There's unfortunately not going to be any way to prevent assholes from invading. I think banning people who cause trouble should be a last resort measure.
The difference between here and Voat is that this community is trying to foster more civility and maturity rather than focusing so heavily on open speech, but on the internet that's never easy to maintain. I'm not sure what the right way to go about any of that is. I'm hesitant to say banning people is the solution to all those problems because I like the idea of people being able to speak freely even if I dislike what they have to say or the manner in which they say it entirely, but I also like the community here and I don't want that to be lost.
I have no idea what the proper solution is, but maybe a place that moderates trouble-makers while allowing opinions to flow is a good idea, I just don't know how we best decide to set those rules and boundaries. I honestly can't say though, I've never managed an internet forum and I don't really have much of a desire to for that reason. I think the best solution is to ultimately just tackle the issue from a social angle: discourage that kind of behavior and foster the right kind of community. Be open to calling people out when they're acting like assholes, and also be welcoming to people who come in with the right kind of attitude. Rules mean very little of the community turns toxic, because then toxic people end up setting the rules.
There's unfortunately not going to be any way to prevent assholes from invading. I think banning people who cause trouble should be a last resort measure.
The difference between here and Voat is that this community is trying to foster more civility and maturity rather than focusing so heavily on open speech, but on the internet that's never easy to maintain. I'm not sure what the right way to go about any of that is. I'm hesitant to say banning people is the solution to all those problems because I like the idea of people being able to speak freely even if I dislike what they have to say or the manner in which they say it entirely, but I also like the community here and I don't want that to be lost.
I have no idea what the proper solution is, but maybe a place that moderates trouble-makers while allowing opinions to flow is a good idea, I just don't know how we best decide to set those rules and boundaries. I honestly can't say though, I've never managed an internet forum and I don't really have much of a desire to for that reason. I think the best solution is to ultimately just tackle the issue from a social angle: discourage that kind of behavior and foster the right kind of community. Be open to calling people out when they're acting like assholes, and also be welcoming to people who come in with the right kind of attitude. Rules mean very little of the community turns toxic, because then toxic people end up setting the rules.