OK ladies and gentlemen, I am a little bit late in responding to this party but here's the gist of things:
The Code of Conduct and the more specific Discussion Board Rules are pretty clear about a couple of things: having respect for your fellow board members, and using profanity, including derogatory terms, sparingly.
The robust discussion of whether or not a word fits into the latter of those criteria is all fine and good but ultimately this comes down to moderating yourselves. I have just had to go through four or five pages in the
Discussion Board to remove repeated applications of words that are straight-up severe racial slurs, among other things. We're all adults here and while that means, as noted in our CoC, that no specific words are banned from use on the forum wholesale, use your common sense and
refrain from throwing around racial slurs like they're candy.
On top of that, while perhaps they failed to use sufficiently strong wording in their posts, multiple moderators posted during that discussion to point out the simple solution of not using a word a fellow forum member finds problematic. Somehow, the discussion escalated from there to the point where a long-standing forum member felt the need to resign from the forum in anger. It never should have got to that point.
Issues like this are exactly why the Discussion Board has had to be shut down in the past, and as much as it would pain me to do so, it will happen again if we can't maintain a civil discourse when discussing personal and highly charged topics.
Posted below are a copy of the Code of Conduct and Discussion Board Rules (pinned at the top of the forum and linked at the top of every page of every topic in the DB) for everyone's edification.
As necessary I will be discussing directly with involved members to make sure we are all clear on the issues at hand.
Note also that if you find something personally insulting or deeply offensive and either cannot broach the matter calmly in the thread or have had no success in doing so, the correct recourse is to click the "Report" button on the post in question or directly PM a moderator.
Discussion Board Rules:
Cougar, on 04 April 2009 - 11:56 PM, said:
These have always been the same since time immemorial. However, recently people seem to be treating the Discussion Boards as a place they can spam, troll and flame - they are not, and the mods won't tolerate it. Please observe the following:
If you have a current affairs, politics, science or just general interest topic to post about that you feel is worthy of serious discussion with some intellectual rigour or something similiar, make sure that it isn't already posted about or a discussion very similar isn't already occurring (use the search to determine if this is the case)
Please make sure you apply some minimum standards of grammar and structure to your posts - this is not the Inn and the topics can be complex so make yourself clear.
Whenever posting a new thread/post that pertains to a current event always provide your source for the information or article.
Do not Spam or go off-topic. If you hijack a thread then expect your post to be deleted. The Inn is the place for bacon jokes, mutual back slapping and silliness, this forum is something different. Unless you have something constructive to add, don't post.
Do not make one or two word posts as responses like this never have anything constructive to add to the topic.
Do not troll or flame, do not attack people personally, any insulting language will be deleted and further action taken in persistent cases.
If you find yourself getting worked up over a topic then don't reply and don't post; you'll only make it worse.
Please guys/girls, enjoy your time on the forums, but on sensitive topics, try to post in a responsible manner, it will help to get your viewpoint across. Understand that some people won't change their opinions on a subject, and respect that they have a right to hold those opinions. It's important that we have vigorous discussion but try to avoid getting into intractable endlessly repeating arguments.
If you find something offensive in any way, either address it in the thread in a reasonable manner, PM a mod/admin or use the report button.
In particular in the past we have had very irresponsible discussions on race and racism, we won't tolerate anything even slightly inflamatory, we don't have a specific embargo on words however everyone should think carefully about what they want to say and how it can come across. Intolerance based on racist views will not be tolerated at all, we don't want to attract the sort of individuals who have those kind of views.
Thanks
Forum Code of Conduct:
Quote
CODE OF CONDUCT
Personal Attacks & Common Sense
Personal attacks, hate speech and personal vendettas are simply not allowed on our boards. This is not a place for combat or flame wars. If you're having a problem with anger management, get it under control, or find another internet forum to post on. Feel free to engage in discussion, but keep it civil. If you can't talk to other people as if they're intelligent, you won't be posting here for long. Use common sense and everyone will be happier. Be respectful of other users that post on the forums. We want this to be a fun place to come and share ideas and stories.
Trolling
The posting of inflammatory, rude, repetitive or offensive messages designed to annoy or antagonize other posters or disrupt the flow of discussion is not welcome here. Do not respond to any baiting. By responding you are giving the troll what they want - a reaction out of you. This will soon escalate and get quickly out of hand.
Stay on Topic
Do not hijack other people's thread. If you would like to discuss something else, please create a new thread. Do not needlessly revive old topics.
Piracy/Warez
Do not post links to piracy or warez websites or mention where or how people can do such things. Even cleverly or creatively letting people know where to go is not permitted. Malazan Empire is a representative site of our favorite author. Do not post something that might jeopardize this. 1st time is a warning, 2nd time and you will be banned.
Nudity/Porn Pictures or Links
Occasionally, we have threads that skirt the edge of being work safe. Nudity is expressly forbidden from being posted in image form. If you decide to link to something that contains questionable, crude, vulgar, or anything of an explicit nature, please mark it accordingly. We are simply trying to keep Malazan Empire a safe environment for everyone.
Signatures
Signatures are allowed, but try to keep them relatively short so they don't become a distraction from the flow of the forums. Images or banners are not allowed in your signature. Personal websites linked in your signature are typically okay as long as they don't violate any of our rules. If you have any doubts ask a moderator.
Pimping your Website
This is not a place to pimp your personal website, Myspace page or Ebay auction - it's a place for people to share ideas and have fun. Occasionally mentioning a personal website is probably acceptable, repeatedly mentioning it isn't. Have enough sense to become part of the community before you test this theory - your first post shouldn't be about your site.
Multiple Forum Accounts
Multiple usernames (or alts) are not allowed. Infractions against this will result in permanent banning from the site.
Post Padding
Spamming this forum will not gain you points, stars, a cookie or anything else. Please add something to the conversation here. Reputation is designed to spur on the creation of decent topics and conversation. Abuse of the system will result in the reset of your reputation and if need be, banning.
Profanity
We are trying to make this a work-safe environment. This means that we expressly forbid swearing in post titles, usernames, and signatures. It also means that you may wish to throttle back your use of 'colorful' language. While we do not overtly outlaw swearing, we ask that you use it in moderation. Think about how you would conduct yourself in a public restaurant. Repeated and flagrant disregard for this policy will result in editing, deleting, or other more dire consequences.
Other Rules
The Moderators and Malazan Empire Staff reserve the right to add or subtract rules or edit this list. If we make changes to our rules we will post a notice on the forum so everyone can be aware of the change.
Rule Infraction Consequences
While each infraction will be handled on a case by case basis, repeated violations of the rules will be handled as below:
First Infraction = Warning via PM, and your post may be edited for content if necessary
Second Infraction = Warning and possible temporary suspension of account for 1 week.
Third Infraction = You need time to learn. Take a vacation for an amount determined by moderation staff no less than 3 months.
Fourth Infraction = Permanent suspension from the entire site. This means we ban your IP from reaching the front page or reading the forums. You are no longer welcome.
For my part, I owe you all an apology for not getting involved sooner and deescalating the discussion. Next time I shall endeavour to be faster to act.
Carry on.
- Silencer
EmperorMagus 
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