's getting busy around here and there are a few thing newbies should know and veterans should remember. (In no particular order.)

1) No bad language please......not even short forms.

2) We aren't one big happy family ........and we aren't trying to be. You don't have to like each other, but please at least try to respect or tolerate.

3) There are a large number of visitors who come to read and not post. We try to keep them happy too. (Takes a lot of guessing.)

4) English only please. I do know a few swear words in other languages, but not enough.

5) For copyright reasons, please don't copy (in whole or part) from other websites. Paraphrase or link only.

6) The topic is skating and skaters. Non-skating personal matters.....otherwise known as gossip.....is not allowed. If it's already public knowledge, then it's OK. (Source must be indicated.)

7) There is no such thing as freedom of speech around here.....as the rules would indicate. (And please respect libel and slander laws.)

8) Please keep all types of nationalistic or patriotic discussions to a minimum. Skater vs skater is fine....not country vs country.

9) Please don't make the same comments in multiple threads.

10) Do not be rude to another poster. There are polite ways to disagree.

11) Too much gushing or bashing is a very bad thing. It usually leads to all sorts of trouble. (If you must, use the Rant & Rave area)

12) If you express an opinion, please explain why.

13) Please don't follow fellow posters around just so you can argue with everything they post.

14) We have enough resident experts already, please don't try to join the club unless you really belong.

15) Our regulars are quite nice to new posters and those who show humility. Don't be afraid to join in the discussion

16) Please don't try to portray opinion as fact.......that is a short road to trouble.

17) Normally I don't edit posts that break any of the rules, just delete them. (It's faster and easier.)

That's enough for now........I'm sure there are more to add.

Late additions.....

18) Not everyone is fluent in English, so please be tolerant.

19) Don't try to get the last word in, you never will. If you don't like something, stop commenting, it's amazing how fast a thread drops down the board and out of sight.

[loveskating]

Can you clarify your number 14 about resident experts?

Who are they and what constitutes trying to join the club.

[siteadmin]

It's a polite way to say "know it all".

They aren't specific people......more like a certain type of poster.

All you need to join is an opinion on pretty much everything..........and a lot of facts for back up.

As in the real world, not everyone likes "know it alls". They also tend to enjoy sparring with each other.

A nightmare around here is an expert who thinks they know everything, but doesn't really. That's why I say be careful before trying to join the club.

[siteadmin]

Let me tell you a few things I've learned in 14 years around here.

Having a preference is one thing, being an uber fan is another. Uber fans tend to see nothing good in others and nothing bad in their favourites. That doesn't lend itself to an open discussion.

Nothing gets things hotter than a good "our country is better than yours" argument. Insults and pettiness become the norm.

Absent of any evidence, discussion of block judging and conspiracies is asking for trouble since it always leads to suggestions that some countries are cheating. (See the point above.)

Vast majority of the regular posters think of the skaters and skating first, country doesn't enter into it. They are fans of the sport.

And a couple of quick facts.

1) I would say over 90% of the posts deleted in the last couple of months have all been directly or indirectly a result of uber fans. We had a Sasha Cohen problem, and now this Plushenko thing. The other deletions were for bad language.

2) The ISU doesn't dictate now, or has ever dictated how this board is run. Only once in 14 years have they ever asked for a post to be deleted. And that was because a parent complained about how their child was commented on in a thread.

We're not trying to be everything to everyone, because that is impossible. Boring, technical and plain vanilla is what we are here.

[harvey]