There are a few rules. We'd expect anyone reasonably sound in spirit
not to have to consider them before posting. We really intend them
for use in dealing with nuisance. They are necessarily boring and
bureaucratic. We intend a warm and friendly spirit and to recognise
and reflect the spirit of the group. Here they are:
*Mind's Eye Posting Guidelines*
*1. Introduction*
The moderators have always bent over backwards to avoid banning anyone
from
Mind's Eye. This fact remains unchanged for anyone who has proven
themselves
capable of meaningful contribution to the group. However, as the group
has
grown, so has its appeal to increasingly anti-social individuals who
enjoy
"trolling" forums. Trolling, says Wikipedia, is "making deliberately
inflammatory remarks in order to provoke a vehement response from
others". Easy enough to search for if you are interested' .
It's a very popular pastime on the Internet, and one that can ruin
online
communities like ours.
Mind's Eye -- by virtue of its increasing activity and diversity --
has
become a very tempting target for trolls. It seems that the days of
only
needing to ban one person every couple of years are now regrettably.
behind
us. We are victims of our own success, and thus the moderators have
decided
to revisit, tighten up, and clarify, what is acceptable/unacceptable
in this
group. Although this guide is mostly for the benefit of new members,
we hope
our existing members will find this framework clarifies certain
principles
and conventions which they already subscribed to.
*2. New Member Moderation*
All new members of Mind's Eye are initially moderated. This means that
a new
member's posts will not appear immediately, rather they will be held
in a
queue until an administrator has checked them over and released them
to the
group. The group's moderators are spread across several time zones and
work
schedules, thus this process generally happens within a few hours.
Sometimes
it's much quicker. However, your patience is appreciated if it is the
weekend or a public holiday. After a few posts we will take new
members off
of moderation, thus allowing their messages to appear -- the Internet
and
Google willing -- immediately.
We take a strong line on posts from new members which contain links.
Farming
hits for your website or blog from Mind's Eye is very likely to get
you
banned. After your moderation has been removed and you have proven
yourself
capable of meaningful contribution, we would tend to be more relaxed
about
you linking back to your website, assuming it is relevant and not
just
blatant hit farming.
This moderation policy has stopped Mind's Eye sinking under the weight
of
spam, which has ruined many other groups.
*3. Etiquette & Principles*
1. If you are looking to "flame" people or generally be
obnoxious,
please find yourself a different outlet. Mind's Eye is a group
intended for
rational discussions. Aggressive/bullying posts are unwelcome. If
you've had
a bad day, go and take your stress out elsewhere. Remember, a hasty
retort
thrown together in anger will be visible to the world long after
those
feelings have subsided. Moderators are unable to delete your posts on
the
website or suck them magically out of the inboxes of members who
participate
via email.
2. Attacks upon immutable human characteristics (race,
disability,
sexual orientation, et al) are totally unacceptable.
3. Debates about a person's deeply held values, beliefs, or way
of
life, should be tempered with a high level of respect and civility.
These
debates have been some of our most interesting over the years, and
they
work, or not, based upon the level of mutual respect and honesty
extended by
each side. If your motive is to ridicule members, or spread bad
feeling,
please do not bother to post.
4. We've tackled a fair few sacred cows over the years and these
are
always interesting discussions. However, by their nature, these
debates are
very likely to stir up emotions. Please accept that the world is full
of
people with radically different opinions to yours which they hold
equally as
strongly. Mind's Eye is a forum for you to interact with such people
and
learn more about them. It is not a forum for you to attack them, even
if
they are "pro abortion baby killers", "neo-con nutjobs", "pinko
liberals",
"sinners", or even British. All of the above miscreants are welcome.
5. Posting irrelevant asides, snide comments, or generally trying
to
derail a discussion, is not in the spirit of the group. If you have
nothing
to contribute to a discussion, move on, start a new thread, or just be
happy
reading what other people have posted.
6. Avoid simple "you are wrong" statements; if you have a point
to
make, back it up. Please also see the section labelled "Quoting/
Citations"
for specific information on how you should cite your sources.
7. Avoid swearing/cussing, unless it is absolutely pertinent to
the
discussion at hand. Sometimes it happens naturally in the flow of a
sentence
-- and I'm guilty of it -- but there are many far more creative ways
to
express yourself.
8. Do not preach or proselytize: we are here to discuss ideas,
not be
recruited to your particular religion no matter how great you think it
is or
how much peril you believe our eternal souls to be in.
9. Do not patronise our members. The membership of Mind's Eye is
fantastically diverse in terms of member's ages, levels of education,
forms
of spirituality, life experience, and professional vocations. Even if
you
think you know the answer to life, the universe, and everything,
you'll be
stirring all kinds of bad feeling if your tone is smug or
condescending.
Assuming the role of "teacher" is often unpopular.
10. *Ad hominen* should be avoided and, in the most serious
circumstances, could see you moderated or banned. Wikipedia defines
*ad
hominem* as "replying to an argument or factual claim by attacking or
appealing to a characteristic or belief of the person making the
argument or
claim, rather than by addressing the substance of the argument or
producing
evidence against the claim. [3 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Ad_hominem>]"
*4. Quoting / Citations*
1. Copy/pasting reams of text from a website, without a citation,
gives
the impression that you are claiming the work as your own. Given that
this
is probably not the case, please attribute the quote to its author or
source.
2. When quoting from a website, do not copy/paste the entire
article.
Try and limit your citation to a paragraph or two, and, of course,
please
provide the link.
3. If you wish to reproduce content from Mind's Eye elsewhere, we
ask
you to seek permission of the author(s).
*5. Crossposting/multiposting*
Crossposting is "the act of posting the same message to multiple
forums,
mailing lists, or newsgroups" [2 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Crossposting>].
It is sometimes known as multiposting. Mind's Eye is a discussion
forum and
we encourage you to take part, not treat the group as a one-way
audience for
your message (no matter how important you believe it to be). We
consider
crossposting to be the equivalent to spamming, thus it could see you
banned.
Depending on previous form, the moderators may take a more lenient
stand
with existing members; however, be clear, repeated crossposting may
see you
moderated or banned.
*6. Bannings***
All decisions regarding disciplinary actions up to and including
banishment
from the group are discussed thoroughly among the moderators before
any
decision is made. None of the moderators take it upon themselves to
discipline a member of the group. Disciplinary actions include, but
are not
limited to: warnings, return to moderated status, banishment from the
group,
and *ETERNAL DAMNATION*. Except for exceptional circumstances -- such
as
emergencies where other moderators are out of contact -- all bannings
and
moderations are voted on.
*7. The Moderators*
Your moderators are Archytas, Ornamentalmind, and Molly. None of us
share the
same religious or political views, thus we hope that there is no
peculiar bias in
moderation.
If you need to contact the moderators "off-list", you should click the
"Send
email to the owner" link on the page below:
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