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.
ALL YOU NEED TO DO TO JOIN IS EITHER PUT UP A NEW POST OR COMMENT IN
AN EXISTING THREAD. THIS MESSAGE WILL GO TO OUR MODERATION PAGE IN
THE FIRST PLACE AND YOU'LL QUICKLY BE OUT OF THE MODERATION PROCESS
AND ABLE TO POST DIRECTLY. THIS IS HOW WE KEEP OUT SPAMMERS AND PAIN-
IN-THE-NECK TYPES.
*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, though we are all white and broadly
middle-class.
You can email us if you need a privavte consultation.
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