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This message board is not a democracy, at best it is a benevolent dictatorship. The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's site hosts have set the following rules for The Cauldron's message board. Make sure you are familiar with them. Read them daily to remind yourself of them if you have to, because the hosts have given the message board staff the power to limit or deny access to those who insist on violating them.
While The Cauldron's message board staff tries to enforce these rules fairly, please accept that things are not always going to seem absolutely fair. The staff is not only human but their primary duty is the long-term good of The Cauldron and its entire membership. The long-term good of the board may sometimes require actions that are not absolutely fair from other points of view. For example, a long time member who has posted hundreds of messages and then has a bad day and breaks a lot of rules is far more likely to be cut some slack than a new member who starts breaking rules within their first few posts. Remember that you are a guest in the online home of the hosts, if you cause problems or are very annoying in some way not covered by the rules, they will still act. The site hosts reserve the right to make completely arbitrary decisions to protect what they see as the best interests of The Cauldron.
One very important thing to remember about The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's message board is that it is a debate and discussion board -- and while people are not required to agree and debate can get very heated at times, we expect our members to always remember that those they are debating are not just names on a post, but real people who also have rights and feelings. The object of this board is to learn from the mix of ideas and views, not to completely demolish all who disagree with you. Unlike on many boards, you are free to disagree with and argue with the hosts and staff, except on rules issues and other issues pertaining to the operation of The Cauldron.
If you would like to use The Cauldron for help with your homework or for post-secondary or professional research, please follow our Research Guidelines below.
The Cauldron's Message Board Rules and Policies
- On rules issues, and only on rules issues, staff decisions are final. (See the the main page of our web site or Start page of either forum for a current list of staff.) Do not under any circumstances argue with or comment on a moderator call on the board; all appeals must be taken to a private e-mail (note: not PM, unless the staff member in question specifically says you may use a PM) so as not to derail the conversation on the board. If you feel that you have been moderated unfairly, you may appeal decisions to the Message Board Coordinator and then, if necessary, to the active site hosts (LyricFox and Randall) by e-mailing them through their profiles. It is unlikely, however, that the hosts will overrule the staff. If you do not like the moderators or the moderation here, then feel free not to post here.
- Personal attacks (i.e. name calling, hostile remarks, accusations, etc.) and blanket condemnations of religions or peoples will not be tolerated. Debate is welcome but please attack ideas and opinions, not personalities. Outright hate speech is never welcome. Note that putting an "in my opinion" type of qualifier on a rules violating statement does not change the fact that the statement violates the rules.
- Unapproved unsolicited advertising/announcements -- pagan or non-pagan -- (aka "spam") is not allowed on this forum. If you wish to post an advertisement or announcement, you must obtain permission first. See our Advertising Guidelines for details on what is and is not permitted and for how to request approval to post an advertising message. Note that unapproved advertising is usually edited heavily and made fun of by staff and members, if you advertise without permission and are not banned for it, do not complain if this is done to your ad or announcement.
- Do not post or attach copyrighted material without including the specific and express permission granted by the original author (or the copyright holder if that is no longer the original author) to post their material in The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. If you do not have permission, please just post a link to the material. Simply giving credit to the original author is not enough under US copyright law. See our Copyright Guideline for more information on this issue.
- Do not attempt to moderate other members. This includes telling people not post under certain circumstances, telling people that they must behave a certain way on the forum, telling other posters that they have violated the rules, etc. Constructive suggestions as to how a person could communicate more clearly or with fewer problems are fine so long as they do not sound like orders. Leave the moderating to the site hosts, forum moderators and their appointed staff.
- Do not engage in annoying or excessively rude behaviour. This includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Deleting or editing your posted messages to significantly change the content after they can reasonably be assumed to have been read by others (a few minutes after posting). This is particularly true if the message
has already been replied to.
- Posting the same message to multiple topics.
