IMO Forum: Rules, Guidelines and Membership Status

IMO has been open for business for a little over a year now. In that time, we have seen many good discussions, a few bad situations, and we have all learned a lot along the way.

IMO was designed for more in-depth discussions among our established members who have demonstrated appropriate posting protocol. Due to the nature of the threads, which do become heated at times, we want to discourage drop-in posters from posting to flame or otherwise provoke tempers. In this light, the decision has been reached that no one with less than 100 posts (Adult Cat status) will be able to post in there. In addition, there is an age restriction. The main reasons for this decision are as follows:

1. :troll:Keeps the trolls at bay, the people who join the site for the sole purpose of riling up the rest of the membership.

2. Allows everyone to get to know each other prior to posting in a sometimes volatile forum. It does get heated in IMO at times, but if we all know each other, we generally still respect each other in the morning.

3. The IMO forum is meant for stimulating discussion, hearty debates and an eventual meeting of the minds, to give our members more substance to sink our teeth into. It should embrace differences, accept other cultures and ideas and not leave anyone feeling wounded that they decided to join in on a thread. By allowing people to read IMO for a while prior to posting, we hope that the personally insulting posts will be kept to a minimum, since they will be able to see how we generally conduct ourselves toward each other.

4. The serious and political nature of the majority of the threads in IMO do not lend themselves to being discussed by minors, therefore the forum is restricted to adults only. The age restriction has been set at 18 years old. TCS reserves the right to deny IMO posting privileges to any member, regardless of age, based on their past posting behavior, etc..

Our general policy is that links to videos taken from ordinary newscasts are permitted, as they follow editorial guidelines, but a warning must be posted should the content be disturbing.

Removal of such links is left to the moderating team's discretion.

As the political seasons of several nations are upon us, it has come to the attention of the Moderator Staff that posters are adding political slogans or messages to their signatures; or in some cases, using them to replace their signatures entirely. Signatures appear on each and every post made by members, to include such forums as "Crossing the Bridge" and "New Cats on the Block", where such messages are not appropriate. Signatures are subject in their entirety to the same rules that are applied to text and photo posting on TheCatSite as a whole. Any post or signature that is considered offensive or flaming will be addressed as such.

Although at this time, none of these messages are considered offensive, we are yet to reach the height of passion that will come to pass in the upcoming elections. Rather than taking such signatures on a case by case basis, and "splitting hairs" on such subjects as "how much politics is too much?", the Moderator and Admin Staffs have concluded that political messages, slogans, quotes and barbs will not be permitted in signatures.

Thank you for understanding.

I am creating this as a separate thread, because it addresses more than one thread currently in IMO.

Several posters are beginning to interject negative remarks into their posts that are directed at other members. Please remember that we are discussing issues and opinions, and not each other's mindset or ideals. Bad feelings and antagonism resulting from personal attacks over politics will last long, long after the elections.

So, everyone, play nice

An added reminder: Please confine personal exchanges, particularly those that are becoming heated, to PMs.

It also isn't proper Netiquette to quote other members and to alter their words in the quote to make it appear that they said something quite different. It's disrespectful of others' opinions and misleading. Such posts will be deleted. Should you care to contradict someone, please do so in the body of your post.

And now back into the fray, but be nice!

It has come to the moderating team's attention that some members are apparently unaware of TCS's policy regarding "bumping" threads, i.e., making irrelevant posts in order to increase members' post counts or attempt to renew interest in a thread that has not gotten many or recent responses. Such posts are routinely deleted by moderators, as are other off topic posts that lend little or nothing to the discussion. This does not apply to posting germane updates.

Generally speaking, only administrators or moderators are permitted to "bump" threads in order to call board announcements regarding contests, site maintenance, food recalls and the like to TCS members' attention. Thank you.

I have read these Rules, Guidelines and Membership Status, and to the best of my memory, ability, and consideration I will make every effort to conduct myself appropriately. 

GloriaJH