GOVERNANCE AND CODE OF CONDUCT
The Mission: to provide a venue in which violin/fiddle students of any age, skill/ experience level, musical interests, or cultural background can exchange information, knowledge and ideas, participate in group activities and form friendships.
Our Golden Rule: Respect thy fellow members. Treat other members as you would have them treat you. These rules exist to help make this forum a more enjoyable place to visit.
The following types of posts are prohibited:
- Attacks, harassment or slander towards another member. If you disagree with what a member has posted, post your own opinion without attacking the member who made the post.
- Derogatory generalizations based on race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, politics or socio-economic status. On this forum, we are all equal.
- Pornography or profanity: Remember that families and children frequent this forum.
- Discussion of politics or religion: Generally not permitted though non-argumentative comments and common terms such as “thank god”, “lord knows”, or “we will pray for you”, will be allowed at the moderators’ discretion.
- Spam, mystery links and links to competing websites: No one likes a site full of spam and people are wary of following unidentified links. If you are posting an external link, please explain what you are linking to and why. Include your own personal thoughts about the site, page, video, etc. If you are a business selling a violin-related product, please contact Fiddlerman before posting information promoting your product.
- Fiddlerman operates a related e-commerce site called Fiddlershop.com. Links to competitors are not permitted. You are not allowed to mention competitors in posts or the chat room. If you want to suggest alternatives to Fiddlershop, just say, “You can do an internet search for more information,” or something similar. Administrators have the right to edit or delete a post, including all replies, without warning, that mentions a competitor.
- Mean spirited comments that ridicule, berate or belittle members regarding their skill level, style, equipment, musical taste, knowledge of music theory, etc.:
This site is a place to learn. All members should feel free to ask questions, post comments and request critiques without fear of ridicule. - The selling of violins and other bowed string instruments and their accessories, is for members’ convenience. As such, Fiddlerman, Forum Administrators and Fiddlershop are in no way responsible for any transactions or postings for items to be sold or purchased, even if erroneous. Fiddlerman, Forum Administrators and Fiddlershop will not act as mediators for any discrepancies for sales or purchases. Discrepancies will not be debated on the forum or chat room. Action will be taken against any and all members who bring the discrepancy about a sale or purchase to the forum or chat room. Transactions are solely between seller and purchaser. Keep in mind when talking price, people are from different countries on this forum. The original poster, seller and interested parties are responsible for providing the correct contact and currency information to each other. Fiddlerman, Forum Administrators and Fiddlershop will take not action to provide this information. Also, all topic threads for the sale or purchase of items will be deleted, without warning, if the original poster has not logged into the forum and updated the post in 3 months after posting and every 3 months thereafter. Updating requires a new reply placed by the seller, or original poster, for that topic thread, not just logging in and viewing. Administrators need to see a new post by the seller or original poster to confirm the seller is tracking the item listed for sale. This must be done every 3 months.
- Out of respect for members and their privacy, please address members by their chosen user name on the forum and chat room, even if you have been emailing back and forth between said members using given names. The member has chosen to use a username on the forum and chat room. The only exception is if the member has displayed her/his given name on the forum and has been using it her/himself on the forum.
- With non technical forum or chat room issues based on personal dissatisfaction, we prefer that you address the issue via a PM or email to a Forum Administrator. We appreciate the opportunity to resolve the issues. Complaining about the forum or chat room openly may discourage new members from joining. Debating dissatisfaction in the forum or chat room is not welcoming. Issues with using the forum can be posted on the Forum Assistance forum group in the Breakroom area of the forum, or email or PM Forum Administrators.
The above also applies to the chat room and PM features.
Tips for good forum citizenship:
- When you start a new thread, please try to put it in an appropriate section of the forum. Non-violin and non-music topics should be posted in the Breakroom or Off Music Topics. There are also sections for discussion related to Viola, Cello and Mandolins. Administrators reserve the right to move a topic posted to an appropriate forum.
- If you have any doubts as to whether or not a post is acceptable, please feel free to message Forum Administrator or any member on the forum board.
- If you encounter a post by a member that violates any of the rules above, report the issue to a Forum Administrator or Forum Board Member rather than accelerating an argument or responding in kind on the forum, with a PM, or in the chat room.
- Humor can be misinterpreted, especially in writing without the benefit of non-verbal cues, and humor can differ across cultures. What’s funny to one person might be offensive or misconstrued by another. That’s not to say that we always have to be serious in the forum or chat room. Just use some discretion when using humor, and as a reader, consider whether the writer intended his or her post to be humorous and take it in the spirit in which it was intended. The use of LOLs and smilies helps convey that you were just trying to be funny.
Procedures for violations: The Site Administrators, in conjunction with the Fiddlerman Forum Advisory Board Members, will consider a number of factors when deciding whether to take action such as deleting posts or banning a member. Those factors include, but are not limited to, the number of complaints received about a member, the frequency of complaints over time, and the nature of the offensive posts. Posts violating the above rules will be removed by the administrators immediately and without warning, as will any posts by other members referencing the original post. Offending members may receive a warning via private message, however administrators reserve the right to ban a member from the forum after consultation with the advisory board.Fiddlerman Forum Advisory Board: Fiddlerman, KindaScratchy, coolpinkone, Mad_Wed, DanielB
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