INFO! Dire Straights. The one and only warning.

Chaps, things have gotten out of hand in the Straight Razor forums here at B&B. The level of conduct from far too many members has slipped far below "gentlemanly", and Management is fed up.

Now, right off the bat, kudos to those who have maintained the high standards of decorum for which Badger and Blade prides itself ... thank you.

We are going to be paying more attention to the Straights forums, to make sure that there is a solid return to decorum. The Honing subforum has been "ground zero" for the unfortunate behaviour, but it is spreading and needs to be stopped. Therefore, for the Straights forum and subforums, we have these new rules:

1. There will be zero-tolerance for any rude, snarky, insulting, off-putting, or otherwise less-than-sunday-tea-with-a-Presbyterian-minister-perfect behaviour. This inlcudes the sort of comments which the honing sub-culture tries to pass off as "witty banter" only they understand the wittiness of.
2. No warnings (see below). First offense gets an automatic 30-day time out from the straights.
3. Second and third offense gets stiffer penalties. The repeat offender can expect to be absent 3-months from the straights for a second offence, and a third offence will be met with by banning from B&B altogether.
4. The only appropriate response by a member who is offended by, or otherwise stumbles upon, a post which violates #1, above, is to report that post. Posting a response to "set the record straight", give the OP what he deserved, defend his honour (or the honour of another), or pretty much anything other than turning the other cheek, will not be welcomed and will be subject to the same zero-tolerance as the original post.
5. The only formal warning of this new regime will be ... THIS THREAD.
6. Members should not expect Mods to "hand hold" them through a lengthy debating and/or learning curve trying to get them to buy in to this standard of behaviour. Nor will Mods provide lengthy, in-depth analysis of what does and does not constitute proper and improper behaviour in the Straight forums.
7. This all applies to PMs, too.

That puts the onus on individual members to make sure that their own behaviour is proper at all times. It's a good time to err on the side of caution, to "think twice and post once" (to borrow the old carpenter's saw), to do unto others the way my mother (she's a stickler for politeness) would have everyone do unto everyone else.

If all else fails, remember:





Will this cost us a few members? We hope not, but in all likelihood a few guys will see this and decide to take their stones elsewhere or not join in the first place. Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Badger and Blade is the best wetshaving forum in the world, and also the largest. Our aim is to be the best, and our success there makes us the largest ... not the other way around. One of the things that defines us is our high standards of decorum. Now, not everyone feels comfortable with that sort of behaviour, and some guys much prefer a "rough and tumble" of wide-open, no-holds-barred sort of internet. B&B really isn't for them, but the internet is a big place, and I'm sure they'll find a comfortable home somewhere out there.

We're grateful for the good members we have, and a lot of them, too.

A wise Mod once told me, (paraphrasing here)"not every statement deserves a response". I use that advice often.

I'm astonished that a third warning was needed. I think we're all feeling a bit chastened; I know I am.

I think the Mod's message comes at 4 minutes and 11 seconds into the following clip:

As a newbie attempting to make some strides on honing, this is welcome news.
Love straights, need to master honing, looking forward to the journey and the support from all.

Myron

Not to defend people trolling, being rude and generally using forums as a way of venting spleen and vitriol....

However, there is such a case of things getting lost in translation...
It is a known fact that over 90 percent of our communication is non verbal; inflection, tone of voice, body language, facial expressions are all an integral part of it too.
You take away those things, it becomes astoundingly easy for misunderstandings to occur....
I'm pretty sure, actually no - know that I have typed things on line, thinking they come across as jovial and amusing.... Only to get a barrage of aggression. Of course, after getting over the knee-jerk "How VERY DARE you!"... Re- reading what I wrote, getting that sinking "ohhh now I see it...". So yeah, upsets can be caused... but quantifying the deliberate from the accidental? Well, good luck with that..

To be honest, I have found the overall reception on forums to be pretty amicable, advice is available when sought... No one has really spoken out of turn and in all honestly if a situation arose like that, I would hope that everyone concerned would have the maturity to admit to their oversight and apologise for any offence caused.
it is a little sad that this sticky has to exist, however... I get why the reminder of consequences are needed.