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Flaming Policy
Maybe that song is right. You know, that one that says “We didn’t start the fire/ It was always burning since the world’s been turning”? See, we think that song is about internet flame wars. Someone started it way back at the beginning of the interwebs, and the tradition’s been going strong since.
Well, I don’t know about you, but over here we’ve had enough. Whether we’re talking about an opinion piece or hard news, there is such a thing as comment etiquette. And we intend to class up this joint, no matter what it takes. Here’s NowPublic’s Flaming Policy.
- The Basics
- The Etiquette
- The Last Straw
- The Last Word
The Basics
What’s a Flamer?
The term “Flamer” is thought to have originated with the Fantastic Four’s Johnny Storm (aka The Human Torch). In early ‘net speak, Flamers often used the designation of “Flame On/Off” to indicate the part of a message in which they were doling out their fiery commentary. This is similar to the way in which Johnny Storm harnesses his power of fire, producing a perfect little flame in his palm. Neat!
Unfortunately, common Flamers are more like an adolescent Human Torch, tossing fire around with no warning or aim. In other words:
“Flaming is the hostile and insulting interaction between Internet users. Flaming usually occurs in the social context of a discussion board, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) or even through e-mail. An Internet user typically generates a flame response to other posts or users posting on a site, and is usually not constructive, does not clarify a discussion, and does not persuade others. Sometimes, flamers attempt to assert their authority, or establish a position of superiority over other users. Other times, a flamer is simply an individual who believes he or she carries the only valid opinion. This leads him or her to personally attack those who disagree. Occasionally, flamers wish to upset and offend other members of the forum, in which case they are trolls. Most often however, flames are angry or insulting messages transmitted by people who have strong feelings about a subject.” [Wikipedia]
For NowPublic’s purposes, flaming is most prevalent in comments and flags on stories. And while the above definition is a good one, every case is of course different. That’s why, when it comes to NowPublic’s flame policy, the following is always true:
Deciding who is or isn't a flamer, and how that contributor will be handled, is at the final and sole discretion of the NowPublic staff.
And why, you may ask, do we take our time finding Flamers is and weeding them out, instead of just ignoring them? Well, flaming doesn’t just hurt the individual being flamed—it hurts the entire community. Flamers tend to end conversations by entering them; they create a hostile, circuitous environment where real discourse is quashed in favour of insults and abuse. We won’t stand for it.
This is also made clear in our Terms of Service. By creating an account with NowPublic, you are agreeing to abide by our Terms of Service. This means, of course, that you have chosen to abide by this policy.
Who Flames and Why
Well, human beings have long enjoyed insulting one another (“Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?”) and we love doing it on the internet, where anonymity allows us to fly the flags of extremism without fear of real reprisal. Since we’re all different people, our reasons for flaming can be as individual as we are. Bottom line: Flamers are a unique species that can be divided into many categories. The three main ones we see on NP are:
Garden Variety Flamers – Your average flamer is often very good at reading and attacking other users where it hits hardest (values, family, background). Flamers do not necessarily subscribe to the point of view they are touting, but they will defend it whole-heartedly. They lead with their passions first and their reason later (if at all).
Baiters – Most baiters tend to seek out other flamers with the intent of exploiting an already volatile personality and/or situation. However, a baiter may also be accidental, unconsciously starting a flame war simply by engaging a flamer (flames are easy to stoke). If flamers are the fire, baiters are the gasoline. You can imagine the results.
Trolls – As mentioned earlier, trolls are users whose sole purpose in joining a discussion is to anger or incite the parties involved. They don’t invest in the conversation or care about discourse; they come in to take the place down. They target and pick off people at will.
Again, these are only the three most prevalent breeds of Flamers we see here; the possibilities are endless. As before:
Deciding who is or isn't a flamer, and how that contributor will be handled, is at the final and sole discretion of the NowPublic staff.
Flamers are so 1999
Flamers first appeared in early days of the net, when the novelty factor of message boards and other faceless communication prompted lower internet life forms to leech onto the “game” aspect of flaming. This legacy, like Napster and the Y2K bug, is very 1999. The internet has evolved, so why don’t we? From now on, think of NP like the Galapagos Islands of the web—a place to observe and study the development of the internet news species. And think of NP’s staffers and guest editors as Darwinist ninjas, ninjutsu chopping our users into higher evolution. We have to help a little—after all, natural selection tends to move slower than a giant tortoise.
The Etiquette
It all begins with two very important notions: Common Sense and Common Ground. People who post their news stories and opinions are people just like you: mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers…they have hopes and dreams, beliefs and passions. They come from all over the world. Use common sense when approaching a story on NowPublic: Ask yourself why this person might post this story this way. Take a look at their member page. They may be from somewhere halfway across the globe from you (mentally or physically), and they may see things very differently.
For a concise view on internet etiquette, see our Code of Conduct.
