Phone Policy

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by techhelpbb

Does anyone have a policy about banning specific content and communities from phones and other Internet devices they would like to share?

I know on several occasions people I've talked to have suggested banning various forums like Reddit and even Chief Delphi that on the surface pertain to FIRST but often stray because of the trolling opportunities going on.

I'm actually curious if the teams are approaching this as the serious waste of time it can be? I mean some people will try to get your goat just to see if they can push your buttons because they find that amusing. Some don't even care if there are consequences. I can't think of anything more counter productive and likely harmful to inclusive goals. Once you start feeling like a chunk of your community is predatory you really are straying into territory FIRST shouldn't - there's fun - then there's going too far.

There is no single force in FIRST that makes me feel less interested in being generous than the stuff that goes on in some of the forums attached to it. I think that's a real shame because it sets the idea in motion that trolling on all forums is tolerable, necessary and a practiced skill that improves the level of debate when, in reality, it usually results in long difficult to follow topics that are sensational but poor solutions to questions.

So doesn't anyone have a policy to specifically discourage their students from engaging in this activity during meetings and competitions? I can't think of any situation where it is more harmful and distracting than when time is critical or limited. I figure there must be some official policy out there on various teams because as a CSA I've suggested searching Chief Delphi to teams for occasional solutions and sometimes they are unwilling. It may just be the inefficiency of the medium.

Ive always found rambling posts with no point very inefficient too