Basic Site Rules & Information on the upcoming changes

Since we're going to be moving to a newer format soon with more people helping with the site I thought it would be a good idea to place up a simple version of acceptable and non-acceptable rules for the site.

First, let me say that the upcoming changes are not going to change the purpose of the site or the freedom that everyone here is accustomed to nor are you really going to see any significant changes, most of it will take place behind the scenes, such as quicker pending member approval - quicker issue report response etc.

This site was created as a place for all beliefs to come and interact and that will not ever change as long as I'm breathing and even after I'm not...lol. This site has been my baby for almost five years, for lack of better words and I will never stand by idly and allow it to be screwed up. Just so most are aware of my stance on the changes below is some of what I recently posted regarding admin responsibilities. I'm posting this part because the admins will be the most noticeable change on the site, and I know a lot of people are concerned about ban happy or power tripping admins, I've seen this on many sites and I will never tolerate that type of behavior here. We're all members here and no one is above another. If any abuse takes place within management please know that positions can be taken away just as quickly as it was given. My intentions for the changes were never to give myself a big headache, so let's just say that if I have to eat Tylenol daily then it's going to be a big problem...lol

I'm pasting the high-points of what I posted regarding administrator duties and handling issues:

• Administrators play an extremely important role in PaganSpace because they are the go to people when issues arise. With that being said, it's vital that administrators know how to separate themselves from personal attachments (friends etc.) and the issues. When dealing with issues on the site between members they must be able to look at the situation without bias - if a friend is involved in an issue then you must look at all involved the same way; imagine them as person a and person b without any name. A little unrelated but still worth mentioning is that a real friend would not expect anything less of you, they would not expect you to agree with them, if they were in the wrong and they certainly wouldn't expect for you to jeopardize your position for the sake of doing the wrong thing.
• Admins need to lead by example, that doesn't mean that they can't disagree in a forum topic etc. but they need to be above some things that can and will go on from time-to-time. Personal attachment - involvement with member issues is one such element (do not be a party to the drama and do not get sucked into people's personal issues with each other). If you ARE personally involved in some personal drama then DO NOT handle the issue, allow another admin to go in - in other words, stay out of it.
• I cannot say this enough but NEVER look at an issue report sent in on someone and assume that the issue just came out of the clear blue. RESEARCH the past activity (check both parties forum activity etc.), because 9 times out of 10 there is an underlying reason not showing in that report as to why someone comes in out of the clear blue and says something that is not necessarily nice or stirs it up with someone. Unfortunately, I've seen everything from small groups of people who are known to associate together and dislike a particular member who all start submitting issue reports on the "person" they want banned - to people baiting others and then reporting them when they take the bait, all the way to the reporter deleting their own less-than-nice content in an effort to make it appear as if the other person was the problem; when in fact, there we're two people in the wrong, with one person deleting theirs and reporting the other.
• Admins are here to help people, not tell people what they can and cannot post, unless it's clearly out-of-hand. If a discussion is out of control then short and simple is all that's required. "This topic is out of control and it needs to be closed. Thank you for your understanding." That's it, it doesn't need to be long drawn out, finger-pointing etc., TOS pasting etc. Keep is simple, nice and to the point.
• Do not for the love of the Gods go into forum topics and continually announce to people that you are an admin, not only is that incredibly annoying but it will appear that the admin thinks they are above other people or they're on some type of weird power trip. Bottom line to always remember, we're all members, we all screw up sometimes and no one is above anyone else.

• Never jump on another member for an issue report unless you are given a screen shot of the activity; sometimes people can and will make stuff up just to get someone they dislike in trouble. DO NOT do anything unless you have seen proof of the issue with your own eyes and even then research it, I've seen my fair share of cut-off screen caps which, show the accused information without the accusers information.
• Always remember there are two-sides to every story, I cannot stress that enough; IF you have to contact an alternate party regarding an issue then always remember they could have been just as harassed/bugged and/or baited etc. as the reporter is purporting they have done.
• One of the main functions of admins is in all honesty approving new members and looking over the pending profiles to assure it's not problematic (age/content etc). And also welcoming them to the site.

Ok now onto basic site rules :)

Most of you are probably already aware of most of this because it's pretty standard stuff :) But for the sake of the upcoming changes and to ease the members mind I'm going to post it here publicly :)

Basic Rules of the Site

• No nudity or pornographic content:

This site is public which means it's accessible to everyone, even minors. We have a no nudity or pornographic content rule (applies to both text, external links and imagery)  which is even posted in the areas where you upload photos. General rule, if they're covered it's ok - if you can see through it, it's uncovered or depicts any type of sexual acts, it's not ok. I know there are many artistic paintings out there depicting nudity so here is the legal terminology to add to this, let me note, even if you feel your nude photographs are artwork that does not negate that it is still nude photos; this goes for Photoshopped nude photos as well.

• A.. The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find, taken as a whole and with respect to minors, appeals to a prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion.
• B. The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find depicts, describes, or represents, in a patently offensive way with respect to what is suitable for minors, ultimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated; sadomasochistic sexual acts or abuse; or lewd exhibitions of the genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or post-pubertal female breast, and
• C. A reasonable person would find, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, hietorical, artistic, political, or scientific value.

The best rule here, if you are in question is to ask before you post it :)

• Photos:

We pay for the space we use, with that being said it's important that you size down your images before uploading them. Anything over 150k is too large and unacceptable.  Be aware that we're not funded like Facebook, so be respectful of the space you use here.

