Community Guidelines

Community Guidelines
Please Read Guidelines Before Registering 1. First and foremost, Sister Trek exists at the pleasure of InvisionFree Service. Since we are essentially “living here” free of charge, we will give them the courtesy of following their rules. Those rules can be found here in the “Terms of Service” and will be enforced. 2. SisterTrek is a community built on the concept of moderation in all moderation. We believe that some moderation is needed to cut out the spamming and trolling that is present elsewhere on the Internet. However, most moderation on this board comes from the members themselves. To that end we ask the following: Members will treat each other with respect and courtesy. Forcefully arguing an opinion is permitted (even expected in the “Politics Forum”), but always remember to discuss ideas and opinion and not people. If you feel that things have gotten too heated, take a break, step back and/or walk away. This is an Internet message board and is supposed to be fun. No one ever “wins” an argument on an Internet message board – the fun is in trying. There is a “Report this Post” icon with every post. If you think a rule has been violated, use it to notify the moderator. (Please note: The report function is currently inactive and will not be restored until the upgrade is completed by InvisionFree.) Don’t respond to the post. You can PM a moderator directly to let them know of your concern(s). If asked by a moderator to “dial it back”, “calm down” or something similar, do as you have been asked. It is relatively rare for that to happen here – if it does, we expect posters to respond to the request immediately. You do have the ability to edit your posts for spelling, grammar or incomplete thoughts. If you substantially change the content or ideas expressed in your post, please include the “Edited by…” line to let others know that you have done so. 3. SisterTrek is a community and as such tries to meet the needs of its members. If you have a suggestion, idea or concern, you can post it in the “Q, S & F Forum” or PM it directly to a moderator or administrator. Often proposed changes to the board are put up for a vote of the membership prior to implementation. Not every suggestion is used, but many have been. 4. SisterTrek does have a ranking system, but it is not highly promoted. As the Board becomes larger and more active, it may be determined that the system needs to be tweaked or adjusted. The administration reserves the right to make the final decision. 5. SisterTrek does have a warning system. a. Beginning DECEMBER 15, 2006 the board warning system will be active on SisterTrek. Revisions effective December 1, 2007. Additional revisions will be added so the date will be revised as well. b. Transition All contact via PM between posters and administrators and/or moderators about board business should be carried out in a respectful manner. If any poster and/or administrator and/or moderator is of the opinion that this is not occurring, they are free to copy the unacceptable PM to the entire staff. c. Community Guidelines The (updated) Community Guidelines are applicable to all forums at SisterTrek. d. Penalties Penalty List: 2 warnings = 48 hours off 3 warnings = 1 week off 4 warnings = 1 month off 5 warnings = BANNING* Banning, in this circumstance, refers to a step in a progressive penalty process for continued infractions. The Administration of SisterTrek reserves the right to ban any member for a single action if, in its opinion, the action is serious enough to cause concern. One possible example of such a serious infraction would be the clear stalking of another member. During a suspension period, it is not permitted for other posters to pass on messages from the suspended poster to the board. The poster who has been suspended will have had an opportunity to appeal his suspension prior to it being enacted. Any poster breaking this rule will receive a warning. e. Appeals Process All appeals will be conducted publicly in the ‘Appeal Thread’ which will be hosted in the “Questions, Suggestions and Feedback Forum”. Intrepid2002 and Franko have agreed to be moderators for the Appeals Forum. As such, they - together or separately - will hear all appeals. The appeals process will begin as soon as an appeal is filed in the Appeals Forum and one or both have seen it. Any communications about appeals sent to me will be forwarded by me to them. The process will be carried out according to guidelines posted in the Appeals Forum. I have given them the authoritiy to manage the process. Continuing to argue after a decision has been made will result in a warning. Arguing with a moderator or administrator instead of using the process outlined here will result in a warning. We recognize that people may not learn that they have received a warning immediately and therefore may be delayed in appealing the decision. However, only the latest warning given may be appealed and actions on any warning should be taken within 24 hours of the next time the poster visits the board. f. Moderators and Administrator The moderators of the "Ideas Trek" forums are in charge of their forums. Franko will not hear appeals of his own warnings. HistoryDude and I as administrators will fill in when the others are absent but otherwise will not be participating. g. FAQ'S: Can someone get multiple warnings in the same day? Yes, but not for the same post. Can Administrators and/or Moderators get warnings? When posting as a poster, Administrators and Moderators can get warnings. Any moderator/administrator (except Wichita) will automatically lose their position when they have 3 warnings. Is there a benefit for good behavior? Anyone – including moderators and administrators – who have not received a warning in 3 months, can ask to have one warning taken off of their record. After another 3 months without a warning, they can ask to have another warning removed. What about Wichita? If Wichita, receives a time-off penalty, she will serve it just as any other poster would. She does not plan on getting banned, however. What about the Queue? The queue will no longer be used as it has been up till now. If the moderator of one forum is not online and a poster is “out of control” in that forum, any moderator can request the poster be placed in a queue and any administrator on their own can do so. The time in the queue will last until the forum moderator returns and can handle the situation or for 24 hours. If not resolved by then, the administrators will release the person from the queue and take appropriate action. 6. Dual accounts are not permitted and, if brought to the attention of moderators and/or administrators, will be deleted without notice. 7. SisterTrek moderators and administrators do actively participate in discussions as normal members of this community. While acting in the capacity of a community member they are to be and expect to be treated as any other community member would be treated. But when they are acting in the capacity of moderator or administrator in their respected forums they must be listened to without hesitation. Failure to follow their instruction will only worsens the seriousness of the misconduct. The appeals process is outlined here.The moderator or administrator will make it perfectly clear when they are switching form the community member role to the staff member role. 8. Signatures may not be any larger then 500pix x 80pix. Members who violate this rule will first be warned to fix their Signatures and if they fail to follow that instruction their signature will be removed by administration. 9. Web advertising may be done in the “Websites” forum and in a members Signature. All advertised websites must conform to the InvisionFree TOS as well as these SisterTrek Community Guidelines. For further advertising guidelines click here. 10. SisterTrek is an evolving community and, as such, guidelines will be constantly changing and adjusting. This list will also be evaluated and adjusted periodically as the need arises. 11. Any accusations of flaming and baiting that appear on the board will result in the entire post being deleted, despite any on topic comments that may also appear in the post. This will be done without warning and any on topic comments that also appear in the post will be lost. You may read more about this rule here. 12. SisterTrek's policy on handling posted photos: a. Administrators (currently Wichita and HistoryDude) have the right to delete pictures they see as objectionable. b. They will keep links to those pictures pending an appeal and/or review by all Administrators. c. Except in extreme circumstances, Administrators will first ask the poster in question to remove the pictures themselves. If the poster refuses or, if the opinion of the Administrator, a significant time period has lapsed without the pictures being removed, they can delete the photos themselves. d. The poster has 2 days in which to request, via PM, an appeal. If the poster fails to request the appeal, the links can be deleted and no other appeal can be made. e. If the poster loses the appeal, then the links can be deleted and no other appeal will be heard. f. If the poster wins the appeal, the pictures in question will be reposted. The decision will only cover the specific pictures in question. g. The Administrators have the right to approve some pictures, but deny others, when multiple pictures have been posted by the same poster. h. The decision of the Administrators is final. Register *

