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Terms of Use: mkPLANET Guidelines

Last edited: January 2009

Every organization has certain guidelines to reflect ethical management practices. In establishing any rules of conduct, mkPLANET has no intention of restricting the personal rights of any individual. Rather, it is our wish to define the guidelines that protect the rights and safety of all members and to ensure maximum understanding and co-operation. Therefore, entering mkPLANET’s website implies your approval of and consent to the terms outlined in the rest of this document:

• mkPLANET’s purpose is to “provide information, interaction, and a setting for mutual support” to current MKs, adult MKs, family, friends, TCKs of all backgrounds, support workers, and anyone interested in joining our community.

• Our goal is to keep the mkPLANET community friendly, inclusive, and comfortable so that everyone can share their thoughts and opinions with the confidence that they will be respected by others in the community. We hope you will help us maintain this standard by following the Guidelines below.

General Conduct

• Please respect others' opinions:

• Please do not post anything, implied or otherwise, that:
- attacks, insults, puts down, mis-quotes, demeans, belittles, pressures, threatens, or flames fellow members or other people/groups.
- Any personal conflicts including, but not limited to, discussions about actions taken by the Moderators should not be aired publicly. If you have a personal conflict with another member please contact that person privately. Give other members the respect you would want them to give you. If the problem cannot be handled in private, report it to the Moderators.

• Please post nothing that is:
- profane, vulgar, crude, obscene, or adult-oriented.
- hateful, racist, disrespectful, hurtful, rude, demeaning, slanderous, judgmental, dishonest, or discriminatory.
- malicious (including viruses), unlawful, abusive, violent, damaging, threatening, or harassing.

• NO Spam:
- Please stay on topic as much as possible. We are aware that discussions tend to digress, and this is okay sometimes, but try to keep Forum threads on topic as much as possible. Any and all spam will be removed at the Moderator's discretion.

The following can be considered spam:

Very short posts that do not add value to the current discussion.
For example, a post with only the words "yeah me too!", single smiley posts and single word posts (i.e. "yep", "nope", "hehe"...etc), these type of posts will be removed at the Moderator's discretion.
Double posts:
- Posting the same post multiple times will be considered as spam.
- If you posted something and realized you made a mistake, use the edit/delete option. A post adjacent to your previous post to explain your mistakes will be considered as spam. (If you are unable to edit/delete your post, then please contact the Moderator for that Forum where the post is located, and they will be happy to assist you)
Off topic posts will be either removed or moved to the appropriate place.
Posts that obviously serve no purpose other than upping one's post counts. This is up to the Moderators to decide.
Personal messages from one member to another that are posted publicly in the forums (i.e. "XXXX...what are you doing this weekend?" or "XXXX...I sent you a letter...") are considered spam. They should be done via private messaging.
Starting a new thread when a similar thread has already been started.
Restating one's vote in a poll thread with no explanation.
Any other posts that we deem inappropriate for other readers.
Responses to spam posts will be considered as spam and be removed.
Restating someone else's opinion, or re-answering a question that has already been answered. (i.e. "Yeah, what he said.")
Posts that contain large amounts of smileys and/or spaces

• Privacy:
- Respect the privacy of others. Do not post or otherwise distribute private messages, emails, or messenger communications from other users without first obtaining their consent.
- Please do not violate someone's privacy by providing someone else's personal information, such as their last name, address, phone number, email address, or other specific information that could easily identify someone without their permission.
- We encourage our members to share past experiences, both good and bad, for the sake of finding support and healing. However, we must also ask that members do not mention the names of organizations or individuals involved in past events that might have included abuse of any kind.

• Please do not promote any people, groups, websites, organizations, associations, institutions or other entities that violate these Guidelines.

DEBATE RULES: How (Not) to Debate

Our goal is to create a setting that facilitates healthy and respectful discussions, and gives a freedom to explore and exchange ideas. We expect all members to conduct themselves in a manner which encourages growth in our community, and fosters an atmosphere of learning. To that end all members who post in our forums will observe certain guidelines, specifically with regard to debates/animated discussions or disagreements:

1. Stay on topic - (Spam and excessive smiley-only posts will be deleted.)

2. Cite your sources - (If a point is worth arguing for, then it's worth the research to find sources to back it up, which others may then check out for themselves.)

3. Stay in context - (Obvious misrepresentations of other members' quotes will be deleted.)

4. Respond to challenges - If another member challenges you to defend or illustrate your claims, respect him/her by responding with clear answers. (Posts that show a clear refusal to answer, hair-splitting, or beating around the bush will be deleted.)

5. Support your claims with your own arguments - (Posts with statements such as “Well, read Martin Luther, and you’ll get it.” or "Read your Bible once in a while." will be deleted.)

6. Common courtesy - (Posts with obvious sarcasm, insults/insinuations, preaching, circular and repetitive arguments, personal attacks, and other forms of dialogue that are not consistent with mkPLANET's Guidelines will be deleted.)

DEBATE TIPS: Think for a Minute

Winning a debate is not the point. In the process of discussing we learn to think more critically, to re-examine our own views, and to be open-minded about learning new things. While debates can get heated, competitiveness is not encouraged.

Take some time to consider and address other members' posts, and spend time making yours as well.

