Hey all…
Here’s what I posted on FB this morning about the discussion group rules:
Hey all… this is a fantastic bunch of folks, and it always amazes me that we have nearly 1800 members, and yet have so few incidents and ruffled feathers. That said, there have been a few issues in the group lately, so I wanted to take a moment to go over a couple things with y’all.
The main reason this group works so well is that we all respect one another, and we focus on talking about queer speculative fiction.
Sometimes the discussions get a little heated. I just wanted to remind you all that it’s never ok to engage in personal attacks or denigration of other people’s ideas here. A little snark and sarcasm is expected from time to time, but it should not be directed toward another member or their ideas.
We also limit promos to Mondays for a reason. early on, we decided as a group that we would not let book promotion overrun QSF, and that’s a big part of what has helped the group to thrive. We do allow limited references to your own work in relevant discussions. But sometimes even that can get out of hand and can shut down a discussion. Members should use prudence in discussing their own works during our general discussions.
Finally, we’ve also seen an uptick the last month or two of drive by promo – generally from people who are not engaged in the group, and who stop by now and then only to promo their work. This is perfectly acceptable – on Me Me Mondays – though we would love to have you hang around on other days and talk with us too! But promo posts on other days will be immediately deleted.
If you have something you feel should be posted on a non M3 day but aren’t sure if it fits under the “promo” category or not, just contact Angel or I and ask. We have given special dispensation in a number of cases, usually where there’s a deadline or where something straddles the line.
Anyhow, thanks for listening to my rant. You guys are the ones who make this whole thing work, and we are thrilled to have such a thriving community here at QSF!
–Scott