• Videos:

The same content guidelines apply to videos. Also there is to be no video uploads (it's pasted all over the place) - if you want to share a video in the video section then use the embed function for Youtube etc.

• Profanity - Insults:

No excessive profanity or insults. This is not meant that people can't drop a bad word here and there or get annoyed with someone, we all do it sometimes but if you're main focus here is to insult or use profane language then you may fare better on another site. I have no issues with people getting into arguments (within reason) or debates and I do realize they can get heated at times but if you cannot police your own behavior and realize when it's on the verge of going too far then you could find yourself removed.

• Racism, Bigotry or hatred etc:
  

Any content that is patently offensive and promotes racism, bigotry, hatred or physical harm of any kind against any group or individual is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate banning.

• Copyrighted Content:

Content that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights of any party, or Content that you do not have a right to make available under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships.

• Button Pushers and Bait Throwers:

As with any website you will have some that like to stir it up, stirring it up is not against the rules (as long as it's not trolling), with that being said keep in mind that you choose your interactions here. If you find someone to be in your opinion a complete arse to deal with then don't respond to them. If you reference them in your postings/responses then do not whine or complain when they respond as you have invited them into discourse. In other words, if you really don't want to deal with them then do not engage them; if you do engage them (either passive aggressively or directly) then don't report them for being problematic; as you will be seen as being just as problematic by engaging it and keeping it going.

• Trolling:

Sometimes trolling can fall under the previous paragraph, every site has their fair share of these types. One distinction to note is that disagreeing, even strongly disagreeing is not trolling. Trolling occurs when someone has no other point aside from causing as much discord as possible without any real discourse. There are some here who walk a fine line from time-to-time but anytime we have noted actual trolling it has been handled immediately.

Basic definition: a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

• Blogs:

Maximum of 5 blog posts per day and the same content guidelines apply to blogs.

• Advertising in the forums:

If you have something to sell or you're trying to get traffic to your site or podcast etc. then utilize your blog, your personal profile page or advertise with us. Podcasters need to use the Podcasters of PaganSpace group which is advertised on the right hand column to place up your podcast schedules for free. The forums, personal messages (mass messaging etc.) members page comments area and groups (unless it's a group specifically for this) is off-limits to advertising. Our advertisers help pay for this site and it's unfair to them when people try to get sales and traffic for free when they're (paid advertisers) helping to pay to keep this site going.

• Police your own behavior:

As a general rule, you should just police your own behavior and know when to back away from situations that may cause issues with breaking the rules of the site. I fully understand that people get annoyed with each other but as adults we should be able to walk away or just focus on things we find interesting or enjoyable on the site verses battling it out for the sake of battling (which is really annoying to read might I add...lol)

• 18 and up

All members are 18 and up on this site, if you find a member who is underage then please report the profile to us.

• Forums

If you start a forum topic, stay on top of it. If it's getting out of control and you can't reel it back in then do the responsible thing and close it so, it's not a free-for-all argument sitting on the front page of the site. If the topic is reported or we happen to notice it and it's obviously escalated into nothing more than pages of an ugly argument then the topic will be closed. If we close a topic and it's re-opened by the OP without admin approval, the OP will be banned from the site.

Forums posted to call out members is forbidden. If you have an issue with a member then either report it or work it out amongst yourselves.

Other websites: If you dislike another site, that's fine but do not use this site as a personal smear campaign against another website.

People disagreeing: If you only want information from people who may understand you or agree with you then use your blog; as you can moderate the responses. The forums are open to all members which means you will receive arguments both for and against your topic.

• Banning Members

Believe it or not, banning members is the last resort unless someone has joined the site and is instantly noted as a troll or spammer. If it's a random incident then we choose to try and work out issues rather than banning people. But sometimes banning is necessary and if it's necessary then it will take place.

• Personal Information:

If you share someone's personal information on this site and we find out about it you will be removed. This is not dramaspace and your personal interactions/issues (unless it's breaking the rules of this site) with people are none of our business and sharing of members personal information is strictly forbidden.

• Reporting an Issue

If you need to report an issue then please keep it short and to the point. If you're reporting another member then please keep it to the facts as we do not need to read your long drawn out opinion of the person, we just need to read the facts of the issue.

• If someone is bothering you on your personal page

If you feel as though someone is annoying you or you just don't want them posting to your comments, then there's an easy solution. If they are on your friends list go to their page on the left hand column you will see the link to remove them from your friends list. In that same area you will see a Block link, click that and they will no longer be able to message you. If you don't want them commenting on your page/blogs etc then go to the settings link (top right column of all pages) > Privacy and set your comment areas to friends only here's the direct link to your privacy settings.

• I don't like so and so

If you don't like someone then apply the everyday logic we use in regular life and don't talk to them. With having so many members there will of course, be personality clashes. So, with that being said everyone doesn't have to like everyone else and if you find yourself focusing primarily on the people you dislike or constantly injecting yourself into interacting with them then that will be by your own choice, as this site has a lot of things going on all over the site all the time. Bottom line, you choose your experience here, it can be great or it can be stinky (I love that word...lol) the key word is choice.

And breathe ...lol I'll update this more as time goes on but this is pretty much the basics. Bottom line have fun that's what the site is here for :)

Hugs!

Starr