Admin
15 Mar 2009, 06:00 PM
I. Mission Statement
Cafés are places where people congregate for good food and conversation. In continental Europe, cafés are traditionally venues where intellectuals such as writers, musicians and philosophers can meet for serious discussions and blow clouds of smoke over one another. Similarly, the Secular Café provides a venue in cyberspace for people who want to socialize, share support, and debate or discuss intellectual subjects such as religion, science or politics in a relatively civil and friendly environment. The Secular Café primarily serves a non-religious community, but diversity is encouraged; people from any religious perspective are welcome to participate and become a part of the board's community.
II. Board Management Philosophy
We, the administrators, manage the discussion board and make the final decisions on all matters of policy and procedure; however, we also endeavour to be active members of the board community. We seek to earn the community's trust and respect and are open to suggestions.
We believe that board management is best when decisions are made using discretion, common sense and flexibility rather than a complex bureaucracy of rules, definitions and legalism. Circumstances alter cases, so it is impossible to have a rule to cover every situation; when specific rules and procedures are used, we invoke the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) as much as possible. Moderators have the task of implementing the policies and management philosophy prescribed by the administrators.
As discussed in the Mission Statement, we desire a "relatively" civil discussion board. Our goal is to seek a narrow path between tyrannically enforced saccharine sweetness and anarchic snarling nastiness. Gray areas regarding civil behaviour may be overlooked, but persistently disruptive, abusive or egregious behaviour will not be tolerated. In other words, "don't be a jerk".
III. Secular Café FAQ
Will I fit in here?
As the Mission Statement says, the Secular Café is for "people who want to socialize, share support, and debate or discuss intellectual subjects such as religion, science or politics in a relatively civil and friendly environment." This is our target community. If you agree with the Mission Statement intent, as well as the forum users' agreement, then you should not have a problem fitting in.
Why isn’t the board democratic?
A discussion board is not a nation state. Our aim is to provide a service, such as that of a café that targets customers with particular tastes.
What do you mean by a "jerk"?
A jerk is generally someone who is unduly abusive or disruptive to members and staff. We believe that most reasonable people can understand what a "jerk" or "harassment" is without getting into legalism and specific definitions or rules.
Are religious people welcome here?
Certainly! And all members are free to put forward reasons why people should accept their beliefs, religious or otherwise. But be forewarned that any beliefs whatsoever may be subject to critical examination. While we believe in extending respect to people, the same does not necessarily apply to their ideas. Religious members have the same privileges as any other member. Proselytizing, however, will be confined to the Smoking Section.
Are there any limitations on posting?
You must post within the limits specified in the User Agreement that you accepted by joining secularcafe.org.
Can I post images?
At present, the board will not host images, but you can use links to image-hosting sites like Photobucket if you wish to share images with other members. Please note, however, that over-large images that change other members' views of a page are not allowed.
In addition, the board does not allow pornography. The line between erotica and pornography is a fine one, and staff will if necessary remove images considered to be pornographic or otherwise beyond the pale. Any erotic or violent images must be confined to the Smoking Section and must also be placed within NSFW (Not Safe For Work) tags.
Other NSFW material
If a link is made to an audio file that contains explicit language, then it should be clearly marked as NSFW.
Further, links to 'hate sites' have the potential to be embarrassing to members who may activate the links from work. We ask that members consider this when posting. We suggest that instead of a link people wishing to bring such sites to our attention mention in thread that they are NSFW, and post google search terms rather than direct links to threads.
As is the case with images, the distinction between SFW and NSFW is a fine one, and there may be cases where posts are edited by staff to say that something is NSFW, and remove links, while normally leaving enough information for a site to be found.
What about personalisation?
You may if you wish choose your user title. You may also import a non-animated avatar. You may also choose to have a signature of up to four lines of text. Your signature will appear only in the first post you make in any page. Avatars must not be NSFW. User titles and signatures must not be used to attack other members or the Secular Café. User titles should not be deliberately misleading.
Can I have multiple identities (aka sock puppets)?
In general, members should have only a single identity at Secular Café. If for some exceptional reason you want to have a sock puppet, please seek permission by PM from the administrators. If unauthorised sock puppets are discovered, the administrators will take action.
Who are the moderators?
We have a number of dedicated moderators. While the board remains small enough the administrators also double as moderators. Although some adminstrators are assigned specific fora to moderate, all adminstrators can also work as moderators at large.
What do moderators do?
Moderators host their forum. They take an active part as ordinary members. They also help members with minor technical problems. If a thread is derailed by the introduction of a new and interesting topic, they will normally split the thread to provide one thread for each topic. If a member makes an inappropriate post, they will normally move the post to Smoking Section. Whole threads (or major parts of it) can also be moved if the content is more appropriate for a different forum. If, however, a post is used to commit a serious offence, such as posting or linking to malware, posting private information, plagiarism, violation of copyright, or any illegal behaviour, then the post may be edited or deleted, and the offender will face possible sanctions from the staff.
Are there penalties for bad behaviour?
It can be quite easy to contravene the rules in a mild way without realizing it. In such cases, a moderator may move your post and/or send you a friendly informal warning. However, if you commit an offence that is more serious and obvious, or if you repeatedly ignore rules and warnings, you may receive a formal warning from the administration of the board or be suspended or banned from membership.
How do I complain about the action of a moderator?
The first thing to do is to send a polite PM to the moderator and try to discuss the issue (Secular Café does not allow abuse of its volunteer staff). If you are still dissatisfied, you may post a thread in the Reports, Complaints & Private Feedback subforum or contact the admins by PM.