- Attacking a post based on typos, poor spelling, or poor grammar, instead of debating its content. Our message board is more akin to a spoken conversation with people from many countries than it is to a term paper.
- Proselytizing for any religion (whether Pagan or not).
- Trolling, or posting only to stir up trouble.
- Posting messages in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, in eLiTe LeTtErS, in very large or hard to read fonts or colors, or with weird punctuation. (Hints: Using the standard font, font size, and color in messages is generally best. Start normal sentences with capital letters and end them with ONE period, question mark or exclamation point. Use apostrophes in contractions.)
- Regular use of "Netspeak" or other "cute" grammar or spelling (For example: writing "R U Wiccan?" instead of "Are You Wiccan?"). Netspeak not only annoys many members but can make it very hard for people who first language is not English to follow discussions.
- Not putting a blank line between paragraphs. (Press Enter twice after each paragraph rather than just once.)
- Oversharing personal details -- posting the intimate details of your life in inappropriate threads.
- Use of gratuitous offensive language. We are a PG-13 forum.
- Failing to properly attribute quoted sources.
- Having your account set to a false or out of date email address.
- Putting the site hosts, forum moderators, or members of the forum staff on ignore so that you do not see the content of their posts.
- Threatening/harassing the The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's message boards, web site, staff, or members.
- Hacking or attempting to hack any part of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum.
- Message Board signatures must follow our Signature Guidelines. If you need help getting your sig to meet the requirements, please post in the "Get Sig Help Here" thread in the Chat, MUX and Forum Support folder on the main board.
- Certain folders have special rules regarding their use. The names of these special folders start with an "S:" as a reminder that they have special rules. These rules are published on the Special Folder Rules page. Those who violate the special rules for a folder can lose the right to post in that folder (in place of or addition to the usual penalties).
- By posting a message to The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's message board (or by submiting material directly for the the web site or newsletter), you are irrevocably authorizing the royalty-free use of that message or edited material from that message in The Cauldron's newsletters, mailing lists, announcement lists, web sites and other online venues.
Forum Guidelines
While the following are not strictly rules, reading them will give you a feel for the way The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's message board operates.
Copyright Guidelines: We have had a number of problems with -- and complaints about -- the message board's copyright rule. Please remember that material taken from web pages, newspapers, magazines, etc. is copyrighted (and remains copyrighted even if you get it from a third party, e.g. in an email message from a friend or mailing list) and may not be posted without permission from the actual owner of the copyright (permission must be included with the post). Permission to email a copy to a friend as some news sites give is the not same thing as permission to post on a public message board. Simply giving credit to the original author is not enough under US copyright law: not giving credit is plagarism, not getting permission is a copyright law violation. "Fair use" is only a couple of sentences or a very short paragraph from a newspaper, magazine, or web article.
Advertising Guidelines:
- Unsolicited advertising/announcement (commercial or non-commercial, pagan or non-pagan) messages not approved in advance in accordance with the procedures in this paragraph is generally considered "spam." The content of such unapproved message is deleted and our members post Spam (the Hormel product) recipes and otherwise make fun of the post. Spam messages posted as one of the first ten messages posted by a new member may result in a ban. If you really think your ad would be of interest to our members and you have posted at least 25 messages to our message board, please query the Message Board Coordinator (or the Hosts as a last resort) in email with a copy of the ad/announcement text you wish to post and request permission to post it. They will look at the ad and make a decision. The only exception to this rule is that regular posters (members with at least 200 posts) on our message board are usually allowed to make short, one time informative announcements of new non-commercial forums, mailing lists, or personal item sales of direct interest to Pagans in our Internet folder without obtaining advance permission.
- It is not considered advertising to post a direct link to (or information about) a business or product in response to bona fide question in a message thread (as long as one discloses any interest one might have in the business/product). Nor is it considered advertising for regular posters on our message board to post a link to an item or business to discuss it.
