Hi everyone,
You all know that the forum has gone through some major changes recently, bringing some wonderful new features, an influx of new members who have a lot to contribute and yes, a few bugs and glitches. We welcome the first 2, and thank you all for your patience while we get the latter sorted out.
It has come to our attention that there is perhaps a lack of clarity on what is and is not a good use of the forum, or valuable posting content, so we'd like to make some things clear for the benefit of members new and old, in order that this community can continue to grow in the right direction.
1. The Report Feature.
The way in which reports are made is different than our old "ticket" system, and is in some ways an improvement. However, we would like to make it quite clear that this feature is to be used only to bring to the attention of staff posts that are unacceptable in nature or content. It is NOT to be used for complaints on staff themselves or how the forum is run. For general queries or issues with the forums, please post in the relevant section "How Are We Doing" or contact staff via PM or email. If you have a problem with a Moderator, please contact either that Moderator to see if you can work it out, or take your problem privately to an Admin. If you you have an issue with an Admin, please contact another Admin. Contact details for all of us will be at the bottom of this post. Please do not abuse the report feature, doing so makes it harder to get to all the issues that need our attention, and diminishes the usefulness of the feature.
2. Linking To Videos And External Training Content.
We would like to ask that members use good judgment when posting links to dog training videos or websites, and that you do not contribute to a thread *solely* in order to link to external content. If you are describing a technique and occasionally post a video/content link to illustrate your point that can be very useful, but for the most part we want to hear *your* experiences and for you to share your own knowledge. In particular, frequently posting links to the videos or websites of any one person/organization borders very closely on advertising for that person/organization - advertising that they are not entitled to on this forum. In the worst case scenario, attempting to follow a training technique from a video clip - which are usually small in size and have low resolution - could be dangerous, as could following a training technique written in unclear language. What you are seeing or reading is not always completely clear, and everyone should always use their own best judgment before using any training technique they have only seen or read about. Please do not post links to training clips/sites without including in the post your own experiences with that technique - how you implemented it AND how it worked for you - and a disclaimer that "trying this at home" could be hazardous and when in doubt, consulting a trainer in person is the best idea.
We are always happy to see links to home videos that our members have taken of your dogs, your vacation, or anything else appropriate that you might like to share. In that same vein, amusing or cute video clips, whether dog related or not, are perfectly fine as long as they follow forum guidelines on crudeness, profanity etc. The same is true for any funny or cute websites you might come across. Everyone likes a laugh.
3. Advertising.
Advertising your own business on this forum is subject to certain conditions, and if you would like to, please contact PicklesShore via PM to be included in the Member Business Section. Posting for personal gain in any other section, including member blogs, is forbidden. Posting a link to a product you as a consumer have used and would like to recommend is fine.
4. Dogs For Sale.
Please do not post on the forums or in blogs details of puppies or dogs you have for sale. We have a section for adoption and rescue, but advertising your own litter is not allowed - anywhere. If you are a contributing member and a breeder please post details - and puppy pictures! - of your latest litter if you are not doing so for the purpose of selling the puppies. If you tell us all about your breeding experience and there is someone on the forum who would just love to have one of your puppies they will likely get in touch with you privately.
5. Links In Signatures.
Please do not post clickable links in your signatures. We had to introduce this measure in order to reduce forum spam, and it is helpful to staff if you follow it. If a member of staff contacts you because you have clickable links in your sig, please remove them as soon as possible. URLs which are NOT clickable but link to your personal site, myspace page, blog or any other non-profit site are perfectly fine.
6. Post Edits.
We support and encourage a free exchange of ideas but there are times when we must edit or completely delete a post to remove offensive comments, prevent threads from becoming nasty and ultimately unhelpful, to rid the forum of spam or unapproved advertising or to generally maintain a pleasant forum environment. Any decision by a Mod or Admin to perform these actions is not taken lightly and is final in the context of the thread. If you feel you were unfairly edited, please contact a member of staff privately to discuss the matter in a respectful and polite way. Editing out "red ink" placed in your post by a member of staff will result in a warning from an Admin, as will rudeness in arguing the matter. Decisions on post deletions/removal are solely those of Admins and Mods, and require no input from members beyond initial abuse reports. We will not delete previously edited posts solely on the request of the poster. Red ink helps Mods/Admins to know that a post has already been attended to when reports are made, as software limitations have made this difficult otherwise. Removal or alteration of such is confusing and disrespectful to Admin/Mods and will not be tolerated.
If you have any questions about these or any other forum guidelines, have an issue with a post or a member or simply need advice on how to get the most out of your forum experience, please contact any member of staff via PM or email.
Thank you.
Moderators:
rwbeagles
danehaven
Sera_J
Administrators:
amstaffy
*Jill_B*
Benedict