NOW OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY. VISIT US ANY TIME!



Members Clubs and Affiliates Topics
Political Forum Chat Room Source Library

[link] Current List of DAPF Ambassadors

~abacusmage, *AzureSquire, ~Butchers, ~CrimsonTigress, ~crazygracy, ~deviants4darfur, ~dragula, =DxButterfly, ~elderoftimes, =emmejay-fwz, ~Fragrance-Of-Desire,~FrederickNeeds, *franzlobo, *Gibah, `gussiejives, ~guz0, ~idiottv, ~iraqiguy, *Juanele, =lokisb, =Nour-K, ~savvychic, ~Sleepless-grl, *SwordOfScotland, ~Ulogilv, =Yinikonjo

Have the DA Forums Gone Up in Flames?


Why is it that people will write things on a DA Forum that they would never even consider saying to someone else face to face? Does the relative anonymity of the net loosen up our social inhibitions? Or is it the fact that they know they aren't likely to get a punch on the nose for being so rude? Or do we all suddenly think we become experts once we sit down and start to type? (Hmmm... don't think I'll answer that last question!)

On most of the DA Forums that I visit, it is often possible to tell the content and quality of the post before even reading it, just by looking at the name of the poster. Some posters are always on topic and informative, some have their good and bad days, and others post mostly rubbish. Anybody who's spent a few months on some of the DA Forums knows what and who I am talking about. (I'll leave it up to the readers of the DA Forum to classify these posters as good, bad or indifferent as they see fit!)

Personally, I don't post on DA Forums all that often these days - I am too busy most of the time working on the DA Political Forum Club, the DA Religious Forum Club, and the newest formed DA Complaints Forum Club. I generally don't post unless I have something I think I can add to the thread, whether it is some humour, insight or a link to an article that I think might add some value. Whether I succeed or not is another matter!

But, I feel these days that there should be a written "Rules of Engagement", if you will, that could be universally be applied. There has to be an intellectually applied "Code of Conduct" so that Forums are not dominated by a select few, and turned into "Dens of Vipers" that inject their venom like snipers hidden amongst the shadows of the rocks the instant you turn your back.

I am, also, aware that the Forums are saturated with children, minors if you will, that are just coming out and feeling their prowess. Like puppies just opening their eyes, they must be taught, by example of adults, that there are proper and acceptable rules of engagement, and there are those that are not. I am offering my opinion on the proper Rules of Engagement.

DA Political Forum Club Suggested Posting Guidelines

Article I. Things to do.

[] A. Before you post a new thread read the titles of all the other threads.

Posting multiple threads in the Forum with the same subject matter is a waste of thread space. If there already is a thread open about your topic, post a comment inside that thread and explain your position. The Forum does this for a reason, to limit the number of threads of the same topic. Before you start a thread, make SURE there isn't another thread of the same topic. When you find one, post what ever you need to say regarding the topic in that first forum post.
It doesn’t look good if there are three threads in a row talking about how the constitution should be changed. Yes, it’s a big issue, but not big enough to form three threads. Remember: It is always better to post in an existing thread than start a new one. A Forum Moderator can close your thread if it is an unnecesary duplicate thread .
Please wait at least 12 hours before bumping your own thread. Bumping is the practice of bringing your thread back to the top of the forum posts by intentionally commenting after your thread has been pushed off the Message Board by other, more active posts.
Views and opinions expressed on the forum are of the respective authors and are not necessarily those of deviantART, the Administrators, or any of the employees of deviantART.
Give your topic a good title! This is often overlooked, and "WTF?" gives no clue as to what your topic will be about. Do not post with misleading, or profane titles.

[] B. "Necroed-Topics"

Necroed Topics (dead topics) are those topics that are so old, and buried that they should never be exhumed! Check the dates of the thread before you post on it. They are dead for a reason. Do not post on threads that are over 180 days old. Never dig up a thread that is 1-4 years old and comment on it. Be original and start a new thread with your own ideas about the subject. Again, the Necroed Thread will be closed by a Forum Moderator.

[] C. Do Check the Forum stickies.

If there are Forum Stickies, they are there for a reason. Mainly a forum sticky provides information that will be a benefit to the community. That is why they are already first in the Forums, so you can read them before you start another thread on that same topic!

Mostly the topics in the forum stickies are topics most members think about. For example, rather than having over five threads talking about how to do the Tomahawk shot, Uchocobo has provided a very clear flash program that give great explanation to the special shots. Since this will be very useful to the albatross community, the Mn@ has made it into a sticky forum. Enjoy it!

[]D. "Dead Horse" Forum Topics.

"Dead Horse" Forum Topic are those topics that are posted over, and over, and over again in the Forum. You may be in the Forum for the first time, and the subject may be new to you, but don't expect an in depth answer from regulars who have answered the same question 100 times already. Before you post your first Forum Topic, if you have any doubts, Note the DA Political Forum Club *DAPoliticalForum and I will be glad to coach you.


[] E. Do check to make sure you are in the right Forum.

