PUGalicious
10-11-2005, 06:43 AM
OKCTalk staff encourages both new and veteran members to review the Terms of Service (TOS)/Forum Rules regularly to learn of any updates or changes as well as a regular reminder of OKCTalk standards of conduct, policies and procedures. As the terms and rules state,OKCTalk staff assumes members have read them, and will not take ignorance of any rules as an excuse for not following any rules.
To help members better understand what is expected in terms of respect and civility in discussion threads, OKCTalk staff have added the following explanation to the TOS/forum rules, which can be reviewed here (http://www.okctalk.com/t4-please-read.html):
PERSONAL ATTACKS, CIVILITY, AND RESPECT
The administrators of OKCTALK are working to provide a place where members can share ideas and debate in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Despite our best efforts, some of our members often stray from this ideal and cheapen the quality of discourse for everyone else. Unfortunately, it is simply impossible to write a comprehensive set of rules forbidding every type of antisocial behavior. The fact that the rules don't forbid a certain type of post does not automatically make an uncivil post appropriate, nor does it imply that the administrators approve of disrespectful behavior. Every member of this community has a responsibility to participate in a respectful manner, and to help foster an atmosphere of thoughtful discussion. In this regard, we strongly advise that our members exercise a little common decency, rather than trying to parse the message board rules to figure out what type of antisocial behavior is not forbidden.
Do not post personal attacks or engage in name-calling against other members of this discussion board.
If you are going to disagree with someone, please stick to the message rather than the messenger. For example, if someone posts factually incorrect information, it is appropriate to say, "your facts are wrong," but it is not appropriate to say "you are a liar."
Do not publicly accuse another member of this message board of being a disruptor or troll. Do not try to come up with cute ways of skirting around the spirit of this rule. If you think someone is a disruptor, contact a moderator (via email, PM or LIVE CHAT) so they can deal with it, a moderator that’s currently online will be able to deal with it more expediently. Unfortunately, it has become all too common for members of this message board to label anyone with a slightly different point of view as a disruptor. We disapprove of this behavior because its intent is to stifle discussion, enforce a particular "party line," and pre-emptively label a particular point of view as inappropriate or unwelcome. This makes thoughtful and open debate virtually impossible.
OKCTALK is a "big tent" message board which welcomes a broad range of opinions. As such, you are likely to disagree strongly with many of the comments you see expressed here. Please do not take these differences of opinion personally. The simple fact that someone disagrees with you does not give you the right to lash out and break the rules of this message board. A thick skin is usually required to participate on this or any message board.
Please note that, strictly speaking, sweeping statements about entire groups are not considered personal attacks. However, they are often inflammatory and counterproductive and the moderators have broad discretion to remove such posts in the interests of keeping the peace on the message board.
There is a difference between forceful advocacy for a particular issue (which is allowed), and personally attacking people (which is forbidden). If you can't tell the difference, you are likely to get into trouble here.
Do not "stalk" another member from one discussion thread to another. Do not follow someone into another thread to try to continue a disagreement you had elsewhere. Do not talk negatively about an individual in a thread where they are not participating. Do not start a new discussion thread with the purpose of "calling out" another member or picking a fight with another member. Do not use your signature line to draw negative attention to another member of the board.
If you just don't like someone, please be aware that you have the option of putting that person on your ignore list. Instructions are available in our FAQ section.
We do not typically delete threads which many members may consider to be "flamebait." However, the administrators will occasionally remove threads which we arbitrarily consider too rhetorically hot or too inflammatory. Please use good judgment when starting threads; inflammatory rhetoric does not normally lead to productive discussion.
If you are the type of person who just can't get along with other people, and if you seem to repeatedly cause trouble, eventually we will decide that your presence is a disruption and we will ban you. It doesn't matter if you are a new member or a long-term member of this board.
There are no exceptions to these civility rules. You cannot attack someone because they attacked you first, or because that person "deserved it," or because you think someone is a disruptor. We consider it a personal attack to call a liar a liar, to call a moron a moron, to call a bigot a bigot, or to call a jerk a jerk.
