# Sticky  Controversial Topics/Random Discussion Forum Guidelines



## Cookiegal

*GUIDELINES AND EXPECTATIONS
Controversial Topics and Random Discussion Forums​*

The primary focus of this site is and always has been technical support. However, we also have a non-technical community area where members may enjoy interacting socially with each other in the Controversial Topics and Random Discussion forums. Please remember that these forums are provided as a courtesy and as such, all we ask in return is that you respect the site, its administration and the guidelines put forward in order to ensure their continued existence for many years to come.

*GENERAL GUIDELINES*


We consider this a "family site" and the guidelines we use to moderate the discussion forums are loosely based on the "PG-13" rating for movies. Therefore, profanity should be avoided, as well as any other inappropriate conduct, as outlined in the general site rules.

The TSG membership reflects a wide variety of ages, native languages, nationalities and cultures. One of the most common causes of conflict is simply the failure to understand and respect their differences so please keep this in mind when posting.

Relationships develop here that result in some degree of banter between members. These may appear to be personal attacks but they are acceptable as long as they are made in good fun and not in poor taste. If you are not the member being addressed in these situations then please do not report these posts unless, of course, their content is particularly offensive and/or violates any of the other general site rules.

Should you find a post objectionable or offensive, do NOT address the poster in question on the boards. This is inflammatory posting and only serves to incite retaliation and escalate the situation. Please use the report button to notify the Community Moderators of the situation and they will take any action that's deemed necessary. However, please be sure not to abuse the report button by overusing it or making unfounded and/or frivolous reports.

Moderators are not here to enforce personal or individual views of what constitutes "good taste. The "Ignore" button is provided to help users do that for themselves, if they find another member to be particularly annoying.

Forum Flooding (Applies only for Community Forums) - To be fair to all members we must limit the number of new threads and posts created by the same member to prevent "forum flooding." As a rule of thumb, you should strive to limit starting new threads on average to no more than 3 or 4 new threads per week. You should also try to avoid replying excessively to the same thread when no other member is participating in the discussion. We will enforce the "spirit" rather than the "letter" of the rule. As an example, you may want to post 6 good threads in a week and only one or two the next week. Please be considerate of other members when deciding to start a new thread. Please do a search of threads that already exist, chances are you will find one that covers your "new" topic.

Off-topic posts are inevitable and can be fun but these should be kept to a minimum so as not to cause too much distraction or disrupt the flow of the threads. "Hijacking" a thread for another purpose is not acceptable.

It is illegal to post copyrighted articles in their entirety. Therefore, do NOT post full articles. If you see anyone who has done so, please report it so that it can be removed. You may quote a small section of an article as long as you also provide a link to the source. Any such excerpts from articles quoted and linked to are to be wrapped in quote tags to avoid confusion as to authorship. 

*THE FORUMS*

The *Random Discussion* forum is intended for more light-hearted socializing, such as talking about hobbies, music, weather, sports or sharing recipes, jokes, etc.

The *Controversial Topics* forum is intended for discussions or debates regarding more serious subject matter.

Members entering the Controversial Topics forum for the first time will be presented with a screen where they must agree to the community guidelines before they can proceed. This may also occur again on occasion should cookies be deleted or become corrupt. This forum is for more serious subject matter but that should not be interpreted as "anything goes". It is merely meant to emphasize that the topics are controversial in nature and therefore not for everyone. The Controversial Topics forum consists of two distinct types of posting opportunities:


Some members enjoy posting/reading about informative items of the day, articles of interest, etc. These shall all be posted in one thread titled *News from the Web* which is specifically designated for this purpose. This thread should only contain the posted articles (an excerpt of the article with a link to its source) but with no further discussion, remarks, emoticons or other types of commentary. Any such responses will be removed without notice. If there is a particular article anyone wishes to discuss, simply copy it and start a new thread for that purpose.

Some members prefer or also like to participate in discussions or debates. Therefore, with the exception of the *News from the Web* thread described above, all new threads must be started with the clear intention of fostering discussion or debate. These threads are not to be disrupted by any informational articles or frivolous posts, images or emoticons without any accompanying discussion that is relevant to the topic. However, where a poster takes a stance on a given topic and clearly demonstrates their intention of participating in the discussion, articles may be cited (in part, with a link to the source) for the purpose of enhancing, substantiating or otherwise supporting their position.

Although participants in these threads are expected to take part in the discussions or debates, should they fail to reply when challenged then they are not to be continuously "hounded" for a rebuttal or response.

Any threads or posts deemed to have been made on a "drive-by" basis (no intention of participating) will be immediately removed.

*ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES AND EXPECTATIONS*

We are always open to new ideas and suggestions so please feel free to post any that you may have in the Site Comments and Suggestions forum or contact a Moderator or Administrator privately, if you prefer. However, keep in mind that Site Comments and Suggestions, or any other forum for that matter, is not a place for members to whine, complain or argue about actions taken by the moderators. Should you have any grievances or concerns that you wish to express then you are expected to follow the outlined procedure below:

If you don't agree with the action taken (or not taken) after reporting an incident then contact a Community Moderator privately for further discussion. If the matter in question involves a Community Moderator then contact another Community Moderator. Please allow 24 hours for them to respond. Following that, should you require further clarification then contact one of the site Administrators, Cookiegal or LauraMJ.

Finally, if you're still not satisfied with the explanations given then, as a last resort, contact the site owner (TechGuy) whose decision is final.

Moderators and Administrators are not obligated to explain or justify any actions or decisions imposed although they do generally post the reason for any such action in the thread in question as a courtesy and to avoid any confusion.

Under no circumstances shall any action, decision or rule change made by the administration (Moderators and/or Administrators) be discussed, argued or criticized on the message boards. Any such posts or threads will be promptly deleted without notice or explanation.

Any disparaging or disrespectful remarks regarding this site and/or its Moderators, Administrators, rules and/or actions taken will not be tolerated in order to preserve the integrity and mutual respect within the community that we all enjoy.

*Failure to comply with any of these guidelines may result in a warning, infraction, expulsion from the Controversial Topics and/or Random Discussion forums or a temporary/permanent ban from the site, at the discretion of the administration.*


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