Private Forum Usage Announcements

[O'Sullivan Bere]

The following are announcements by the Administration regarding the use of private forums.

1) Abandoned private forums

We have deleted two private forums due to lack of usage.

In the future, private forums that essentially become abandoned homes will be subject to deletion, donation or reorganisation. Just like elsewhere in life, clubs sometimes lose their vitality and purpose for a myriad of reasons. If it becomes clear that a private forum has clearly lost its vitality and nobody is going to really use it anymore, owners are advised to consider whether to reuse the forum for something new and productive rather than let them linger or notify the Administration that the forum should be rearranged for other purposes, closed, merged with other compatible private forums, donated to others for new purposes, etc.

This is basically an 'anti-blight' and 'anti-ghetto' rule for the forum. Abandoned forums waste space and constitute clutter and eyesores. Do not be concerned that your forum must be a membership and post count race with others to avoid falling under this policy. The question is whether your forum has actual vitality instead of being 'brain dead.'

2) Propriety of private forums

In the future, the Administration will judge the desirability of a proposed future forum and enact, if we allow it, any conditions upon it that we see fit to ensure that its purpose is productive. That means if it smells like more trouble than it is worth in creation or as proposed, we'll authorise or set the conditions for it to be created or operated.

Since 2003, the Administration staff has periodically witnessed certain private forums being created or over time developing into cliques that have a strong or primary purpose of being havens to talk gossip and smack about others on the main forum and/or about other private forums. This is a general statement and not targeted at any particular past or present forum and is a general observation meant for general application seeking a general remedy going forward. Private forums are intended solely for productive purposes such a special thematic discussion, friendly hangouts, etc.

What is being expressed here is a policy of preventing "Hatfields v. McCoys" private forums. Periodically, certain groups of posters might not get along with others for whatever reasons. Creating or morphing a private forum to create cliques and fuel such things is inappropriate. And the focus here is on preventing petty antics and petty playground conduct. As an example, a forum of liberals or conservatives is thematic and for thematic discussion has a proper purpose and is not designed for personal griping and sniping.

The Administration and moderators will also have the right to ensure that a private forum complies with these policies. If they believe lines are being crossed in a forum, then they are authorised to take whatever corrective actions they deem necessary.

Any questions or appeals regarding moderator actions in the private forum are to be sent to the Administration via PM only as the proper manner and venue for dispute resolution. Do not challenge or fight them in the private forum if they exercise their discretion. Discussing mod actions publicly in the main or private forums are subject to sanctions as part of the existing forum rules.

3) No private forum moderators will be allowed until further notice unless they are already forum moderators

The Administration has learnt that there are some system flaws that make having private forum moderators who are not already regular forum moderators inappropriate (hereinafter referred to as private forum moderator(s) "PFM(s)") unless and until such system conditions can be remedied. These unintended powers have been a source of problems where those who have interpersonal disputes and/or nosey or gossipy intentions abuse them for such purposes instead of and/or in addition to what their PFM status was given to them to properly do. We are currently working to see if these software issues can be remedied but for the meanwhile PFMs will not be permitted until further notice.

Private forum owners and/or their authorised representative(s) are advised, but it is their choice, to appoint a forum moderator who is a member of their private forum to handle moderation activities in their forum. If this path is not chosen, then the owner must notify the Administration for any moderation tasks they desire.

4) Spying and stool pigeoning within private forums

We have also been informed and/or discovered that way too many posters have been sharing information from private forums with others for disruptive and counterproductive purposes such as malignant gossip and fuelling interpersonal spats.

First, any and all instances of sharing accounts by allowing someone else to log in under their own account so they can see into forums they are not permitted will be deemed violation of the double account rule and all caught doing so will be permanently banned. That has long been prohibited by forum rules and we mean to enforce it, especially now. The forum staff can and will be doing account audits to ensure that each person's account remains their own.

Second, relaying private forum posts and information to others not members of the forum for the purpose of mean spirited gossip and fuelling interpersonal disputes and any other destructive petty antics will no longer be deemed simply matters for the private forums to address but a violation of forum rules itself. Very egregious cases of breaches of private forum protocols can even result in a permanent ban or any other sanction we deem fit.

In short, do not act as a private forum 'spy' and/or 'stool pigeon' in private forums for such things and do not solicit others to do it for you.

Private forum members are advised, however, to be realistic about human nature and the nature of the Internet. People are people, they talk, they make friends, they get into arguments, they are curious, they get upset, etc. Thus, if you really want to ensure that someone you don't want to learn something doesn't do so, then don't post whatever it is. If private forums want to create 'what is said here stays here' rules for themselves and desire very strict enforcement, then that is up to the private forums to enforce that.

However, if and when we detect flagrant spy and stool pigeon abuses for bad purposes where it really arises to a forum issue in our opinion, we reserve the right to address such people.

ADMINISTRATION

[littlefisherman]

i am still wondering why Can't i start my thread immediately?

[CYDdharta]

Originally Posted by littlefisherman

i am still wondering why Can't i start my thread immediately?

In order to try to control spam, we require member to be here for 30 days before they can start their own threads. It’s here in the forum rules;


Additions to the forum rules and board policies

Here are other forum rules you should be aware of;

http://www.uspoliticsonline.com/welc...must-read.html