I joined this site about a month ago because I wanted to learn how to play, and have discovered a love of this game. I think the main reason for this is the people I have encountered here. Almost everyone has been polite, fun, and encouraging, and if it weren't for that, I probably would not still be playing.
So I owe a big thank you to both chess.com, and all the great people that play here for providing an awesome place to play.
I have currently completed 867 games on chess.com and so far I have had 3 bad experiences where I had to disable the chat. 1 of those 3 had to be reported as abuse. I think that is a very low percentage of bad experiences. I have made some friends on chess.com, some of whom are in other countries, I think that's really cool. Yahoo is for yahoos!
I've played almost 1200 games and have never had a game with an azz hole,just lucky I guess!! BUT I sure have lots of good buds on this site.I had a health issue lately and was really appreciative and touched by the kind words and prayers from my chess buddies.I have games going on continuously with some people and these people that you've never met from all over the world become really good friends.Here's to you all and to chess.com and to you Mr.Patterson,I like your posts.
All in all, this site rates very good in my book when it comes to people's behavior towards one another. I have a few simple rules for internet behavior that I stick to. I do so for a couple of reasons. First, while I am a big fan of saying whatever I want to I have to consider the people I am speaking to. On one of my band sites, the median audience is between 15 and 20. Therefore, I have to tone my comments down. I am not into censorship but I really get tired of parental advisory labels on all my music. The thing that I really enjoyed about having to watch what I say on the No Alternative web page was that it got me thinking. I realized that anything out of my mouth was at least half true. I also discovered that you're much more clever when you have to use other words to replace foul language. In short, I learned a few f#@king new things that help me here.
1. For those of use who have been here a while, it's our job to make the site appealing and welcoming to new members.
2. It's great to banter back and forth with people but you have to know when to draw the line. Look I'm know offline for having an acid tongue, but I wouldn't use it on people here because you never know who you're going to hurt with a comment that seems benign.
3. If you want to get verbally torn up, there are plenty of places on line for that. This site is about chess and our love of it.
4. Do not spread gossip. It can only hurt people and start problems that escalate into real problems very quickly.
4. Be a good representative of chess.com. Just because you've posted thousands of times doesn't give you the right to verbally piss on people and last but not least:
5. ANYTHING THAT YOU WRITE OR SAY YOU MEAN (at least partially) so be careful. Save your aggression, wit, and general snarkiness for the chess board.
Now I am going to verbally beat up a bunch of Nuns and orphans for lunch. There's nothing like a meatball sandwich washed down with the sounds of crying children and swearing Nuns. If you find any typos feel free to keep them to yourself. My mother was an English major and I got enough corrections growing up. Oh, and to the guy that wrote me and said I should play chess as well as I act like a smart ass, well you are absolutely right sir. Bravo, sir Bravo!