Posts elsewhere gave me the impression that Neil has joined the ranks
and Chris has refused to be redrawn into moderation affairs.
Give it the pass, if my impression is a figment... But if true, you
need to revise the line quoted from your post above !
On Oct 1, 5:44 pm, Molly <mollyb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 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" [1]. 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]"
> 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]. 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 Chris, ornamentalmind, and Molly. None of us share
> the same religious or political views, thus we hope that there is no
> 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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