Tough Love

Tough Love - 12/22/2008 11:43:00 AM
This morning I was all enthused to lob some more 24 Hour Comics Day results at you. But due to a minor incident with a spammer, today we're going to have a brief update on etiquette for our little home on the internet.

ComicsLifestyle is a shared community. It's a virtual space rented by yours truly from a service provider. Every town has its cool record shop/comic store/gallery, and this is ours on the internet. If I or my friends act inappropriately, either I've got to 'mind the store' or we risk being booted by our provider.

Our mission statement* is pretty simple - we feature comics and creators that rock our world, primarily those that follow their own path. We generally favor cool stuff that deserves more attention, and occasionally we celebrate when those of our number get awards and recognition. (When Lark Pien gets an award, or Mandy Ord gets a book published, it's a good day.) Take a look at our archives to scope our sensibility.

Our doors are wide open, and we strive to be global - comics are for everyone.

Sometimes though, I need to kick gatecrashers out of the party. What can get you the boot?

1. No gangsters / wannabe gangsters - that's off topic. Off topic items can be subject to deletion at any time: it's my party and I'll delete when I want to. For $4.95/monthly you can start your own party.

2. Not listing what comics you like. It's about comics, OK?



If you can't be bothered, obviously you don't care about being a member of this community.

3. If you are a big fan of superhero comics, this is not the place for you. There are heaps of places on the internet to discuss them, we are carving out a small corner for something different.
We acknowledge the place of this material in comics history, but are focusing on other stuff. If you haven't taken the time to figure that out, I'm pressing 'delete'.

4. If you are under the age of 18, you will politely be asked to leave.

We cover some mature topics, and prefer to play it safe.

5. Spamming other members.

It's good to see how Lifestylers responded with good humor in identifying the offending party. (As your moderator lives in Cambodia, it took me a few hours to catch this.)

Abusive comments to other members will get a slap on the wrist. Threats or hate speech will get you instantly vaporized. Fortunately that hasn't happened (because we're a cool crew), but on the interweb, it's good to be careful.

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So far our 'big tent' approach hasn't required tougher rules, but as we get more members, we may need them. I should also note that in the past we have had guest moderators / editors, and that may be worth a try in this coming year. (Don't raise your hand all at once.)

* 'Mission Statement' sounds so corporate... maybe I should call it a manifesto?