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comment by user-inactivated
user-inactivated  ·  2406 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Welcome to Hubski

    Thank you, and does anyone happen to have any pointers for someone just starting out?

It's a relatively small site. This impacts conversations in a few ways. Two ways which you don't see in other sites are

A) When you see heated arguments, it's not because we're all being anonymous jerks to each other. It's because we know each other well enough that two people can vehemently disagree in one thread and heartily agree in another thread. You'll still get some conversations that go too far from time to time, that might lead to hurt feelings, but they're very much a rarity around here. Because it's a small site and because of that dynamic, if you find that there's someone you just butt heads with often, it's best to exercise some self restraint and interact with them on the minimum.

B) Don't be surprised if it takes days for a conversation to unfold. For example, I might make a comment, get a response from someone, and might not respond back for hours and sometimes even days. For that matter, thread necromancy and referring back to threads that are literally years old is a normal thing around here.





ForPetesSake  ·  2405 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I just got blocked by a user for the first time. I found out because I was told I was silenced on another post by them that I encountered; a post which I found interesting, I still shared the post, it was worth sharing. All I did was try to point out their misunderstanding of an article. Can I ask if this is normal and if I have somehow violated a community rule? Sorry to take up your time, but you are my first encounter and a lifeline to the culture here. It wasn't my intention to drive the user off, nor insult them, it was quite an angry response I received. Any pointers?

user-inactivated  ·  2405 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    Can I ask if this is normal and if I have somehow violated a community rule?

Moderation is done by one's own hand on Hubski. The ability following, un-following, or muting tags extends to users alongside a couple more features. That said, I would hope others take agency into their own hands when it comes to curating their feed and what they want to get out of the site. Is it normal? It can happen. Did you violate any community rule? Nope, someone merely thought it wasn't worth the time for whatever the reason may be.

user-inactivated  ·  2405 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Okay. First of all, don't sweat it too much. It happens from time to time and some users are quicker to use block than others. Some use it liberally, while others rarely use it, if ever. Me personally, I only use it on overt, unashamed trolls (of which we get pretty much none of).

Second, kantos and keifermiller both jumped in and commented in the time it took me to hunt down a single video. If anything, that should illustrate this place is pretty inviting, so don't let a single negative experience discourage you. If it helps, I personally think some of your comments are well thought out and I'm interested to see what you have to say down the road.

Lastly, watch that video up there real when you're done reading this post. It's a pretty good metaphor for what you're experiencing right now. You're like that warthog. You're in a new environment, and not only are you getting used to your surroundings, you're also getting to know the residents and they're getting to know you. Know why it's such a great metaphor for this place? Because that Savannah exhibit is full of different animals and here, with the exception of a few common traits, we're actually really diverse. We have people from different countries, different classes, different ages, and different education levels all mixing it up. Even with such a small site where we know each other relatively well, with such a diverse user base sometimes signals get crossed. It's normal.

user-inactivated  ·  2405 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Sometimes, it just goes with the territory.

rd95's point A is on point, but is probably skewed towards our experiences versus yours as a newcomer:

- Emphasis on "know each other well enough": the communal give and take is built up over time as people get to know you. pubski is one main of the spaces on the site where that can happen.

- Also, I'd place emphasis on "best to exercise some self restraint". Often, people will tell you when you are stepping on toes.

Once you step on toes, everyone has different thresholds for how long they will let the situation go before using the moderation tools. One of the distinguishing features of the site versus reddit is that hubski is built around decentralized moderation (with an on-again-off-again exception for spam). Everyone is responsible for ensuring that the site remains enjoyable for their own use.

The site won't run if no one has fun. What constitutes as "fun" varies. Sometimes you get blocked.

rrrrr  ·  2405 days ago  ·  link  ·  

You had a rougher than usual welcome, and it surprised me. Stick with it - the conversation here is so much better than on any comparable site, and people are generally good to one another.

kleinbl00  ·  2405 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    It wasn't my intention to drive the user off, nor insult them, it was quite an angry response I received. Any pointers?

When someone tells you to stop being insulting twice, and someone asks for an apology twice, FUCKING GIVE ONE.

Next question?

ForPetesSake  ·  2406 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Thank you for the response, and I will keep these tips in mind! Have a good day!