February / March 2009 - Forum Etiquette - The Crystal Angel Fashion and Design Magazine - February 2009 - 2nd Anniversary Issue - Crystal Angel Fashion and Design - The Premier Fashion and Design Magazine for Moove.com

Simple Guidelines to Keep Things Kind and Friendly

I simply cannot stand rules and laws and regulations. It is not that I want to do all the things that I am not allowed to do, it is just that every rule, law and regulation reminds me that we as Humans have not evolved very far.

If we had the natural instinct of survival, we would not walk out in front of speeding buses; or if we had evolved a "personal responsibility gene", laws would not be neccessary to keep us from doing crazy things.

Of course, that would lead us all to Utopia, and the who the heck wants to live in a purrfect world.....anyone? anyone at all?

So we have things that tell us how to behave called rules, laws and regulations. All three are pretty much the same - "don't do this or we will do this to you" is what they all mean in really simple terms.

I like the word

"guideline". It lets you take on personal responsibility in making the decision to say or behave in a way that is acceptable to the majority. There is no formal punishment associated with not following guidelines, it is totally up to you.

Of course, when people do not follow guidelines and just ignore them, it often leads to the passing of rules or laws. So guidelines are kinda like a test to see if we can be responsible and do the right thing at the right time.

Moove has rules called Terms of Service (TOS) that tell us what is acceptable and what is not. If we break the rules, the punishment could be getting banned or... even worse - community outrage. The Boards that Moove gives us to communicate also have rules, but they do not offer really good advice on how to follow the rules. I have seen Board postings that cause both tears of joy and tears of sadness. Usually, the ones that bring about sadness started with an angry or emotional post. I do not think they start out to cause sadness, but are a way to ventilate - a way to sometimes just scream, "I AM SICK OF THIS "enter thing here" AND I WANT TO TELL YOU WHY!" We all get that need sometimes and to be able to do it helps us not go crazy.

But is the Board really the place to do this? I think so, but only if some important guidelines are followed. Free speech is an important thing, but like all freedoms, it demands personal responsibility. I have offered below nine guidelines to ponder when posting on the Moove Boards or on any Forum. I hope you will consider using them to make Moove and Beyond a better place. I know that people will still get upset and maybe post things they wish they had not; but we can work towards a better community through better communication. Dontja think?

Guideline 1
Use the Boards to ask great questions and share what you know and believe.
Correct others politely if you believe they are wrong and state the reasons. Always show respect, even if you do not agree with the statement

Guideline 2
Start a dialogue. Being part of our community means expressing differing views with others. Defend your viewpoint with facts and opinions, never name calling and attacks.

Guideline 3
Boards are meant for the entire community. Explicit language, swear words hidden with **** and highly sexual content is not appropriate. If it's inappropriate for "The Simpsons", it's probably inappropriate on the Moove Boards.

Guideline 4
Never encourage acts of violence. The only people likely to meet you for a fight are the police. Online bullying and/or threats are against the law in many places, and frankly if you need to resort to threats - your opinion loses value.

Guideline 5
Being part of the Moove community means tolerating differing views, as well as helping keep order. Report comments that are inappropriate, not just those with which you don't agree. Defend others as you would defend yourself.

Guideline 6
Don't pretend to be someone else or to speak for someone else , and never give out the information or identity of others. Treat everyone as you would wish to be treated. Live and let live.

Guideline 7
Moove does not give out your personal information. You shouldn't either. Never post anything too personal on the Boards that you may regret. The Internet is really forever.

Guideline 8
Always base your opinions on facts and logic and try to post when emotions are not running amok. But since not everyone does this, understand that only the comments posted under the name are the opinions of that person. Do not judge others or the whole community on what one person writes.

Guideline 9
No one wins in a flame war. This is your community, make it a better place by sharing what you have to say using intelligence, kindness, tolerance and understanding and never use the Board to say something you would not say eye to eye.

I know what some of you are thinking: LOL, ..."those are soooo simple, why waste important space in the Crystal Angel for that"? LOL Well, if it is so easy and simple, why do we still post or reply in ways that can cause real hurt. These are tough days all around the World. We all know that. Worry, money, uncertainity, and even lonliness are empidemic. We can use the Boards to help relieve some of this, or we can use Boards to make it worse. It is often said that an act of kindness can change a moment, change a day and even change a life. The same is true for an act of cruelty, or meaness or words said in anger.

Moove is our Community. We are neighbors, families and friends. What we do with this amazing opportunity is totally up to us. I think we will do the right thing...don't you?
I love you all.
Peace and Love
Tory