December 9, 2025
Please Don’t… feed the trolls
Please Don't
Tech forum mods say “Please Don’t” — crowd cheers the cleanup
TLDR: Mods issued a wave of firm but polite “Please don’t” reminders, cracking down on flamebait, snark, and bot-like posts to keep discussions civil. Commenters mostly applauded, meme-ifying the catchphrase, swapping search tricks, and joking about coincidences — a feel-good moment for anyone who likes the internet with less chaos.
The politest crackdown on the internet just landed: moderators Tom and Dan swept through a tech forum like velvet-gloved bouncers, posting a chorus of “Please don’t” across hot threads. The message? Be kind, skip the flame wars, don’t post bot spam, and actually argue in good faith. They cited core rules like “Assume good faith” and “respond to the strongest version of the argument,” pointing serial offenders to the site’s guidelines. One account even got banned for bot-like posting as the mods reminded everyone: low-effort outrage and sneering aren’t welcome here.
The community’s vibe? Surprisingly united — and a little amused. “God bless the mods,” one commenter sighed with relief, while another turned the phrase into a scavenger hunt, dropping a handy search tip with double quotes and a direct link to track the rising “Please don’t” meta-meme. There was even a spooky aside: a user who hadn’t opened that search engine in ages suddenly saw it on the front page right after using it again — “Freaky!” Meanwhile, the fan club crowned the duo “tom&dan,” turning the moderators into a buddy-cop team restoring order with maximal manners. Drama avoided, snark defused, bots bonked — and yes, the crowd actually clapped.
Key Points
- •Moderators reiterated guidelines to avoid flamebait, generic tangents, and internet tropes.
- •Users were urged to have curious conversations, avoid cross-examining, assume good faith, and respond to the strongest plausible interpretation.
- •An account was banned for high-frequency bot-like posting, with instructions to cease and email to request unbanning.
- •The duplicate URL policy was clarified: duplicates are links with major front-page exposure and discussion within the past 12 months.
- •Guidance stressed thoughtful, evidence-based, compassionate comments on divisive topics, avoiding snark, sneering, and low-information indignation.