Posting Guidelines Draft

Not allowed
Profanity will not be tolerated . (this includes masking letters to circumvent the software) If you want to say “I had a (You know, that place down below) of a day.” the software will probably not allow it. Because it can be construed as another 4 letter word, try “heck”.
Content is to be "acceptable" – as determined by these guidelines. An unacceptable post or thread may result in a member reporting the post or Moderator intervention. Think before you post - would you want your children, Pastor, Mom, or Boss seeing what you're about to post?
No post/thread that can be construed to be Political or religious in nature. This includes innuendo.
Discussion is allowed - not insults. We all have our opinions on topics, but there is no need to sling mud. Mud shall defined as name calling, sarcasm and innuendo designed to cast another member as an object of scorn or ridicule. Practice the “Golden Rule” and we don’t have to define what that is.

Monitoring/Enforcement of Guidelines

Violation of the Guidelines will result in an E-mail or Private message to the member that they are considered to be outside the Guidelines established in these threads. Continued violations will be addressed in the Moderator’s Forums and continuation of those types of posts could result in further actions to deter it. A moderator may ask you to “take it outside the Cove”. This does not mean “Private Messaging”. This means E-mail outside the Cove Domain. This may be the result of a “Reported Post”, or “Moderator Intervention”. If it is determined by the Moderators to fall outside the guidelines established, the offending post will be deleted.
No thread will be closed until all options have been exercised. If this happens, a Moderator will explain why. A Moderator(s) in these forums may be contacted anytime regarding issues pertinent to these guidelines, via E-mail/Private Messaging .
Posts deleted will remain visible with a short explanation why. The post/thread will not be physically removed, rather, it will be left there as a reminder that this is serious business.
Some examples of topics: and limits:

Humor – Jokes, Roadkill Recipes, Fun Quizzes, Links to Fun Sites . No sexually explicit jokes. No disparaging ethnic material. This area will prove to be the most difficult. We will all have to try our best not to offend any particular group. There are no clear-cut guidelines to follow in this area. Think real hard before you post something regarding groups of any kind. Posts that are reported or seen to be offensive will be handled on a case by case basis, for “Intent”. It’s a start. The Roadkill Recipes is a thread that may be considered in poor taste. However, it’s been around a long time and is not the thread with issues. Use the old Cove rule, here. If you don’t care for it, don’t visit. It should stay.
Announcements - charities, births, weddings, celebrations
Hobbies & Sports - Everything from Football to Racing, from Recipe Trading to Reading.
Work Topics-provided it’s not a topic already being discussed in the Business End of the Forums.
The Social Scene- Meetings, conventions, get-togethers, the Cove Classifieds. Be very careful here. If the social scene, including those listed, involves subjects/topics that can evolve into political or religious debates, they will fall under the enforcement guidelines. Is it worth posting about? Why are you posting it? What do you expect as a reaction? Not hard stuff.

Thing to remember before posting or starting a thread:
Think before you post
Re-read your post
If you uncertain about whether your post/thread topic is acceptable, contact a Moderator for their thoughts first.

These Guidelines were plagiarized from RC’s suggested guidelines. It was so thorough that there was very little to add. I have included my ideas regarding enforcement. I believe that the ultimate enforcement should be presented to moderators for a consensus. Someone may not like something and I would not want to act on it without other opinions. However, if Marc and others want to maintain a hands-off posture regarding CB issues, I am convinced we can reach a majority consensus among the interested members. Marc and Administrators see any post reported anyway and can follow the progress on issues. Let’s hope these are held to a minimum. I believe with the abolishment of the religious and political threads, it will not be difficult. As a member posted recently, there are a lot of green dot people who visit and participate here and it can be maintained to standards acceptable to Marc and others.

This draft is a rambling dissertation of what the eventual rules may be. Comment at will. It must be in by Friday, this week, so it must not languish. With RC’s two submittals and this, an effort has been made to meet Marc’s request for guidelines. Jump in now or forever hold your peace.