Snark and Sarcasm Guidelines

Just a quick FYI as we seem to have some confusion about the rules surrounding snark and sarcasm. I hope to clarify for you all here.

The problem with snark and sarcasm is that it can appear to be a harsh personal attack if you don't include a j/k (just kidding) or a smiley face or wink. It is just so hard to determine your tone through text alone.

For example:

You're insane!
vs.
You're insane!

Sometimes just adding a smiley is enough to change the tone.

However, that doesn't mean that -
"You're a clueless newbie who hasn't got two brain cells to rub together. " is going to get by as not being a personal insult.

There's a fine line between good natured ribbing and banter and an outright insult. Sometimes your tone can be misconstrued, but other times you might just be "being mean". That's what we're trying to avoid here.

Also, witty banter between friends is easy to interpret in person, but someone from the outside might not understand that when I tell SH0CK he's an "apron wearing, momma's boy" that is a joke between friends. I can call him that (well, not really, he hates it) but I hesitate to do it here on the open board where others might pick up on it with the wrong idea about what's appropriate on the board.

My primary goal here is to keep a fun, open and SAFE place for people to hang out and talk about Vegas without getting blasted for their questions and opinions. You are free to disagree, as long as you can do it without being disagreeable.

Thanks for understanding. Let me know if you have any questions or need clarification on any of this.

 

I understand your concerns. Maybe a little background. This board came straight from the old usenet group avlv, where snark and flame wars and trolls abound. It was important to have a place where people could feel safe to ask their questions, no matter how "stupid". There are no stupid questions, if you are honestly looking for the answer.

I want this place to be fun and lighthearted, but I have to walk a fine line of moderation in order to maintain that balance. Sometimes I'll err on one side of the line or the other and that ruffles some feathers, but I try to keep it fair to everyone while maintaining that balance on the board.

Our policy has always been that we handle the problems off the general board. IMX, that public discussion always causes more trouble than it is usually worth.

I can promise you that I don't ban or delete threads because it is critical of the properties or companies I am affiliated with. You can say whatever you want to about MGM as long as it falls within our rules. Buy me a drink in Vegas next time and maybe I'll get talking about my feelings about some of the properties I work with.

We try not to delete threads or close them if possible. But being a moderator is a pretty thankless job and often we have to make difficult judgment calls about when to close a thread and when to delete it.

You may also see threads disappear and reappear. Often when a thread has run off the rails, we will pull it from view in order to discuss what needs to be done in it and to give me time to make the edits and send out PMs or infractions.

If a thread has too many posts that need to be moderated or infracted, but the topic has been discussed pretty completely, we will close it. Sometimes a thread is just a rehash of other threads, and we merge the two threads together.

On rare occasion, a thread is too hot, or too controversial or too politically loaded and it has to be removed. It's not my favorite part of my job and I do it for the overall well-being of the board. When we remove something, we send PMs to let the OP know why.

I've decided that this board can't be effectively run as a democracy, but I don't want to be a dictator either. The fact is that this is a moderated board. There are lots of other Vegas boards where it is not as moderated or moderated at all. Maybe that's a better fit for some people.

I like to think of this as my "living room". You are all welcome in my house as long as nobody knocks over a lamp or starts a fight in my guest bathroom. I'm sorry, but if I catch you urinating in my potted plants, I'm going to ask you to leave. Right? Or if you keep trying to steal the silver from the kitchen.

I don't want to have to be that "Internet ****" some people email and tell me that I am. I just want us all to have a good time talking about Vegas and sharing what we know to make everyone's trip that much better.

All I ask is that we follow a few rules. No spam. No politics or religion. Agree to disagree or find a way to disagree without being disagreeable. And just be nice to each other. There's no reason we can't be friendly here if we just agree to do it.

I would love to be able to walk away from here for an afternoon out with my husband and my dog without having to get emails about someone being an ass. That would be fantastic for me and for all of you too.

If you ever have questions about why or what I did, you are always free to PM or email me. This board is still a hobby for me and not my "full time job" so I might not always be able to reply immediately, but I will reply to the best of my ability.

I hope this helps to clarify some of your concerns.

 

Thank you! It's a labor of love sometimes more than others. It makes me feel so good when I get an email or PM from someone who tells me that their trip wouldn't have been as awesome without the info here.