Difference between revisions of "SRP rules of conduct"

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Revision as of 02:26, 21 February 2010

SRP is provided as a community for you to learn and share information about straight razors, wet shaving, and related equipment and accessories. We provide a wealth of information in our forums, Wiki, library, gallery, and other areas of our site.

Mission/Vision/Values of SRP

  1. It is the mission of Straight Razor Place (hereafter "SRP", including our forums, Wiki, library, gallery, and all other areas of our site) to promote straight razor shaving and all of the aspects that make up this art while providing the world's most complete collection of information on all aspects of straight razors.
  2. The members and staff of SRP (hereafter "we") believe in being gentlemanly in all our affairs by being honest, courteous, fair, and respectful in our interaction with others.
  3. We believe in providing good instruction, good help, and a safe place to learn for new members of our community.
  4. We believe straight razor shaving and all of its aspects are fun and enjoyable and that everyone should enjoy this lost art.
  5. We believe in having fun!

General disclaimer

This is an informational website of the SRP. The content of this site is being provided freely, and no kind of agreement or contract is created between you and the owners or users of this site, the owners of the servers upon which it is housed, individual contributors to these pages, or project administrators, sysops or anyone else connected with this project subject to your claims against them directly. You are granted a limited license to copy anything from this site; it does not create or imply any contractual or extracontractual liability on the part of SRP or any of its agents, members, organizers or other users.

Any of the trademarks, service marks, collective marks, design rights, personality rights or similar rights that are mentioned, used or cited on this site are the property of their respective owners. Unless otherwise stated, SRP sites are neither endorsed by nor affiliated with any of the holders of such rights, nor can SRP grant rights to use otherwise protected materials. Your use of any such incorporeal property is at your own risk.

Please note that the information found here may be in violation of the laws of the country or jurisdiction from where you are viewing this information. SRP does not encourage the violation of any laws, but this information is stored on a server in the State of Michigan in the United States of America, and is maintained in reference to the protections afforded to content providers and readers in that jurisdiction. The laws in your country may not recognize a similarly broad protection of free speech; SRP cannot be responsible for potential violations of such laws, should you link to this domain or reuse any of the information contained herein.

For further information, please contact us.

General rules of conduct

The following general rules of conduct apply to all parts of SRP, i.e. our forums, Wiki, library, gallery, and other areas of our site.

We encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions openly and freely with other members within the context of our rules and traditions with the following caveat:
Freedom of speech, within the context of our site, does not necessarily mean you are permitted to say whatever you want whenever you want however you want, without consequence. Your participation in SRP require that you follow our rules and you must agree to do so when you register. You may view a complete copy of those rules here.
Of specific importance is the following:
  1. You agree that you will not use SRP to: post or otherwise make available any content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libellous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable; [i.e., you agree to conduct yourself in a civil fashion]
  2. SRP may pre-screen Content, or refuse, revise or move any Content that is available via SRP in its sole discretion. SRP shall have the right to remove any Content that violates the Terms or is otherwise objectionable, as determined in SRP's sole discretion. [i.e., Moderators and Administrators have the right to take whatever action they deem necessary to maintain compliance with the rules, including editing your post, removing your post, and locking or removing your thread.]
  3. SRP reserves the right to terminate your SRP account for the site immediately upon written notice to you (including email) for any breach of the Terms. [i.e., you can be banned or terminated from membership at the Moderator or Administrator's discretion for violation of the rules.]

The SRP Forum

Although not specifically stated in the rules, the following conventions and traditions are to be followed here and you are expected to comply or face Moderator or Administrator action:

