Philosophy of this Forum

[Denise P.]

** Philosophy of this Forum
Lexicon Steve - Oct 26, 2002 10:36 pm
Edited by Kip Carter May 24, 2006 4:10 pm

This Forum is for mature people of any age who want to discuss Harry Potter.

Just about anyone and any topic is welcome. However, this Forum will not accept trolling, those who come here just to cause trouble. Tolerance of these trolls isn't helpful, either to them or to the group, so they will be removed as politely as possible.

This Forum expects its members to take a mature approach to the subject at hand. That means that there isn't a place here for discussions of which character is "hot" and like topics. There are other places online for that kind of discussion, and if those types of discussion are started, they will be politely removed.

This Forum also expects its members to use proper English (that includes proper capitalization, spelling, and grammar), this means no Netspeak. We have many members who do not speak English as a first language and so proper English in posts is necessary to allow them to correctly understand what is being posted. (We understand that spelling and grammar mistakes often occur during posting.) The use of phrases such as “N E 1,” “prolly,” and “u” may not be understood or may be misunderstood by these members. If someone insists on using Netspeak, they will be asked politely to change their mode of speech. That kind of speech is appropriate in some places and inappropriate in others. This is one of the places where it's inappropriate.

The rules for topics are as follows: stick with Harry Potter (off-topic threads will be removed) and stay away from the topics of religion and politics in our world (such discussions are not only off topic but can also become very divisive and hurtful, someone may be offended). Please remember that there are people of all faiths, philosophies, ethnic groups, genders and orientations, etc. in this group. If you want to say things, which insult or belittle someone else's choices or beliefs, you will need to find another forum to express yourself in. There is no room for intolerance here. Play nice, share, gaze in wonder, laugh a lot (even at yourself), and be willing to be wrong and to learn.

Lexicon Steve

The message above (presented by the owner of the Harry Potter Lexicon Forums, Steve Vander Ark or Lexicon Steve, three and one half weeks after opening the Forum), for most people, said everything that was necessary to allow a flow of communications between those who enjoy the Harry Potter books; however there are some who just either do not understand plain English or are bent on challenging the intentions of Steve to produce a vehicle for discussion at a gentleman/lady conduct level, which could be both understood by intelligent children and seasoned adults of all ages. Since the inception of the Forum, areas not specifically covered by the five paragraphs (362 words) of Steve's original Philosophy of this Forum message have tried to be handled on an individual basis, using the private and confidential method of email; however there are still some who feel it is necessary to challenge, through posts on the Forum, what is considered courteous communications, causing some threads to be filled with messages that disrupt the flow of communications within the discussion or saddled with deletions of some posts either by our Hosts or some members.

I find it necessary to expand the Philosophy of this Forum's simple message to cover those areas that have caused disagreements in the past so that, hopefully, future conflicts can be avoided. I will use both fonts and colors to distinguish the author of each comment or guideline. Steve's directions use this Times New Roman font style in Black. My comments or edits will be in this Arial font style using a Dark Red or Garnet color. Guidelines or comments from other Hosts will each have their own distinctive font style and color.

Additional Guidelines:
• -- Chat and Greeting Thread for Members (Chat Thread, for short): This thread was established to keep the "chat" off of the main discussion threads. I will be providing guidelines concerning the operation of this thread later. Please check this before you post to the Chat Thread for updates. Do NOT discuss Harry Potter issues in this thread.

• 'Ship-'Ship (Exploring Relationships): I will be providing guidelines for this thread later.

• Frivolus Posts: Do not add "frivolous" post to any thread. If your message does not add to the subject being discussed in a thread, do NOT Post!

The following message covers how to join the Harry Potter Lexicon Forum.

S.E. Jones - Nov 7, 2003 6:53 pm (#1 of 1)
Edited Jul 2, 2006 11:44 am

Please read the following guidelines carefully.

To become a participating member of this Forum, you must:

1) Register with World Crossing (if you haven't already). They require a valid email address, as with any other web service, but they will not provide your e-mail address or other personal information about you to any third party. We also require a valid email address where you will receive email for the duration of your membership. There is an option to hide your email address from fellow members in your forum account preferences. Only the Hosts of this Forum will be allowed to view your email if you choose this option. Our Hosts use emails only to contact members regarding status and posting. *When you register, you will choose a user name, please remember this, as you will need it later. Your user name is what you write under the field titled 'Your name (first then last)'.*

2) You must read the above stated Philosophy of this Forum and send an email entitled 'Joining the Forum' to lexiconforumemail@yahoo.com, stating that you have read the Philosophy and will attempt to abide by it; be sure to include the User name you are registered under. The Hosts of this Forum will change your status from the "Read Only" list to "Participant" list and you will be allowed to post. If your user name is not included in the email our Hosts will not be able to change your status. The Hosts need to know the email address you intend to use on the forum in case the Hosts need to contact you about any changes in your posting status, so be sure to include the email address you intend to use on the forum if you are applying for "Participant" status from a work address or other address you do not intend to continue using.

3) NOTE: Do NOT Unsubscribe from our site or we will be unable to find your user name to change your status to "Participant". One sure way to be sure that you are subscribed is to have the “Subscription” preference checked in your profile (Go to “Change password or preferences” under your name in the teal tool bar. Scroll down to “Subscriptions” and be sure the box is checked that says “Subscribe automatically upon entering a forum”.).

4) NOTE: You must use a valid email address as you will receive, from the Forum Hosts, an email welcoming you to the Forum when you are moved to the "Participant" list. If our email is returned because of an invalid email address, your status will be changed to "Moderated" and you will not be able to engage in discussions freely until a valid email address is received. Remember to let the Hosts know the email address you intend to use on the forum if you are applying for "Participant" status from a work address or other address you do not intend to continue using. The Hosts may need to contact you in the future about any changes in your posting status.

Please be patient while our Hosts process your request. This is not an automatic system and may take up to 48 hours, but our Hosts will endeavor to reply to your emails in as timely a fashion as possible. Thank you.

Enjoy your time here at the Harry Potter Lexicon Forum![/font]