- Reasonable links to one's business are allowed in signatures provided they are links and not ads. Note, however, that affiliate links are not allowed in messages or signatures if they conflict with the affiliate relationships of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. Exceptions to this affiliate link rule may be granted by the Hosts in special cases (e.g. an author linking to his/her own books on Amazon with his/her affilate code), talk to the Hosts if you think an exception is warranted.
Non-Pagan Religions Guideline: The Cauldron is an interfaith forum. Anyone of any religion (or no religion) is welcome to post here so long as they follow the forum rules. Many non-Pagans are regular contributors to The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. As many Pagans seem to have "issues" with Christianity, be aware that this forum has Christian members and a Christian theologian on staff. The rule against blanket condemnation of other religions does apply to Christianity. After all, most of the world's two billion Christians aren't raving fundies out to force their Bible down your throat -- no matter how much it may seem like the fundies are the majority of Christianity if you live in certain parts of the United States -- and they should not be treated as if they were. Generic Christian bashing is no more welcome here than generic Pagan bashing is. If this bothers you, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's discussion areas might not be the place for you. See also "Tolerance Guideline" below.
Message Format Guidelines: A number of definite "don't dos" are listed in our rules, here are some positive things you can do to make your messages more readable -- and therefore more likely to be read and replied to by other members.
- Write in short paragraphs with a blank line between each paragraph. Large blocks of solid text are much harder to read on a monitor than in a book or magazine so white space (blank lines between paragraphs) is much more important to readability than it is in text printed on paper.
- Please don't write in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. It's very hard to read and is considered the online equivalent of shouting at people.
- Clearly mark any material you are quoting from another message with some type of text marker -- the most common method in our message board seems to be starting and ended the quoted text with two or three plus signs (like this: +++This would be some text quoted from another message+++). If you use HTML formatting, you can put quoted material in a quote box by highlighting the quote and clicking on the quote button in the message editor. The quote button looks like a pair of quotation marks. Please do not use odd fonts or colored text to mark quotes.
- If you are starting a new thread, try to give it a subject that accurately describes the discussion is about. If you have a question or need help, you will want to be as specific as you can in the limited number of characters allowed for the subject title so that people who have the info you are looking for will be likely to find your thread.
- Black is boring, but it is the easiest color for most forum members to read. If you use a different color, don't be surprised if you get complaints.
Research Guidelines: The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum has a long history of cooperating with research. However, our primary purpose is to serve our members, and to protect them from individuals seeking to use The Cauldron to prey upon others, whether through inappropriate solicitation, unethical research, or even simple spamming.
Primary and Secondary School Researchers: Please read our "Pagan Primer" (at http://www.ecauldron.com/newpagan.php) before asking questions on our message board. Many members will be happy to help you with your school project by answering questions, but we will not write your paper -- or do your basic research -- for you. You may find it best to post your question in the Teen folder. Be up front about the fact that your question(s) are for a school paper or school project, that way those who respond know they are responding for your paper or project. Remember that many of our most knowledgeable members only log on once or twice a week, so it is best to ask for help well before your project is due.
Post-Secondary and Professional Researchers: If you are simply looking for ideas for accurate books or have similar simple questions, the above paragraph applies. However, If you wish to use The Cauldron for actual research (quoting posts, asking detailed questions, requesting members fill out surveys, etc.), then we require that you contact the hosts by email before beginning your research so they can discuss your research needs with you and try to work out a way that you can do your research while still protecting our members. Most projects can be approved with only a few email exchanges, especially if you provide details about yourself, your institution, your research, and exactly what you would like from The Cauldron in your first message.
General Research Restrictions:
- Any studies in which you will use direct quotes from member posts or personal information about members must be opt-in.
- The Cauldron does not participate in "gotcha" studies. The Cauldron is not reality TV. Posting an inflammatory question/message, or pretending to hold a particular viewpoint, in order to "see what happens" is grounds for an immediate ban and a formal complaint filed with your institution.
