[Pete Svarrior]

I'm considering replacing the first question of the FAQ, quoted below:

Is this site a joke?

This site is not a joke. We are actively promoting the Flat Earth Movement worldwide. There are, admittedly, several non-serious flat earth posters, but they are fairly easy to identify.

I think it made sense to have this up a few years ago, or even before the Society split in two parts, mostly because we were much accepting of tongue-in-cheek posts in the upper fora. At the time, it was pretty much necessary to warn people that they may be exposed to, say, James's theories about seafaring dinosaurs. Now that this episode is behind us, I think the question can give off the right idea. It has a "we're serious, honest!" vibe to it, which I think only serves to make people that we might not be entirely serious.

I propose that we replace this question with What is the Flat Earth Society? It serves a similar purpose (clarifying what we're about), but it moves us away from the "totally serious, honest!" tone.

Here's a rough idea of what I'd prefer to see, though the actual wording will definitely need some work:

What is the Flat Earth Society?

The Flat Earth Society is a group actively promoting the Flat Earth Movement worldwide. Descending from Samuel Shenton's International Flat Earth Research Society, and the Universal Zetetic Society before it, we continue the age-old tradition of questioning the Round Earth doctrine and challenging authorities. Acknowledging the link between various unconventional beliefs, the Society also occasionally engages in other unconventional debates, striving to provide a voice for all free thinkers and Zeteticists.

What do people think? Am I roughly heading in the right direction here? If so, how exactly should this be phrased?

[Dr David Thork]

Looks good.

[xasop]

I'm in favour of using your wording, or something similar if you think it's inadequate.

[juner]

I support this.

[pj1]

For what it's worth, as a noob, I actually found that FAQ quite helpful.  There's a lot of "satire" (read "fake news") around so it's good to address that straight away.

I think the wording is more a reflection on what people expect FES to be, rather than what it is.  But you guys have more experience than I, so whatever you think works!

[Pete Svarrior]

Initial feedback seems overwhelmingly positive, with the exception of pj1

pj1, I appreciate where you're coming from, although I would suggest that a statement of "no, we're not joking" is a bit meaningless coming from us - if we were joking, we wouldn't give it up at question 1 of the FAQ anyway. To me, starting off on the defensive there is only likely to spark doubt.

For now, I will implement this with my original phrasing. This is by no means set in stone, and any suggestions for improvement are always welcome!

[ICanScienceThat]

I suggest you keep the joke question as is. A lot of people come here for the first time thinking that it is a joke. I think it's a good idea to tell them right off that it isn't.

I personally get very confused by the differences between the 2 boards. The other one seems to have a much "jokier" vibe. Maybe something about the 2 different boards could go into the FAQ.

[Pete Svarrior]

A lot of people come here for the first time thinking that it is a joke.

I can't say I've witnessed that.

[ICanScienceThat]

A lot of people come here for the first time thinking that it is a joke.

I can't say I've witnessed that.

Perhaps saying "a lot" is a difficult amount to quantify. I can give you a personal anecdote if you like... I was told FES was a joke. I found it very difficult to believe that people actually believed in FE, so it was easy to imagine that they were all joking. When I searched for the flat earth society, I first encountered the other board. Many of the posters (including the moderators) on that board are clearly joking - at least sometimes. I eventually found this board as well, and I found a great deal of cross-over among the people who post in each one.

I continue to encounter certain individuals who very clearly state that they do not believe the FE believers to be sincere. Personally, I have come to suspect that many are sincere, but I have not found any reliable way to determine which are which.

[Dr David Thork]

A lot of people come here for the first time thinking that it is a joke.

[sarcasm]I can't say I've witnessed that.[/sarcasm]

Does this help?

[Pete Svarrior]

The two boards share a history, hence the crossover. But I'm sure you can see by now that the nature of the two is quite different.

I dunno. I maintain that having us provide this answer is meaningless. I mean, the other board has a similar question (I think it's a bit more blunt, along the lines of "Are you joking? No."), and yet we agree that they're not always particularly serious. It seems to me like the kind of question that's always going to be answered with a "no", regardless of the truth.

[edby]

This site is not a joke.

I was on the set and I said 'Should I read about this case?' and he said
'Uh, there is no case'.
I said 'But I mean, the story that it's based on'
He said 'No, it's not based on a story'
I said, 'Oh. Yes it is. It says on the front that it's based on a true story' and he said 'Yeah, but we just made that up.'
I said, 'You can't do that' and he said 'Why?'
I said, 'Because, because you're saying something that's not true'.
And he said 'The whole thing's not true.  It's a script.  It's a fiction.  It says "fiction".  Why can't we say it's based on a true story?'

William Macy on the Coen brothers film Fargo

[Dr David Thork]

I might argue that the description of the boards sends the exact message Pete is trying to get rid of.

The top level Flat Earth Discussion Forums are a Debate Club. As in any debate club, the goal is to exercise your ability in debate to poke holes in arguments and expose weaknesses, even if you do not believe in that position yourself. Keep in mind that this is a friendly debate. Post in the Flat Earth Debate Club and join the fun!

[Pete Svarrior]

I disagree. I have no problem with devil's advocates. Indeed, I play DA for RET myself on occasion. I suggest there's a difference between being a DA and just joking about. We clearly still have the former, but the latter is largely a thing of the past.

[Dr David Thork]

I'm not asking if you have a problem with DAs, I'm saying if that is the first thing you read ... what would you think of the people posting and is that any more off-putting than that those people are joking?