FORUM RULES & GUIDELINES
ADVICE RECEIVED IN FORUM: Members range from all levels of experience. Leaders are not vets or behaviorists. We all may use our own experience and knowledge to help find solutions and offer advice, however it is YOUR responsibility to assess the information given to you. The advice given here should never be taken as a replacement to your own vet's care but as additional options to consider and discuss with your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
BOARD ETIQUETTE:
Be Respectful & Kind: No Flames Allowed. Flames, and posts that belittle, ridicule, criticize, or threaten other members will not be tolerated. This does not mean that you cannot voice an opposing viewpoint, but if you do so, please express your viewpoint without relying on the above tactics. A good way to express an opposing view point is to make sure you stick with what you would do, why you believe the way you do, but don't pick apart why someone else is wrong. Know the difference between a personal opinion and a personal attack.
We do not tolerate poor manners and snide, snotty remarks:
You know, those annoying little things that get under people's skin.
Stuff like starting posts with...."um...yeah....that's not the way you do it." That "um" or "uh" followed by some correction is highly irritating. It has that rude ick factor that reminds me of the teacher's pet who needs to let you know what you're doing wrong. That's the kind of stuff that drives us crazy, so don't do it. (for reference, other examples to stay away from: sorry, but... and excuse me, but...and any other snitty post starters will not be tolerated) If you want to help someone understand a possible error in diet, care, or whatever, find a way to do it that isn't the written equivalent of an eye-roll.
If you can't treat people like they are intelligent, then don't post. We all are here to learn, and there are many of you that can educate, but be sure to not come off as a know-it-all by offering advice in such a way that belittles and would embarrass the other person.
Questions that are really criticisms of someone's judgment: Example: "Why didn't you just...." Now, of course, sometimes these are legit, but c'mon, you know when it's snitty.
Basically treat people how you would want to be treated.
Innocent Sarcasm: It's okay to use sarcams, just becareful when using sarcasm even in an innocent funny way, as it can come off as rude even when you did not intend it that way. Be sure to read your post thoroughly and use plenty of emoticons to relay tone to avoid misunderstandings.
How to Deal with Disagreements and Personality Conflicts:
It is extremely easy for miscommunications to happen within an online text format. Without tones and body language to guide us, text can often relay a different message to us than what the author actually intended. If you feel you could have misunderstood, then just ask the person to clarify.
However, if you feel positive that someone was outright rude and/or if you have a particular problem with a post, reply or a member, please contact a moderator instead of replying to the person or post. (if the complaint is about moderator, then contact BinkyBunny). Do not start or engage in a rude disagreement online, (even if you feel the person has antagonized you first) . Do not contact the member directly about your complaint. Let us handle that. If a particular post is involved, please copy and paste the post to the email, and provide the link. Do not ONLY link it as the post can be changed by the member later. You will remain anonymous.
Debates: Let's keep this board light! Light discussions and differing opinions about rabbit welfare is fine. Sharing information about products that are free of animal testing is also okay, but please refrain from getting into serious debates about animal rights in general (eg. like anti-vivisection aka: for science/medicine, rabbits as food, and about controversial groups like Peta).
Anger Issues: If you're having a problem keeping your anger under control, step back, breathe and don't come back until you have calmed down. Put this all in perspective - This is supposed to be a fun bunny board, not a battleground.
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POST CONTENT:
When posting about animal abuse or a horrific graphic incident: Though many of us want to help with animal welfare, no one likes to be shocked with some horrible image that may be burned into their memory, so please be sensitive when posting graphic information. Whether it is something that happened to your animal or a news story that you want people to be aware of and help with, please follow these guidelines:
1. Do not post graphic and disturbing photos of animal abuse directly in your post. You can provide links to a news story or to more information.
2. Please post this warning (copy and paste) at the top of your post when describing details in your post:
*WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC/DESCRIPTIVE MATERIAL. THOSE WITH SENSITIVITIES USE CAUTION BEFORE READING FURTHER*
3. If your post is free of descriptives, and only the links go directly to something that is graphic, then just use:
*WARNING: LINK(S) CONTAINS GRAPHIC/DESCRIPTIVE MATERIAL.
