This is a quick note to everyone and anyone who enjoys this chat and wants it to keep on going.
At one point or another, we've all read the chat room rules, so it would be pointless to link to them again. Of the few rules this room has, first and foremost has always been: 'be nice.'
That really seems to have fallen by the wayside lately. It seems like for the past few months we've been arguing more than we've been talking. We could point fingers at the people we think are behind the infighting, but that wouldnt helpful, and ultimately it's not about them anyway.
People who like to pick fights, will pick fights. That's the way they are, and we can't change them. But in a chat room, unlike real life, they can be easily ignored - and if they break the rules, they'll get booted. The only way they become a problem is if they make otherwise respectable chatters stoop down to their level. It takes two to make an argument. We've all seen the results: name-calling, flame-baiting; dead-end arguments that go on forever and ever, no matter how many times everyone else asks them to move on.
If you want the fighting to stop, and this room to get back on track, you have to do your part. If you come across someone who is obviously just angling for a fight, ignore them. If you don't like someone, ignore them. If you don't have anything good to say about a person, don't say it. Even if you think they deserve it, the public room is not the place to air your grievances. Be considerate to your fellow chatters: no one likes to get caught in the middle of a shoving match.
I'm not singling out anyone. We've all been guilty of this - regulars, newcomers, moderators - all of us. In some ways, it's understandable. We're an opinionated bunch, and the line between a vigorous debate and a pointless argument can be a thin one. We all like to feel like we're right, and we all want to stick up for ourselves.
But the constant bickering has to stop. If this goes on, we run the risk of losing the culture of civil, respectful, intelligent conversation that made this room great in the first place. Wouldnt you rather spend your time talking with people you like, about topics you enjoy?
Please think it over. I sincerely hope that we can turn things around, and get back to chatting like the intelligent adults we are.