Site Rules (updated 10/25)

[Ms Dynomite]

update 10/26/08: had forgotten to ad the 18+ rule. update 10/25/08: reverted to previous nudity rules, added correspondence rule

see also: Forum Etiquette and About This Site: Ask Your Admin

Following are the 8 simple rules of this site. These may be changed or added to at any time.

1. No members under 18 years of age.
2. No Advertising In The Forums.
   • what you can NOT do
   • what you CAN do to promote
3. No Autoplay On Profiles.
4. NO UNDERAGE NUDITY, INCLUDING "CUTE" IMAGES OF CHILDREN.
5. NUDITY, ART & HEALTH, NOT PORN.
   • examples of acceptable content
   • examples of UNacceptable content
   • When in doubt go by this guideline
6. No Erotic Or Pornographic Content.
7. No Trolling, No Abuse.
8. Don't post private correspondence

Important things to consider

1) No members under 18 years of age.

This has always been a site for people of adult age (over 18). This was never specified because I felt it was clear. However, we have now specified this in the rules to protect members and admins against legal complications, and because it is REQUIRED by Ning's TOUs if members wish to have any adult-level discussions or include ANY nudity of any kind. The splash page on the site restricts members to 18 and older. Violation of this violates Ning's TOUs, which puts the WHOLE SITE at risk.

For this reason we cannot accept any members under 18 years of age and need to remove any members who are. If members have invited friends under 18, those invitations should be canceled. Those individuals under 18 years of age are welcome to come back and join when they reach 18. :)
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2) NO ADVERTISING IN THE FORUMS.

This is a spam-free site. The purpose is interaction and connection, not advertising. If you have a business, performance group, or organization please operate on the principle of attraction not promotion here.

You're welcome to post links to people, sites and events you want to recommend. However, no self promotion in the forums. This site offers many alternate ways to share information about your item or event. Below is a list of prohibited and acceptable ways to advertise. Violators will be given a warning. Repeated violations will result in banning from this site.

you can NOT do the following:

1. Begin a forum thread for self-promotion:
   • threads plugging your business, sale, event, band, party, fundraiser, etc. are considered spam.
   • Examples:
     • "I just set up a store at ____"
     • "my band is playing on____"
     • "how do I sell this?"
     • "I'm having a yard sale"
     • "come to my fundraiser for ____"
     • "learn how [deity of choice] can save you"
2. Interject an off-topic post for self-promotion:
   • peppering forum threads with posts about your item or event, particularly when unrelated to the topic is considered spam.
3. Make forced gestures of self-promotion:
   • trying to fit info about your item or event into a thread that has NOT made a direct inquiry for such information is spam.

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You CAN do the following:

1. Use the new Events feature (see here for help)
2. Use your profile:
   • include your web site in your profile
   • use your profile text box to show links, images, etc. for your biz or event
3. Use your photos, videos and blog:
   • post photos of things you've made in your album
   • upload images of your flyers and invites to your album
   • create blog entries to announce your sale, event, etc.
   • NOTE: anytime you add an image, video or blog entry to your profile it will appear on the home page as recent activity.
4. Use the Group feature:
   • You can create a group for your biz, band, event, or organization. You can then use the forum within that Group to advertise your item or event. Interested members can join the group for news an updates, essentially opting in for such announcements.
5. Respond to a direct request:
   • This is the exception to forum area. While forced interjections for self-promotion are considered spam, it's fine to mention your item or event when a member makes a direct inquiry in a thread.
   • Examples:
     • a post aks "Are there any good shows this weekend?", you can reply with your band's gig
     • a post asks "Where can I find furry hats?", you can reply with your store link
     • a post states "I'd like to be more involved with charities", you can reply with info about your organization

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3) No Autoplay On Profiles.

No one likes to be unexpectedly bombarded with sound when visiting a page. Please do NOT set your music or video to autoplay on your profile or elsewhere. Instructions on turning off autoplay can be found here.
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4) NO UNDERAGE NUDITY, INCLUDING "CUTE" IMAGES OF CHILDREN.

We don't want to unintentionally make this site a resource for pedophiles by allowing photos of unclothed children. We also don't want any of the Admins or Network Creator to encounter legal complications, such as being accused of hosting child porn as a result of member's photos. For these reasons we ask that you please do NOT post any images of children with nudity, no matter how seemingly innocent, cute, or harmless.

