Politics forum guidelines

For many years on PropertyChat and Somersoft before it, I explicitly banned discussion on the topic of Politics because of the divisive nature of the discussions which tended to inevitably lead to things getting too heated and personal and making a lot of work for the moderators.

I really don't like having to ban people from the entire site just because they lose their temper in the Politics forum - this is a site about property investment and I would rather those people have been able to continue to add value to the real estate discussions rather than being banned some something "off topic".

However, I have decided to allow discussion on Political topics - especially since investment outcomes is often affected by political decisions, but we need to treat this topic a little differently to most of the other discussions we have on the site to avoid everyone getting themselves banned as a result of their posts

As per the announcement: New forum topic: Politics, we restrict posting in the Politics forum to more established members - we want to see evidence of contribution to the community before they start posting on political matters.

I have also set up a system whereby people can be restricted from participating in threads in the Politics forums completely, if we feel they are only going to cause problems and can't control their inappropriate posts. This allows me to ban someone from Politics discussions without banning them from the entire site.

To further help people understand what is expected and what may get them into trouble - I have put together some guidelines for posts in this topic.

1. Do not make things personal - you may challenge the things that someone says - but you may not attack the person.
   Ask yourself: is this post about the person and their beliefs, or about what they have posted?
   
2. Do not belittle or attack other people for their opinions.
   Ask yourself: am I respecting this person's right to hold their opinion even though I disagree with it?
   
3. Do not post dysphemisms (the use of disparaging or offensive names or expressions instead of inoffensive ones). For example Hil-liar-y instead of Hillary, Madcow instead of Maddow.
   Ask yourself: is this post a meaningful discussions about the issues, or am I simply mocking people?
   
4. Do not accuse people of "syndromes" such as "Trump Derangement Syndrome" (TDS). Similarly, referring to individuals as Libtards or Leftards or Deplorables will not be tolerated.
   Ask yourself: could I refer to these people without using a derogatory term?
   
5. Do not post memes - unless the thread is specifically about memes. If the post is intended amuse, mock or shock - rather than add value - then it is likely inappropriate in the discussion.
   Ask yourself: does this actually add value to the discussion or am I just trying to be funny or to mock someone?
   
6. Infographics which are intended to inform rather than shock or amuse, are generally acceptable - but not as the only content in a post, you should add your own value - and they must be on topic and not general in nature.
   Ask yourself: does this add value to the discussion? Have I also added my own value, or just appropriated someone else's work?
   
7. Stay on topic. For example, don't allow a thread which is not actually about Trump to be sidetracked into a debate about Trump - start a new thread or post in one of the existing Trump threads. Similarly, threads which are about a specific aspect or action of Trump should not be allowed to get sidetracked into more general discussions.
   Ask yourself: what is this thread actually about?
   
8. Do not post a video or a link to a website without adding value in your post. Posts which contain only a video or link to a website without added context do not add value.
   Ask yourself: if the link or video were no longer available, would this post still add value to the site?
9. In a thread asking for discussion about positive outcomes from an event (ie "Upsides") do not post "reverse upsides" - things which are only upsides because you disagree with the outcomes and feel that they paint people in a bad light. Eg "Trump being elected is an upside because we all get to see how crazy he is". This does not add value to the discussion and should not be posted.
   Ask yourself: does my post genuinely offer a positive outcome, or is it a negative I'm turning into a positive because it suits my position or agenda?

 

Because of the amount of moderation work it is generating for what are essentially off topic discussions, as of today, I am implementing a ban on discussion about US politics and Trump on PropertyChat.

I will only allow discussions about the US/Trump if they specifically and directly relate to Australia.

Discussions about political issues in other countries is acceptable, provided that it does not become a proxy for discussion about US politics or Trump.

I might review this ban once the election process in the US actually starts.