This article, apparently, got quite a bit of play around the blogosphere recently. I missed it originally, but am glad I found it now. Good stuff.
Not that you can’t have a huge community without that rule… slashdot is the perfect example. But if you’re trying to inspire passionate users, I believe that enforcing a "Be Friendly" rule can be one of the best moves for long-term growth and retention of the community.
Enforcing a "be nice" rule is a big commitment and a risk. People complain about the policy all the time, tossing out "censorship" and "no free speech" for starters. We see this as a metaphor mismatch. We view javaranch as a great big dinner party at the ranch, where everyone there is a guest. The ones who complain about censorship believe it is a public space, and that all opinions should be allowed. In fact, nearly all opinions arewhat you say there, it’s how you say it.
Worth a read.
