Post by davo on May 19, 2009 16:27:42 GMT -5
We've been considering this for a while, but i think now is an appropriate time to post it.
To settle the issue before it arises, yes, I know we've all been just fine without a rules thread before. I don't really see a need for it now, to be honest, except for clarifying a few things that a couple of users seem to have taken issue with, and making sure that new users understand what's going on. I figure with new users coming around, it would be easier for them to understand this forum if they have a simple reference to go by.
Also, should I or one of the other moderators decide to lock a thread or delete a picture/post/whatever, we will have a clear reference to point to, instead of saying "Well, it didn't quite seem like that should be there...". It's much more certain.
And before anyone throws it at me, I've already consulted with Ferd, Phillip, and Solid on this, and they all agreed that it seemed like a good idea. I sent this thread around to all of them for consensus and we've all agreed upon its contents. Should the administrators of this forum (the band members) feel that anything in this thread needs to be changed or deleted, or whatever else they want to do, they're of course welcome to do so. There's not much I could do to stop them anyway, and I wouldn't try.
That being said, here are the rules which we the moderators have agreed upon:
1. Anything explicitly sexual, inappropriately lewd, excessively racist/sexist, profane, offensive, or any combination of the above, will be deleted. This will be decided at the discretion of the moderator who deletes the posted material. In general, when posting, think PG-13.
Also, starting now, anyone who has their posted material deleted will receive a private message from the moderator who deleted it, clearly stating the reason why the material was removed. Also, if a thread is locked, it will be ended by a post from the moderator who locked it stating the reason why it was locked.
It seems only fair that if you've had something removed, you should know why. If you disagree with the moderator's decision, you are welcome to say so without retribution in a private message. This leads into the next rule:
2. No threads protesting deleted/locked material. If you have an issue with your material being deleted, please respond to the message you receive from the moderator that deleted your material, and discuss it with them. If you don't receive a PM and your material is deleted anyway, feel free to PM me and I will find out who did it and why, and get back to you promptly.
3. This is a community of music fans, all of whom more or less enjoy listening to Becoming the Archetype. We have Christians, Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics, and a bunch of other belief groups that all frequent this board. All people are welcome here and all are welcome to have their share of beliefs. If you are posting things that are blatantly disrespecful towards people because of their different beliefs, your posts will be deleted.
Discussion is welcome and encouraged. PLEASE, DO discuss your beliefs. Debate, talk, question, do whatever, just be respecful and courteous when you do so.
4. Don't incite flame wars. If you absolutely must argue with another board member, keep it in a private message. The moderators can't monitor or control the content of private messages, so feel free to have your flame wars where no one else can see them. Trust me, we all get tired of watching pointless arguments on a forum.
5. Try to keep threads at least generally on topic. Obviously, because this is a discussion forum, there will be some drift in the topic. If a topic is changing from place to place in a discussion, that's fine. Just don't jump in on a thread about the Large Hadron Collider with a post like "OMG I LYKE WAFFLES1!". That will result in your post being deleted. And this cleanly leads to the next rule:
6. Don't keep debating the same topic over and over in different threads. If you're in a thread and you're debating with someone on a certain topic, keep it in that thread. I'm pretty sure that there's at least nine or ten threads in the FB&O section all debating the same thing. That is pretty much pointless - if there's a thread debating a topic, and another thread crops up to debate the same topic, the second thread will be locked.
Any threads that have been locked will be ended by a moderator posting a clear and concise reason as to why the thread has been locked.
7. Try to keep threads in their respective boards. If a thread is in the wrong section, it will be moved to the correct section.
8. Don't double post. It's just annoying. Use the edit button. If there are double posts, they will be either merged together with a quick hack job, or they'll both be deleted.
The exception here is if the posts are more than 5 or so hours apart. If that is the case, then double posting is acceptable. Also, if you're typing a very long post and the character limit in your post is maxed out, double posting is acceptable. The final exception would be in the FB&O forum, when a user is responding to multiple users. In this instance, double posting is acceptable for organizational purposes.