  1. It is expected that you will post your questions and remarks in the correct topical forum. [i.e., you post about straight razors in the razor forum, about soaps in the Soap forum, etc.] and that posts you make to a thread will remain on-topic.
  2. An Off-Topic (hereafter "OT") forum is provided for all other situations. While the OT forum is open to discuss anything you wish (within the limitations of our site rules, of course), we strongly urge that you refrain from starting threads on topics that traditionally become highly opinionated, such as politics, religion, sexual preferences, free speech, etc.
  3. It is your responsibility to maintain the decorum of any thread you start. If members in your thread are uncooperative in that regard, report their posts to a moderator.
  4. The moderators will extend little tolerance to rules violation, particularly in the areas of civility and respect.
  5. You must comply with the requests and/or directives of the moderators. Failure to do so may result in the revocation of your forum privileges (i.e. you will be banned) for a duration of 24-hours or more, depending upon the frequency and severity of your infraction(s).
  6. If you disagree with an action a moderator has taken specifically against you and/or one of your posts, contact the moderator off-line (i.e., via PM or email) and discuss the matter.
  7. As mentioned previously, this site is run by Administrators, Senior Moderators, and Moderators. Issues are not decided unilaterally, ever. A combination of Mods, Supermods, and Admins are generally involved in every decision that is not specifically addressed herein. Issues addressed herein, (e.g. SPAM) have been assigned actions that were previously agreed upon by the aforementioned group.

Registration Rules

The current rules one agrees to upon registration of a new SRP forum member account can be found here

Ladies corner policy

The Ladies corner is a place for our female members to talk about their experiences and musings on the shaving journey. Men and Women are free to engage in a wide variety of conversations on SRP as they see fit as long as they follow the individual forum and sub-forum rules. Please observe the following rules and regulations while posting in The Ladies Corner:

  1. This is their safe haven from the rest of the forum and must be treated as such. Women members are free to engage in any type of conversation that they wish here with in the current site rules.
  2. Men, while welcome and encouraged to contribute meaningfully, must not post anything that can be taken as sexual innuendo, or inappropriate.
  3. There is a Zero Tolerance in effect for anything that can be read as innuendo or inappropriate regardless of intention. [1]

Vendor/Advertising policy

SRP is is greatly dedicated to your success, and assisting you however we can. Basically we like for our members to be able to have good stuff to purchase. However, we do have a few ground rules, and they basically revolve around what resources are available to you. While we encourage you to participate in all aspects of the forums, we ask that advertising either products or a website be restricted to the following avenues.

The only real definition that needs to occur is the difference between a vendor and a hobby seller. For us it boils down to a website. If you have your own website, you're a vendor. And all of these avenues are available to you to advertise. If not, then we have the classifieds as a fantastic resource for you.

  1. SRP Ads are easily the best way to make yourself known on the forums, and to get your message to all users. Email [email protected] for more information.
  2. The vendors forum. In here (and only here) you can advertise yourself. We do ask that posts be substantive, and not posts made just to keep your topic at the top. Please limit it to two threads per month. This is a great area to tell everyone about yourself if you're new, or to let everyone know about your latest greatest special that we all just HAVE to have.
  3. Reviews. Send us stuff! We'll send it out to moderators and have them review it. The review will go into the Reviews area for posterity, and be placed on the front page. It can be a great way to get word out about a new product, and to generate traffic for you.
  4. In your signature: A link to your website, but no graphics or images for commercial use.
  5. Custom makers and restorers can post their finished goods in the gallery forum. Items should truly be custom or restored, not just 'look what I wiped down with MAAS'. We ask that you refrain from advertising the product though; this is a forum for showcasing work, not selling it.
  6. If there's something else you'd like to do, we're always game for new things. Email [email protected] for suggestions.

Reviews policy

The Reviews forum is the place to write reviews and comment on reviews of anything related to straight shaving from razors to brushes to soaps and hones.[2]

All opinions expressed in the Reviews forum are those of the individual members. The owners, operators, administrators, moderators or anyone having anything to do with the running of this site bear no responsibility for these opinions. None of the opinions have been solicited, endorsed, coerced by anyone else. In particular, this means that if you are a vendor and someone writes a unfavourable review of your product, you have no legal recourse against SRP or anyone involved in the administration of SRP. Disputes shall be settled between the vendor and the reviewer.

SPAM policy

According to rules agreed to when signing up for an account here you will not:

post or otherwise make available any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other form of solicitation, or in any way identify or provide a link to any source of products or services related to shaving except in those areas that are designated for such purpose

This includes posting a new thread as a "review" of an item without any participation in this community. So one post wonders of a "great deal" found are not tolerated as they are viewed as SPAM. Further, it should be noted that the SRP definition of SPAM covers anything deemed to be disruptive marketing by the moderators or administrators of SRP. SPAM may be found in any user editable content on the site.