Read the description on each Forum before you start posting. If you want to post a general fact, or a story, or a petition, leave it in your journal. Do not post about music, movies, insensitive boyfriends, or that you are misunderstood in the Political Forum. You don’t want to do that, or else they may laugh at you, and tell you to post it elsewhere.



[] F. Orignal Poster's should try to keep their Original Post as brief as possible.

Provide whatever substantive links necessary to other documentation, then make your point as quick as you can. The Original Poster MUST present their OP in a debatable format, preferably with a leading question at the end. Typing 3-10 full-length paragraphs is called a "Text Wall", and no one will read a document that big. Be brief, and do not be boringly long.
The subject and initial content of a new thread should be for the general audience of this forum, and any member shall be allowed to comment to any poster, within the guidelines.
OP's should limit worthless or low content replies.


[] G. DO read the Original Post (OP) and any substantive links completely.

Before you make comments in the Forums make sure you have read completely, and fully understand the substantive links before you post. That way you'll have a good idea about what the main issues are and it will also give you ideas about what to talk about.
Before you post your comment:
Preview and edit your comment. Once you post your comment you can no longer correct the spelling, add, or delete anything.
Use the reply button when you are responding to an indidvidual. If you do not use the reply button, that individual may never know you commented to him/her.


[] H. Do take the time to get to know the Forum

Lurk for a while before you post. Get to know the people and the accepted standards in the forum you are in before you make a comment, but do not be afraid to make a comment. Every forum is different.

It can be a bit embarrassing being the first person to speak up, but it's up to you to get the conversation started. Remember, your comments will stay on the website, so that other people can view and comment on them later, so even if there's no-one else commenting, it's worth posting a comment.


[] I. Keep to the subject.

If you want to talk about general issues with other Deviants, arrange to meet them in the DA Political Forum Chatroom [link] after you've finished with the Forum, which is your space to talk about what you want to. Here, we're gathering your opinions about specific thread topics, and if you want those opinions to be respected and listened to, you need to keep the thread posts clear and on-topic.


[] J. Be constructive.

While we're interested in your honest opinions, we don't just want to hear a long list of Flaming Complaints personally directed toward the OP, or any of the other Forum Deviants. Take time to say what you think is good, or make suggestions for ways to make things better.


[] K. Do know some English, but don't worry about being an English Major.

:bulletble: If we don’t understand what you are saying, try to find a way to make us understand what you are saying. I know you may be from another country, (or just a teenager) and you like to hang around English speaking players. However, it’s also proper etiquette to let others know what you are saying without the hardship of trying to understand you. If you are from another country and you use the letter ‘U’ for the word ‘You’ that is understandable. However, long lines that seem like random words jumble up together doesn’t help us give you an answer to that you are looking for. Help us to help you.
This goes to all the well English speaking people. There will be members coming into the forums that will not be able to understand much about our language. So it’s our job to try to understand what they are trying to say to us. One way I like to do, is try to re-write the original post to what I think they are trying to say. Hopefully it won’t come to that. But never under any circumstance, we should flame another person with “Learn how to type good grammar!” and then throw English rules at this person, poor guy doesn’t know what is going on.

[] L. Dealing with the n00bs.

There will be, also, a time where a n00b guest will break a rule in the forums. We can’t assume he did it intentionally or by accident. But still we can’t go on blaming everything on our guest. We just let him know as best as we can, that he has broken a rule, and will receive a warning. Be gentle with the n00bs. Give them time to develop.
Please also note: The number of posts made by any given forum member bears no direct relation to the experience of that member.

Article II. Things you don't do:

[] A. DON'T post comments that insult or profane people or organisations,

Posts or comments that use offensive/abusive language or hate-speech of any sort are not acceptable.
Don't post comments that are racist, sexist, homphobic or discriminatory against any person, religious beliefs, or group of people.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. If you do, your comments may be removed, you may be Banned, and, in extreme cases, the Forum Thread may be closed, ending the discussion. So please, keep it polite, however angry you may be about an issue.
Personal attacks are not allowed. Any direct and specifically organized, malicious wording intended to disparage a person (including, but not limited to: personal qualities, beliefs, points-of-view, and political ideology) is prohibited. Personal attacks are clearly intended to smear, insult, or disparage.
All statements that begin with "you" are not attacks, although this is a yellow flag. However, if someone says "you frequently make negative comments about <insert group name>," that would be allowed if it accurately characterizes that person's posting style. However, if someone types "you are a liar" or "you always lie," then that post has crossed the line into personal attack because the comment asserts a negative personal characteristic.
Posting for the sake of provoking anger is discouraged. Continued posts of this type are considered trolls or flames, and the poster will lose posting privileges (gag or ban).
I would recommend a language filter to the DA Administration. Messages containing 'workarounds' of the words would not be allowed by this language filter, other words that are considered vulgar, or 'workarounds' of these other words would be edited or deleted.





[] B. Do not "stalk" another member.

Do not follow someone into another thread and try to continue a disagreement that began elsewhere (either in time or in space).
Do not follow someone to their personal page and leave a derogatory comment, or try to continue an argument.
Do not send profane Notes to someone you had an arument with in a forum thread.