RESPECT OUR AUTHORITAH
To settle the issue before it arises, yes, I know we've all been just fine without a rules thread before. I don't really see a need for it now, to be honest, except for clarifying a few things that a couple of users seem to have taken issue with, and making sure that new users understand what's going on. I figure with new users coming around, it would be easier for them to understand this forum if they have a simple reference to go by.
Also, should I or one of the other moderators decide to lock a thread or delete a picture/post/whatever, we will have a clear reference to point to, instead of saying "Well, it didn't quite seem like that should be there...". It's much more certain.
And before anyone throws it at me, I've already consulted with Ferd, Phillip, and Solid on this, and they all agreed that it seemed like a good idea. I sent this thread around to all of them for consensus and we've all agreed upon its contents. Should the administrators of this forum (the band members) feel that anything in this thread needs to be changed or deleted, or whatever else they want to do, they're of course welcome to do so. There's not much I could do to stop them anyway, and I wouldn't try.
That being said, here are the rules which we the moderators have agreed upon:
1. Anything explicitly sexual, inappropriately lewd, excessively racist/sexist, profane, offensive, or any combination of the above, will be deleted. This will be decided at the discretion of the moderator who deletes the posted material. In general, when posting, think PG-13.
Also, starting now, anyone who has their posted material deleted will receive a private message from the moderator who deleted it, clearly stating the reason why the material was removed. Also, if a thread is locked, it will be ended by a post from the moderator who locked it stating the reason why it was locked.
It seems only fair that if you've had something removed, you should know why. If you disagree with the moderator's decision, you are welcome to say so without retribution in a private message. This leads into the next rule:
2. No threads protesting deleted/locked material. If you have an issue with your material being deleted, please respond to the message you receive from the moderator that deleted your material, and discuss it with them. If you don't receive a PM and your material is deleted anyway, feel free to PM me and I will find out who did it and why, and get back to you promptly.
3. This is a community of music fans, all of whom more or less enjoy listening to Becoming the Archetype. We have Christians, Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics, and a bunch of other belief groups that all frequent this board. All people are welcome here and all are welcome to have their share of beliefs. If you are posting things that are blatantly disrespecful towards people because of their different beliefs, your posts will be deleted.
Discussion is welcome and encouraged. PLEASE, DO discuss your beliefs. Debate, talk, question, do whatever, just be respecful and courteous when you do so.
4. Don't incite flame wars. If you absolutely must argue with another board member, keep it in a private message. The moderators can't monitor or control the content of private messages, so feel free to have your flame wars where no one else can see them. Trust me, we all get tired of watching pointless arguments on a forum.
5. Try to keep threads at least generally on topic. Obviously, because this is a discussion forum, there will be some drift in the topic. If a topic is changing from place to place in a discussion, that's fine. Just don't jump in on a thread about the Large Hadron Collider with a post like "OMG I LYKE WAFFLES1!". That will result in your post being deleted. And this cleanly leads to the next rule:
6. Don't keep debating the same topic over and over in different threads. If you're in a thread and you're debating with someone on a certain topic, keep it in that thread. I'm pretty sure that there's at least nine or ten threads in the FB&O section all debating the same thing. That is pretty much pointless - if there's a thread debating a topic, and another thread crops up to debate the same topic, the second thread will be locked.
Any threads that have been locked will be ended by a moderator posting a clear and concise reason as to why the thread has been locked.
7. Try to keep threads in their respective boards. If a thread is in the wrong section, it will be moved to the correct section.
8. Don't double post. It's just annoying. Use the edit button. If there are double posts, they will be either merged together with a quick hack job, or they'll both be deleted.
The exception here is if the posts are more than 5 or so hours apart. If that is the case, then double posting is acceptable. Also, if you're typing a very long post and the character limit in your post is maxed out, double posting is acceptable. The final exception would be in the FB&O forum, when a user is responding to multiple users. In this instance, double posting is acceptable for organizational purposes.
RESPECT OUR AUTHORITAH