Rules

Rules

Solace​(dom male) • Oct 31, 2024

I would personally prefer it if the cage made some changes.

Right now we have a lovely rule that semi-prevents us from squabbling like children where infighting in the forums results in the forum being closed. However, from my narrow perspective it too often feels like a punishment to the OP for other peoples bad manners. I would be much happier if Moderators also dished out extensive time outs or some other strong wrist smack to the parties they find problematic. I am uncertain if I would prefer the thread be locked as it is now.

If this isn't done, I would prefer that blogs worked differently. Right now blogs are a list that populates with new entries pushing the older farther down. I think that new entries, and engagement should push a blog to the top of the list again so that if it is a popular conversation it can keep getting the engagement of the community the same way that forums do. This way topics can be self moderated by the OP while still being able to grow with new member insights. I think a better way to view blogs would also be valuable since they are a popular page on the cage and its very easy to lose track of one in the hubbub.

Why do I feel this way? Right now the rules seem very easy to weaponize. Don't like a person? A type of people? Don't believe that a thought, idea, or ideology should exist? Easy. Jump on the forum and be an absolute menace. Be rude. Say whatever you want. Make up new insults. Most importantly, be creative. Make it your own dirty little gossip house. The mods will swing by and shut that idea and person right down. Win win for any combatants who who don't like a topic or person, and if your particularly toxic, you can aim it just right to get the last word.

I'm no saint on the forum. My wrists would be justifiably slapped several times over. But I don't think we should be allowed to ruin topics for OP with our own personal squabbling. There doesn't feel like there are actual consequences to violating community guidelines strong enough to close a forum. I would like that to change.

Agree with me? Say so. Disagree? Let me know. Think there's a better way to do it? Lets hear it. Or shut me down. Hit me with your best insults.

TopekaDom​(dom male) • Oct 31, 2024

Nah. I think things are working out fine as they are.

Like any other time you gather a large, diverse group of people; you are going to get conflicting opinions. Just the way life is. The problem is some people think their opinion is more valuable than other's. Then they get their dick (or strapon, as the case may be) all out of whack.

They just need to grow up. Sometimes politics is not just about elections.

As to the blogs, newest to oldest is fine. Changing it up to who is more popular is crap. Personally, I don't want to be seen as beating the crap out of other bloggers who need to have their voices heard (though I would wish to fuck they would quit using lame ass small black fonts on that white background, but I digress). Everyone deserves to be top of the list at sometime. This here blog is a fine place for that.

Sincorrigible​(sub female) • Oct 31, 2024

Retiring my strap on. Will revert to mumbling 'what an ass' and not engage.

Well, I will try. 😉😁

lambsone • Oct 31, 2024

I'm actually surprised that the conversations have been pretty much civil since the last major blowup occured. It's been nice. I guess I naively thought we all had learned a valuable lesson from that and decided to treat each other respectfully.

But alas all good things must come to an end. For myself, I'm sticking with the committment I made to cage members. I'll be damned if I'm going through that hell again and act like a defensive child. I choose adulthood.

Heero​(dom male) • Oct 31, 2024

I agree with both you and the OP here.


But here is where I think it's not so cut and dry. This is a very debatable thing.

I would assume we would all agree that **some** moderation is necessary, and the public forum can't just be a free for all where literally anything can be said with impunity.

If you would agree that moderation should be a thing, then debating how that moderation is carried out is a worthwhile discussion.

I would also assume you'd agree that just saying "people need to grow up" and leave them to their vices to bring about consequences for themselves and others is in general not a great moderating strategy.


This I agree with completely.

But, for people who don't see it this way, that's fine. I wouldn't be opposed to say a filter being used to sort things by popularity so that users can see that if they want, or to just create a whole new subsection of the site, "What's Hot!" or something where the most popular blogs and forums are featured.

But I agree that there should be somewhere blogs and forum posts are shown newest to oldest and this should be in a prominent place on the site.

Heero​(dom male) • Oct 31, 2024

Haha, same.

However, perfection should never be expected with anything. I think overall the cage has been doing well in this regard since the last blow up, and I won't hold a few slip ups against them. Progress is rarely monotonically increasing.

