Below are the keystones of NER’s culture, to be followed when participating in our online forums.
- Be respectful of others.
- Hang around – get a feel for the “spirit” of the place before jumping in.
- Keep it on topic – We are a motorcycling group so keep it related to riding in some way. Post in the appropriate FB group or forum thread for your topic.
- Keep it PG – Profanity, vulgarity, or heavily sexual posts are not welcome.
- No bashing – of people, bike brands, riding clubs or other Facebook Groups or Forums. It’s always OK to post what you like about someone or something. It’s easy to get carried away and say something in print that can be misunderstood. Especially when a thread leans towards the familiar kidding and joking between friends. See Guideline #1.
- Allow newbies a mistake or two. Be gracious, we were all new here once.
- Read/Post with a positive perspective – Negativity invites challenge and confrontation. If a post rubs you the wrong way, consider that perhaps you’re reading what’s not there, or that the poster isn’t saying what they mean clearly. Assume that we’re going to agree in the end, and just cut to the chase :). Only post what you would say to someone face-to-face in front of a crowd. Remember, if you really feel the need to get into it with someone, private messaging is always an option and the rest of us will appreciate it!
- You don’t have to respond, to every post to you. Sleep on it and guaranteed it will seem less important later on. Sometimes it’s best to just let it be.
- Be respectful of others (in case you missed it the first time)
While everyone is entitled to an opinion there are some topics that have proven to be contentious in an open group or forum. NER is a motorcycle group. Criticisms and ridicule of other peoples’ politics, religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, GoldWing riding, Harley owning, helmets, loud pipes, car tires, oil, and gear are just a few of these volatile topics. Crash videos are also contentious and are generally discouraged. Think before you post. But if you choose to post don’t be offended if a moderator pulls the plug on the thread before it gets out of hand.
NER has a small cadre of admins/moderators that watch over the online community and try to keep things civil. They are volunteers and don’t always have the time to explain or justify why they may delete a post or take other action. Generally, it will be because the above guidelines weren’t followed.