Most internet forums have rules/guidelines. This one could really use some:

- Keep it on-topic.

- Be helpful.
- Use the search function before asking questions. (It's on the upper left)
- Use the classifieds if you're looking to buy/sell/hire/fuck someone.
- Use private messages or email if you want to talk directly to an individual.
- Don't post reviews if you are buddies with / employed by / otherwise compensated by the owner of the venue.
- Don't troll.

- Be nice. Follow the Golden Rule.

- Don't be a dick.

... and some gentle moderation from GoKM staff would be nice— deleting offensive comments, locking derailed threads, etc.

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(NB there are some minimal guidelines on the new thread page, but not when leaving a comment on an existing thread, which is how most participate)

I think if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Usually I would agree with tigertiger but the recent outbreak of keyboard diarrhea makes coming here a waste of time.

These forums are becoming broke.

There is one crazy guy who can't find his ass with either hand because his hands are to busy tapping out narcissistic blurbs breathlessly in a preadolescent manner. Rather than using GK search, or Google, a question is posted here. Then we are given blow by blows 0f the tribulations that flow from his lack common sense despite his claims of education and wealth.

Chinese students are finding GK forums a good place to demonstrate their poor English skills and hostility. Do we really need anti laowai crap on a web site supposedly serves the expat community?

The new owners of GK have problem and need to protect their investment. While there has been, I think, an increase in forum posts, a good stat for generating revenue, the topics, tone and triviality is also increasing. GK is/was a valuable resource for the expats of Kunming. The rising banality of late is not adding to it's value.

On the Search Function, it would be really helpful for results to be listed in date order (most recent first). To have results from 2007 or earlier pop up near the top is annoying and confusing. I've mentioned this to the GoKunming team before, but no progress. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

This website is valuable? For you guys, of course.

This is just a place for poor expats in kunming to kill their spare time, to find some stupid km girls since you are lonely and cant have a good life in km. ask yourself what you can do for this city. Don't flatter yourselves. Try to know some talented local, stop thinking you are the best, and your blanlabla comments on something or someone. Critise your selves first. I read your posts that you've ignored on the street, whom you think you are? You want to be treated specially? Come on.

Language is just an instrument. So these English teachers we appreciate your jobs, but that's it. Don't need to be think yourself is the president or the chairman. And have your teachers told you: don't give words to something you don't know?

No country for the old men, we know. so please try to be realistic and stop complainning. Try your best to learn then you can have a good life everywhere. 真是一群给脸不要脸的家伙。

Nicole, welcome to the forum!

Don't be afraid to tell us what you really think.

Forums tend to survive by peer policing - the assumption being the forum population in general is mature. Flames and other entertaining activities rise and fall. So as @tigertiger noted - the system works fine. This forum is a micro-view of the expat population at large and a microcosm of the English speaking Chinese who deign to read the ads and posts.

The spoken word and the written word can differ significantly and both can be interpreted in a variety of manners - from adversarial to non-adversarial - but the ancient proverb still holds true (considerably abridged and somewhat misquoted) - "out of a person's mouth (and fingertips these days), comes what's in a person's heart. If a person spouts evil things, then their heart is full of evil things, but only good things can emerge from a person who's heart is overflowing with joy and compassion."

Let the community continue to self-police (and not add to the gokm staff's uncompensated activities). I suggest if various members are displeased by various activities - comment away. Societies grow (or collapse) by mutual interaction - oppressive police states erode our creativity and civil liberties - notice I used the word OPPRESSIVE, as police states can also be benevolent - aka Singapore's former benevolent dictatorship.

welcome Nicole. your little rant is 'slightly' off-topic (which was the whole point of this thread). but seen as you brought it up... it might be a good idea for you to 'critise' yourself before you 'critise' others! ;)

Gokunming has a history of a bit of brutal and offensive commentary on threads, from time to time. But it usually has been the type that moderation wouldn't really solve, and letting it go on by, seems the only answer.

But the anti-laowai trolling is another thing altogether, and could get out of control. That is just a form of interference with the forums and needs to be shut down.
I think there should be some moderation on that point.

I am not suggesting heavy moderation, except for simply banning people like Nicole316, which would be a good move. There will always be things people don't like on a public forum, annoying people, views we don't like etc. etc. But the anti-laowai stuff is just beyond the pale. I would prefer that people just don't feed those trolls, but there will always be someone who who will reply to them, and that means more will come.

Also, some people say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Right, so I hope the KM staff are keeping abreast of whether most people think it broken or not. I have lived in Kunming for quite a while, and my (limited to be sure) impression is that most people wouldn't touch the GK forums with a ten foot pole, except maybe to ask for the location of a shop or the name of a doctor.

Finally, maybe a kind of sticky with basic forum guidelines would be good.

There will always be trolls. If you don't feed them they go somewhere else. Even by responding in a neutral or positive tone we are feeding them. People don't like to be ignored.

The WuMao Army is not really a problem on this site as most posts are China friendly. Also GoK is a bit too localised to attract much attention from outside influences.

Compared to other Websites GoK is a quiet peaceful place. We don't get flame wars and rants are mostly good humoured and short lived.

Yes we do get over active posters, but most people run out of steam after a short while. We get the odd spammer as well, but compared to another Website that I moderate on, things at GoK are quiet.

The moderation at GoK is very light handed, and this has worked well so far. Yes we do get the odd post, and the odd odd post, but on the whole things are working well IMHO.

Well done GoK team.