- Any research thread must state that it is for research in the first post.
- In any case where The Cauldron's rules for research are stricter than the ethical guidelines of your institution or profession, the Cauldron's stricter rules apply.
Signature Guidelines: Signatures are a good way to personalize your messages, but they can cause problems if not carefully created. Signatures are expected to follow the follwing guidelines:
- All message board rules apply to signatures.
- The total file size of all graphics used in a signature must be no more than 35-40KB.
- all graphic images must have height and width tags.
- The entire signature must fit in the message pane of the message board when displayed in a browser on a 800x600 resolution screen without causing side scrolling.
- Signatures are not web pages, they should not require a lot of scrolling to page through.
- Signatures may not use sound, movies, Java or other troublesome features.
- Some advertising is permitted in signatures, see the Advertising Guideline.
Personal Information Guideline: Members should think twice before posting personal information (address, phone number, etc.) in a message as the messages you post are available to anyone on the Internet. If staff happens to notice this type of information is being posted by a minor, it will be edited out.
Political Guideline: Political discussions do happen in The Cauldron. Please remember that being Pagan does not automatically imply a certain political position. Pagans are found all across the political spectrum from radical extreme liberals to reactionary extreme conservatives. Also, please remember that this forum has members from all over the world and that the laws and political procedures of your country are not universal. This forum is not an appropriate place for blatant political campaigning.
Most of the Cauldron's US members, however, are center left to left. While we do have members who lean center right to right, they are usually in the minority and therefore sometimes feel outgunned in political discussions. Some of our members, however, are hard to pigeonhole politically, while their views on one issue might be seen as conservative, their views on another issue might be seen as liberal. Many of our members who participate in our political discussions are very well-read with respect to the news - reading US news sources from the left, from the center, and from the right and getting a broader view by reading some major foreign news sources. If you only read/listen to news that agrees with your politics, chances are good that you will have trouble being taken seriously in many political discussions on our board.
Political discussions are expected to obey the regular forum rules. This means that much of the type of nasty discussion that goes on in many other political discussion areas on the Internet (e.g. the Yahoo Message Boards) will quickly get one banned on The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. Here are some things to remember:
- Keep political discussions civil. Attack ideas, do not attack the people who hold them.
- Personal attacks (like name-calling) on other members, people, countries, or political institutions are not allowed. While we do allow political figures to be referred to by fairly common, polite nicknames (e.g. Tricky Dick, Slick Willie, Shrub), the type of insulting name calling that goes in many other online political discussions (e.g. calling liberals things like "libtards" or conservatives "contards") is not welcome here.
- Those who disagree with you are not idiots, terrorists, communists, Nazis, anti-American, retards, etc. While you may not be willing to believe it, they might be right and you might be wrong.
- Don't expect to convince a political opponent by citing opinion pieces or biased "factual" pieces from sources generally considered be strongly aligned with one political camp or another. Citing Rush Limbaugh or NewsMax isn't likely to convince a liberal any more than citing TruthOut or Counterpunch is likely to convince a conservative.
- If you are making a claim and asked to support it, do not try to avoid doing so by demanding that your opponents instead disprove it. It is the duty of those making a positive claim to support it if asked. It is not the duty of those opposing the idea either to disprove it or accept it.
- Finally, take a look at your message before you post it. It if reads like children taunting each other on the playground, please revise it as you will only make a fool of yourself (and perhaps get into rules violation trouble) if you post it.
Tolerance Guideline: The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum expects its members to be tolerant of the religious beliefs of others. This means we expect you to respect the right of others to the religious beliefs and practices of their choice. This does not mean that you have to agree with those beliefs, that you cannot argue politely that factual beliefs are incorrect, or that you cannot politely state that you believe certain other beliefs are simply wrong. It is definitely not intolerant to ask someone for the sources of their information. See also the "Non-Pagan Religions Guideline" above.
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