Hi all,

We're introducing a new rule effective immediately: no social media links or embeds outside of the shoutbox, the news thread or in your profile.

We understand that social media is where a lot of news breaks and conversations happen—but it's also where a lot of toxicity, misrepresentation and manufactured outrage originates. It's also no substitute for making an argument. Too often, posts consist of links or embeds without any additional effort, often just to shock or illicit predictable responses bordering on trolling. This isn’t what the forum is for.

This rule is about keeping the forum grounded in original discussion. We want to encourage thoughtful posts, not just quote-tweet pile-ons or viral clips with no substance.

You can still share links in the shoutbox or news thread, where they’re more appropriate. Full feature videos, if relevant to a discussion, are acceptable but not tiktoks or similar shorts.

Going forward, any post that includes a link or embed from social media outside these areas will be deleted in full. No partial edits. No warnings. If you’re not sure whether something counts as “social media,” err on the side of caution.

We’re doing this to keep the forum healthy, focused and worth reading.

—The Mod Team