PoliceLink

A recent event has given me cause to be opinionated again, so I would like to warn you beforehand that you may want to get yourself a new full cup of coffee, your reading glasses, a comfortable chair, and prepare yourself for a lengthy read. :)

Just remember, you have been warned, this is going to be a looooong opinionated statement!





I have seen members disagree and some get suspended or sanctioned for it. I see a lot of this stemming from what obviously appears to be a miscommunication. What we, as users of the PL website, must remember is that this is the internet. Our ability to communicate is greatly diminished over half of what communication is due to the conversations taking place online. Communication is Tone, Body Language, and Words. Tone makes up 33%, Body Language 55%, and Words only make up 12% of communication.(http://www.icmi.com/WebModules/QueueTips/Question.aspx?ID=182)  As you may be well aware of already, the internet restricts us to only 12% capability of communication. We cannot hear other member's tone so we have no idea if they are being serious, sarcastic, vindictive, sincere, friendly, or crass. We also cannot see the other member's body language so we cannot tell if they are feeling uneasy, look in their eyes to see if they are lying, see if they are agitated or calm, etc.

Out of 100% communication capability, we are only using 12% here on PL! So, in my opinion, miscommunication is going to be a frequent problem. PL has posted some advice in which they hope would help ease the interaction here on the site. In case you were one of the ones who did not take the time to locate it by clicking on the link, I will post it:





HOW TO BEHAVE

- Do’s and Don’ts - Argue all you want, but be respectful. This forum is provided to you for free, and is a public forum, but that does not give you the right to be disrespectful.

- This forum supports the Law Enforcement community. That doesn’t mean that non-Law Enforcement personnel are not welcome, but it DOES mean that certain beliefs and traditions are held in higher regard. Among these are:

- Respect for the uniform, if not the man (or woman) in spite of inter-service rivalry. All of us like to tease the others about our respective services, but keep it light.

- Don’t question the service of another member. Nothing gives you the right to disparage anyone who served honorably.

- Those that have direct law enforcement experience in a given topic have a higher level of regard than others here (within their area of expertise). If you jump in offering your opinions on a particular subject, your level of experience comes into play.

- Sensitive information. Certain information, while not strictly confidential, is still not appropriate for discussion on a forum that is open to a world wide audience. If in doubt, don’t talk about it.

- Don’t rant and rave –Try to use reasoned debate, logic, credible sources, etc. In time you will be listened to with respect and you’ll enjoy your time here. - Keep a thick skin and a sense of humor. You are in amongst a number of folks who may or may not be ‘PC’. Understand that most of it is in fun.

- Agree to disagree - don’t keep hammering away with a point that another member refuses to acknowledge. Just agree to have a different viewpoint; otherwise the resentment builds. -Name Calling is discouraged and not seen as a way to “win” a debate. Resorting to name calling generally results in disruptive posts by all parties involved, and will lead to suspension of posting privileges.

-“Calling Out” of a member is not allowed because it disrupts the normal flow of debate on these forums. These are discussion forums. Not a place to air personal grudges.

-Posting “Incendiary” Threads. Members who post extremely controversial thread topics for the sole purpose of aggravating large “groups” of members will have their threads moved and will face disciplinary action by the Moderators.

-Respect the Moderators. The Moderators are those individuals who monitor the forums, assist the members, and ensure that the TOU are adhered to. On this site, the Mods are the all-knowing, all-powerful presence of your little universe. If they give you a warning, HEED IT - the next warning will be your sanctioning (removal off the site). Moderators enjoy some flexibility in applying discipline on these Forums. Members, who calm down, and comply with Moderator warnings will fair better than those who do not.

-Checking profiles: Look at a member’s profile before you get into it with them. Simply click on their screen name and you can find out more about the poster. This is very useful, and will keep you from making mistakes like: referring to a woman as “he”, debating tactical issues with a Master SWAT Officer when you are not. It also lets you find out more about your fellow PoliceLink.com members.

There you go, newbie – a bit of wisdom to get you started. Read, heed, and Welcome Aboard!

Chris Cosgriff

Editor, PoliceLink.com

(http://www.policelink.com/topics/18924-forum-rules-faqs/posts)





Here may be a touchy subject, but I feel it necessary at this time to discuss it. PL is an online LAW ENFORCEMENT community. Those not directly involved in LE are guests or visitors. It has been stated many times by many members that LEOs rank higher than nonLEOs here, for obvious reasons. However, as of late I have seen LEOs being asked to refrain from their manner of speaking because this is a public site. I am not sure if I am misinterpreting, but it seems as though this is a contradiction. LEOs are suppose to have the right to communicate in this community created for them, yet when a nonLEO gets their panties in a twist because of something typed on a computer screen, then the LEO is the one who has to bow down and take on the privilege of eggshell-walking on words. Okay, let me be frank--I am a nonLEO and I am sick of seeing nonLEOs have more power on the words allowed here than the LEOs who this site is for. Now if I am wrong in this opinion, I am open to a knew understanding and you may feel free to reeducate me:)



There are billions of people on this planet, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of languages spoken, and there is an uncountable number of words from past and present years. If all we can use here are words, then MISCOMMUNICATION is going to be frequetn. Yet, in my opinion (again), I think that with some effort and understanding we can work together to make this the LE community it can and should be.



This thread is about communication, so let us get into some more RULES & REGULATIONS that come into play with communication here at PL. Please look at the USER AGREEMENT (read 5 and 14)

(http://www.policelink.com/topics/18924-forum-rules-faqs/posts)

Those are good thoughts and very true. We, non-LEOs are the guests. We are in their house and should act accordingly. 

Thank you for taking the time to put those thoughts together.

OK OK OK OK Now my head hurts....... I did not suspend him .................. I was not around when it happened.

Your comment is well thought out and properly researched to a certain degree to support your postion in this matter.

How long was he suspended for??

WELL PUT.IT WAS DEEP,BUT WELL PUT.

NONE taken I was just in the dark as to why and wanted to let you know that.....

Whoaaaaaaa, ADD kicked in, I'll take everybody elses word that it was a good post! Ohhhhh my head!

In reading through these posts, it is just amazing to me how much emotion goes into fighting on these boards.  I know that if I was off base on here and it got back to my Sheriff, I would probably be looking at a few days off without pay or maybe even a demotion.  This is supposed to be a place to share information and learn from each other.    I don't understand the fighting when we are supposed to conduct ourselves in a manner that would not bring discredit upon our department.   I come here to get a lot of information for work.  I haven't posted much lately because it seems like someone or another wants to throw mud at someone else, LEO or nonLEO.  I know some of you will look at my profile and say, she just works the jail.  But I went to the police academy and got my peace officer's license just like the rest of you.  I think that Chris is just trying to get people to get along with each other and network which is the purpose of this site in the first place.  Just my two cents.

cowgirl_lieutenant says ...

In reading through these posts, it is just amazing to me how much emotion goes into fighting on these boards.  I know that if I was off base on here and it got back to my Sheriff, I would probably be looking at a few days off without pay or maybe even a demotion.  This is supposed to be a place to share information and learn from each other.    I don't understand the fighting when we are supposed to conduct ourselves in a manner that would not bring discredit upon our department.   I come here to get a lot of information for work.  I haven't posted much lately because it seems like someone or another wants to throw mud at someone else, LEO or nonLEO.  I know some of you will look at my profile and say, she just works the jail.  But I went to the police academy and got my peace officer's license just like the rest of you.  I think that Chris is just trying to get people to get along with each other and network which is the purpose of this site in the first place.  Just my two cents.

I like this post!   I like how you think Cowgirl.