Please Read Guidelines Before Registering

1. First and foremost, Sister Trek exists at the pleasure of InvisionFree Service. Since we are essentially “living here” free of charge, we will give them the courtesy of following their rules. Those rules can be found here in the “Terms of Service” and will be enforced.

2. SisterTrek is a community built on the concept of moderation in all moderation. We believe that some moderation is needed to cut out the spamming and trolling that is present elsewhere on the Internet. However, most moderation on this board comes from the members themselves.

To that end we ask the following:

Members will treat each other with respect and courtesy. Forcefully arguing an opinion is permitted (even expected in the “Politics Forum”), but always remember to discuss ideas and opinion and not people.
If you feel that things have gotten too heated, take a break, step back and/or walk away. This is an Internet message board and is supposed to be fun. No one ever “wins” an argument on an Internet message board – the fun is in trying.
There is a “Report this Post” icon with every post. If you think a rule has been violated, use it to notify the moderator. (Please note: The report function is currently inactive and will not be restored until the upgrade is completed by InvisionFree.) Don’t respond to the post. You can PM a moderator directly to let them know of your concern(s).
If asked by a moderator to “dial it back”, “calm down” or something similar, do as you have been asked. It is relatively rare for that to happen here – if it does, we expect posters to respond to the request immediately.
You do have the ability to edit your posts for spelling, grammar or incomplete thoughts. If you substantially change the content or ideas expressed in your post, please include the “Edited by…” line to let others know that you have done so.

3. SisterTrek is a community and as such tries to meet the needs of its members. If you have a suggestion, idea or concern, you can post it in the “Q, S & F Forum” or PM it directly to a moderator or administrator. Often proposed changes to the board are put up for a vote of the membership prior to implementation. Not every suggestion is used, but many have been.

4. SisterTrek does have a ranking system, but it is not highly promoted. As the Board becomes larger and more active, it may be determined that the system needs to be tweaked or adjusted. The administration reserves the right to make the final decision.

5. SisterTrek does have a warning system.

a. Beginning DECEMBER 15, 2006 the board warning system will be active on SisterTrek.

Revisions effective December 1, 2007. Additional revisions will be added so the date will be revised as well.

b. Transition

All contact via PM between posters and administrators and/or moderators about board business should be carried out in a respectful manner. If any poster and/or administrator and/or moderator is of the opinion that this is not occurring, they are free to copy the unacceptable PM to the entire staff.

c. Community Guidelines

The (updated) Community Guidelines are applicable to all forums at SisterTrek.

d. Penalties

Penalty List:

2 warnings = 48 hours off
3 warnings = 1 week off
4 warnings = 1 month off
5 warnings = BANNING*

*Banning, in this circumstance, refers to a step in a progressive penalty process for continued infractions. The Administration of SisterTrek reserves the right to ban any member for a single action if, in its opinion, the action is serious enough to cause concern. One possible example of such a serious infraction would be the clear stalking of another member.

