Forum Etiquette & Moderation

Etiquette

1. It's a good idea to read through the information on the site and the other participant’s comments before getting involved in the discussion yourself.
2. Always respect the views of other participants even if they don’t agree with you.
3. Be constructive. It’s okay to disagree with other forum participants, in fact we encourage debate, just keep the dialogue positive.
4. Always keep things civil. We recognise that this can be difficult sometimes, especially when you are passionate about an issue, but it is important to keep the discussion focused on the issues rather than letting it deteriorate into personal insults.
5. Once you’ve left your comment keep an eye on the forum to see what other people have to say.
6. If you feel that someone has insulted you, report their comment to the moderator. Don’t perpetuate the dispute. The moderator will take a look at the offending comment and decide whether it should be removed.
7. Stay on topic. These forums have been created for a specific purpose. Please stay within the boundaries of the subject matter.
8. Turn off the "CAPS LOCK". Writing in ALL CAPS is the equivalent of SHOUTING and can cause offence.
9. Choose one discussion topic under which you would like to post each of your unique comments. Don’t cut and paste the same comment into lots of different discussion topics. These will be considered duplicates and may be removed.
10. Don’t be a "troll". Trolls intentionally incite annoyance or offense. They do not participate constructively in the discussion and do not add any value to the debate.
11. Don’t bully, harass or threaten other participants. If another participant proffers an opinion that you don’t agree with, you have no right to demand that they support their position with a detailed argument. They do not have to respond to your questions. It is up to each individual to participate in the forum as much or as little as they wish.
12. Please respect the moderators. Their job is to keep the forum safe and constructive so that everybody gets to have his or her fair say.
13. Try to avoid using acronyms or text talk. By sticking to plain english more people will understand the points you are trying to make.

Moderation Rules

This site is subject to the following moderation rules:

1. Never post personal information about another forum participant. This Includes identifying any individual by their real name if they have not already done so or providing personal contact information.
2. Never identify a staff member of the consulting organisation by name.
3. Don't defame anyone or any organisation. A comment is defamatory if it lowers or harms the reputation of a person or organisation.  If you wish to accuse someone of committing a crime or being an idiot this is not the place to do it.
4. Don't post anything that could be considered intolerant of a person's race, culture, appearance, gender, sexual preference, religion or age.
5. Don't be obscene and don’t use foul language. Lots of people from different backgrounds participate in these forums. We want them to be able to continue to do so from home, work, school, university or wherever they may be. Disguising swear words by deliberately misspelling them doesn’t make them any less offensive.
6. Don't personally insult or harass other participants. Always focus on the logic of the argument rather than the individuals involved in the argument. Users are entitled to choose not to enter into debate with you.
7. Don't post or link to any inappropriate, offensive or illegal material. Inappropriate content is anything that may offend or is not relevant to the discussion.
8. Don't post any advertisements, however much you believe in the service or product.
9. Don't complain about the moderation on the site, you can always direct an email us if you are unhappy.

Sanctions

Breaches of the moderation rules will be dealt with as follows:

1. Removal of comment - any comment that, in the view of the moderator, breaches the rules will be removed.
2. Temporary Suspension - a participant who repeatedly and flagrantly flouts the moderation rules may be suspended from access to the site for period of up to one week determined by the moderators. The period will reflect both the severity and consistency of the breach.
3. Permanent Blocking - a participant who continues to violate the moderation rules following reinstatement after a period of suspension may have their access to the site permanently blocked.
4. Automatic Blocking - a participant who posts or links to inappropriate, offensive or illegal material will be immediately blocked from the site.

About the Moderators

This discussion forum is moderated either exclusively or in collaboration with Bang the Table Pty Ltd or its appointed agents. Bang the Table is a professional service provider that hosts and moderates online discussions.

Bang the Table and its staff have no financial interest in the results of any of the consultations it hosts. Bang the Table moderators are independent and operate only according to the rules above. Bang the Table’s contract explicitly states that the site will be moderated according to the site terms of use. Contributions that meet site rules will not be removed. When a comment is removed from the site a message remains in its place stating that the comment has been removed. An email is also sent to the person posting the comment explaining what has happened.

Removed comments are stored so they can be restored to the site if it is later deemed that a moderator has made an error.