Signature policy

Below is SRP's policy on signature lines. We have tried to keep it short and simple:

  1. Free expression is generally acceptable. We retain the right to decide the appropriateness of a signature line on an individual basis.
  2. Non-advertisement links are generally acceptable, as long as they comply with our General rules of conduct.
  3. Shaving Advertisement is generally acceptable, as long as the advertising is for your own product(s) or shop(s). Graphics or images for commercial use are generally unacceptable (cf. Vendor/Advertising policy). Advertising for other members is equally unacceptable.
  4. Other advertisement links are generally unacceptable.

Initiatives (giveaways, contests, group buys, etc.) policy

All initiatives such as giveaways, contests, group buys, etc. are either organized by SRP staff or in cooperation with SRP staff. They can only be conducted according to the rules and decisions of SRP staff. This does not apply to individual instances such as giving away a razor or a brush, or other minor stuff.

This policy has been put in place to avoid legal and other consequences for SRP. First and foremost, SRP staff need to take into consideration about what is best for the SRP community and for the SRP's reputation.

  1. If a group buy goes sour and someone takes off with the money, we are left with the aftermath.
  2. If someone were to run a high stakes contest with himself as the sole judge, it has the potential to tear this community apart.
  3. If someone were to organize an activity that involves valuable items with a dodgy ownership status, or which would involve taxes, or which would violate gaming laws, we would be the ones answering questions from men with suits.

As soon as anything needs organizing or becomes more valuable, it needs the written approval of SRP staff. If you intend to run such an initiative contact a Moderator via PM or email.[3]

Classifieds

The purpose of the classifieds section is to provide a place for members to occasionally buy, sell, or trade goods and or services of interest to others. The classifieds section is the sole property of SRP and as such SRP reserves the right to delete, remove or request the editing of any ad that is deemed not in the best interest of the site or its members. Neither SRP nor members of its management accept any responsibility or liability for transactions that go bad or are not as advertised. All problems with transactions should be worked out between the members involved. The following rules are in place to govern this section:

  1. Members wishing to post a 'For Sale' (FS) or 'For Trade' (WTT) or a 'Wanted to Buy' (WTB) ad must have a minimum of three (3) months of membership and no less than 100 posts or six (6) months of membership and no fewer than 50 posts. Exceptions to this rule may be made by the senior moderator team.
  2. Any eligible member may advertise up to five 'For Sale' ads at any given time. Sold ads and member services ads do not count toward the total. All items listed for sale must be listed in separate 'For Sale' ads unless the items are identical or being sold bundled together as a group for one total price.
  3. All photos of items should be of the actual item and not from stock. All photos should be clear and show enough information for a clear opinion to be formed. I.E.: the edge of the razor, the spine to show hone wear etc.
  4. Deleting an ad and re-posting it for the purpose of removing comments or to bump it back to the first page is not permitted and could lead to disciplinary action. (All ads get some time on the front page of the classifieds under the random ads section to the left of the screen.) Comments are expected to be gentlemanly and forum appropriate
  5. All for sale ads must have a single desired price per item in the ad. Best offer only ads or any form of auction is prohibited.
  6. Price discussion regarding classified ads is prohibited in open comments anywhere on the site. This discussion needs to take place via personal message or email between the concerned persons.
  7. A vendor is defined as anyone operating a storefront (digital or brick and mortar) and or posting in the vendors section. The listing of services that vendors provide is permitted in the appropriate area of the classifieds.
  8. For sale ads that make use of the 'Buy It Now' function in the classifieds must not be listed on any other site that requires an obligatory sale (such as popular auction sites). The intention of this rule is to avoid situations where two buyers send money for a single product. Posting a for sale item on multiple sites that do not obligate a sale is acceptable but the 'Buy It Now' function should not be used.

