Recent Posts

Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 ... 10
31
Forum Rules / Forum Code of Conduct!!! READ FIRST!!!
« Last post by TWD4GR on February 28, 2021, 11:32:52 am »
Be welcoming and open-minded - Other members may not have the same experience or background as you, but that doesn't mean they don't have good ideas to contribute. We encourage you to be welcoming to new members and those just getting started.

Respect each other - Nothing sabotages healthy conversation like rudeness. Be civil and professional, and don’t post anything that a reasonable person would consider offensive, abusive, or hate speech. Don’t harass, troll, bait, or give grief to anyone. Treat each other with dignity and consideration in all interactions.

You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But remember to criticize ideas, not people. Avoid name-calling, ad-hominem attacks, responding to a post’s tone instead of its actual content, and knee-jerk contradiction. Instead, provide reasoned counter-arguments that improve the conversation.

Communicate with empathy - Disagreements or differences of opinion are a fact of life. Being part of a community means interacting with people from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, many of which may not be your own. If you disagree with someone, try to understand and share their feelings before you address them. This will promote a respectful and friendly atmosphere where people feel comfortable asking questions, participating in discussions, and making contributions.

Be clear and stay on topic - Off-topic comments are a distraction (sometimes welcome, but usually not). Staying on topic helps produce positive and productive discussions.

Excessive off topic posts in a thread will moved, deleted or edited at staff discretion. Repeatedly disregarding staff's in thread requests to stay on topic could lead to a warning.

Additionally, communicating with strangers on the Internet can be awkward. It's hard to convey or read tone, and sarcasm is frequently misunderstood. Try to use clear language, and think about how it will be received by the other person.

Please post in English and do not use ALL CAPS. Furthermore when posting articles and/or information you learned/received from reading an article, LINK the article in your post. In other words, CITE YOUR SOURCES. Anything less is plagiarism.

Keep it tidy - Make the effort to put things in the right place, so that we can spend more time discussing and less time cleaning up. So:
Don’t start a topic in the wrong category.
Don’t cross-post the same thing in multiple topics.
Don’t post no-content replies or gif bomb.
Don't "bump" posts, unless you have new and relevant information to share. That includes bumping old threads aka necro-bumping
Don’t divert a topic by changing it midstream.
Don't post overly long posts. Keep your posts concise.


Keep Shipping in the Shipping Section
Please keep shipping comments in the Shipping section of the forum.  Shipping outside of the dedicated section has a tendency to derail threads and as such posts may be edited or deleted. The only time comments regarding romance between characters is permitted outside of the Shipping threads is when it is regarding canon ships, or a clearly suggested new relationship, andrelated to the spoiler/episode/prediction.

What is not allowed?

Threats of violence - You may not threaten violence towards others or use the site to organize, promote, or incite acts of real-world violence or terrorism. Think carefully about the words you use, the images you post, and even the software you write, and how they may be interpreted by others. Even if you mean something as a joke, it might not be received that way. If you think that someone else might interpret the content you post as a threat, or as promoting violence or terrorism, stop. Don't post it. In extraordinary cases, we may report threats of violence to law enforcement if we think there may be a genuine risk of physical harm or a threat to public safety.

Hate speech and discrimination - While it is not forbidden to broach topics such as age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, level of experience, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation, we do not tolerate speech that attacks a person or group of people on the basis of who they are. Just realize that when approached in an aggressive or insulting manner, these (and other) sensitive topics can make others feel unwelcome, or perhaps even unsafe. While there's always the potential for misunderstandings, we expect our community members to remain respectful and civil when discussing sensitive topics.

Bullying and harassment - We do not tolerate bullying or harassment. This means any habitual badgering or intimidation targeted at a specific person or group of people. In general, if your actions are unwanted and you continue to engage in them, there's a good chance you are headed into bullying or harassment territory.

Impersonation - You may not seek to mislead others as to your identity by copying another person's avatar, posting content under their email address, using a similar username or otherwise posing as someone else. Impersonation is a form of harassment.

Doxxing and invasion of privacy - Don't post or ask for other people's personal information, such as phone numbers, private email addresses, physical addresses, credit card numbers, Social Security/National Identity numbers, or passwords. Depending on the context, such as in the case of intimidation or harassment, we may consider other information, such as photos or videos that were taken or distributed without the subject's consent, to be an invasion of privacy, especially when such material presents a safety risk to the subject.

Do not place Staff or the Rules on ignore list - On registration you agreed to the rules of this forum. Just because you have the option to ignore the rules board or staff, it does not mean you won't be held accountable for any rules broken. If we determine if you have placed staff or rules on ignore, your account maybe frozen or placed on moderation. ALSO: Do NOT publicly challenge staff. If you have an issue you need to discuss please send a staff member a PM.

