Posting Rules & Guidelines - 2/14/2008
Dear Members: Since I have been asked to become a forum moderator, I have contemplated how I can best enforce rules and guidelines while ensuring that we all have the freedom to speak our mind with little censor. In that quest, I have adopted some rules that were taken directly from healingwell.com, with only slight modifications - in fact, deletion of some of their rules - to fit our particular needs. Please note, I want this moderating to be as informal as possible, so just email me at webmaster@emptynosesyndrome.org anytime to discuss any issue with respect to moderation. I will be open to your ideas and will try to reply as soon as possible. I look forward to helping with moderating this forum and I am open to changing the below rules and guidelines, if it would better meet our needs. I encourage you to please feel free to offer me your thoughts and feedback so I can be a better moderator on behalf of the empty nose syndrome forum. Frankly, it is my sincere hope that a deletion of part or all of a post is done rarely, as we are a suffering people and our voices must be heard - among the lay public and medical professionals alike. However, I recognize that information displayed on this website will reflect upon us all - and more importantly, our website could be held liable. Most regular users of this forum are well aware that empty nose sufferers in general experience an alarming rate of depression, anger, and some might even be suicidal. However, if someone posts a comment indicating suicidal intent or violent ideology and that person were to carry out a violent act, this website might be held liable for that action because we knew about it in advance, as it became public knowledge. That person's comments will be deleted and he or she is strongly encouraged to get help immediately. This forum is in no way, shape or forum responsible for such actions. My ultimate hope and goal is that all who enter the forum would have a pleasant experience and productive discussion. Sincerely Yours, Chris Martin webmaster@emptynosesyndrome.org www.emptynosesyndrome.org (adopted from healingwell.com) Rules and Guidelines To help you gain the most from our emptynosesyndrome.org forums, please familiarize yourself with the rules and guidelines below for participating in the message forums. Please note this list does not include the full terms of service (also known as your user agreement). These rules and guidelines are designed to help give a better understanding of what behavior is expected and make your experience more enjoyable and safe. Rules (DON'Ts): 1. No discussion of any illegal activity or threats of violence. (ie. illicit drug use, including medical marijuana use, threats of suicide or self-injury, or threatened or intended physical harm). Discussions of suicide or self-harm that are deemed negative and therefore potentially injurious to others are also not permitted. 2. No use of explicit, obscene or vulgar language or images and/or messages, including racist remarks. 3. No posts that attack, insult, "flame", defame, or abuse members or non-members. Respect other members of the community and don’t belittle, make fun off, or insult another member or non-member. Decisions about health and well-being are highly personal, individual choices. "Flaming" and insults, however, will not be tolerated. Agree to disagree. This applies to both the forums and chat. 4. No "Spam" is permited (including signatures). Spam is defined as posting a link for the purpose of selling, soliciting or promoting by someone that has ownership or other "vested interest" to the web site involved. Links must be appropriate and abide by rules #1-4 or they will be removed. Links to helpful web sites (commercial or otherwise) are allowed when they are posted by someone without any "vested interest" AND whose purpose is NOT to solicit, advertise, promote, fundraise, etc. 5. No use of multiple usernames. Please register and use only one username for the forums. Posting under multiple user accounts will result in administrative action (ie. banning). 6. No posts of an overtly political or religious nature OR posts promoting advocacy of particular personal, medical, legal, religious, political, or non-profit causes. The forums are intended for offering mutual personal support. Debating controversial subjects should be taken elsewhere. Limited religious references are allowed (ie. "my prayers are with you" or a brief quote as part of a larger post), but the forums should not be used to convert others. 7. If it shouldn’t be viewed by minors, then it shouldn’t be posted to the forums. This is a public, family-friendly forum. In addition, if something would not be considered “work safe” (to a boss or co-worker), then it shouldn’t be posted. 8. Do not disrespect moderators. Be respectful in both the forums and any private communications with moderators. Moderators are volunteers that donate many, many hours of their own time to help in the forums. Violations of this rule will not be tolerated. 9. No SHOUTING. Remember, using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS in posts is considered yelling and rude, plus it is difficult to read. 10. Do not post offline personal contact information (ie. your home address, phone numbers etc.) and do not ask for personal information from others. Modify your member profile in the Control Panel (VIEW IMAGE) at the top left corner of the forum to set privacy settings for your account. Use of full names (your first and last name) is allowed but strongly discouraged. This is to protect your security and identity. 11. No duplicate posts. To delete accidental duplicate posts, login first, then open the message you want to delete, then select the Delete Post button (VIEW IMAGE) on the top right hand corner of the message box. 12. No irrelevant or off-topic posts. Posts which are not relevant to the forum topic may be deleted at the moderator's discretion. Guidelines (DO's): 1. Check for open topics. Before posting a new topic, please check to see if there is already a topic open on the subject. You can go to search and then enter the topic to find it in the forum 2. Report posts that violate the rules and guidelines by contacting me at cncmartin@juno.com. I will act on the report as quickly as I can. Do not reply to the offending post as that typically only encourages the poster. 3. Use good judgement. NEVER rely on information or opinions exchanged via the forums or chat rooms to replace necessary, personal consultation(s) with qualified health or medical professionals to meet your individual health or medical needs. Remember that what's right or has worked for one person may not be what's right for you. 4. Lend a helping hand. A bit of compassion can go a long way toward helping people with life's challenges and reaching out can help alleviate feelings of loneliness. We're all different, but we're really all the same. At sometime or another, we all need or want help or simply someone with whom we can share our burdens or successes. 5. Don't be afraid to share. If you're feeling alone or hurting, don't be afraid to share your fears and tears. If you're rejoicing about the results of a recent medical -*test*-('") or treatment, share that too... 6. Welcome new members. When newcomers arrive, say "hi" and welcome them. Help new folks "learn the ropes" about how to find information and resources, save time, and how to get involved. You will also find a lot of help using the forums themselves. 7. Use descriptive titles for new posts. Avoid "generic" post subjects like "Help" or "Question". You will receive a better response to your posts by being more descriptive about the content of your post. Please Remember: Users that do not abide by the rules may be subject to having their posts edited or deleted, their member account permanently banned from further access and/or deleted without notice. Rules and guidelines may change at any time, so please re-read them regularly.