This rule includes:

• pics of children in the bath, even your children
• pics of toddlers walking naked on the beach
• pics of children playing naked at home
• "Lolita" type pics of teenage girls/boys
• porn of any kind is prohibited, especially porn of seemingly underage girls/boys

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5) NUDITY, ART & HEALTH, NOT PORN.

To make this site a comfortable place for a wide variety of people, cut down on the creep factor, and prevent the site from turning into MySpace Hoochie-ville a distinction is drawn between nudity/health and pornography. This applies to all content: forum posts, group posts, blog posts, chat, comments, photos, videos, profiles. Wide berth will be given in this area, providing the content does not violate the restrictions noted below.

Content violating this rule will be removed and the member will be notified. Members with profile images (avatars) that violate this rule will be asked to remove the image. Repeated violations or refusal to comply can result in banning from this site.

We cannot make a black-and-white rule defining the difference between nudity that is categorized as health, naturalism, or art and nudity that is categorized as porn. As the old saying about porn goes: "you know it when you see it." Violations will be judged on a case-by-case basis, as that seems the most fair policy. However, the guidelines below give very clear specific examples that should eliminate any confusion for most instances.

Examples of acceptable content:

Images, videos, blog entries, or posts depicting nudity for naturalist or artistic purpose are welcome. Discussion of reproductive health or sexual issues is also welcome.
This includes:

• topless or pantsless images from festival events, not sexual or pornographic in nature [previous said "from events like Burning Man"]
• images from nudist gatherings devoid of sexual context
• paintings, illustration, sculpture and photography of nude forms
• fetish-styled images for fashion or artistic, not pornographic intention
• blog entries, group posts, or forum posts about birth control, menstruation, or infections
• blog entries, group posts, or forum posts about relationship issues regarding sexuality or sexual health

Examples of UNacceptable content:

Images displaying the following are categorized as porn, not art or health:

• sexual nudity
• oral sex
• hand jobs
• masturbation
• sexual intercourse
• sexual acts
• urinating or defecating fetish
• bestiality

*Please note that erotica and sexually explicit writings are also prohibited, as stated in the separate site rule.

When in doubt go by this guideline:

don't post it if it reads or looks like:

• something you'd obtain furtively from behind a "no one under 18 allowed" curtain
• something you'd keep handy in the bathroom or by the night stand
• something you'd be charged by the minute for

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6) No Erotic Or Pornographic Content.

Erotic content and pornography are not permitted on this site. This applies to all content: forum posts, groups, blogs, chat, comments, photos, videos, profiles. Please see rule #4 for more info regarding imagery. There are 3 reasons for this:
• to make this site a comfortable, work-safe and home-safe place for a wide variety of people
• to cut down on the creep factor and avoid attracting creepies who view such content as an invitation for harassing behavior
• to prevent the site from turning into MySpace Hoochie-ville.

Violators will be given a warning. Repeated violations will result in a banning from this site.

As Network Creator I have no moral issue with "adult" content, but unfortunately the limits of the Ning system do not allow such content to easily coexist with regular content on this site. I feel there is no shortage of sites available for people who wish to engage in erotic/pornographic topics. Therefore this site does not need to fulfill that interest.

If you publish literature or photography online that would be considered erotica you are welcome to link to that website in your profile. If you have created a network for erotica I'm happy to include a link to it on the home page Related Networks list.

If you have an interest in sexually explicit or pornographic images or discussions you are welcome to create your own network to allow you a proper venue for these interests. I'm happy to include a link to other networks members create on the home page Related Networks list. You can also try the Betcha Have Desires network, included in that list.
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7) No Trolling, No Abuse.

As mentioned in the Forum Etiquette personal attacks will not be tolerated. Trolling and troll-like behavior, abusive posts, harassment, stalking, or any similar actions are a violation of site rules. Violators will be given a warning. Repeated violations will result in a banning from this site.
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8) Don't post private correspondence

Members are not allowed to repost private messages or emails elsewhere on the site such as in forums, groups, blogs, chat, or comments. This is a basic rule of internet etiquette. It's not only common courtesy, but also helps prevent unnecessary drama or harassment of members.Violators will be given a warning. Repeated violations can result in a banning from this site.
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Important things to consider:

• This is a public site. All content can be viewed by anyone on the web. If you don't wish to share an image of yourself or others with the world on the web you may want to mark your image as "friends only".
• Images, videos and blog entries marked public appear may on the home page. If you don't wish to share this material with all members or the world on the web you may want to mark these items as "friends only".