During a suspension period, it is not permitted for other posters to pass on messages from the suspended poster to the board. The poster who has been suspended will have had an opportunity to appeal his suspension prior to it being enacted. Any poster breaking this rule will receive a warning.

e. Appeals Process

All appeals will be conducted publicly in the ‘Appeal Thread’ which will be hosted in the “Questions, Suggestions and Feedback Forum”.

Intrepid2002 and Franko have agreed to be moderators for the Appeals Forum. As such, they - together or separately - will hear all appeals. The appeals process will begin as soon as an appeal is filed in the Appeals Forum and one or both have seen it. Any communications about appeals sent to me will be forwarded by me to them.

The process will be carried out according to guidelines posted in the Appeals Forum. I have given them the authoritiy to manage the process.

Continuing to argue after a decision has been made will result in a warning. Arguing with a moderator or administrator instead of using the process outlined here will result in a warning.

We recognize that people may not learn that they have received a warning immediately and therefore may be delayed in appealing the decision. However, only the latest warning given may be appealed and actions on any warning should be taken within 24 hours of the next time the poster visits the board.

f. Moderators and Administrator

The moderators of the "Ideas Trek" forums are in charge of their forums. Franko will not hear appeals of his own warnings. HistoryDude and I as administrators will fill in when the others are absent but otherwise will not be participating.

g. FAQ'S:

**Can someone get multiple warnings in the same day?

Yes, but not for the same post.

**Can Administrators and/or Moderators get warnings?

When posting as a poster, Administrators and Moderators can get warnings.

Any moderator/administrator (except Wichita) will automatically lose their position when they have 3 warnings.

**Is there a benefit for good behavior?

Anyone – including moderators and administrators – who have not received a warning in 3 months, can ask to have one warning taken off of their record. After another 3 months without a warning, they can ask to have another warning removed.

**What about Wichita?

If Wichita, receives a time-off penalty, she will serve it just as any other poster would. She does not plan on getting banned, however.

**What about the Queue?

The queue will no longer be used as it has been up till now.

If the moderator of one forum is not online and a poster is “out of control” in that forum, any moderator can request the poster be placed in a queue and any administrator on their own can do so. The time in the queue will last until the forum moderator returns and can handle the situation or for 24 hours. If not resolved by then, the administrators will release the person from the queue and take appropriate action.

6. Dual accounts are not permitted and, if brought to the attention of moderators and/or administrators, will be deleted without notice.

7. SisterTrek moderators and administrators do actively participate in discussions as normal members of this community. While acting in the capacity of a community member they are to be and expect to be treated as any other community member would be treated.

But when they are acting in the capacity of moderator or administrator in their respected forums they must be listened to without hesitation. Failure to follow their instruction will only worsens the seriousness of the misconduct. The appeals process is outlined here.The moderator or administrator will make it perfectly clear when they are switching form the community member role to the staff member role.

8. Signatures may not be any larger then 500pix x 80pix. Members who violate this rule will first be warned to fix their Signatures and if they fail to follow that instruction their signature will be removed by administration.

9. Web advertising may be done in the “Websites” forum and in a members Signature. All advertised websites must conform to the InvisionFree TOS as well as these SisterTrek Community Guidelines. For further advertising guidelines click here.

10. SisterTrek is an evolving community and, as such, guidelines will be constantly changing and adjusting. This list will also be evaluated and adjusted periodically as the need arises.

11. Any accusations of flaming and baiting that appear on the board will result in the entire post being deleted, despite any on topic comments that may also appear in the post. This will be done without warning and any on topic comments that also appear in the post will be lost. You may read more about this rule here.

12. SisterTrek's policy on handling posted photos:

a. Administrators (currently Wichita and HistoryDude) have the right to delete pictures they see as objectionable.

b. They will keep links to those pictures pending an appeal and/or review by all Administrators.

c. Except in extreme circumstances, Administrators will first ask the poster in question to remove the pictures themselves. If the poster refuses or, if the opinion of the Administrator, a significant time period has lapsed without the pictures being removed, they can delete the photos themselves.

d. The poster has 2 days in which to request, via PM, an appeal. If the poster fails to request the appeal, the links can be deleted and no other appeal can be made.

e. If the poster loses the appeal, then the links can be deleted and no other appeal will be heard.

f. If the poster wins the appeal, the pictures in question will be reposted. The decision will only cover the specific pictures in question.

g. The Administrators have the right to approve some pictures, but deny others, when multiple pictures have been posted by the same poster.

h. The decision of the Administrators is final.

*** Register ***