Rules of Participation/ Commenting

[James]

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Rules for Participation and Commenting

The following rules are for all users to follow.  Failure to do so will result in action being taken against your account.

The goal for these rules is to keep Artists Beware constructive, impartial, and a valuable resource for the community.  Bewarees should feel welcome to participate without feeling like they are about to jump into a proverbial shark tank.

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Commenting Rules

1.  Comments are to remain professional, constructive, and on topic.

• No name calling.
• No unnecessary hostility.
• Non-business related issues is off-topic.  (Aka we don't want to hear about a bewaree's personal drama.)
• Comments that are simply "I won't buy from this person" or "beware on both OP and artist" that do not add value to the beware's comments may not be approved.
• Transphobic, Homophobic, and Racist language will result in an immediate ban.
• Well wishes such as "I hope this gets resolved, OP!" are ok, but please see the "dogpiling" section on using the like feature.

 

2.  No excessive personal information.  This includes, but is not limited to:

• Financial situations.
• What someone is spending their money on.
• Personal disputes.
• Attempts to guilt trip artists / clients due to personal matters.

 

3.  Dogpiling will be handled at moderator discretion.

Do not wait for moderators to steer the comments back in the right direction.  If you see multiple comments sharing the same sentiment as you, please use the like feature instead.

 

4.  Do not pressure submitters over how they want their beware resolved.

If a user expresses that they do not want X or Y in relation to their transaction please do not force the issue.

 

5.  Do not imply a beware does not belong here or should be deleted.

All submissions are moderated.  If it's in Artists Beware then it belongs here.  Users do not have the ability to edit or delete their own posts.

 

6.  Questions or comments in bewares directed at staff will not be approved.

Please PM one (1) staff members with questions, comments or concerns.  We won't approve your comment, but will respond to you if necessary privately.

 

7.  No self advertisement in bewares or advice posts.

 

8.  Do not backseat moderate.

• All comments are manually approved, so do not chastise other commenters.
• If a post needs the tags updated, feel free to PM us!
• If you discover alternate aliases, you are welcome to drop them into the comments but ensure it's absolutely 100% the same person or it will be hidden.  No "similar styles".  Same email address.  Same art.  Same characters or it's not a 100% confirmation.

 

When Contacting/ Responding to Moderators

1.  Please choose one (1) moderator to contact with questions.

• It's ok if you don't understand the instructions we've sent or need clarification!  We will be happy to help you.
• Questions should be only directed to our PMs or Twitter DMs.  Do not contact moderators on their personal accounts. 
• (At the moment our external email is down.  If you would like to use email instead please contact celestinaketiza at gmail for the time being.)

 

2.  When responding to a Rejection Notice rude or abusive behavior will not be tolerated.

• We will give you clear instructions on what to include if we need a resubmission.  The items in your rejection notice are not up for debate.  Resubmission explaining why you are not following some or all of the instructions will result in another rejection.
• If we are outright rejecting your post, then we will outline clearly the conditions in which you may resubmit.  If there are none, then your rejection is final.
• Depending on the severity of your behavior you may be escalated to an immediate permanent ban.

 

3.  The Report Content feature is for inappropriate content that requires immediate moderator attention.

• It is not an appropriate venue to respond to a Rejection Notice or to respond to a moderator comment.  Please PM us.
• Users who repeatedly misuse the Report Content feature will have the feature removed from their account.

 

4.  Bewares are not deleted.

• If you have proof the contents of a beware on you is false, calmly hand over the information to one (1) Administrator and they will present it to the chat.
• Legal threats will result in your account being banned from this site, all social media sites, and all communication ceasing.  It is not libel if the content provided to us is true.  If it is not true follow the instructions above.  We do not tolerate users abusing our archive.

 

5.  Moderator action is final.

• Contacting us to argue about why action against your account was wrong will not reverse the final decision.
• Contacting a different moderator to argue your case will not result in the decision being revoked.

 

Actions Taken Against Accounts

1.  Polite reminders are not official action against accounts. 

If your comment was not posted, but you didn't receive an official warning notice then you aren't in trouble!  We're just trying to keep bewares and forum comments streamlined, on topic, and constructive.

 

2.  Official warning notices come from the built-in warning system.

They are clearly visible on your Profile Page.  After three (3) official warnings a user will be banned.

 

3.  Temporary bans vs. permanent bans.

• A temporary ban may be issued at moderator discretion if a user is becoming too heated in a beware or forum post.  They are not part of a permanent strike against a user's account, and the user is welcome to return and comment with a clean slate. We need you to take a breather!
• A permanent ban is when all three (3) warnings have been accumulated, or a user's behavior was poor enough to warrant an immediate ban.  Permanent bans from Livejournal have not carried over.  You are welcome to participate again with a clean slate.

 

4.  If for any reason you need to deactivate your account, contact one (1) Administrator.

• Deactivation will not delete your content.
• Deactivation will lock your account.
• We will reverse a deactivation once.

 

Moderator Code of Conduct Violations

All moderators are to adhere to the Moderator Code of Conduct.  In the event a moderator is violating these rules please contact one (1) Administrator.