Author Topic: Forum Rules - IMPORTANT PLEASE READ  (Read 31133 times)

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Offline DixieBelle

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Forum Rules - IMPORTANT PLEASE READ
« on: November 15, 2009, 09:34:03 AM »
ConservativeCave
Board Rules of Conduct

LEGALITIES
You agree, through your use of this forum, that you will not post any material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, adult material, or otherwise in violation of any International or United States Federal law. You also agree not to post any copyrighted material unless you own the copyright or you have written consent from the owner of the copyrighted material. Spam, flooding, advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and solicitations are also forbidden on this forum.

Note that it is impossible for the staff or the owners of this forum to confirm the validity of posts. Please remember that we do not actively monitor the posted messages, and as such, are not responsible for the content contained within. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented. The posted messages express the views of the author, and not necessarily the views of this forum, its staff, its subsidiaries, or this forum's owner. Anyone who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to notify an administrator or moderator of this forum immediately. The staff and the owner of this forum reserve the right to remove objectionable content, within a reasonable time frame, if they determine that removal is necessary. This is a manual process, however, please realize that they may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately. This policy applies to member profile information as well.

You remain solely responsible for the content of your posted messages. Furthermore, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the owners of this forum, any related websites to this forum, its staff, and its subsidiaries. The owners of this forum also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or any other related information collected on this service) in the event of a formal complaint or legal action arising from any situation caused by your use of this forum.

You have the ability, as you register, to choose your username. We advise that you keep the name appropriate. With this user account you are about to register, you agree to never give your password out to another person except an administrator, for your protection and for validity reasons. You also agree to NEVER use another person's account for any reason.  We also HIGHLY recommend you use a complex and unique password for your account, to prevent account theft.

After you register and login to this forum, you will be able to fill out a detailed profile. It is your responsibility to present clean and accurate information. Any information the forum owner or staff determines to be inaccurate or vulgar in nature will be removed, with or without prior notice. Appropriate sanctions may be applicable.

Please note that with each post, your IP address is recorded, in the event that you need to be banned from this forum or your ISP contacted. This will only happen in the event of a major violation of this agreement.

Also note that the software places a cookie, a text file containing bits of information (such as your username and password), in your browser's cache. This is ONLY used to keep you logged in/out. The software does not collect or send any other form of information to your computer.

GENERALITIES
A wide range of material may be posted and a poster may adopt any viewpoint in the discussion of a topic. This board has a politically conservative editorial bias but there is no requirement that you agree with that position. Your free speech rights will be protected as long as you respect the rights of others. Do not link to obscene or illegal material or web sites that promote hatred. This includes links to pornographic and sexuality explicit sites meant for those only over the age of 18. NSFW (Not Safe for Work) links must be identified as such in the proper forum with final discretion left up to the Management team. Any disparaging comments about the Military, Active Duty Personnel, Veterans and their families and are strictly forbidden. Management reserves the right to remove posts or links that are, in their judgment, patently offensive or SPAM. The placement of commercial links in one's profile or posts may be considered SPAM and is forbidden. (This means commercial links used exclusively to advertise or sell a product) Hyperlinks involving the endorsement of a political candidate are allowed. Please use caution and good judgment.

Trolls:
Use your discretion about 'feeding the trolls' (i.e. responding to users who are clearly not interested in serious discussion). If you think that a poster is not worth responding to, then do not respond to them. Similarly, do not ask for posters to be banned or complain, on the board, about the moderation. If you have a serious complaint, address it to us via private message.

Other websites, message boards and their members:
We ask that you try to limit boards vs. boards discussions if at all possible. Once it starts being about the site and each other, it's very easy for the site to slide into irrelevance. Informative posts from other boards that stimulate debate are encouraged. Posts that only serve to stir the drama are not. The exception to this would be starting posts in the Fight Club (see forum rules). You are free to post threads from other boards as long as you post them in the appropriate section and follow all of the rules posted here and pinned in the forums. The moderators have the final say on what’s acceptable as outlined in this Code of Conduct.

