Realneo - after our 2 week "time out" - is emphasizing CIVIL discourse

Submitted by Jeff Buster on Sun, 06/05/2011 - 20:23.

Today, 10.18.11, a bit of earnest and important Realneo went off into the ditch.   Would it be possible that certain recent comment dialogue be self-moderated and self-removed by the authors?  just askin....

 

Recently Realneo lost all civility and substantially abandoned any focus on facilitating intelligent community dialogue.For example, instead of advocating citizen journalism and respectful discourse, a great deal of time and effort was spent on ad hominem attacks between users of the site.

Realneo became the place for primitive screaming, bludgeoning one another, burning down both advocates' and adversaries’ houses, plowing salt into fertile ground, and taking no prisoners. Madness!

But there are many people in our community who don’t wish to be involved daily in angry confrontation. Many individuals don’t believe that the path to truth must entail constant and intense personal threats, insults, and defamatory accusations.

Over the last few years, a substantial number of rational, civically committed, tempered realneo users slowly but steadily removed themselves from Realneo – leaving only a small group of the very energetic and angry and/or the very determined and patient to maintain the discussion – clearly a cul de sac strategy.

The Realneo sandbox developed a reputation – a reputation far out on the fringe…

Starting now, Realneo will evolve its publishing tone and see how it goes. Let's watch and see if the evolutionary “rules” engage new users:

  1. For the time being, users’ posts will not automatically go to the home page, nor will a user be able to advance their own posts to the homepage. The point is to have content available on the web for search engines to find – the point isn’t to control center stage nor to pump up individual egos.
  2. The posting of Spam, including the posting of links without original commentary or critique about the link, will result in the deletion of the comment or post and the blocking of the user’s account.
  3. Posters of gratuitous profanity, vulgarity, pornography, copy right violation, ad hominem attacks, threatening, personal accusations, unsubstantiated defamation, repetitive content which merely fills up the realneo server, will be blocked and the content deleted.
  4. What is encouraged is:
    •  Posting under your name
    •  original reportage, citizen journalism, conscientious reporting on any and all topics – especially muck raking, whistle blowing.
    •  original fiction, biography,
    •  original digital photography, videography
    •  Conscientious and civil support or criticism of any new or old idea, public body or public person, law or legislation, public policy or political scheme
    •  Submission to the header images queue (click “blog entry, pull down Community of interest links to bottom item “RealNEO header”) which must be prepared at 200pix by 1000pix so they fit as a banner. A link to more specific help/directions will be inserted here soon.
  5. Realneo does not condone, operate with, or publish incivility.

Thanks to everyone for their interest in improving their community and for their patience with the maturation of this virtual public forum.

Jeff Buster

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rules and civility

Submitted by westward on Thu, 10/20/2011 - 23:08.

 Last night, Jeff Buster prefaced his post of the new rules with this "Today, 10.18.11, a bit of earnest and important Realneo went off into the ditch.   Would it be possible that certain recent comment dialogue be self-moderated and self-removed by the authors?  just askin...."

That request was ignored.
While grateful for a place that anyone can post, I have to say how embarrassed I am to post here at realneo. We have a movement afoot in the nation, and here in Cleveland,. After years of non-partcipation by citizens, and many conversations about the lack of movement among young and older folks, we now have Occupy Wallstreet. The country is wakening. Cleveland is shaking off its slumber, and this local movement needs to be supported.
One of the big advantages for a movement these these is social media. Mainstream media will not support Occupy Wallstreet in a meaningful way. As the movement grows, and problems occur, only the negative events will be covered by mainstream news.
Social media gives supporters the opportunity to broadcast events, provide minutes of meetings, and the "other" side of the story.
Realneo is positioned to nurture this movement in Ohio and link to the country.
Instead, we have the downward spiral of crap that occurred, and is still occuring.
This is not a place that people will come to read about a movement, or share thoughts. Why would they? Why make any comment that gets buried in personal attacks on one another?
Yes, I am embarrassed to be posting here. I am looking for an alternative social media to the supposed alternative site of realneo.
DW