Cafés are places where people congregate for good food and conversation. In continental Europe, cafés are traditionally venues where intellectuals such as writers, musicians and philosophers can meet for serious discussions and blow clouds of smoke over one another. Similarly, the Secular Café provides a venue in cyberspace for people who want to socialize, share support, and debate or discuss intellectual subjects such as religion, science or politics in a relatively civil and friendly environment. The Secular Café primarily serves a non-religious community, but diversity is encouraged; people from any religious perspective are welcome to participate and become a part of the board's community.
II. Board Management Philosophy
We, the administrators, manage the discussion board and make the final decisions on all matters of policy and procedure; however, we also endeavour to be active members of the board community. We seek to earn the community's trust and respect and are open to suggestions.
We believe that board management is best when decisions are made using discretion, common sense and flexibility rather than a complex bureaucracy of rules, definitions and legalism. Circumstances alter cases, so it is impossible to have a rule to cover every situation; when specific rules and procedures are used, we invoke the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) as much as possible. Moderators have the task of implementing the policies and management philosophy prescribed by the administrators.
As discussed in the Mission Statement, we desire a "relatively" civil discussion board. Our goal is to seek a narrow path between tyrannically enforced saccharine sweetness and anarchic snarling nastiness. Gray areas regarding civil behaviour may be overlooked, but persistently disruptive, abusive or egregious behaviour will not be tolerated. In other words, "don't be a jerk".
III. Secular Café FAQ
Will I fit in here?
As the Mission Statement says, the Secular Café is for "people who want to socialize, share support, and debate or discuss intellectual subjects such as religion, science or politics in a relatively civil and friendly environment." This is our target community. If you agree with the Mission Statement intent, as well as the forum users' agreement, then you should not have a problem fitting in.
Why isn’t the board democratic?
A discussion board is not a nation state. Our aim is to provide a service, such as that of a café that targets customers with particular tastes.
What do you mean by a "jerk"?
A jerk is generally someone who is unduly abusive or disruptive to members and staff. We believe that most reasonable people can understand what a "jerk" or "harassment" is without getting into legalism and specific definitions or rules.
Are religious people welcome here?
Certainly! And all members are free to put forward reasons why people should accept their beliefs, religious or otherwise. But be forewarned that any beliefs whatsoever may be subject to critical examination. While we believe in extending respect to people, the same does not necessarily apply to their ideas. Religious members have the same privileges as any other member. Proselytizing, however, will be confined to the Smoking Section.
Are there any limitations on posting?
You must post within the limits specified in the User Agreement that you accepted by joining secularcafe.org.
Can I post images?
At present, the board will not host images, but you can use links to image-hosting sites like Photobucket if you wish to share images with other members. Please note, however, that over-large images that change other members' views of a page are not allowed.
In addition, the board does not allow pornography. The line between erotica and pornography is a fine one, and staff will if necessary remove images considered to be pornographic or otherwise beyond the pale. Any erotic or violent images must be confined to the Smoking Section and must also be placed within NSFW (Not Safe For Work) tags.
Other NSFW material
If a link is made to an audio file that contains explicit language, then it should be clearly marked as NSFW.
Further, links to 'hate sites' have the potential to be embarrassing to members who may activate the links from work. We ask that members consider this when posting. We suggest that instead of a link people wishing to bring such sites to our attention mention in thread that they are NSFW, and post google search terms rather than direct links to threads.
As is the case with images, the distinction between SFW and NSFW is a fine one, and there may be cases where posts are edited by staff to say that something is NSFW, and remove links, while normally leaving enough information for a site to be found.
What about personalisation?
You may if you wish choose your user title. You may also import a non-animated avatar. You may also choose to have a signature of up to four lines of text. Your signature will appear only in the first post you make in any page. Avatars must not be NSFW. User titles and signatures must not be used to attack other members or the Secular Café. User titles should not be deliberately misleading.
Can I have multiple identities (aka sock puppets)?
In general, members should have only a single identity at Secular Café. If for some exceptional reason you want to have a sock puppet, please seek permission by PM from the administrators. If unauthorised sock puppets are discovered, the administrators will take action.
Who are the moderators?
We have a number of dedicated moderators. While the board remains small enough the administrators also double as moderators. Although some adminstrators are assigned specific fora to moderate, all adminstrators can also work as moderators at large.
What do moderators do?
Moderators host their forum. They take an active part as ordinary members. They also help members with minor technical problems. If a thread is derailed by the introduction of a new and interesting topic, they will normally split the thread to provide one thread for each topic. If a member makes an inappropriate post, they will normally move the post to Smoking Section. Whole threads (or major parts of it) can also be moved if the content is more appropriate for a different forum. If, however, a post is used to commit a serious offence, such as posting or linking to malware, posting private information, plagiarism, violation of copyright, or any illegal behaviour, then the post may be edited or deleted, and the offender will face possible sanctions from the staff.
Are there penalties for bad behaviour?
It can be quite easy to contravene the rules in a mild way without realizing it. In such cases, a moderator may move your post and/or send you a friendly informal warning. However, if you commit an offence that is more serious and obvious, or if you repeatedly ignore rules and warnings, you may receive a formal warning from the administration of the board or be suspended or banned from membership.
How do I complain about the action of a moderator?
The first thing to do is to send a polite PM to the moderator and try to discuss the issue (Secular Café does not allow abuse of its volunteer staff). If you are still dissatisfied, you may post a thread in the Reports, Complaints & Private Feedback subforum or contact the admins by PM.