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[VeryBadSanta]

Dyno -

Am curious to see how this will/won't work -- in practice. It's always nice to have the Rules, but the monitoring and enforcement can be VERY time consuming. Found that out a couple of years ago 'admin-ing' a few Yahoo Groups..LOL.

Luck to you on this NEW project.

Santa

[Ms Dynomite]

Santa,
agreed. :) fortunately on Ning (the host) I can give other members admin powers, so I hope to recruit some helpers at some point. Also I figured it was best to aim high in terms of expected behavior here, knowing it may not reach the mark. I've also found on other forums that having the rules/etiquette easily visible often results in members policing themselves. They'll post a link to the rules or copy/paste a section into a post if someone has misstepped.

I don't have time or interest in being a babysitter, so I'd like to set up something that is self-sustaining. Either by having members actively participating in moderation, or relying on members to private message me when there's a real problem. :) My thought here is that this site will be as good or bad as the members make it. If they want a civil, spam-free site then they'll step up and moderate themselves as well as help others. :)

[CliftonGK1]

My band is playing a fundraiser at a yardsale to raise money for my new store. Can I sell T-shirts here?



OK, this is really just a test post since I just set up my account.

[^Rhino!]

Rules will be followed as requested: Just curious, though, if BWB is doing something, can we create a BWB sub-forum so we can keep in touch when tribe goes down?

[Ms Dynomite]

Rhino said: "if BWB is doing something, can we create a BWB sub-forum so we can keep in touch when tribe goes down?"

totallly! please do! That would be the perfect use for a group. There's info on how to create one here: Creating and Using Groups
In addition, whenever you make a blog post or add a pic to your profile it will also appear on the home page as recent activity. That's an acceptable way to let members know about events too. :) I'll update the rules above to be more clear.

We can also add an events category to the forum if members need it. :)

[Swami]

don't post it if it reads or looks like:

something you'd obtain furtively from behind a "no one under 18 allowed" curtain
something you'd keep handy in the bathroom or by the night stand
something you'd be charged by the minute for

HAHAHAHAHAH

[Chrysanthe]

" For these reasons we ask that you please do NOT post any images of children with nudity, no matter how seemingly innocent, cute, or harmless.

This rule includes:

pics of children in the bath, even your children
pics of toddlers walking naked on the beach
pics of children playing naked at home
"Lolita" type pics of teenage girls/boys
porn of any kind is prohibited, especially porn of seemingly underage girls/boys"

Does this include posting examples of, for example, neo-classical or Renaissance artwork? Is "pic" meaning photography rather than antique naked cherubs or youthful nymphs and youths cavorting in the woods or with the goddess Venus etc?

[Ms Dynomite]

Chrysanthe,
The original intent of the statement was addressing photographs. However, you raise a good point and I will pose it to the admin group. :)

My intuition is that artwork of cherubs, fairies, or wood nymphs would not fall into the same category as child nudity -- providing there is no sexual context -- since it is representing fantastical beings. However, I'd like to get feedback from the admins on that. When it comes to artwork there may be a grey area that needs to be decided on a case by case basis, since some styles of art may be more suggestive (and therefore risky) than others.

[Chrysanthe]

You could use a "hundred years ago" rule? Not meaning that it always has to have been created 100 years ago, but that if the imagery was acceptable then, by stricter moral standards, that the average person in a Western culture would still find it acceptable today.

[Chrysanthe]

"7) No Trolling, No Abuse.

As mentioned in the Forum Etiquette personal attacks will not be tolerated. Trolling and troll-like behavior, abusive posts, harassment, stalking, or any similar actions are a violation of site rules. Violators will be given a warning. Repeated violations will result in a banning from this site."

How does hate speech or posting links to "hate sites" fit in. One clear example from Tribe is a member who was a mission against Islam and Muslims. His posts (to me) repeatedly went over the line is this regard. When is a slur word and "in-the-group" banter and when is a slur to hurt? Can we also make that distinction?

I would hope that those here are not into "hate" or promoting it but this is an open community anyone can join.

[Ms Dynomite]

Chrysanthe,
abuse, harassment, trolling, personal attacks have never been tolerated here. I believe hate speech is covered by those. However I've brought this up with the admins to see if they feel the language needs to be more specific. I had to post the updated (reverted) site rules very quickly once the splash/ad changes were made and very few admins were available at that time to allow further discussion first.

if you received posts in the past that violated that please let admins know so we can address the issue.

[Chrysanthe]

Oh yikes I had typos there. "who was a mission" should be "who was on a mission"

"When is a slur word and "in-the-group" banter" should be "When is a slur word an "in-the-group" banter"