The Political Asylum

Matron · Site Admin Joined: 04 Nov 2006 Posts: 66

1) Treat others as you would like to be treated.
A no-brainer really, we’re here to debate and discuss, not to spar with one another; please treat other posters with respect.

2) No excessive personal attacks.
Debate can get heated and people can say things they don’t really mean or which others may find offensive. We accept this may happen from time to time, but certain things are strictly off-limits. All members have the right to enjoy the board free from intimidation, threats of violence or harassment on the grounds of their race, religion, gender or sexuality. Insults directed at a poster’s family members will similarly not be tolerated.

3) Disorderly Orderlies Decisions are final.
You can request clarification of a decision by PM, but, if you persist in arguing a point after the Disorderly Orderlies have made a ruling, you risk falling foul of the disciplinary process yourself.

4) One user account per member.
The exception to this is the Matron and Disorderly Orderlies who may use a separate account for official business. Any user caught with more than one user account faces an outright ban. For this reason, we bar the use of Proxy Servers.

5) Do not share your user account with anyone else
Do not allow other people to know your username and password. If you disclose this information to anyone else, you face disciplinary measures or even an outright ban.

6) Post in the right category.
Please make sure your post is relevant to the category you are posting in. Off-topic remarks generally belong in Occupational Therapy. The Disorderly Orderlies reserve the right to move incorrectly categorised topics. Please don’t make extra work for them.

7) Trolls will not be tolerated.
In the context of the Internet, a troll is a person who makes inflammatory comments, which by effect or design cause disruption in discourse. The Politcal Asylum will exercise some discretion in this regard, but where a person is felt to be behaving in a way considered unreasonable and not conducive to the greater good of our online community, the Disorderly Orderlies will take steps. A 'troll', as defined by most Internet sources is "…someone who comes into an established community, such as an online discussion forum, and posts inflammatory, rude, repetitive or offensive messages designed intentionally to annoy or antagonise the existing members or disrupt the flow of discussion…".

8 ) Spammers will not be tolerated.
Anyone found to be publishing unsolicited material, particularly items of a commercial nature, will find their offending posts deleted and will be subject to disciplinary measures.

9) The Straightjacket
Posters who break the rules or whose posts have gotten particularly nasty may be placed in The Straightjacket. Here the topic is locked. The Straightjacket may also be used by The Disorderly Orderlies whilst they investigate a complaint. Innocent threads will be released; offending threads will remain restrained for all eternity.

10) Over 18’s only
Yep you have to be over 18 to post here, sorry kids.