I respect the fact this new editorial team is taking the initiative to detoxify the environment for the general visitors and participants.

Ridding of members who chronically cast negativity, a longstanding dark cloud pervading these forums/comments, may be a controversial move. But the new boss is making it known she won't shy away from confronting controversy. An admirable trait imo, and a clear and bold message for potential opportunists who plan to enter GOK with foul intent.

We'll see how it goes.

...Keep things civil and refrain from personal attacks...

and

..."(sic) don't feed the trolls..."

Good morning, I hope you are all enjoying a well-deserved holiday.

Thank you all for the positive feedback to the recent changes, in person, in the comments or through the contact form. It is a process, and it's hard to effect lasting change, so thank you for your patience. We are optimistic that the changes will have a positive effect for the international community in Kunming.

We would also like to address some negative feedback we've received.

The 'freedom of speech' argument.
Well, consider the forum an online cafe. Just like a real cafe, this is a business, and you are guests. Guests in cafe who are constantly antagonizing other guests can be asked to leave, and the same goes for the GoKunming forum.

Freedom of speech comes with a responsibility, and unfortunately not everyone knows how to handle this, as conversations over the years have shown.

Here's a reminder of the posting guidelines:
- No spam
- No trolling
- No engaging with spammers or trolls
- Instead, contact us through the contact form if you have a concern about a post or poster and we'll deal with it

Failing to adhere to these basic guidelines will get you warnings and/or a (temporary) ban.

We would also rather be doing other things with our time than monitoring online squabbling but unfortunately it is necessary, if we want to keep the forum pleasant and useful for everyone. In order to lessen the workload we've taken a volunteer moderator on board.

More constructive feedback is always welcome.

Thanks again for all your contributions and positive feedback!

SPAM BUTTON LONG OVERDUE! WHEN? 2030?

@liumingke1234

We have new developer and board and we will (finally!) be working on a new design and much much needed improved functionality. So please bear with us.. we're really pushing for it!

Until then, please use the contact form. Thanks!

@liumingke1234

Also, please don't use the caps lock. We don't like to be shouted at. Thanks.

Don't type in all caps. That is equivalent to yelling in a real cafe.

Spam button won't come to fruition. It seems GK management is unwilling to re-code website functionality. (edit: stand corrected)

GK isn't your modern day tech firm with a team of programmers on standby. Rather, they rely on more traditional, human touch.

That said, volunteer moderators have been the formula for successful maturation of forum milieu for decades.

Way to go GK staffers for enacting this change.

Question:

Is said volunteer a regular poster here or a newbie? Will his or her mod badge be visible or remain undercover?

May I take this opportunity to nominate @herenow, @tigertiger (cold turkey?), @JanJal, and/or @lemon lover as additional volunteer mods.

Over the years they've proven to be level-headed and passionately loyal to GK with slight undertone biases, but no harm no foul.

Apologies for missing any names worthy of mention.

I usually don't. If you looked at my history you would know this. I know what CAPS LOCK are use for. Yes, I was shouting!

Thanks @viyida! The new volunteer moderator is not currently on the forum, hasn't started yet and will receive training first. Your suggestions are good, and we did approach @tigertiger. We'll consider your other suggestions too. We'd like this to be more of a community effort so more moderators is definitely a good idea.