Miki​(masochist female) • Oct 31, 2024

I agree with all of all above posts, in varying degrees.

Locking threads that run off the rails, the most recent example happened yesterday, is fine, but also those who launch into pissing contests with people they don't agree with--- should also get "a talking to" via email as the admins currently do, as needed.

But it takes more than one to have a food fight (Mashed taters rule in real food fights, ---umm--- or so I have seen of course...) so either the admins run around and digitally paddle every single author of every crappy post they'd end up talking to themselves.

So the most expedient of solutions is to padlock a wayward thread. If the topic is otherwise important and engaging enough, the original O P can start a new one with an eye towards civility.

----------------------------------

I'm not big on reading blogs (and will never write one) because I cannot abide "walls of text"-- Makes my slightly crossed eyes worse trying to read those. I mean, break it into paragraphs or sections for pity's sake--

But I digress: I do read a blog here and there and scroll down to find it on the list if needed. It works fine as it is for the most part. We all know the "cream" (or other white, cream-like substance of one's choosing ) rises to the top. Blogs that garner attention or get posted to will be on the top of the list until more recent ones push it back down whereas the stale or excessively arcane ones gradually sink to the bottom of the bowl.

Also, I follow three blogs on occasion and I marked them as "favorite" and I can easily find and read them without wearing out my fucking mouse scrolling to find them.

Solace​(dom male) • Oct 31, 2024

In some regards I highly agree with Topeka. Things certainly can stay the way they are and the cage will remain a website on the internet. I would, as I said, prefer though if I didn't feel like the rules were being exploited to intentionally shut discussions or people down. I would prefer that I didn't feel like there was a crew of usual suspects regularly leading to the collapse of civility.

I realize I may very well be on someone's list of usual suspects, and I'm certainly not saying that I desire things to be civil all the time. What I am saying is that there is a punishment for being uncivil on the forums, and it doesn't seem to affect the repeat offenders. Whoever repeat offenders are in your mind.

I don't want to say things have been going well since the last blow up. It really hasn't been all that long unless the standards are truly that low, and I would hazard to say we haven't had a blow up because the conversations have been rather thin and stale. I may have missed something riveting or interesting in the mix though.

All I want, is for people to actually be free to have the discussions they want. In blogs, the OP has more power. I'm not a fan of the popularity contest either, but a sort function like Heero suggested could be one solution. Or a different section of forums more available to either anarchy or personal moderation. Or as I said a better slap on the wrist to motivate the correct people to be civil, if civil is what we are required to be.

There are things I wish to say, and perspectives I wish to hear even if others do not. The current climate stifles discussion of value.

Solace​(dom male) • Nov 1, 2024

I agree, it takes two to tango. Rude people can simply be ignored. However, normal discussions can get rather heated. Also if they get more than heated, I do believe that someone should be able to publicly defend themselves after being publicly insulted. I don't think its fair, just or wise to require or expect people to just accept punches from others so said others can learn that they get to keep on punching.

TopekaDom​(dom male) • Nov 1, 2024

The thing is the moderation here is quiet.

I mean really quiet.


Users here have to remember that Cage is based outside the United States. Those that do the moderation live outside the US. There is a culture difference on how moderation is handled.

I've been dinged twice: Once on a blog, second on a forum post. The blog get me an email telling me it was taken down and the forum post just vanished with no communication. I figured I deserved both, so never questioned it.

I also know two people who have had blog posts removed cuz someone was "offended". What it really was the people who complained didn't like what they read for a political reason. In both cases, the blogs were restored after review and I believe one of the people who complained got their wee wee smacked (in a non consenting way).

Now this crap about "what's hot" popularity contest is one of the reasons Fet is the stinking cesspool it is today. Their Kinky & Popular used to have interesting photos about Real D/s and stories and blog posts. Now it is shit filled influencer bullshit where S&M means Stand & Model.

We already have the forum posts that rotate due to latest reply, but leave the fucking blogs alone.

You want people to read your blog? Work at it and post once a day.

You really want people to read your blog? QUIT FUCKING USING A BASIC BLACK FONT!