A few other helpful hints for approaching stories and comment threads on NowPublic, with some help from our friends at Wikipedia:
- Be polite, civil and respectful;
- Appreciate that text comes without tone, subtlety, facial cues or body language;
- If you must argue, make it about facts and figures, not people and personalities (it’s the post, not the poster)
- Avoid sweeping statements (ie: “All Americans are ignorant;” “Women are not as strong as men,” etc.);
- Take the high road—if you’re being flamed, don’t be a baiter;
- Recognize that you, too, have biases and bring them to light;
- Be realistic—your opinion is not likely to change because of a comment, so why would you fight to change someone else’s?
In short, remember that NowPublic is a community, and that by signing up, you’ve agreed to be a member of this community. It’s not a perfect place (what community is?) but we’re working to make it the best place possible. Every person that “lives” at NowPublic has the right to live here, but also the responsibility to maintain and improve the community.
As Staff, our rights and responsibilities echo that of a governing body. But here’s an important point—we are not elected. This ain’t no democracy. This isn’t to say we’re a dictatorship either—more like the Knights of the Round Table. We’ll protect and defend those citizens who honour our little Camelot. And those who don’t? We shall strike you down by the blade of Excalibur. Or, in laymen terms:
Deciding who is or isn't a flamer, and how that contributor will be handled, is at the final and sole discretion of the NowPublic staff.
Dealing with the jerks
Even with this handy guide and the potential consequences of being a NowPublic flamer (see The Last Straw, below) the occasional jerky comment might squeak through. Rest assured we will see it soon and take action, but if you see it first, there are a few things you can do.
First, how do you know you’re being flamed? Well, there are some big cues that usually indicate a Flame:
- The flamer attacks you personally (calling you names, being aggressive or threatening to you, making sweeping statements about you and/or your beliefs);
- The flamer ignores your attempts to respond to their accusations;
- The flamer presents his/her opinion as the only correct one;
- The flamer makes a statement or poses a question that seems hateful, abusive, inflammatory or racist or otherwise serves to marginalize a person or persons, or generalizes about a person or persons;
- The flamer makes a personal statement or poses a personal question that makes you uncomfortable or angry.
Again, these are just some possible cases of flaming behaviour. If you’re unsure whether you’re being flamed or not, email the comment to flamers[at]nowpublic[dot]com. Include a link to the story in which the flaming takes place.
Rest assured we will catch the person as soon as we spot them, but if you see the comment first, there are some steps you can take to diffuse the situation (in this order). If you’re uncomfortable with any of these steps, please skip ahead to number four. We’ll take it from there.
- Ignore them — This is the most effective way to discourage a flamer; flamers crave baiters. Ignoring them will likely cause them to go away, and will allow us to see if they’re habitual flamers or just responding to a subject they feel passionate about.
- Respond reasonably — Sometimes, if you present a rational, reasoned, respectful retort to their flame, they will sidelined by it. More often than not, however, they will see it as bait and choose to continue the war.
- Disengage — Take a breather. By this point you’re likely a bit miffed, as well, and when you get that way, you risk becoming a baiter. Step back and let the issue sit. Many times this will allow the flame to go out (no fuel, no fire).
- Hand it over — Email the flame thread to flamers[at]nowpublic[dot]com. By this point, one of us has probably already noticed the flame war and is taking action. Often we leave a comment on the thread to indicate this fact, but sometimes we won’t if we’d like less attention drawn to it. Regardless, it’s good to hear consensus from other users.
The Last Straw
Once a user has been pinpointed as a flamer by our staff (one or more instances of obvious flaming, and/or reported flaming from other site users), he or she becomes a ticking time bomb. No more slow burn, here—the found-out flamer has a limited life span. Here’s what we do, in order:
- Send the user a warning indicating that they’re at risk of losing their account. Sometimes, as mentioned, we may post a comment in the thread.
- Observe the user for reform or response; should the user reform or respond and apologize they will be given another chance. Should he or she ignore us or continue the behaviour, we will—
- Revoke their status or block their account, whichever we deem more appropriate for the situation. The blocked user is not invited back to NowPublic.com.
In essence, one of two things must happen: The user must immediately and permanently reform; or the user must leave the site. Should neither of these things happen, the user will be blocked or see their status revoked.
Note: Even those with status (wranglers, guest editors, etc.) are not guaranteed not to be immediately blocked in the event they are found to be a flamer. The action taken on you, whether you are a wrangler, guest editor, or regular user, will be determined by a NowPublic staffer. Ahem:
Deciding who is or isn't a flamer, and how that contributor will be handled, is at the final and sole discretion of the NowPublic staff.
The Last Word
NowPublic is a community that values intelligence and openness. Our users need not subscribe to hate speech, abusive or inflammatory behaviour in order to get a point across. This is not a schoolyard, and you are not a ten year old. You are the member of a community that is more than willing to support and elevate you and your work if you command respect. Remember the golden rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated, and remember that NowPublic’s staff is here to help you make the most of your experience.
Our staff, in turn, will be ambassadors for the site and will ensure the community is being represented well; we are acutely aware that flaming behaviour prevents the community from being the best it can be. We may not have started the fire, but we do intend to put it out.