Complaints about fellow members, suspensions and bannings:  
If you feel that someone has crossed the line, please notify an Administrator or Moderator via private message.  Please allow management the opportunity to deal with the issue. If you want to know if someone else is suspended or banned, please communicate via private means. There is an “E-mail the Administrator” link at the bottom of the main page. We prefer to leave housekeeping issues behind closed doors. There is no rule against asking in the forums but we ask that you refrain from doing so if possible. If it will serve to clarify, Management may choose to publicly announce via the board what has happened to a certain poster or how a situation was resolved. Again, Management will use its discretion here. Knowing what’s going on is important and we understand that.

Private messages:
As the name implies, these are messages not suitable for posting in the general forums unless the other party agrees to it. Management reserves the right to remove any private message you post for public viewing and it could lead to disciplinary action. Exceptions to this rule would be in cases where posting a private message, all or in part, would serve the greater good of ConservativeCave. That decision is up to Management and you are asked not to post anything transmitted privately without their prior approval.

Posting articles, pictures and links:
Standard copyright rules apply and management will enforce them as needed. Do not editorialize your thread titles when referencing someone else’s work. Please use the original title per the author and feel free to comment in the body of the post.  Posts that link to blogs or that are just free form discussions can have any title you deem appropriate.

Fair Use Clause: all articles must be posted in the following format: Original article title must be used. No more than five paragraphs placed within quote tags with the original link added below. A moderator may edit if these guidelines aren't followed. 

All photos must be hosted on a site like Image Shack or Photobucket before posting. All content will be subject the Rules outlined here.

Regarding Specific Forum Rules:
Forums may employ specific rules. Please read any pinned threads in the forums before posting. Posting in any forum is an acknowledgment of said rules and intent to follow them.

In the hopes of encouraging open, honest discussion, we would like to keep censorship to a minimum. We like to say "think twice, post once." Be respectful of your fellow posters, agree to disagree when differences present themselves, and try to never make things personal. Obviously, we all have opinions about politics and at times things can get heated, especially on a site which encourages ranting. If you think someone's opinion is wrong, we here at ConservativeCave want you to be able to express what you think. While we discourage personal attacks, this is a website for adults. Presumably we can keep the name calling to a minimum. However, if it makes you feel better to call someone something (use your imagination), you may, provided the person being singled out doesn't mind. In fact, that person may well call you something back, so be prepared for it. We have a dedicated forum for the times that such posts deserve their own spotlight. It’s called the Fight Club. The rules (or decided lack thereof) are pinned there. Please read them before posting.

You may take it personally when another poster disagrees with you, but expressing a different opinion from you is not an attack. To put it even more succinctly, just because you choose to take it personally doesn't mean it's a personal attack. If you get called out in the Fight Club, you can participate or decline.

The exception to this rule is if someone requests that you stop in the main forums or decides not follow you to the Fight Club. If you have an issue with what a poster has written, please click on the "Report to moderator" tag under the post. The same goes for personal messages. If anyone is found to be overtly harassing a poster, they will be warned and then acted upon accordingly. In short, please use common sense and respect your fellow posters.

Common Courtesies:
Quickly check if your topic is being discussed in another thread before starting a new one. Use the “show posts since your last visit” function at the top of the screen.

New threads should be posted in appropriate forums.

Please do not derail threads more than strictly necessary and get back on topic ASAP unless it has pretty much been "running its course" at that point anyway.

Many people frown on thread-jamming (i.e. interrupting the flow of a thread with brief posts without really participating in the discussion). If this becomes an issue, please use the private messages for such exchanges, as this board is open to all our members.

Known members may use their signature space to promote personal projects of interest to other members at the moderators' discretion.

Shout Box:
Messages posted in the ShoutBox are governed by the conduct codes in the same way as the rest of ConservativeCave.

