Jackson Heights Life

Get Connected => Neighborhood Chat => Topic started by: merm on November 17, 2007, 04:40:24 PM

Title: Rules and Guidelines for This Site
Post by: merm on November 17, 2007, 04:40:24 PM

General Board Guidelines
Adapted with permission from Astorians.com (http://www.astorians.com)

This board is an open community site. Anyone and everyone is welcome here as long as you obey the rules. No member of this board speaks for all the other members. To our best ability the rules are applied equally - please let us know if you've been treated unfairly.

We're not strangers. Given the nature of this online community having real world connections to a real community (Jackson Heights and nearby neighborhoods) it's important to keep in mind that what happens here is not limited to the void of the internet. What you say, and how you behave here has an impact on (and will be read by) your neighbors. Please treat others with the same respect you would like to receive in return. This isn't just a random internet site with people you'll never meet.

This is not a "bulletin board" like the kind you see at your local grocery store, it is a community discussion and conversation board. There is a bias on the board towards "discussion" and less interest in "classifieds" and "advertisements". If you have a classified or advertisement to post it's no problem, just please do it in the business or trade categories, or post on Craigslist (http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/).

Use of this site, and participation in discussions here are a privilege not a right. This is a private website, not a governmental agency or publicly owned service. We will not hesitate to limit your participation (in the same way a bar, restaurant, or cafe would remove you from the premises) if you choose to disregard the rules, abuse others, and/or cause unreasonable disruption.

Basically, please try and keep in mind that this is a public conversation. You might feel insulated from other people on this board because it's an electronic conversation but try and keep in mind that unlike most random internet sites, you probably live next door to the people you interact with on this board.  As you engage people please keep this in mind.

The Rules

Moderators reserve the right to temporarily suspend, or permanently ban forum participants who violate these rules.

• Do not troll: Trolling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll) is when you just provoke people to make them upset by making it personal, calling them names, or posting offensive images or text to upset them. Your ideas are welcome, your personally-directed insults are not.
• No name calling: Don't call people names. This includes calling someone a troll. Calling people names does no service to this community and it will not be tolerated - don't do it, even if "the other person started it". If you have a problem with someone and you want to confront them, please do it in your own space (email, private message).
• Hate speech is not welcome here: If you must be a bigot, you may not use hate speech (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech) to express your ideas.
• Find an existing thread: Before starting a new thread, please check to see if there's already a thread for the topic you want to discuss.  This site aims to foster ongoing conversation on topics of community interest, but these conversations can be difficult to follow if fragmented across several threads.  Of course, if you do have a new topic for discussion, then please don't hesitate to start a new thread.
• Don't post the same thing more than once: You might think this will give you more exposure; it does, but in a negative way because this is seen as rude. Post your content once, to the correct category, people will see it and will be more likely to appreciate and respond to your post.
• Keep threads on-topic: If your conversation appears to be veering off-topic, please start a new thread.  You can always post a link to it in the old thread so people can find where it continues.
• Respect others' privacy: Because of privacy issues, it is against the rules of the board to post anyone's full name, address, or any other personal information (e.g. email address, phone number, etc.) without permission.  The only exceptions to this are for individuals are already public figures (e.g. celebrities, elected officials), or who openly use their names on the internet (e.g. a blogger who writes under her/his own name).
• Do not quote personal messages publicly: Unless specifically requested by the author.
• Do not gossip about private individuals.  Avoid discussing or speculating about the behavior or motivations of people's private lives.  An individual mentioned in the news media, or who posts something of interest online, may be discussed in that context, but her/his private life beyond these topics should not.
• One account per person.  You may only create one account here. If you don't like your account and want to create a new one, contact a moderator first so you won't be penalized.
• Contact a moderator or admin: If you are having an ongoing problem, or feel you are being harassed by another member you can contact one of the moderators directly. We are always here to help in any way we can.

Other Information and Guidelines

• Don't make it personal: If you have a problem with something someone has said, ask for clarification, or send them a private message. If you feel the need to respond publicly don't make it personal (like "hey you jerk, I'm offended"). Instead engage the person's idea and express your disagreement with it in a respectful way (I disagree with what you've said here and this is why...).
• Don't rush to judgment:  Please keep in mind that things don't always come across in writing the same as they sound in their author's head.  This is a common problem on the Internet, where people don't always carefully compose what they write, and readers can't benefit from the visual and aural cues that help listeners understand a speaker's real meaning when they talk face to face.  So before taking offense at something you read here, please consider whether there's an alternative way to interpret the author's intent.
• Use the "report to moderator" feature: If you find something offensive, or if someone is misbehaving or not following the board guidelines please assist the moderators by reporting that post. A message is generated that goes to the moderation queue and moderators will respond as soon as possible.
• This is an open forum:  The owners or administrators of this board cannot and do not read every post, and cannot back up or investigate all the information that is posted here. Please understand that any posts that you read here do not necessarily represent the ideas of the owners or administrators of this board.
• Protect your privacy.  This website is accessible to all, so we recommend limiting the amount of personal information you post here.  You can "hide" your email address from others seeing it.  But don't be alarmed that the software will still show you your own email address. Don't worry, if the hide email setting is turned on, nobody else can see your address.
• DON'T SHOUT!  Try not to emphasize your point using all capital letters.  Many readers consider it jarring, sort of like shouting in a library.
• Keep signatures simple: You may create a personal "signature" to use in all your postings. However, signatures are limited to text only.  No banners or other graphics allowed.  Links to internet businesses without a connection to this community may result in your account being marked as a spam account and deleted.
• You're not completely anonymous: Our software tracks your IP address, and keeps a log of your actions on this board (though this software doesn't go beyond the scope of any other forum software out there). If a formal legal complaint is filed as a result of some action you've taken on this board we reserve the right to share this information with legal council or authorities.
• Don't abuse the cover of anonymity to advance commercial/professional interests in a deceptive manner (e.g. posing as a customer of your restaurant, or posing as a concerned citizen if you're a political professional).  We reserve the right to disclose relevant information about this type of abuse to the community.
• You're responsible for your posts: If you give out your password and someone else logs into your account, you are still responsible for what is posted. Don't give out your password.
• Cookies: This software places a cookie on your computer that is used to store your username/password (if you have that feature enabled), and is also used for some of the more advanced features of the site. If you prefer to not have those features enabled you can simply block our cookie.
• Deleting posts: Once you have created an account and/or posted here, you will not be able to delete those posts or your account. Contact a moderator if you have questions or need assistance.
• Classified boards (Apartments, Sublets & Roommates; Community Trade and Classifieds; and Business Listings and Services Directory): These sections are for posting classified and local business listings and are not discussion forums.   Simple questions can be asked in the Classified boards, but please limit commentary and discussion to the appropriate board under "Get Connected."
  
  
  

Terms of Use

By registering here you agree that:

(1) You will not post any abusive, vulgar, or offensive information on this forum;

(2) You will respect the privacy of others, and not reveal the identity of, or post the private contact information of, or otherwise harass others in a way that invades their right to remain anonymous;

(3) You will abide by applicable U.S. and International law as it relates to any of your posts this forum; and

(4) You are soley responsible for the content you post and recognize that your views (and the views of others) do not necessarily represent the views of the board owners, administrators or moderators.



Please provide feedback about these guidelines. As this community grows, the rules may need to evolve.  Please feel free to make suggestions or provide feedback, as your ideas are welcome.


--The Jackson Heights Life team...
Shelby2 - Moderator
toddg - Moderator
JHMNY - Moderator
merm - Site Admin