Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

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Charles L. Cotton
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Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#1

Post by Charles L. Cotton »

On behalf of the Moderators, I want to ask a favor of TexasCHLforum members that will make their lives/jobs much easier. In recent weeks, we have had a significant increase in posts that either directly violate Forum rules, or arguably do and require evaluation by the Moderator corps. These problems tend to come from new members and this is understandable since I suspect most people don’t actually read all of the rules before posting. In a perfect world all of us would do so, but the simple fact is we don’t. While understandable, it does cause problems for Moderators as evidenced by the number of responses they get saying something to the effect of “I didn’t know about the rule.”

So here’s the favor: if you haven’t read the rules, please do so and if you haven’t read them in a long time, please take time for a quick review.

Here is an example of the more common problems reported by members:
  • Abbreviated profanity
    Videos or links to videos that contain material that violates our rules
    Personal attacks, both blatant and somewhat veiled
    Sexually suggestive comments or photos

Many of our new members do not know the history of the TexasCHLforum so here is a very short version. For the first two years or so, we didn’t have any rules. We just followed what became known as the “Ten Year Old Daughter Rule” which held that you cannot post something you wouldn’t want said in front of your 10 year old daughter. As time went on and people started to complain about not having bright line rules, we had to abandon the “Ten Year Old Daughter Rule” and establish specific rules.

Although the “Ten Year Old Daughter Rule” is gone, we still live by that philosophy. We want women to feel comfortable here and we want parents to be equally comfortable in recommending TexasCHLforum to their children who want to learn about guns and gun related issues. If this is to continue, all of us, members and Moderators, need to conduct ourselves in compliance with the rules, the spirit of the rules, and the “Ten Year Old Daughter Rule” philosophy.

I want to comment on links to videos. This was a subject that was discussed in detail on the Moderator forum. The concern was language and other material that might render an otherwise educational video inappropriate. The ultimate decision was to allow questionable videos and links to such videos only if 1) the subject matter was educational; 2) it’s educational value exceeded the questionable language or content; and 3) an appropriate warning was included in the post. That is the rule we live by today. A video dealing with a fight on a buss was recently deleted and it was not an easy decision. It appeared to meet the above-listed requirements, but the subtitles included vulgar language making it impossible for viewers to simply turn off the audio. Again, it was an educational video and removing it was not an easy decision.

Overall, our members have been great and it is truly appreciated. However, a relative handful of members are pushing the envelop if not clearly violating the forum rules. I know because I can see the Moderator logs and the reports from members. Please help us maintain the atmosphere that has made our online community what it is today.

Thanks,
Chas.
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TexasGal
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#2

Post by TexasGal »

Thanks, Charles :iagree:
I really enjoy this forum primarily because this great resource of information is not peppered with profanity or vulgar references. I often recommend this forum to people I am trying to win over to the world of CHL. Most of them are women, and their impression of what goes on in this forum may well make or break their interest in guns.
Thanks for providing a really great place for everyone to enjoy! :thumbs2:
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#3

Post by RHenriksen »

Thank you for posting this. I completely support the efforts of you & the other moderators to maintain the existing culture & standards of this community.

I used to be a member of the best online community I'd ever seen. It was completely destroyed by loud newcomers who didn't respect the established standards, and moderators who were spineless. Hm, this sounds familiar... Illegal immigration & progressive politics, anyone?

I'd hate to see such a thing happen here. I've also strongly recommended this forum to people interested in Texas CHL. I hope to continue to be able to do so.
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sjfcontrol
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#4

Post by sjfcontrol »

How about a link to the current rule set? :mrgreen:
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joe817
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#5

Post by joe817 »

sjfcontrol wrote:How about a link to the current rule set? :mrgreen:
You'll find it here:

http://www.texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10341" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(it's in this same section)
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#6

Post by cougartex »

Reviewed rules. :rules:
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Drewthetexan
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#7

Post by Drewthetexan »

If it is possible, may I suggest a link at the top of the board index to the forum rules, or perhaps next to the FAQ/Members/Login or somewhere fairly evident and universal? That people have to ask where the rules are suggests to me that I wasn't the only one who had difficulty in finding them when I joined. It never occured to me that they would be in a thread and not a permanent page on the site. It wasn't until after I started posting that I checked out the Site Announcements, Questions & Suggestions section and found them - not because I was looking for them; they just turned up finally.

Searching: 'forum rules' turns up 604 results, the 71st on the 5th page being the first to point to the forum rules.
Searching in quotations: "forum rules" turns up 186 results, which is better, but only if you know to add quotations.
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thankGod
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#8

Post by thankGod »

Good to review.

I forgot the rules and was recently slapped for 'Abbreviated profanity'. My mistake. :oops:
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#9

Post by VoiceofReason »

Thanks for the great site Charles. :tiphat:

I sent the URL to my son who intends to get his CHL. I hope I haven’t stretched the rules. I would not do so intentionally. I will re-read them.

I hope this site continues to be as great as it is for a long time.
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#10

Post by seniorshooteress »

I, too, had wondered where to find the rules. Now I know what rule 13 is that I have been seeing on deleted posts. I have read the rules and will abide by them.
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#11

Post by Charles L. Cotton »

Drewthetexan wrote:If it is possible, may I suggest a link at the top of the board index to the forum rules, or perhaps next to the FAQ/Members/Login or somewhere fairly evident and universal? That people have to ask where the rules are suggests to me that I wasn't the only one who had difficulty in finding them when I joined. It never occured to me that they would be in a thread and not a permanent page on the site. It wasn't until after I started posting that I checked out the Site Announcements, Questions & Suggestions section and found them - not because I was looking for them; they just turned up finally.

Searching: 'forum rules' turns up 604 results, the 71st on the 5th page being the first to point to the forum rules.
Searching in quotations: "forum rules" turns up 186 results, which is better, but only if you know to add quotations.
This is a good idea and I intended to do it when I first read your post. I have now made the forum rules a "global" announcement so the link will appear at the top of every category and forum.

Thanks,
Chas.

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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#12

Post by BigMickey »

I belong to some other forums, some specialized and some general. There is only one other, aside from this forum, that I will recommend to friends and acquaintances who are interested in guns or concealed carry. Aside from the "ten-year-old girl" rule, I appreciate the "bright-line" rules, as well.

Thanks for clarity. It's all to rare these days.
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Re: Urgent Reminder - Please Read!

#13

Post by longtooth »

Welcome aboard sir & glad to see you here.
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