The Shoutbox is a great place to connect. However if a poster is abusive or rude, they can and will be banned from chat by the moderators. Messages in chat can be reported by sending a PM to a moderator, or asking for help in the Shoutbox. Let's keep the Shoutbox a safe and happy place to talk to each other. Strive for PG-13 please. Links that would normally belong in the Short Bus are fine but must come with a warning.

RULES AND CONVENTIONS
The moderators are the sole arbitrators of the Rules and will pass judgment on a case-by-case basis. Community members can contact a mod if they think the rules should be enhanced or altered in some way.

Offenders will be dealt with in accordance with the section below at mod discretion.

These Rules are not meant as legal codes that dole out justice, but instead is a basic guide for good conduct. Moderators would prefer to NOT to have to ban anyone from this board, but must utilize these rules due to the nature of the community and the vast amount of personality types that will frequent it.

Antagonism
Antagonism is giving one or more members a hard time. The notoriously fickle and blurry nature of such exchanges makes it nearly impossible to draw up a precise definition of exactly what constitutes Antagonism. Moderators are more often than not simply forced to draw upon their vast and collective experience to adjudicate when enough is enough, and take whatever steps they deem necessary in order to keep the peace, good will and reputation of the board. (See Fight Club exception and guidelines)

Threats
Threats are totally unacceptable and offenders may be exiled without warning at the moderators' discretion.

Sock Puppetry and Screen Names
Sock puppetry is the registration of multiple accounts or the purpose of creating login-names that mimic other people's monikers. Sock puppet accounts will be deleted. People who have screen names that are misleading may be asked to change their name. Since we tend to travel in overlapping circles, don’t be offended if you are asked about your previous identity or existing identity on another board. We just want to know who you are. It’s nice to see an old face. You are free to create any identity you choose for ConservativeCave, but outright deception for the purpose of disruption will not be tolerated.

Cross-postings, hit-and-run proselytism, and other posts that create unreasonable janitor-chores for the moderators may be removed without notice and sanctioned at the moderator’s discretion.

Discussion of the Military, Active Members, Reserve, Veterans and any issue involving these individuals
Absolutely no troop-bashing allowed. We honor and respect all of our Military here on ConservativeCave. Any comment, photo, article or link that serves to disrespect our troops or their missions will be removed and you will face disciplinary action. The ONLY exception to this would be if you are linking to something from a site like DU. Highlighting such hatred is allowed in the Dumpster forum. This is different from generating your own negative comments. Debate and disagreement in general is allowed. Just be very careful and mindful of your comments. Posting classified information or troop movements is also not allowed. Again, use your common sense here folks. Management has the final say on this subject and it is taken very seriously here.

HOW RULES ARE APPLIED

Post deletion and edit
Offending posts may be deleted without notice. If a moderator must edit a post to remove offending remarks, a note will be made by mod. Posts may also be moved to a more appropriate forum without notice.

Warnings
We want to give you as much room as possible to prove you can handle yourself here. Warnings for gross misconduct will be issued as often as deemed necessary by the mod team.

Good Deed Clause
Redemption is sometimes possible through a Good Deeds clause. This would normally involve a victim accepting a sincere apology from the offender. If the victim and offender have made amends, moderators will look at the situation and act accordingly.

Ban
When necessary, we reserve the right to remove a person's posting privileges for a short period of time, or forever, for any reason that is in violation of these rules and at any of the Administrators discretion. An inactive/ banned account can always be reinstated should the mods choose to allow it, so if you are banned, DO NOT burn your bridge back to the community. Contact one of us in private to voice any complaints/apologies.

Please read these rules before posting.
I can see November 2 from my house!!!

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Forget change, bring back common sense.
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No, my friends, there’s only one really progressive idea. And that is the idea of legally limiting the power of the government. That one genuinely liberal, genuinely progressive idea — the Why in 1776, the How in 1787 — is what needs to be conserved. We need to conserve that fundamentally liberal idea. That is why we are conservatives. --Bill Whittle