The #srp channel on IRC

  • The #srp channel on irc.freenode.net is a convenient place for chatting with fellow members. It can be accessed from the "Chat" link in the main menu of the forum, or via specialized IRC clients (see Using_the_SRP_Chat).
  • The #srp channel is moderated by members of SRP's management team, also known as OPs ("Operators"). They perform the same duties as in the rest of SRP, including temporary ("kick") and permanent removal ("ban") from chat.
  • Members are expected to conduct in chat the same way as they do on the forum. For example, vendors are not allowed to solicit sales in chat.
  • Abuse of this resource can result in a ban (usually temporary) from chat. Repeat violations will lead to the suspension and termination of the forum account.
  • If you use a dedicated chat client, please make sure to turn off all add-ons that can annoy fellow chatters, most notably "public away" scripts. If you are not sure how to do that, /msg an IRC op in the channel.

The SRP Wiki

When adding to, or modifying, the Wiki, make sure to follow the rules laid out in the following documents:

  1. SRP Wiki: Disclaimers
  2. SRP Wiki: Copyrights

Assuming good faith is a fundamental principle of our Wiki. If and when disagreements occur, explain the general concern in this forum or by using the discussion pages in the Wiki, and give others the opportunity to do the same. If it is personal, always contact the other party first. If something needs to be reported to a moderator, please do so. Consider whether a dispute stems from different perspectives and look for ways to reach consensus. We want a civil and gentlemanly atmosphere to be as evident in the Wiki as it is already here in the forums.

Plagiarism

  1. Please do not include copies of primary sources (specifically: text, maps, artworks and other useful images) in the Wiki. If it is a large source, consider uploading it as a whole separate file into the Wiki.
  2. Avoid including entire texts of articles, press releases, speeches or lengthy quotations, etc. In an outside article of someone's honing review, for example, summarize the review and then provide an external link to the actual review. Samples and short sources are fine.
  3. Please don't simply copy and paste huge chunks of material from internet websites. Free online tools are becoming available to help identify plagiarism, and plagiarism that involves copyright violation may be addressed by the rightful content owners sending a DMCA removal notice to the offending site-owner, or to the ISP that is hosting the offending site.
  4. Plagiarism is not the mere copying of text, but the presentation of another's ideas as one's own, regardless of the specific words or constructs used to express that idea. You must respect the wishes of authors. Respect copyrighted work: get permission and/or references when necessary - if you are in doubt, contact the source author first.
  5. More information on plagiarism, copyrights, and free licenses can be found at the following web locations:
    1. Wikipedia:Copyrights - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    2. United States - Creative Commons
    3. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
    4. Plagiarism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When you find something here on the SRP forums you want to place in the SRP Wiki that is author-specific, please contact the member first and ask permission to add their work to the Wiki or encourage the member to contribute their helpful information themselves.

Conflict of Interest

Editing that involves contributing to the Wiki in order to promote your own interests or those of other individuals, companies, or groups is conflicting interests. When advancing outside interests is more important than advancing the purpose of the Wiki, that editor stands in a conflict of interest. Don't do it please! If you see it being done, please contact dwessell the Wiki administrator or simply remove the offending text of the Wiki and relate what happened in that article's discussion page.

Etiquette

  1. Be civil and respectful. Your contributions to the Wiki should be neutral regarding fairness and bias and should be based on reliable, verifiable information that members on SRP can use and can attest to having used successfully.
  2. Use the Wiki! Link to it, talk about it, add to it, edit it, make it a better reference. Use plenty of cross-references when you edit the Wiki so that it works together well with itself. Wikipedia has some good guidelines for how to do this: Wikipedia:Build the web - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
  3. Be aware that other users can and probably will edit your Wiki content from time to time. Don't be offended, it is simply part of growing the Wiki. SRP Wiki content is free to use and freely used unless otherwise specified by previously existing copyright or author's wishes (which should be clearly noted in the Wiki.)

These guidelines are not comprehensive, but try to cover the basic things to remember when using the SRP Wiki. Please use it responsibly! And as Lynn has said, "I would hope that all of us here continue to assist in bringing new people into the art of straight razor shaving along with growing and perpetuating that art which we have learned to enjoy so much."[4]

References