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Rules of Conduct
The rules are simple:
- No profanity.
- No personal attacks.
- No commercial posts. (If in doubt ask webmaster@naznet.com).
- Be courteous.
- Grace and sensitivity are strongly encouraged.
- Don't get offended if the moderator decides to remove your post. He has the right to do so for any reason or no reason at all.
NazNet's rule against personal attacks concerns attacks on NazNet participants, denominational leaders, and public figures in general. For instance, doing a post that says some national leader "is a liar" is considered to be a personal attack the same as if some regular participant is called a liar. Granted, the moderators may wish to use their discretionary judgement in some cases, but the blasting of some public figure on NazNet is considered to be a breaking of the NazNet rules. Paul told Timothy "that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for...all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." Our participation on NazNet should reflect this guidance...even concerning some political leader who is making very poor choices! You are welcome to discuss those choices, pro or con, but personal attacks are not welcome on NazNet.
As noted above, NazNet's rule against personal attacks concerns not only NazNet participants, but public figures as well. Finding a quotation that is a personal attack and bringing it to NazNet is still a personal attack. You aren't responsible for what others say, but if you bring their words to NazNet you are responsible for them appearing on a forum.
There are two words of clarification that can be added here:
- The moderators want to be as accomodating as possible in this. Interesting quotes often spark discussion. Just be careful to use quotes in that context and not as a way of "getting around" the "no attack" rule.
- In general, be careful about copying words off of one web site and bringing them to NazNet. Most news and opinion web sites are clearly copyrighted. If you are quoting more than a line or two it is preferred that you simply post a link to the article. Then, in your own words, tell us why you think the article is worth sharing.
NazNet is a "Nazarene-friendly" place on the internet. The NazNet Fellowship Forum is an Internet-based forum for members and friends of the Church of the Nazarene. All posts are to reflect this. The purpose of the Forum is to provide a place for fellowship, not to foster debate and argument. That does not mean that NazNet participants never disagree or hold strong opinions. It does mean that those who participate are required to maintain an attitude of respect for others, to behave with kindness, and in a spirit of fellowship. Although it is the rule on some forums on the Internet, "in your face," unfriendly posts are not acceptable on NazNet. Those who insist on posting in that style will be warned by a moderator, and subsequent posts will be deleted.
An excellent resource on this topic is John Wesley's classic sermon Catholic Spirit -- some have suggested it should be required reading for all who participate on NazNet.
Unfortunately, things like this happen. However, NazNet is not responsible for, and has no control over, what people say to one another via email or other private communications, even if the conversation started on a NazNet forum. Beyond that, the NazNet moderators do not wish to receive copies of such emails and will not serve as referees in such disputes. Also, please do not copy such emails to the forums. Jesus details how we are to deal with conflicts in Matthew 18:15-17, and a person involved in an online conflict will do well to review and follow our Lord's direction in such matters.
This is a complicated issue. Some people have problems expressing themselves without moving into the realm of personal attacks. When that happens the moderators have to get involved. But before dealing with that, let it be stated that just because a post expresses strong emotions or positions, and especially, just because you disagree with the content of a post it does not necessarily mean the post breaks the rules.
For the sake of answering this question, though, let's assume you are reading a NazNet forum and find a post that breaks a rule here on NazNet. The proper response is to send an email to one (or all) of the moderators. Describe the post (subject and author) and ask the moderator to review the post in reference to the rules of NazNet. Please do not reply to the post on the forum in an effort to set the record straight, etc.
The moderators will consider the post at earliest opportunity and take appropriate action. Please remember that the moderators are all volunteers, so reaction times may not be so quick as might be desired. Beyond that, they use their best judgement in fulfilling their responsibilities. King Solomon is not available to serve as a moderator at this time, so be as forgiving as possible when their judgment disagrees with yours.
When moderators post they are usually simply posting as NazNet participants. In that case, you may reply as you would to anyone else. Moderators who are posting in an "official capacity" will sign their post "moderator." In that case, please cooperate with the instructions of the moderator.
The moderators of NazNet do not claim to be experts on copyright law, but here are some agreed upon principles that will provide guidance on this issue:
- Items found elsewhere on the Internet don't have to carry a copyright notice to be considered legally copyrighted. The wisest approach to copyright is to assume all material is copyrighted unless there is clear evidence that it is in public domain. Material from magazines, books, and newspapers are almost certainly copyrighted.
- There is a fair use doctrine that applies to copyright law. The idea is that people are free to quote minor portions of a work so long as they give proper credit.
With these two principles before us, we ask the participants of NazNet to follow these general guidelines:
- Please don't copy articles from elsewhere on the Internet, or the words from an email distribution list, or articles from magazines or books, and post them on NazNet.
- If you wish to quote someone, be sure your quotation would be considered to be an insignificant portion of the work you are quoting from, and that you give credit for it.
- If the information is already on the Internet, it is probably better to simply post a link to the information you wish to share.
Concerning this issue, the moderators will deal with individuals who break copyright laws more from a pattern of posting on their part rather than single, isolated instances. In other words, if a person decides to copy an entire news item to NazNet, it will likely be ignored the first time. If they return in a few days with another article from elsewhere, they may receive an informative email, directing them to this portion of the FAQ. Then, if they continue, they may find their posts containing copyrighted material being deleted. Of course, the final step should never happen so long as those involved are willing to cooperate with the NazNet leadership.
Last Page Update: April 7, 2004
This page is maintained by G.R. "Scott" Cundiff
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