Do Not Personally Attack Other Members
Personal attacks in the AT Forums are usually called "ad-homs." "Ad-hom" is
an abbreviated version of ad-hominem, a Latin term used to denote the
logical fallacy of attacking a person in the interest of discrediting an
idea. While not all personal attacks are ad-hominem, they are all forbidden
just the same. The rules against personal attacks are enforced strictly in
the AT Forums. Offenders will find themselves banned from the forums
altogether.
Recognize that You Do Not Have Free Speech
You do not have a right to free speech at AT. Blatantly racist, sexist, or
bigoted threads will be locked without question. If these are the sorts of
threads that you wish to create or take part in, then this is not the forum
for you. Leave now and save yourself the trouble.
Do Not Post Links with No Content
ATP & N serves as a clearing house for international news. Often times a
news item will be linked with the intent of setting off a discussion. A
"lazy link" is one that is posted to initiate a thread, but is accompanied
by little or no content. Remember, simply posting a link is not enough. It
is your job to describe the issue at hand. Talk about the page you're
linking to, parts you find fascinating, parts you agree or disagree with,
etc. It only takes a few sentences, and it allows readers of the Politics
and News Forum to get an idea of what you want them to read, and what you
want to discuss in particular.
Do Not Create Angry Rants
Many people feel that that ATP & N is the place to "vent your political
angst" (or religious angst, or sociological angst, etc.). This couldn't be
further from the truth. The ATP & N forum aspires to be a serious discussion
and debate forum--it is not a place to "let off steam." Too often, people
post threads that are merely rehashed vitriol. No one cares if you
absolutely hate republicans, or democrats, or vegans, or pro-life activists,
or what have you. That you dislike a particular subset of the population is
really not worthy of its own discussion unless you're prepared to be
specific and maintain a modicum of respect. In practice, this means
enumerating the reasons you find, say, a political party or social movement
objectionable. Try to explain it as though you were arguing with a college
professor, and not downing a beer at the local pub.
Recognize the Burden of Proof
Repeat after me: the burden of proof lies on the claimant. No matter the
topic of the thread, it is your job to show that there are substantial
reasons for believing the fundamentals of your argument. Like it or not,
most claims in the ATP & N forum will need to be referenced. This doesn't
mean that you need to whip out your MLA handbook, but it does mean that you
may be asked to provide a few hyperlinks. While it's okay to reference an
offline book, magazine, or journal, these sorts of resources are difficult
to check in a timely manner. In the ATP & N forum, you'll find very few
people who want to "take your word for it." If you don't feel like
referencing a specific claim, or you simply cannot recall where you acquired
a piece of information, you're better off not using it as the centerpiece of
your argument.
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First of all, in response to the forthcoming posts about my posting style, personal attacks, etc - "Guilty as charged." Ok. Moving on.
What exactly is wrong with a set of rules based on those I posted? Are we afraid that we might have to post something with content, a little more than a link with some inane rant? That's the impression I get from reading this thread. Those rules are blatantly stolen from one of the most successful, informative msg. boards of this type on the internet. They are moderated but mostly by the users themselves and it is a very, very ,very good board whether it is the tech forum, the serious OT forum or the less serious OT forum. It is also a very liberal forum, so I disagree with a lot of posters over there but arguments are normally made in such a way that the flames are not often ignited.
It is something to think about.
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