User blog:SamwiseFilmore/Discord Server and Wiki Conduct

Hello all, I am writing this blog post to inform the community of a collective staff decision that was made this week. As many of you are aware, this wiki has a discord server which is utilized for discussions related to the mod and wiki, as well as to provide a less structured digital hang-out area for LOTR Mod fans, specifically those who are wiki members. The wiki forum is also utilized for more structured discussions of various topics, Suggestions and Bug Reports primarily.

As the wiki staff, we have come to the conclusion that the behavior of many users of both the wiki and the discord server have been allowed to let the rules of both discussions platforms slide beyond what we believe to be acceptable, and the staff as a collective have been too lenient in allowing this behavior to continue to manifest itself in the discussions had on these platforms. The rules that we believe need to be more strictly enforced are as follows:

The prohibition on sexism, racism, and other discriminatory and derisive language. The prohibition on the posting of sexual and other inappropriate content.

These trends have occurred in parallel to a reduction in general courtesy to others on this site. Posts designed strictly to cause insult and ill-will between users have become more common, and discussions over various topics have had a tendency to become more heated more quickly. While discourtesy will not result in a ban, there are a lot of other reasons to maintain courtesy around these platforms, most of which should be self-evident.

The primary reason which will be spelt out here is that your posts on this site do not go away, and each one factors into your image as an individual user. If you would not be comfortable saying something to someone’s face, it's reasonable to reconsider the wording or substance of your comment. Even if your actions on this site and the discord server have no way to be directly tied to your legal identity, this may not be the case in the future, and it is worthwhile to consider that your digital image will likely catch up with your image in real life at some point in the future.

This blog post is not coupled with any rule changes; all the items mentioned have been present in the rules for some time, and have not been changed. As the issue this post addresses applies to all users including staff, there will be no retroactive retribution for violations of the rules before the date and time of the release of this post. However, effective immediately, instances of inherently discriminatory language and sexual content will be removed and the user(s) involved disciplined.

The staff are happy to facilitate discussion of diverse topics with diverse perspectives, however; we would like to keep this community one that we are proud to be associated with and continue to serve as moderators for.

Thank you for your understanding, ~The LOTR Mod for Minecraft Wiki Staff