Dave
01-02-2011, 10:58 PM
There has been a lot of drama occurring on the forums the past few weeks. The staff have been working overtime trying to deal with all. I think now would be a good time to remind everyone of TB's mission statement, which has been posted on our homepage since day one. :)
We are here to provide budgie owners with the best information available, as well as the best place to talk about their passion for budgies. We hope to make your experience with your budgies the best it can possibly be!
During these past few weeks, it's clear that at certain points we didn't seem like the "best place" for some people. I would like to change that and get us back to where we were before all these problems started. To achieve that though, there are a few things that need to be made more clear:
"Talk Budgies" (the website) is simply the means for all of us to communicate with each other. "Talk Budgies" has no opinion and neither supports nor disapproves of anyone's opinions or the choices they make.
The staff are here to make sure that everyone's in line with the guidelines in place. It has come to my attention that perhaps the rules aren't laid out in the best way possible. So at this point I'd like to mention that a revision of the rules system will be underway at some point in the near future.
Members cannot be disciplined for what happens outside of the forums. If someone has a different opinion or way of life than you and you don't agree with them, feel free to add that person to your ignore list. Just click their profile and select User Lists, which is right under their username on their profile. Select the ignore list option and you'll no longer see their posts. In essence, this will have the same effect on their home life as would banning them. ;)
When dealing with situations on the forums, the staff go at it with an objective point of view. We cannot let friendships, opinions, or anything else get in the way. "Did this person break a rule?" If the answer is yes, we choose the right course of action for the siutation. If the answer is no, we drop it.
Be respectful to each other. This is something a lot of our members seem to forget in the heat of the moment. If someone posts something you don't like or agree with, you are welcome to respond and provide your opinion but do so in a kind way. No personal attacks or belittling. Remember, not everyone shares the same opinion as you. Even if someone is doing something you think might be harmful to their birds, this doesn't give you the right to be nasty to them. If you feel you might get very upset at another member, instead of posting your reply, just report their post and let the staff know that you feel the thread might get out of hand. This will allow us to close it before things get bad.
Remember that new members (or even veteran members who are new at owning birds) are here looking for your help! If you talk down to them, they won't return. And this will make their birds worse off. When someone is new at owning birds, they might do some things that aren't seen as the best decisions. Don't get mad at them. These members need time to learn what is best for their birds. Calmly explain (with no belittling or talking down) why you disagree with what's happening and explain what could be done to fix the situation. Again, do this calmly and politely.
I hope that we can turn everything around and continue on this year on a good note. :) We have a lot of fun and exciting things planned for this year (and this month especially)! :D Let's not let our disagreements stand in the way of our community.
As always, I am here to answer your questions, comments, and concerns. Feel free to send me a PM or post in this thread if you want to discuss any of this further.
We are here to provide budgie owners with the best information available, as well as the best place to talk about their passion for budgies. We hope to make your experience with your budgies the best it can possibly be!
During these past few weeks, it's clear that at certain points we didn't seem like the "best place" for some people. I would like to change that and get us back to where we were before all these problems started. To achieve that though, there are a few things that need to be made more clear:
"Talk Budgies" (the website) is simply the means for all of us to communicate with each other. "Talk Budgies" has no opinion and neither supports nor disapproves of anyone's opinions or the choices they make.
The staff are here to make sure that everyone's in line with the guidelines in place. It has come to my attention that perhaps the rules aren't laid out in the best way possible. So at this point I'd like to mention that a revision of the rules system will be underway at some point in the near future.
Members cannot be disciplined for what happens outside of the forums. If someone has a different opinion or way of life than you and you don't agree with them, feel free to add that person to your ignore list. Just click their profile and select User Lists, which is right under their username on their profile. Select the ignore list option and you'll no longer see their posts. In essence, this will have the same effect on their home life as would banning them. ;)
When dealing with situations on the forums, the staff go at it with an objective point of view. We cannot let friendships, opinions, or anything else get in the way. "Did this person break a rule?" If the answer is yes, we choose the right course of action for the siutation. If the answer is no, we drop it.
Be respectful to each other. This is something a lot of our members seem to forget in the heat of the moment. If someone posts something you don't like or agree with, you are welcome to respond and provide your opinion but do so in a kind way. No personal attacks or belittling. Remember, not everyone shares the same opinion as you. Even if someone is doing something you think might be harmful to their birds, this doesn't give you the right to be nasty to them. If you feel you might get very upset at another member, instead of posting your reply, just report their post and let the staff know that you feel the thread might get out of hand. This will allow us to close it before things get bad.
Remember that new members (or even veteran members who are new at owning birds) are here looking for your help! If you talk down to them, they won't return. And this will make their birds worse off. When someone is new at owning birds, they might do some things that aren't seen as the best decisions. Don't get mad at them. These members need time to learn what is best for their birds. Calmly explain (with no belittling or talking down) why you disagree with what's happening and explain what could be done to fix the situation. Again, do this calmly and politely.
I hope that we can turn everything around and continue on this year on a good note. :) We have a lot of fun and exciting things planned for this year (and this month especially)! :D Let's not let our disagreements stand in the way of our community.
As always, I am here to answer your questions, comments, and concerns. Feel free to send me a PM or post in this thread if you want to discuss any of this further.