on guidelines and site growth

As the site grows and new situations encountered it is inevitable that things will have to adjust to accommodate them. If that means amending the rules to reflect these changes that will have to happen. Some changes such as the revision of image size guidelines are amended to allow greater latitude to the users, some to prevent negative behaviors. Back when the site was 500 strong a very stripped down version was all that was needed - common sense and the cohesiveness of a small community were all that was needed to keep things from spiraling out of control. As we continue to grow some revisions are unavoidable. A few folks may think these are unfair or repressive but clearly the majority benefits.

Site rules and guidelines are not put in place to decrease the amount of work we have to do. A free-for-all environment where "anything goes" would in fact require the least amount of staff work and intervention - but it would also leave a huge amount of posts being devoid of useful information and foster a less than friendly environment (in both the literal sense and the "family friendly" sense).

The reasons the guidelines exist at all are

1) to minimize conflict that detracts from informative discussion;
2) to respect the right of other domains by not consuming their bandwidth for our benefit;
3) to keep things on topic and family friendly so the site can be enjoyed by enthusiasts of all ages;
4) to ensure the further sharing of helpful knowledge and input.

We cannot always bend to the will of the community despite the best of intentions and regardless of the merit of some great ideas that have been put forth. Sometimes this is due to technical constraints, sometimes this is due to the long-term implications such changes would inevitably bring. That being said many suggestions put forth both publicly and privately have been adopted – and we are ALWAYS open to your input.

We are a public forum. It is inevitable that from time to time both blatant and subtle trolls will find us. It is inevitable that not all who post will share a common maturity level or literacy. It is inevitable that not all folks will utilize the search function or read the FAQs before posting a question. It is also inevitable that in each situation someone has to be reminded or reprimanded there exists the possibility that they will feel "targeted" and take it to heart on a personal level when in fact this is not the case. These should not be viewed as a failure on part of the site or staff - all non-private forums who seek to have an open-door policy will face. We bust our collective butts to keep these things from happening, and to keep the site going strong and remaining positive. We neither ask for nor seek words of praise or personal glory - our motivation is the same as most of you - we are herp enthusiasts, we love and respect this community that has evolved and we want to see it continue.

I post this only in the hopes of helping folks understand what the motivation is - what makes us collectively "tick".

:grouphug:

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on guidelines and site growth