[Dmentor]

Originally Posted by JVN

Can we change the culture within FIRST to where it is no longer okay to make mean remarks about a team on YouTube just because you're jealous of them?

Maybe. Here are my proposed strategies:

Zero Tolerance – Organizational policy stating unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated. Clearly define the unacceptable behaviors AND define punishments for not following. Record and document each and every infraction. Make the punishment have teeth; I suggest individual and/or team exclusion from events for repeat documented offenses. Could include escalation scale and should include mediation framework to arbitrate inevitable he said/she said.

Systemic Training – Starting with kickoff and repeated at each event. Clearly communicate zero tolerance policy and what to do when it occurs; Suggest mandatory incident reporting (ie. if you see it report it). This helps offset the “guilt” associated with reporting since it is required and if there are umpteen reports of an incident you can bet it happened.

Vocal Majority – Stated many times already in this thread: Stand Up and Speak Up. Grab a handful of well respected mentors across teams and confront bad behavior. Most of all model good behavior and be proactive about recognizing good behavior from other teams.

More Social Socials – Get to know each other better. Suggest having socials on Thursday night before the competition. Do not use the “party” framework. Intentionally mix up team member and force them to learn and participate in games cross-team. It is harder to hate someone when you know them by name.

Proactive Graciousness – If you lose go tell each team on the opposing alliance “good job”. If you win go tell each team on the opposing alliance “good job”. In sports we shake hands after we compete win or lose, should be the same after each match.

Eliminate Anonymity – Also stated in this thread. Personal restraint is loosened when they think they won’t be caught. Establish positive credentials system to ensure that what is said publically on forums such as this can be attributed.

I don't believe morality can be legislated so these actions will never fully solve the problem; however, the focused approach should help minimize the offenses.