permies.com publishing standards

In case anyone needs a reminder, or is new to the site and has not seen this.

Paul Wheaton wrote: Another thing is that some folks are certain that their path is the only path and that other paths are unacceptable. That sort of thing is unacceptable to me.

I really, really appreciate this tidbit, and how these publishing standards create space for us to discuss the diversity of experience and perspectives that is so important to share.

I guess I just want to say thanks for making quality rules and sticking with them. Following them may at times require extra work and attention, but having a safe place to discuss these things is priceless.
Thanks for the time the staff takes to help us when we need to polish things up a bit.
And thanks to all of you over the years who took the advice, kept posting, got better, and have consequently left so many stellar examples for the rest of us of what makes a great permies.com discussion.

Edited to add a missing word.

paul wheaton wrote:I think if it isn't OMRI approved then it doesn't belong on these forums.

And then the discussion can be how to move away from using these OMRI approved things to be MORE aligned with nature.  

We're here to talk about better than organic. You can talk about the dangers of 'cides in the cider press (if you have permies pie and enough apples!), but really we want to avoid them altogether. Let's find better ways of doing stuff, together!

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From the thread Let me be clear that I am going to be vague

... the way we decide what is good or what is not good .... or what is not for the open forums ...   is wonky.  After all, the english language makes it so there are lots of edge cases.  And the all volunteer staff is untrained, so they make the best of it.  And some people seem to be trying to fuck with us - so the staff tend to be a bit more strict.  And some people are openly trying to stumble through life, and the staff seem less strict.  

And, of course, it is about a thousand times more complicated than that. While at the same time being simpler than that: staff bee-bop through the forums and if they see something that they think stinks, they remove it.  

And once in a long while somebody says "hey, my golden poetry disappeared! what the fuck! put it back!"  And stuff happens.  And sometimes I am asked to take a look.   Normally I just want to support the untrained, unpaid staff - but once in a while I might deviate from that path.


So, people say "Hey, you gotta be clearer about this!" and my response is "Let me be clear that I am going to be vague."  I think a lot of forums are destroyed by their own rules.  We have the one rule which is very vague.  And then we have a lot of very vague guidelines.  And then we sloppily make it all up as we go.  And, mysteriously, a few hundred thousand people seem to understand perfectly and everything is fine.  And a few dozen (hundred?) people do NOT understand - and they either figure it out in time, or they leave.