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Community Guidelines for a Supportive Community

CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager
0 22 190

I've been part of this community nearly two months now. It's flown by! Daily, I've enjoyed reading the many inspiring words that have been scattered throughout the community. Yes, I have gone back into some of the old groups and Forums to read the stuff that has cobwebs! I'm constantly in awe of the contributions that people make here in service of others. Those "others" mostly start as strangers and some of them blossom into friends. Undoubtedly there are a number of people who are lurkers and never get closer than that. Some will remain lurkers always and will just read and soak in as much as they can in support of their QUIT while others will consider participating. I'm looking to increase the magnitude of users that become friends with others in the community.

As an outsider a couple months ago, I was impressed with the obvious group of people who make The EX part of their daily routine. It's a closeknit group and their commitment to participate daily is key to their success in quitting. I also have observed many new people join and start their journey, some wildly successful and others stuggle. It's also obvious to see that there has previously been some drama that has divided the community at various points in the community's history. No doubt this is bound to happen in passionate communities. We wouldn't have a great community if there wasn't any passion. Hopefully we can largely prevent those events from happening.

I'm a person who has always been about inclusion. I ask myself often, "How can we include as many people as possible?" It's not about putting everyone all in the same room and expecting everyone to get along. That's unrealistic. Think of it this way.....

We're having a house party.  That's our community platform. You're all my friends or friends of friends and I've invited you to come to celebrate with me.  That's you the members of the community. I know going in that not everyone will get along with everyone so expecting everyone to be in the same room will not likely end well. Good thing I have a comfortably spacious place currently. I'm the host. I guess I'm kind of like the "renter" as I help to manage and take care of the house but it's unique in that you have some stake in it ,as well, since we're friends. So it's not a house only I own. But if it gets ruined we won't be able to have house parties in there again. I even have some party rules posted at the front door so people know the expectations if they want to be allowed at my party. That's the Site Guidelines. As the host, I'm loving having you all over at my place. I can't realistically be everywhere and entertaining everyone. My party will be a failure if I think I can accomplish that. Every room is filled with people based on the various interests. That's the Groups(I know this has somewhat fell by the wayside currently). Most of the people stick to one or two rooms the whole party, while my closest and longtime friends float between nearly every room. Those closest, longtime friends, are my ambassadors and connectors between me and all of the other people at the party.  They're what make the party!!! I'm wanting to make more of those close friends but I need to ensure that my closest, longtime friends are as inviting and inclusive as I am so that we build our network of friends. I want those guests of my friends(occasional participants) and people in my neighborhood(lurkers) to want to be invited to the next party. Though the guests are all adults, they are spread across all age groups so everyone has agreed to check their language at the front door.

As the host, I'm always trying to think of ways to make my place "the place to be". I look to everyone at my party to give suggestions. Not just my closest friends, I want feedback from my friends of friends and acquaintences. I can't improve what I don't know about. Who knows when I'll win the Powerball and be able to furnish my place more lavishly. I'm preparing for that but for now I'm focusing on the people.

People congregate around their interests... cards in the living room, a game of bags in the driveway, a bonfire in the backyard or food in the kitchen and the people they know and like. Some get out of their comfort zone and ensure they introduce themselves to people in the room that they aren't familiar with, ensuring that they'll want to come back to future parties. No one goes into an area where they have strong opposing views to others in the room unless they have an open mind. And everyone follows the rules to ensure the parties get better every time so we don't have visits from the police. That's me in Moderator role(I hate putting on my uniform). I prefer reminding people of the rules rather than kicking them straight out of the house, but if someone can't follow the rules I will kick them out for the greater good. Since we have such a great party we're bound to get some party crashers(Spammers and Trolls). Though we only have a one man Police department currently, we hope to add on a Community Task Force in the future when our infrastructure improves.

I love that my closest friends are unique in their own right and realize that not all of them get along with each other, but at the end of the day know that they respect each other (since they have a relationship with me and possibly others) and would set their differences aside if they knew someone in my circle of friends needed support and assistance.

To ensure that we have the most inclusive community, I'm going to adhere to the community guidelines as closely as possible(within the limitations of the current community platform), in a consistent and even manner. Furthermore, revisions, adaptations and additions to those guidelines will be necessary whenever the actions of a minority affect negatively impact the overall experience of the majority.

I value the feedback of all the members of the community. Since it is largely your community, I want to include you in the evolution of the community guidelines.  Please help me by posting feedback below on the guidelines as you see them today. If there are any rules you think should be considered, include those as well. 

Thanks for being part of the community and I look forward to your comments.

Mark
EX Community Manager

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About the Author
This account is run by a team of EX Community Administrators. It's an honor and a privilege to help the members of this community each and every day. We love the mix of people here getting support and giving it to others. You're all something to someone. We are inspired by the many, many amazing people who come here to help others.