Democracy Forums Constitution

[Alonzo]

Democracy Forums Constitution

Democracy Forums endeavors to provide a lively environment for friendly debate about politics and democracy, as well as a wide range of other topics. We invite you to join the conversation and exercise your political voice. Below are the rules members are expected to follow, plus notes about "Additional forum info/procedures" in the post that follows. Moderators are responsible for responding to reported posts, and enforcing the rules in general; they are also empowered and expected to respond to any situation that endangers the character and mission of this forum.

1. Personal Attacks No personal attacks of any kind will be tolerated. If someone attacks you then the proper recourse is to report them, as responding in kind may result in both members having their posts moved to fools paradise and infracted. Also, Reputations given cannot contain personal attacks.

2. Harassment Harassment of members will not be tolerated. Harassment may include directing crude sexual comments at members, attempts to drive a member off the forum, repeatedly targeting them for ridicule, consistently uncivil behavior (including posts that don't explicitly violate other rules), starting threads whose topic is another member, and personal attacks.- This will be enforced in fools paradise.

3. Past Conflicts Conflicts from real life or past forums are not welcome and attempting to continue them on this forum is prohibited and will be strictly enforced. - This will be enforced in fools paradise.

4. Off Topic Posting Posts must be relevant to the original post. Off topic posts will be moved to fools paradise, and if a member makes an excessive amount of off topic posts infractions will be given.

5. Derogatory Slurs Slurs pertaining to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious group, gender and developmental disability are prohibited.

6. Prejudicial language Because we want to ensure that everyone feels welcome, while also ensuring that people may express their views as much as possible, overtly prejudicial posts targeting members of a race, ethnicity, religious group, gender or sexual orientation, that are designed solely to mock or denigrate members of those groups, are prohibited. Posts simply expressing disagreement, moral/religious opposition or differing opinions on such issues are allowed.

7. Sniping Posts designed to mock, attack and insult posters, or the umbrella political affiliation of posters (Conservative, Libertarian, Liberal etc.), are prohibited. An exception to the portion of the rule pertaining to mocking political affiliations will be made for threads created in the humor section.

8. Backseat modding Overt attempts to dictate how others post, by telling them to shut up, to go away etc. is prohibited.

9. Cursing and Vulgarity Posts that contain excessive cursing or excessive vulgarity are prohibited.

10. Graphic Images The posting of images or videos containing nudity or violence, death etc. of any kind is prohibited. Links to websites containing such images must have a clear warning, such as NSFW. - This will be enforced in fools paradise.

11. Calling/Wishing For Harm Calling for, or wishing for, the death or harm of members, political party supporters, private citizens or politicians is prohibited. People making such comments about DF members may be banned. - This will be enforced in fools paradise.

12. Proper Names All proper names of public figures and political groups should be spelled correctly and you cannot add derogatory terms to, or in place of, their name. George "Chimpy" Bush, Nobama, libbo, reichwinger etc. are unacceptable. Accepted abbreviations, such as "Dems" and "Reps", are allowed. This rule does not apply to signatures or avatars.

13. Member Names Spelling of member names cannot be used for ridicule. If a member finds a variation/abbreviation of their name to be offensive, you must stop using it immediately upon being told.

14. Thread Trashing Posting in a thread just to tell the original poster that their thread is horrible, annoying, stupid etc. is not acceptable, and such posts will be FPed. If the thread violates a rule it should be reported to staff, if not then you should simply ignore the thread.

15. Baiting Threads and posts created to bait, mock and provoke people are prohibited.

16. Thread Titles Titles of threads discussing a linked article must use the same title as the article. Titles that are not will be changed. This does not apply to member written op-ed's that are simply linking to sources for their argument. Moderators will freely edit thread titles, or close threads, that unduly detract from the civil tone of Democracy Forums, by being inflammatory, vulgar, prejudicial or in some other way inappropriate.

17. Threads Must Contain a Question or Comment All threads posted must contain a question or comment. Threads where the OP has simply copy and pasted an article or video will be locked, and the poster will be alerted by PM. The thread will be reopened only after a comment or question has been provided to staff and added to the thread. If debate is already present in the thread, whether to lock will be at mod discretion. This rule does not apply to threads posted in the off topic or humor sections.

18. PM and Reputation privacy PM's and reputations must remain private unless both parties agree to post them. Any info revealed in them cannot be mentioned publicly. - This will be enforced in fools paradise.

19. Personal Information Using any of the forum capabilities from posts to PMs to reveal or discuss another members personal information, or threatening to harass them in real life, whether joking or not, will result in an immediate and permanent ban. - This will be enforced in fools paradise.

20. Advertising You may advertise your blog, or if you own/work for a company that is relevant to politics. You may not advertise competing forums. If you want to advertise please let staff know so we can approve it. If you feel that a non political item should be advertised you can ask staff and, if we agree, we can make an exception. Because promoting competing forums are prohibited, requesting info about other forums is also prohibited. Members who PM spam may be banned. - This will be enforced in fools paradise.

21. Multiple Accounts One account per user only. Do not make multiple accounts. Proxy accounts will be banned. Repeat offenders may have their primary account banned as well

22. Signature Size Images must be no larger than 175 pixels tall, and 650 pixels wide. Any larger and they will be removed.

23. Quoting Articles and Members When you quote other members, you cannot change the wording of their posts. When quoting articles you must provide a link to the article. If you're quoting the Associated Press, you cannot quote more than a paragraph from the article, the rest must be linked to. Anything in addition to a paragraph will be removed by staff. - This will be enforced in fools paradise.

24. Repetitious threads Disruptive multiple threads on the same topic will be merged at the discretion of staff, and the poster will be notified. If such posting continues, escalating general infractions will be levied. Threads in which the responses indicate clearly separate and non-overlapping topics are ordinarily not subject to this rule.

[Corodon]

Additional forum info/procedures:

Reporting Rule Violations If a post/poster is suspected of violating a rule, please inform the staff by reporting the post(s) using the report function. DO NOT assume we are aware of it unless you have done so. DO NOT complain about the violation in the thread. DO NOT take it upon yourself to respond to a personal attack with a personal attack, as both of you will be penalized.

Fools Paradise Most posts that violate forum rules will be moved here. This section of the forum will generally be unmoderated, though staff may lock threads that get out of hand. There are certain exceptions where staff will enforce rules here. As mentioned above, those include harassment, posting of material from PM's, revealing personal info, calling for/wishing harm, and nudity/violence.

Suggestion Box This is a sub forum that enables members to hold a discussion with the entire staff. Only you, and staff, can read what you post here, no one else can see it. Suggestions for forum improvements, complaints or anything else pertaining to the forum can be handled here. Threads made to complain about individual staff members, or individual moderator actions (not general policy or behavior of staff as a whole) will be moved here. PM privacy maintains in the Suggestion Box: They may not be quoted unless both parties agree.

Complaints About the Forum/Moderation Threads publicly posted to complain are allowed. At the same time, only one staff member will respond and that will be to clarify the position of the staff. Further discussion among members is allowed, but staff will not participate in the thread in any way. If you want further clarification you must PM staff or start a thread in the suggestion box.

Social Groups Social groups are areas where members can discuss things, away from the main board, with like minded members. Staff will not moderate them unless they become disruptive to the forum itself, or if they contain advertising or soliciting. It is the responsibility of the groups creator to remove unwanted and problematic members, and theirs alone. Those who have been removed, and rejoin, will be penalized by staff when requested by the groups creator. Also, unwanted/problematic posts made to a social group will only be removed upon the request of the groups creator.