Drama on the rise....

[papooses]

I'm worried that the discussion of controversial topics in the Coffee Break area rather than the Community Member private area may lead to people feeling pushed away from the forum if not merely disinterested in absorbing vital safety info -- I think it might be a good idea to have an area specifically for such parenting issues?

[JaRylan]

Like a debate board but not called a debate board? Or a hot topic forum? Discussion board?

[southpawboston]

there are several ways the forum can go... it depends if the admin wants to encourage debate-filled parenting topics or would rather keep it as simple Q&A type forums. on the car forum i moderated, we had a sub-forum of the off-topic section (equivalent to coffee break here) called "anything goes", where members could engange in lively debate about anything. it was still moderated, but hot debates were not discouraged. everywhere else, including off-topic, the tone had to remain civil and non-confrontational.

having a sub-forum specifically for parenting issues may also steer the overall focus of the forums away from carseat and vehicle safety... it all depends on what direction the admin wants to see the forums take.

[papooses]

Right. I think something should be done, but I'm not sure if the better solution would be to disallow certain topics or give them their own space. Seems to me the Community Members area, Chat & Private Messages would be enough so that the main focus of the forum is still CPS.

[Synchro246]

I do like the anything goes, but keep it civil plan, but I DO think it should probably stay in the private community member forum. This way the people who come here for help and advice, but don't feel the need to stay can get what they need without feeling judged for parenting choices. Anyone who's been here long enough to be in the private forum isn't going to be turned off to car safety just because of a hot thread or two.
Maybe when a controversial topic comes up it can be moved by admins into the private forum to keep from scaring people away.
I would not like to see a seperate parenting fourm.

[UlrikeDG]

Personally, I'd rather not see a forum dedicated to debate. It just tends not to go well.

[Patriot201]

Right. I think something should be done, but I'm not sure if the better solution would be to disallow certain topics or give them their own space. Seems to me the Community Members area, Chat & Private Messages would be enough so that the main focus of the forum is still CPS.

I agree. There have been several controversial topics lately and I do think they can *possibly* be offensive to some.

Good idea, Tiffany!

[Admin]

There will not be any sub forum for debate issues such as politics, religion and even potentially controversial parenting topics. There are other forums for that elsewhere on the internet. The Coffee Break forum is primarly a place for friendly chat, off-topic questions, venting, etc.

It's impossible to avoid offending everyone. On the other hand, if you have something to say that is likely to offend a number of users, you should consider not saying it at all- especially in a public forum. It's when a number of people start sending complaints about a particular user or thread is when more restrictive rules usually have to be made:-(

The Admins and moderators have been advised that they may lock, delete (if necessary) or move any potentially heated or offensive topics to the senior community member forum. This will be done at their discretion. There is a way to politely discuss most topics in a public forum. That is the best way to avoid complaints and intervention by moderators.

[Simplysomething]

I agree. There have been several controversial topics lately and I do think they can *possibly* be offensive to some.

Good idea, Tiffany!

They can be. I've noticed that many of the "controversial" topics--have descriptive thread titles. Which allows me to avoid the whole thing, if I want to. Yay! lol