If you have any questions, contact one of the moderators or e-mail the Forum Admin at admin (admin@OklahomaCityTalk.com)@OKCTALK.com (admin@OklahomaCityTalk.com).
To help members better understand what is expected in terms of respect and civility in discussion threads, OKCTalk staff have added the following explanation to the TOS/forum rules, which can be reviewed here (http://www.okctalk.com/t4-please-read.html):
PERSONAL ATTACKS, CIVILITY, AND RESPECT
The administrators of OKCTALK are working to provide a place where members can share ideas and debate in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Despite our best efforts, some of our members often stray from this ideal and cheapen the quality of discourse for everyone else. Unfortunately, it is simply impossible to write a comprehensive set of rules forbidding every type of antisocial behavior. The fact that the rules don't forbid a certain type of post does not automatically make an uncivil post appropriate, nor does it imply that the administrators approve of disrespectful behavior. Every member of this community has a responsibility to participate in a respectful manner, and to help foster an atmosphere of thoughtful discussion. In this regard, we strongly advise that our members exercise a little common decency, rather than trying to parse the message board rules to figure out what type of antisocial behavior is not forbidden.
Do not post personal attacks or engage in name-calling against other members of this discussion board.
If you are going to disagree with someone, please stick to the message rather than the messenger. For example, if someone posts factually incorrect information, it is appropriate to say, "your facts are wrong," but it is not appropriate to say "you are a liar."
Do not publicly accuse another member of this message board of being a disruptor or troll. Do not try to come up with cute ways of skirting around the spirit of this rule. If you think someone is a disruptor, contact a moderator (via email, PM or LIVE CHAT) so they can deal with it, a moderator that’s currently online will be able to deal with it more expediently. Unfortunately, it has become all too common for members of this message board to label anyone with a slightly different point of view as a disruptor. We disapprove of this behavior because its intent is to stifle discussion, enforce a particular "party line," and pre-emptively label a particular point of view as inappropriate or unwelcome. This makes thoughtful and open debate virtually impossible.
OKCTALK is a "big tent" message board which welcomes a broad range of opinions. As such, you are likely to disagree strongly with many of the comments you see expressed here. Please do not take these differences of opinion personally. The simple fact that someone disagrees with you does not give you the right to lash out and break the rules of this message board. A thick skin is usually required to participate on this or any message board.
Please note that, strictly speaking, sweeping statements about entire groups are not considered personal attacks. However, they are often inflammatory and counterproductive and the moderators have broad discretion to remove such posts in the interests of keeping the peace on the message board.
There is a difference between forceful advocacy for a particular issue (which is allowed), and personally attacking people (which is forbidden). If you can't tell the difference, you are likely to get into trouble here.
Do not "stalk" another member from one discussion thread to another. Do not follow someone into another thread to try to continue a disagreement you had elsewhere. Do not talk negatively about an individual in a thread where they are not participating. Do not start a new discussion thread with the purpose of "calling out" another member or picking a fight with another member. Do not use your signature line to draw negative attention to another member of the board.
If you just don't like someone, please be aware that you have the option of putting that person on your ignore list. Instructions are available in our FAQ section.
We do not typically delete threads which many members may consider to be "flamebait." However, the administrators will occasionally remove threads which we arbitrarily consider too rhetorically hot or too inflammatory. Please use good judgment when starting threads; inflammatory rhetoric does not normally lead to productive discussion.
If you are the type of person who just can't get along with other people, and if you seem to repeatedly cause trouble, eventually we will decide that your presence is a disruption and we will ban you. It doesn't matter if you are a new member or a long-term member of this board.
There are no exceptions to these civility rules. You cannot attack someone because they attacked you first, or because that person "deserved it," or because you think someone is a disruptor. We consider it a personal attack to call a liar a liar, to call a moron a moron, to call a bigot a bigot, or to call a jerk a jerk.
If you have any questions, contact one of the moderators or e-mail the Forum Admin at admin (admin@OklahomaCityTalk.com)@OKCTALK.com (admin@OklahomaCityTalk.com).