Admirable, but bound to fail. Manners are taught, and cannot be policed. Especially when idiots on both sides are bereft of the right upbringing.
True but our surroundings have a way of shaping our social norms. It is true that PDF makes a drop in the lives of posters here so the social influence from other posters will be weak however what it can do is mitigate the damage here atleast and that is a good start. The most difficult task will be to constantly use it. No social norm is perfect the start and one can even say that it will not see continuous form and will be repeatedly broken however the norm survives based on the individuals that repeatedly use it. Even if broken yet used, it will still form a king of consistency and that consistency, gradually becomes continuous.
Another problem with the initial period will be the concept of deviancy. Social norms have stages as well and although they are types of social norms, i always thought of them as stages.
Folkways where the norms are expected to be followed but their violation does not bring upon punishment.
Mores where the norms have become part of the culture and their violations will bring some feedback. You may see angry behavior from your peers or disappointment. Usually mores dont bring that form of social punishment. We see early stage concepts of deviancy come here. Early stage. The guy that continuously breaks the mores gets called a deviant. Those high school rebels.
Taboo where the norms have attained the status of custom that cannot be breached and if so, will invite serious punishment from the society. Here we see a form solidification of a norm and here deviancy can be grueling and the society will exile the deviant or give it the social outcast status.
Law where the norm becomes the final stage and here, its violation will bring the wrath of the entire society upon the deviant and the most severest of punishments available are given as such. When a state machinery enters the game of breaking a law, it is seen, theoretically, as the entirety of the state and nation is punishing the deviant.
The COC is basically at a folkway period and beginning of the folkway period and it can very easily get thrown out however it can also expand and become a mores.
Interaction, be it face to face or on the internet, always leaves a mark and this mark is slowly forming us. Subconsciously the surrounding plays such a role that we sometimes underestimate the influence it brings upon us. You have a point but societies can influence manners and they have been doing it since the dawn of man. This is a good experiment on whether a social norm, wished by a group and promised to be adhered by a group, can it become a social system.
