Topic: MODERATED FORUM - PLEASE READ.
started by: damien_s_lucifer
Posted by damien_s_lucifer on May 23 2002,12:27
This is a moderated forum. All posts are queued pending moderator approval.We do not wish to stifle anyone's point of view, and we hope that the number of posts we reject will be few. However, the following posts *will* get dropped:
1. Those that are completely off-topic, i.e. discussing anime in the middle of an abortion debate
2. Those that are pointless, i.e. "This topic is GAY"
3. Those posts that, in the opinion of the moderators, are considered to be merely "trolling" rather than contributing to the debate.
Thank you and have a nice day.
Posted by kuru on May 23 2002,14:32
Ok, so the front page here says I'm a Moderator of this forum.I'd like to state that, in keeping with the fair separation of my job as a Mod from my opinions as a poster, I make all posts as a regular poster unless such things as:
- Ad Hominem attacks
- Re-posting large blocks of copyrighted material
- Abuses of the common rules of rhetorical debate
- Spamming, trolling or thread hijacking
occur, at which point I will <Moderator Hat: On> and <Moderator Hat: Off> to deal with rule violations.
Mods have a tough job to do in these matters; we must separate our own ideologies from ourselves to enforce the rules. Please understand that if a Mod says something about a post, it is not done out of political bias, but in the interest of promoting rational, level headed debate.
Further, if anyone's going to post something here as a fact, requests for cites are permissible. Mods (including myself) are not immune to the rules of debate.
Have fun.
Posted by damien_s_lucifer on May 23 2002,20:48
I think we can allow ad hominem attacks as long as they're witty. Good mudslinging is half the fun of politics; it makes us all try harder to nail our opponets 
. It's when it gets insipid or below the belt that it fucks up the debate.Citations - you don't have to use them, but it's highly recommended. Basic rule of thumb is that if others are citing, you need to as well. In a serious discussion, moderators may decide to dump your post if you can't provide adequate documentation.
Please use either direct hyperlinking or MLA style for citations. MLA is preferred if you'll be quoting more than once. It's easy and unobtrusive, it avoids the archaic ibid format, and it provides for citing Web sources :
< Parenthetical Documentation >
< Works Cited > - hyperlink these if you can.
Finally, all of my posts are my own personal opinion unless I make it obvious I'm speaking as moderator.
Have a nice day
