Rules of the road! (ok, the forum)

[Kevin Richard]

I'm discussing with another group about rules we should put on our forum... it's total anarchy now.

Where are the rules for this forum? Or is it possible that we are just that well behaved of a group that we don't need any?

[Chris Soucy]

The rules here are laid down by Chris Hurd and enforced (usually very tactfuly) by a trusted group of Wranglers, who speak softly but carry big sticks.

If you would like to speak to Chris on this subject direct, scroll down to the bottom of any page here and click on the "Contact Us" button on the very bottom dark blue bar.

That gives you a direct line straight to him.

Do be patient as he's a very busy individual and it can take a while to get a response.


CS

[Kevin Richard]

But there are no official rules laid out somewhere?

I have no questions about this forum and it's rules as I think this forum functions REALLY well.

[Chris Soucy]

there may be somewhere, but as I've been here for so long, I couldn't find them with the aid of a GPS system, map and torch.

Unless someone not suffering from "rules neglect" cares to chip in, Chris is your man.

HOWEVER:

I'm having a seriously hard time reconciling these two statements of yours, and what, exactly you are trying to find out.

"Where are the rules for this forum? Or is it possible that we are just that well behaved of a group that we don't need any?"

and

"I have no questions about this forum and it's rules as I think this forum functions REALLY well."

Taken together, they make no sense whatsoever. You are either trying to find out about the rules here, or not?

Listen, I/ we can only respond to the truth and facts. Without both, I/we are flying blind. Hit us with both, we can usually sort it. Can't get your story straight, well, can't help you I'm afraid.


CS

[Pete Bauer]

The good and kind Chris Hurd took the old TOS down a while ago while he was doing some updates and I think he has gotten extremely busy with more pressing matters and hasn't uploaded the new version.

In essense, the rules are really simple: be nice, be on-topic, be factual. I set up a small homeowner's message board a couple years ago and based my own site's TOS very closely to those that Chris had for DVinfo at the time. Below is the edited text of my site's rules. Although they're not officially the current DVinfo rules, if you follow them, you'll be in good stead:

About ---.com

---.com content is wholly owned by Peter Bauer. I’ll always be very happy to take good-faith suggestions about improving the web site, but in the interest of keeping it an organized, useful, and pleasant online home, I have the final word on my web site.

Membership

The following information is required in order to gain membership in this message board:

* Your real name (in the form of John Smith and not john_smith). NO obscure nicknames or "handles."
* A valid e-mail address
* Your location

All new user accounts are validated by hand, by a live human being (at least for now that's me). Any registrations using "handles" or incomplete names simply aren't activated. Using our real names enhances our ability to get acquainted and to maintain accountability for our online behavior. There won’t be any wading through misinformation or garbage posts from anonymous “trolls.”

Code of Conduct

It’s very simple. Please do:

* Stay on topic; one topic per thread.
* Stick to facts, not rumor or speculation
* Be polite, courteous, and respectful. Not everyone shares the same viewpoint about everything; that’s life and not an excuse to be a jerk.
* Keep it “family oriented.” Nobody should be afraid their pre-teen is looking over their shoulder when ---.com is displayed on the computer screen.

This WILL be a forum based on friendly, courteous discourse. Those who, in my sole opinion, repeatedly cannot behave within those bounds may be subject to warnings, account restrictions, or outright banishment from the web site. The following content will be removed or edited without delay or explanation:

