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We came up with this set of all-purpose, general forum community behavior guidelines – did we miss anything? How would you change this, if at all?
This is a Clean, Well-Lighted, Civilized Place for Public Discussion
Treat this public discussion forum with the same respect you would a public park in your own community. We’re a community resource: a place to share skills, knowledge and interests. We need your help to keep this a clean, well-lighted, civilized place for public discussion.
The Golden Rules
Always Improve the Discussion
Time is the one resource we never get back. Our time is precious. And so is yours – don’t waste it! While participating here, let’s endeavor to leave the campground cleaner than we found it.
Discussions on this forum may include opinions, questions, answers, and even pure entertainment – which is all good as long as it improves the overall quality of the discourse. But if your post doesn’t add anything to the discussion (i.e. “Me too!”), or even worse, might harm it, try again later.
For example, before starting a new discussion, search to see if that topic already exists. Your search will save others from having to follow two discussions instead of focusing their effort on one.
Behave Like it Matters – Be Respectful
Act as is if this topic matters to you, to those who may reply to you, and to those who will read your messages, for all time. Treat the subject matter and all participants in the discussion with the same respect you deserve. Even if they don’t deserve it.
Our Community is the Ultimate Judge
All the discussions on this forum are generated by the community. How you participate in the conversation here sets the tone for everyone who will ever read your post. That’s how you can help us influence the future of this community.
(description of how forum software helps make this happen)
Support the Forum Moderators
Moderators have special responsibility and authority – they are technically responsible for this forum. But so are you. Moderators should be facilitators more than janitors or police, and they can be, with your help. Our moderators are not omniscient or omnipresent. If you see a piece of trash, please help us pick it up. If you see something bad or suspicious happening, please flag it for moderator attention so we know about it.
In order to maintain our community, moderators reserve the right to remove any content and any user account for any reason at any time. The moderators do not preview new posts or take any pre-emptive action, therefore, the moderators and site operators take no responsibility for any content posted by the community.
Tend to Necessary Things: Terms of Service [Link]
We’re sorry, we don’t like legalese any more than you do, but we’ve got no choice but to protect ourselves (and by extension, protect you and your data) against unfriendly folks. So, like everyone else, we have a Terms of Service (TOS) [LINK] describing your [and our] behavior and rights related to content, privacy, and (inter)national laws. You must agree to abide by the TOS to use this service.
Things to Avoid
If you follow the Golden Rules, you’ll be fine. These “dont’s” offer some details and clarifications. These guidelines are not intended as a comprehensive list of hard and fast rules, merely as aids for human judgment.
Your Mom Uses The Internet, Too
This is a public forum, and search companies index these discussions. Keep the language, links, and images safe for family and friends, as they may discover them in search results. If you’re still not sure, ask yourself: “How would I feel if my post was on the front page of the New York Times?”
Don’t Harass Anyone
Nothing sabotages a healthy conversation like personal attacks and acts of vandalism. Don’t post items that are defamatory, abusive, hateful, harassing, obscene, sexually explicit, threatening, expose private information, hate speech, spam, vandalism, or impersonate another. These are not concrete terms with precise definitions - avoid even the appearance of any of these things. If you’re searching this list to see if you are in violation, you’re thinking about this the wrong way. Rewrite it. Or better yet, reread the Golden Rules above.
Don’t Make a Mess
There are lots of ways to make a mess of a forum, decreasing the value of the community for all concerned. Making the effort to put the right things in the right places pays back twice: the time everyone saves on maintenance can be spent on better [software]. So :
- don’t start a topic in the wrong category
- don’t cross-post the same thing in multiple topics
- don’t post no-content replies
- don’t divert a topic by changing it mid-stream.
(description of how forum software helps make this happen)
Also, don’t sign your posts - every post has your profile information and links in the header.
Don’t Steal other People’s Property
You may not post anything digital that belongs to someone else without permission. You may not post descriptions of, links to, or methods for stealing someone’s intellectual property (software, video, audio, images), or breaking any other law.
Don’t Encourage Bad Behavior
When you see bad behavior on a forum, you may have the urge to call it out with a quick reply: “Spammers suck!” Resist this urge. It encourages the bad behavior by acknowledging it publically, consumes your energy, and wastes the time of everyone who comes after you, reading a growing list of meaningless posts.
If you see an item that clearly violates these Communities Guidelines or the Terms of Service, – do not reply! Use the Flag button. If enough trusted members flag a post, it will be automatically hidden until the poster corrects the problem.