Do not post screenshots of the forum elsewhere - We take the privacy of our members very seriously, as such, we ask you to refrain from posting screenshots of forum activities on other social media outlets. (Ex: Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram)If we determine activity of this nature has occurred, your account will have warnings accrued or depending on the severity, your account will be terminated

Do not question disciplinary actions against your account or publicly defy staff. DO NOT post screen shots or copy paste warnings or any infractions given to you by staff.

Forum Dating
This is a forum for TWDVerse. It is not Match.com, Tinder, or POF. Treat it like a forum for TWDVerse not a dating app/website. DO NOT DO IT!!! It NEVER ends well. See thread on ONLINE PREDATORS!!!  http://wearetwdfans.com/house-rules/online-predators!-please-read!!!/

Gossip - This is supposed to be a safe place for all members. Please do not form "Mean Girl" cliques and alienate people. If you have an issue with a member contact a staff member but do not spread rumors, especially when you have no evidence. Mind your own business and do not give out your private information. Also do not PM staff and PRY for information about spoilers, members, other staff members, etc... again MIND YOUR BUSINESS!

Sexually obscene content -Don’t post content that is pornographic or sexually explicit. This does not mean that all nudity, or all code and content related to sexuality, is prohibited. We do not allow obscene sexual content or content that may involve the exploitation or sexualization of minors.

Gratuitously violent content - Don’t post real images, text, or other content without reasonable context or warnings. While it's often okay to include violent content in video games and descriptions of historical events, we do not allow violent content that is posted indiscriminately, or that is posted in a way that makes it difficult for other users to avoid (such as a profile avatar or an issue comment). A clear warning or disclaimer in other contexts helps users make an educated decision as to whether or not they want to engage with such content.

Active malware or exploits - Being part of a community includes not taking advantage of other members of the community. We do not allow anyone to use our platform for exploit delivery, such as using this forum as a means to deliver malicious executables, or as attack infrastructure, for example by organizing denial of service attacks or managing command and control servers.

No Spam / Advertising / Self-promotion on the forums or in PMs - Do not link to sites or products to self promote

Linking to websites, streaming sites, or services that pirate content and violate US copyright laws is strictly prohibited - Requests for such links will also be removed.

WeAreTWDFans reserves the right, in its sole discretion to edit, modify, and delete portions of posts as needed without advanced notice.

Thanks to GitHub for use of these guidelines under the terms of CC0-1.0.
32
Forum Rules / Enforcement of Rules - Reporting a Post
« Last post by TWD4GR on February 28, 2021, 11:22:48 am »
Enforcement
If you see a problem, report it. Moderators have special authority; they are responsible for this Community. But so are you. With your help, moderators can be Community facilitators, not just janitors or police.

When you see bad behavior, don’t reply. It encourages the bad behavior by acknowledging it, consumes your energy, and wastes everyone’s time. Just report it via "Report to moderator" button. If enough reports accrue, action will be taken, either automatically or by moderator intervention.

Please do not abuse the report system.


How To File a Report:
Clicking the Report button will send a message to the staff that there is post that has potentially broken our code of conduct. You will be allowed to type in a note when you report the item stating why you reported it. The report will be claimed by a moderator and handled (within 24 hours of the post). After it is resolved, you will receive a private message letting you know that it has been handled. All reports are confidential.

While not every report may require action and we certainly don't want members to get "report happy," we do want members to know that it's okay to Report items you feel violate the code of conduct - or even if it's a gray area and you are unsure.

If you have any questions regarding the feature, feel free to ask in this thread or start a conversation with any board moderator.


Our Responsibilities
There are a variety of actions that we may take in response to inappropriate behavior or content. It usually depends on the exact circumstances of a particular case. We recognize that sometimes people may say or do inappropriate things for any number of reasons. Perhaps they did not realize how their words would be perceived. Or maybe they just let their emotions get the best of them. Of course, sometimes, there are folks who just want to spam or cause trouble.

Each case requires a different approach, and we try to tailor our response to meet the needs of the situation. We'll review each situation on a case-by-case basis. In each case, we will have a diverse team investigate the content and surrounding facts and respond as appropriate, using this Code of Conduct to guide our decision.

Actions we may take in response to a flag or abuse report include, but are not limited to:
Content Removal
Content Blocking
Forum Account Suspension
Forum Account Ban
Let's work together to keep the forum a place where people feel safe to participate by being respectful of them and their time.




Thanks to GitHub for use of these guidelines under the terms of CC0-1.0.
33
Forum Rules / Warnings and Ban Policy
« Last post by NerdyGRL on February 23, 2021, 11:11:52 am »
As stated in our Enforcement rules http://www.wearetwdfans.com/house-rules/reporting-a-rules-violation/, each case is handled independently and on a case-by-case basis. A member's posting history and prior warnings are taken into account.

All disciplinary measures are handled privately and must remain private between staff and member.

