<p>It’s come to my attention that this forum has been a little hotbed of strife as of late, and I figured that I’d put up this little rules thread to make sure that everyone here understands “the basics” here.</p>
<p>-- Let’s start with the two first parts of the site TOS.</p>
<p>Courtesy. At College Confidential, we expect discussion to be courteous even when disagreement may be vigorous. When writing your messages, please use the same courtesy that you would show when speaking face-to-face with someone. Flames, insults, and personal attacks will not be tolerated. It’s fine to disagree with opinions, ideas, and facts, but always with respect for the other person. Also, note that messages express the thoughts of the writers, not the community, its owners, staff, or moderators. Visitors who post discourteous messages will be warned; repeat offenders will lose posting rights.
**
General Behavior.** Our forum is expected to be a friendly and welcoming place, and one in which members can post without their motives, intelligence, or other personal characteristics being questioned by others. Members who post in a manner that makes other members unwelcome or uncomfortable, or who conduct themselves in a manner in any way detrimental to the College Confidential community, will lose posting privileges.</p>
<hr>
<p>So what does this mean? It means that you have to behave, really. You must treat other posters with respect and dignity; you must be willing to accept the fact that other posters may have contrary opinions to yours; you must be willing to give those opinions the floor, even if they go absolutely against your opinion.</p>
<p>On the other hand, it also doesn’t mean that you can expect your opinions to go unchallenged. Providing a negative opinion is stirring the pot, and you can expect a tempest to follow. Be willing to accept the counterarguments gracefully and with deference. As legitimate as your complaint may be, there are also dozens of reasons why it is not!</p>
<p>It also does not mean that you have the right to expect a poster to always be positive about an experience at a school. The unfortunate negative experiences at any school should be allowed to be made public. Accept the fact that your beloved institution (and I guarantee that I can be just as passionate about my alma mater!) is not without its lumps. Be kind to those who have had bad experiences, as you may learn how to improve your school!</p>
<p>Know when to stop. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, it’s just too easy to get riled up and want to go from a friendly debate to oneupsmanship. If you feel that urge coming on, sign out and do something else. </p>
<p>It is possible to have a conversation about the negative aspects of a particular school without resorting to fighting and personal attacks. </p>
<p>Finally, understand that we cannot simply delete a post because you don’t agree with it. Ask yourself, “why is this post worthy of censorship?” before you jump to have something moderated. There may be a simple misunderstanding that’s getting in the way of a perfectly good working relationship between two posters, instead of actual malice!</p>
<p>Oh, and have fun!</p>