[] C. Do not disparage an individual.

Do not profane a third party to someone in a thread where that person is not participating.
Do not start a new discussion thread with the purpose of picking a fight with another member.
Do not use your signature line to draw negative attention to another member or Moderator of the Forum.
You don't have to be robots when posting. You are free to throw a little bit of personality or emotion into your posts if you wish, but be careful about going overboard.


[] D. DO NOT give out any contact details, including your own.

Do not give anyone's name, phone number, email, home or school address. We don't want you sent inappropriate mail or approached by people you don't know.
Respect Forum members right to privacy. Participants may not post information that violates the privacy rights of another member. Do not openly speculate that a new member ID is a re-incarnation of a previous or existing member . Should a new member ID openly and freely volunteer that they are an older or existing member, then this rule no longer comes to bear in regards to that new member ID only. There is more advice about personal details in the FAQ's.


[] E. Respect Copyright.

Do not copy and post entire copyrighted articles. If you wish to reference an article, provide a brief excerpt and include a link to the original source. Generally, excerpts should not exceed two or three paragraphs. This rule also applies to images in signature lines. Be aware, using someone else's artwork, even if you link to the author/artist is copyright infringement if you do not have expressed, written permission from the author/artist to use it in that specific application. Get written permission first before you use anyone's works!

[] F. Do not attack Moderators.

Show Forum Moderators Respect. Members may not publicly attack a Moderator or intentionally undermine a Moderator's actions. It is okay for a member to publicly ask a Moderator why an admonishment was issued. It is okay for a member to disagree with a Moderator. It is not okay for a member to harass, bait, or slander a Moderator.

If a member wishes to challenge a Moderator's action that involves the member, this challenge must be raised in private, not public. Do not post disapproval of a Moderator's actions on their personal Front Page, or in their personal Journal!
Do not remark or complain about a locked or deleted thread by creating a new thread, and do not attack a Moderator in this new thread for locking your other thread.

[] G. Do not post disruptive text.

Spam is prohibited. Spam is defined as posting identical or similar material repeatedly in one, or more, threads. Even if the posted material in question is on topic, do not repetitively post it en-masse.
Do not post a thread, or comment, with a personal, or commercial advertisement meant to advertise a product for profit.
Do not post pyramid or recruiting schemes.
Do not post a thread with "I need you guys to help me with my homework!"
Do not post a thread with Petitions, or Causes" for people to sign.
Do not post a thread with links back to your own artwork, or Front Page. You must not use forum threads to promote personal pageviews.
Posting links or images of pornographic material is not allowed.
Do not post to obtain something illegal (ROM hacks, warez, licenses, etc)
Do not post just to discuss avatars or signatures.
Do not post in all CAPS, use excessive punctuation marks, or unnecessary symbols.
No posting of malicious links: Links that can damage or harm the computer of others, or links to websites that are designed to annoy people are not allowed. No posting of programs for any malicious activity: Asking or sharing of the mentioned is not allowed here.
No pity posts. The forum is a place where we want to relax, and discuss politics. This is not a place to get a therapy!



[link] FAQ #263

[] H. Do not let your debates turn into personal arguments.

If someone else in the Forum is being offensive or aggressive toward you, you don't have to put up with it; on the other hand, if a thread turns into two people's personal argument, it doesn't make for good debate. We suggest you attempt to defuse the situation by :

remaining calm,
telling the person in a non-confrontational manner that they are upsetting you, eg. by posting "I'm sure you don't mean to, but what you are saying is actually really upsetting me", and
explaining why what they said was upsetting if they ask you.
If this fails, and the person continues to be offensive or continues to post offensively when you have asked them to stop, please alert the Forum Moderator (Click on CHAT at the top of the page, then find and click on #MNAdmin and an official DA Administrator will view the thread post and decide where to take it from there.) A DA ADmin shall be the sole arbitrator of what does and what does not violate community standards.

WORDS OF ADVICE

These are only the suggested recommendations by the DA Political Forum Club for posting.
The deviantART policy you agreed to, the regulations in the FAQ's, and the instructions of the Admins and Forum Moderator supercede all of the suggested recommendations. While these rules cover most common situations, they cannot anticipate everything. Consequently the DA Administration reserves the only right to take any actions deemed appropriate to ensure these forums are not disrupted or abused in any way.

Good luck, and good debating!


Founder, Administrator, Author.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------



---------------------------------------------------------------------------

DISCLAIMER:
Any opinions posted on the Political Forum's threads by any Officials of this page are not the opinions of the DA Political Forum Club itself, of Deviant Art, or any employers or employees

*SwordOfScotland Founder, Administrator
I endorse the above disclaimer because I am not immune to saying something stupid that I will regret 2 seconds later.

~Kasenji Stenographer, Moderator
=RaNdOm-HeRo58 Event Director, Moderator
=spcefrk Curator of Political Sources
~Spctrghst Legal Advisor
*Agent-Sarah Assistant Stenographer