Don't Post Advertisements or Promotions of Stores, Products or Services:
To prevent sales people from clogging forum with promotional usage, do not specifically name retail stores, products, or promotions. EXCEPTIONS:
- It is acceptable to respond to another member's questions or comments if discussing a product or in need of a product.
- A long-term frequent member wants to share their experience of products and services. (However, if it begins to become repetitive to the point of promotion or advertising, then it will be subject to deletion.) Note: A brand new member cannot post about a product or service unless they are legitimately responding to a post that warrants it.
Discussions involving breeding for meat and intentional breeding for pets are not allowed, however, if your bunny is unexpectedly pregnant, then we are more than happy to help out and/or refer you to experts that can. Though we promote rescue, we are not an anti-breeder site. To find out why breeding discussions are not allowed see the FAQ section.
Posts that imply intentional breeding are not allowed: Posts that mention pregnancy, new litters, kits, or babies may be considered as "intentional" breeding, if it is not clarifed as accidental.* Again, a surprise litter that someone needs help with, and they continue to mention their kits' progress is OKAY, but mentioning brand new kits in a way that implies new litters over and over is NOT OKAY. *Modifed 8/14.08
Negative Reviews of Pet Stores, Vet Hospitals, Individual Vets and any other individuals: So, you saw horrible conditions at a pet store, your vet was terrible, and you had to deal with the rudest receptionist. Those things are monumentally frustrating! We understand, but for your own legal protection keep actual names of individuals and businesses out of your posts. According to the Communications Decency Act, you, the individual poster in an online forum, is legally responsible for your statements, and so if a company or individual wants to pursue a lawsuit against you, they can track you down (IF a court orders it) by your IP address (even if it changes).
Vet Information & Vet Referrals: It is okay to refer a particular vet when someone asks for it or if it is subject related. Even if someone posts their vet or facility recommendation to you, it is still your responsibility to screen the vet and the facilities. BinkyBunny.com and the person that gives you the vet reference is not responsible for what happens in the referred veterinarian's care. That is between you and the veterinarian. So always be sure to check out any referred vet for yourself.
Source your quotes: If you quote anything directly from another website, be sure to provide the source name and/or link.
*POSTING INFORMATION & PICTURES OF YOURSELF:
- You must be 18 or older to post pictures of yourself.
- Take caution when posting pictures of yourself. The net may seem anonymous, but you must be careful with how much information you put out there. When posting pictures, becareful not to reveal too much personal information. For example - be sure that in pictures, that in the background there is not a house address, a mailbox, car license plate number, etc. The same goes for when you reveal information in posts. If you say you live alone in one post, and then later down the line you give the city you live, then later you talk about the places you go - Combined with your picture this can make who you are and where you live too revealing. So have fun, don't have to get paranoid, but just take precautions.
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SIGNATURES, AVATARS AND PROFILES:
Content: To keep signatures, avatars and profiles from becoming promotional billboards, do not post business names or brand names, or their images in them. Do not post links or website addresses anywhere within your signature, avatar and/or profile, unless it's within BinkyBunny (like another forum thread or BB site page) You cannot link a link from the links section. If you have “your own personal” website or host type site like myspace, facebook or livejournal, there is actually a URL section in your profile to post this.
*There are only three exception to this to posting web addresses, but only within your profile:
- If you have your own website that is a business and want to offer a link or name - that will be allowed under the discretion of BinkyBunny Staff.
- You can state the name or site address of where you got your bunny You just cannot link it.
- In your bio section when discussing family, hobbies, where you volunteer, and work, you can include a web address where relative.
Signature Size: Personal pictures and graphics should be no larger than 200 pixels wide, 100 pixels high. Text should be no more than 100 pixels high.
Avatar – Personal pictures and graphics only that still adhere to the content requirements above. Size will automatically be adjusted.
Do not post distracting avatars and Siggy's - Ones with lots of movement or ones that switch pictures will be deleted.
RULE UPDATES:
As the board traffic increases and new issues arise, guidelines and rules may be modified. No grandfather rights will apply. Just check here periodically.
. We have sole discretion of what is allowed regarding posts, threads, avatar, signatures and all profile info.
Defiance of these rules can result in you being banned from the forum.
If you have any questions regarding the Rules and Guidelines, email BinkyBunny. |