* "Flames” (personal attacks), bickering, libeling, and pointless arguments.
* Trolling posts fishing for flame bait.
* Controversial subjects: Remarks addressing religion, politics, race, sex, gender, lifestyle and other obviously sensitive topics.
* Profane or vulgar language.
* Meta-discussion posts (such as jokes, "LOL!", “ROFLMAO”, etc.) which do not contribute to the conversation.
* Cross-posts. Pick the ONE most appropriate forum for your thread and post it there. All other copies will be removed. If you're not sure where your post belongs, put it in the Off Topic forum, and we'll move it appropriately, leaving behind a re-directing link.
* Spamming, commercial promotion, or advertising of goods and services. One-time consumer testimonials or legitimate, non-flaming complaints MIGHT not be removed if deemed to be constructive in nature and appropriate to the forum. Repeat threads promoting a business or product will be treated as a cross-post…that is, will be removed.
* Links or written references to other internet sites, information, or products that are incompatible with the values and purposes of this web site, such as the controversial subjects as mentioned above.
* Maladaptive behavior of ANY sort that is clearly inappropriate among intelligent adults.

Freedom of Speech on ---.com

I am a firm believer that freedom of speech is a fundamental human right. I hope that all ---.com community members will actively participate in the message board and will collectively enjoy sharing a wealth of ideas. Yet as stated above, I created this web site for that purpose and it is our property. I am making use of that ownership to protect the board from common problems that plague many message boards – I will retain full editorial control of the content as long as I own it. The issue is not debatable; your freedom of speech allows you to start your own message boards elsewhere.

Please be cool and respect your fellow members. I welcome intelligent debates from opposing points of view, but will not tolerate ad hominem attacks upon someone's character, capabilities, or sensibilities. We can politely argue issues, we can debate the merits and demerits of the topic at hand, we can agree to disagree... but there will be no personal attacks made upon community members, nor libels of anyone, anywhere. Comments, statements, remarks, etc. about religion, politics, race, sex, gender, lifestyle and other obviously sensitive topics are strictly prohibited and will be removed without delay or explanation.

Please avoid meta-discussions. Meta-discussions are comments and remarks, which add nothing of value to the conversation. Prime examples include such boring and ubiquitous emotions of "LOL!" and ROFLMAO!" and extend into non-productive replies of the "me too" and "I agree." variety. The problem with this is that nothing of value is really added to the conversation – it's just a waste of bandwidth. We've all seen folks on other message boards continuously post empty nonsense replies as a joke just to keep a thread going indefinitely. That ain't going to happen here. Please have something tangible to say, that's all I ask.

[Kevin Richard]

Originally Posted by Chris Soucy

"I have no questions about this forum and it's rules as I think this forum functions REALLY well."

Taken together, they make no sense whatsoever. You are either trying to find out about the rules here, or not?

Listen, I/ we can only respond to the truth and facts. Without both, I/we are flying blind. Hit us with both, we can usually sort it. Can't get your story straight, well, can't help you I'm afraid.


CS

See, the problem is that you completely ignored the main part of my first post:

"I'm discussing with another group about rules we should put on our forum..."

So, one can still have ZERO questions ABOUT them and still want to read them. And probably the main reason being that it seems that everyone IS so well behaved here that modeling after this forum would be a good compliment to Chris and a good goal to try and achieve.


Pete, thanks for the info and the guidelines you have put, we sadly adopted a much more restrictive set of guidelines that on surface may look good but I fear will be abused and stifle all creativity and fun on our site.

[Pete Bauer]

Originally Posted by Kevin Richard

...it seems that everyone IS so well behaved here...

Generally true, but part of the reason is that we do moderate very tightly and the really bad stuff usually disappears pretty quickly so most members don't see most of it. Sort of like the old adage about making sausage; we mods handle the ugly business of grinding the "sausage" and package it up nice and pretty for your reading pleasure.

And I should add that folks needn't get upset if we do take an action on their posts (unless yo MEANT to be an a**...then do feel bad!); not a day goes by that we don't prune things on the board to keep it a beautiful place. Even we moderators will occasionally have a bad day and say something that another mod will call us on. But please, all who read these words, do your best to honor the rules (and keep our workload down!).

Thanks!

[Andrew Smith]

I find that inserting this video at the top of the rules list is a good way to explain things to people. It also saves typing. :-)

How To Behave On An Internet Forum (Internet: Useful Tips)

Andrew