Warning Policy
Courtesy note - A member may receive a courtesy note to stop troublesome behavior. No percentage points are counted against your account.

Warnings - Each warning is worth 5% and counted against your account. Once you have accumulated 4 warnings (20% of 100), your next warning will be a strike.

Strike - Each strike is worth 20%. When a member has reached the strike level, they may have further limitations implemented on their account.

1 Strike = 20% of Warning Level
2 Strikes = 30 day moderation
3 Strikes = 7 Day Ban
4 Strikes = 14 day Ban
5 Strikes = Banned permanently


A member may be banned before they reach 5 strikes based on staff discretion.
34
Forum Rules / Re: Online Predators! PLEASE READ!!!
« Last post by NerdyGRL on June 25, 2020, 06:20:50 am »
This OP was written by @Kwiff
35
Forum Rules / Online Predators! PLEASE READ!!!
« Last post by NerdyGRL on April 16, 2020, 01:27:26 pm »
The internet can be a wonderful place, a place to find old friends, keep in contact with current and meet new friends.

But what happens when one of those "friends" turns out to be something a little more sinister? Someone that you never guessed they could be.
The internet holds a number of "issues" that can become a problem. I want to look at two of the biggest issues here:
 
  • Online/Internet Predators
  • Cyber Bullying
What they are, how to spot them and what you can do if you are a victim or know someone who is. Either on this very forum or in real life.

Now, I am not only talking about pedophiles as predators. These people can target us adults just as badly, causing immense hurt and suffering. It's these predators I want to look at first.

*********************************************************

Online/Internet Predators

Definition: A online predator uses the Internet to hunt for victims to take advantage of ANY way, including sexually, emotionally, psychologically or financially. Online predators know how to manipulate people by creating trust and friendship where none should exist.
(Source - http://cybersafetycsusm.weebly.com/cyber-predators.html

Predators can come in any form or shape. They can be mothers, brothers, the boss, even that woman that sits opposite you who is the model employee. It can literally be anyone.

You see, when you're online, you can't read someone like you would if you met them in real life. People behind a computer screen can be anything they want. You don't know if I am actually sitting here wearing only a feather boa drinking margaritas out of one of those beer cup hats and a extra long straw.

You just don't know who you are talking to. If you see someone in real life, 9 out of 10 times you can get a vibe. The way the person holds themselves, talks, or the way they hold themselves when they talk.

Behind a keyboard you can't see that.

So what does happen if you are targeted by an online predator?

Well that's a good question and there isn't really set rules about the how... but they do tend to follow the same pattern:

1. Agreeing with everything you say "as if you were soul mates" or someone who just "really gets you".
2. Anxious to move from an online site, e.g. dating, or to private methods of communication such as email, instant messaging, Skype, texting, or telephone calls.
3. Asking for personal information: where you work, where you went to school etc.
4. Wanting to know about your emotional state, getting you to pour your heart out to them.
5. Start talking about how much they like you only after a few chats. They seem to be too interested too soon.
6. Trying to disrupt relationships, suggesting that your friends and family don’t understand, appreciate, or love you - but the abuser can.
7. They know things about you that you didn’t tell them – they’ve done their research.
8. They seem to know when and where you are online. They say "I know you were online because I saw your posts" or they are always showing up in the same chatroom.

(source: https://www.grahamcluley.com/2013/10/mind-predator/
9. Share a common interest.

One of these things on their own can be harmless but if you put two, three or more together then you may have an issue.
They will lure you into a false sense of security with them but behind your back they will be playing you against your friends and family. Predators can be male or female and prey on both male and female. They don't gender discriminate.

When you discover you have been the victim of a online predator, then you can see the things that they have done or were doing - how they have turned you against people you thought were friends. Well, they always were your friends, but your mind had been played with. Your thoughts were twisted.

This will leave you feeling vulnerable and embarrassed that you let the person take advantage of you for as long as they have and the feeling will make you hate yourself for letting it happen to you.

HOWEVER, this forum is our sanctuary and I want ALL members to feel comfortable logging on and enjoying the forum just as much as anyone else here. Therefore, staff NEEDS you to TELL US when something is going on. COME to one of the admins, one of the mods, the contents, Roman... we can't help you if we don't know.

Even if you THINK a friend on here is being harassed by someone, please tell us. We will help you and we will do it discreetly.


On a PERSONAL level - Admins here have a ZERO (0) tolerance policy on people who exhibit manipulative or blackmail(ish) behavior. If you gave someone your email, phone number, etc... or you said something about someone and now they are threatening to expose that information if you report them, COME TO ME! I will help you!

In real life, out there in the wide world, if you think you are being targeted by an online predator, you can again come to us, we can help or go to your local police. Keep copies of the correspondence between you. Call your local help lines. If you are a child/minor, speak to your parents, your teachers or go to the police directly.

You have a voice. Do not be ashamed to use it.
Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 ... 10