You don’t necessarily have to argue for the side you believe in. Sometimes the best way to grow intellectually is to put yourself in the mind of the opposition. So don’t be afraid to play a devil’s advocate, if you think you can argue your side with full intellectual honesty. IF you do play devil's advocate, please make this clear before entering the discussion.

Internet Etiquette

• Please do not type only in capital letters in the forums or chat rooms (this is considered shouting, and isn't appreciated by the readers)

• Do not type the same key or line repeatedly in the chat rooms

• Please do not post the same message in more than one forum without a clear reason

• Do not post any copyrighted material without prior permission. When you copy/paste material please supply a link(s) to your source(s). It is a good idea to do that for two reasons:
- It gives everyone the chance to check your sources and adds credibility to your post.
- It gives credit to the originator of the information and avoids future copyright infringement problems.

• Hotlinking is NOT allowed. Click HERE for a definition on "hotlinking".

Advertizing, Soliciting, Surveys, etc.

• Research: If you would like to promote your research or a survey on our website please contact us with your inquiry at administrator[at]mkplanet[dot]com., and we will be glad to speak with you further about this.

• Everything else: mkPLANET will be more than happy to promote causes, clubs, websites, organizations, and anything else that may interest our members, so long as they do not violate our Guidelines. Permission is required before advertizing or soliciting for any purpose on any area of our site. Please contact us with your inquiry at administrator[at]mkplanet[dot]com.

A Note on the Private Forums (Mods, Girls, Guys, and Adults)

• There are two types of forums in our Forums area: Open Forums which all members may access, and Private Forums which are sectioned off for special purposes.

• Everything that's posted in the Private forums is considered confidential and may not be shared outside of those forums without the author's permission.

• We have four private forums. The first is the Mod forum where the moderators brainstorm new ideas and engage in problem solving together regarding the community. Our objectives are to keep the Forums running smoothly and safely, and to facilitate positive growth in our community, so this is where some of that work is done.

• The other three private forums are: Girls (ages 12+), Guys (ages 12+), and Adults (ages 18+). These were created after the need for them became more evident in the open forums. Members can request to join the appropriate forum(s) by clicking on the links below of the Private forums you wish to join:

* ADULT PRIVATE FORUM
* GIRLS'/WOMEN'S PRIVATE FORUM
* GUYS' PRIVATE FORUM

Multiple Accounts

• Only one account per person. Multiple accounts just take up server space. If you want to change your name, let one of the adminstrators know, but do not create additional accounts. If you currently have more than one account, PLEASE contact one of the Moderators so that the extra(s) may be removed immediately.

Respect Site Authority

• Decisions made by the Moderators are final and private to the people involved. Do not challenge their authority publicly. If you feel that a Moderator's actions are unacceptable, contact the administrator.

Violation of these Guidelines

• mkPLANET reserves the right to suspend or permanently ban any member account and/or IP address, at any time and for any reason, with or without warning. mkPLANET reserves the right to delete or alter any post that, in our judgment, is in violation of mkPLANET's Guidelines also with or without warning. We appreciate being notified of any potential instances of Guideline violations. You agree that mkPLANET has no obligation to delete or alter any content or delete any account that we do not judge to be in violation of our Guidelines.

Disclaimer

• mkPLANET is a community designed specifically for MKs with a Christian background, however mkPLANET is not a Christian website. It is open to people of any background. In agreement with the Canadian Human Rights act, mkPLANET does not discriminate on the basis of "race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability and conviction for which a pardon has been granted."

• The views expressed by members, anonymous visitors, or other contributors are solely those of the author(s), and do not necessarily represent those of mkPLANET. While mkPLANET's community is designed, in part, to provide a setting for mutual support among its members, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any of the content or posts on our website or in any other media from mkPLANET.

• mkPLANET cannot be held liable for any discriminatory or improper information, information that violates privacy, and other comments or material posted by members, anonymous visitors, or other contributors anywhere on the website. To report instances of discrimination, harassment, privacy violation, or other abuse, please email: report.abuse [at] mkplanet [dot] com.

• mkPLANET is a family-friendly community. Unless specifically stated otherwise, we post no inappropriate text or graphic material.

• mkPLANET does not necessarily endorse all links provided on mkPLANET, nor is mkPLANET liable for any content or material in any of these sites.

• mkPLANET does not endorse any political party or position, nor does it endorse any particular religious or denominational stance.

• mkPLANET does not endorse hotlinking. Click HERE for a definition on "hotlinking".

• mkPLANET does not knowingly or willfully post or tolerate any material that does or could infringe on copyrighted material or un-copyrighted material belonging to another individual(s). All images and graphic material are either property of mkPLANET, used with permission from their authors or creators, or are freely available to everyone on the internet. All images are copyrighted.

Guest & Member Agreement

• While the administrator and moderators of this forum will attempt to remove or edit any generally objectionable material as quickly as possible, it is impossible to review every message. Therefore you acknowledge that all posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author and not the administrators, moderators or webmaster and hence will not be held liable.

• You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless mkPLANET and its creators from any and all costs, damages, expenses, attorneys' fees, liability, penalties, losses, causes of action or claims caused by or resulting indirectly from your use of this website.

Questions or comments?

• Send a Private Message to one of our moderators or email us at administrator[at]mkplanet[dot]com and someone will get in touch with you.

Published on: 2004-11-14 (2361 reads)

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