How to Glitter:: Guidelines for Users

[glitter]

HOW TO GLITTER

Can I say whatever I want?
Actually, no. Please refer to the Glitter Mission Statement for what is acceptable.

Aren't all opinions accepted here? What about free speech?
This is a private community and there are restrictions on free speech. We want to be as open-minded as possible to differences of opinion, but when your opinions advocate restricting the human rights of others, they violate the Glitter mission statement.

What should I do when I feel a poster is violating the Glitter Mission Statement?
You are strongly advised to be as civil and polite as possible in addressing the problem, and to focus your remarks on the comments that were made rather than the person making them. It is often a good idea to respectfully ask for clarification or to tell the person how you interpret their remarks and let them correct the remarks. If you feel there is no room for negotiation in such a situation, you are encouraged to use the UNCLE system. (See below.)

What should I do when a poster is accusing me of racism, sexism, homophobia, or other forms of discrimination?
As a first resort, you are strongly encouraged to examine your remarks for unintended meaning or possible insinuation of prejudices you did not intend to express. You might also ask the poster to clarify the source of his/her confusion if it is unclear to you.

What should I do when a poster is being snarky or rude?
Ignoring snark is often an effective means of deflecting snark - if you feel the debate gets out of hand you are encouraged to use the UNCLE system. (See below.)

What is the UNCLE system? What is the YUCK system?
It is Glitter's desire that all Glitterati feel safe here from personal attacks. As stated in the mission statement, racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimmination will not be tolerated. The YUCK and UNCLE systems are meant to give users a way to signal a problem with a post without having to argue it out.

If at any point you feel a comment has been made that goes against the Glitter mission statement, you are encouraged to challenge it in a respectful manner. If you are not up to challenging it, it is Glitter's desire that the comment is not ignored or swept under the carpet. Please quote the offensive language and say "YUCK" and/or contact a mod.

If contacted, the mod, either acting alone or in conjunction with fellow mods, will determine whether the comment warrants an UNCLE. Only a mod can cry UNCLE. If you disagree, you may dispute the mod's decision to the Glitter administrator.

How does the UNCLE system work?
If you find something offensive (against the mission statement), you're welcome to challenge it. When doing so, or if you choose not to, you are welcome and encouraged to alert a mod to the situation.

When alerted of the situation, the mod, either acting alone or in conjunction with fellow mods, will determine whether the comment warrants an UNCLE. (Meaning, they will determine if it's going against the mission statement or not.)

The mod will quote the offensive comment and say the following "UNCLE, the administrator has been contacted regarding this comment."

This is a means for alerting the admin of potential problems and also drawing attention to the situation.

A cry of UNCLE will do a few things.
1. It lets everyone know that the "higher authority" has been notified and that something will be done about the situation.
2. It also allows that mod to operate within the boundaries of the mod job description while still calling attention to the problem.
3. It calls attention to the offense and will hopefully provide an opportunity for the situation to be rectified by the offending commentator.

I get why you say YUCK but what does UNCLE mean? Is it an acronym?
UNCLE is something that kids in the US say when they are having a physical fight and one of them wants it to stop. "Uncle!" is the safe word. Your brother pins you to the ground. Instead of saying, "Okay, enough! Stop! You're right!", you just say, "Uncle." Sometimes adults use it in an argument when they give up. In the Southern US the word "mercy" is also used for the same purpose.

What about anger and strong feelings?
Expression of anger is healthy and does not in and of itself constitute a problem; it is possible to be both angry and respectful.

What if during or after the discussion, I still feel like my points were not addressed?
You might want to PM the person you have trouble with instead of addressing it on the thread, especially if discussion is still occurring. We still encourage you to be respectful with your PMs - hateful PMs to another poster will also not be tolerated.

Can I say whatever I want about another member of Glitter elsewhere online?
Well, you are going to do what you want to do. And what say privately is your own beeswax. While we do not look at what happens anywhere else but on Glitter, if public statements are made online and effect the atmosphere of mutual respect on Glitter, we reserve the right suspend or terminate accounts. We do not want people to use other sites to say unkind things about members that they know are outside the rules here. That's unacceptable.

Can you see who I am?
Well, not really. Anyone with a moderator account can check a user's IP address. Through this tool we can see if two users are probably one in the same. This is useful tool in the cases of board abuse, or suspected board abuse, such as spam, swap flaking and trolling. We reserve the right to do this on a case by case basis. However this tool is used very sparingly by the volunteer, unpaid, overworked moderators and board administrators. We all have other, better things to do then check your IP address.

What would result in termination of my user privileges at Glitter?
Termination of user privileges is decided on a case-by-case basis by the administrator alone. In the past, user privileges have been terminated for repeated violations of the mission statement, prolonged harrassment of other users, sending hostile or threatening PMs to members, and open and deliberate refusal to comply with the mission statement.

What is not up for discussion?
Posters are asked to respect the identities of other posters. Sexual orientation, race, and gender are the things that you ARE. On Glitter, you should not have to defend those things, nor should you require others to defend them. Vegetarianism, faith, your stance on abortion -- these are things that you CHOOSE, and therefore they are up for thoughtful, respectful and passionate discussion. However, we ask you to keep in mind how seriously many posters take their vegetarianism, their faith, and many other aspects of their lives.

The mission statement says that feminism is a defining value of this community. What does that mean? Do I have to be a feminist to be here? How does this community define feminism?
You do not have to be a feminist to post here. You do need to understand that posts treating women as anything more or less than individuals with their own minds and their own thoughts and their own bodies and their own rights are not likely to receive a welcome response on these boards. That said, discussions about what feminism means to you, questions about feminism, critiques of certain forms of feminism and debates about feminism are welcome and encouraged. There are as many definitions of feminism on these boards as there are feminists.

Does it rock here?
Yes.

A giant thank you to Pretendingsanity, VoodooToaster and Xuli for putting these together. You guys are the best.