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Life gets lonely in the studio, or sitting here at the glowing screen of my computer. This website has become a place where like-minded people can hang out, learn some new skills, make some new friends, pick up some tips and make plans for the future. There is a constant inflow of new people and information. But I've got a problem today and am asking for your input.

It has repeatedly been brought to my attention that some members' remarks make others uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that they leave the site and/or won't participate in the discussions any more. We have banned some members from the site and others have not been banned even though they appear to be breaking our "code of conduct." Most of the time, in the middle of some of the "rants", there are some excellent ideas and things to think about. Not always. In order to have an interesting community it is necessary to talk about things besides what kind of tent to buy and should I take credit cards. Right?

I do not read everything that appears on the site and often don't know if something is happening unless I see lots of comments on a topic. I do not want to moderate other adults' conversations. I want to keep this site alive and full of helpful information and entertaining discussion and I want you here.

The question is about censorship and moderation. 

What is true censorship?

1. Moderation that expects everyone to "be nice" and is enforced, or
2. a site where members can say what they want and effectively silence others.

And, just in case you think this is something new here, visit this link from a year ago: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/this-is-your-mother-speaking

I am interested in your comments. Comment on the site or here.

1. Be Nice Presume the best, not the worst when others disagree with you. No one is here at Art Fair Insiders by accident - they are just as interested as you are in sharing information. Like email, text-based forum messages lose a lot of the nuance that face-to-face communication provides. So members should be sure to give the "benefit of the doubt" to others intentions when interacting.

2.  No personal attacks, no name calling.

3. Be Generous Share your expertise and others will share with you, too. The collective wisdom in this group is huge. Share your knowledge and you'll soon benefit from returned favors, too. (You'll also see that the most popular member contributors to the community will be recognized publicly!)

4. Be Ethical Art Fair Insiders was started to put artists in touch with each other in order to further their professional growth and help them succeed in the art fair business. Anyone taking advantage of the free discourse on the site will be banned from the community.

Please stay on topic and don't hijack a blog or discussion for your own ends. Start a new one.

5. No Sales Pitches Please consider this a "Pitch Free Zone" where everyone can have fun together. So please no sales pitches, affiliate links, or blatant self-promotion. If you have a product, service, or event that you would like to promote to the community, please visit the Forum to post in the Classifieds section or contact Connie about advertising on the site.

That's it. The presumption is that everyone here is an adult and will behave like one.

P.S. In case you missed this Code of Conduct resides permanently at this link: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/page/code-of-conduct

1. How do you think this should be handled?
2. Do you think we should have volunteer moderators who could monitor the conversations and keep them civilized? A moderator could be someone who keeps the discussion in the parameters of the subject.
   
3. Should we put together a group to create a policy that will allow everyone to put forth their point of view within guidelines?
4. Should discussions be closed out at two weeks?
5. Any suggestions?
   

1. Be nice
2. Be generous
3. Be ethical