RESULTS OF MEMBER VOTE ON ARTICLE 6: AGE RESTRICTED FORUM
These results were independently counted by laureanna, truehobbit, and Primula_Baggins, and our counts agree.
Question 1:
Disclaimer statement - A statement on the front page and on the registration form will state:
“Notice: Adult language is allowed on B77, but generally occurs no more frequently than in real life. We do require that members be at least thirteen years of age before joining. This board also contains an age restricted forum for discussion of topics inappropriate for children. The contents of this forum are not accessible to members who are under the age of eighteen, nor are they immediately accessible to the newest registrants.
All new Board registrations must provide their date of birth and a confirmation email from the member’s registration email address before membership is activated.â€
A. I agree with this text: 42 votes (97.7%)
B. I do not agree with this text: 1 vote (2.3%)
This text is ratified and will be added to the Charter.
Question 2. The “Thinking of England†forum header will be visible in the index but access is restricted to those who have specific permission to do so. The forum description will state: "Discussion of topics inappropriate for children; not accessible to those under the age of eighteen."
A. I agree with this text: 39 votes (90.7%)
B. I do not agree with this text: 4 votes (9.3%)
This text is ratified and will be added to the Charter.
Question 3A. A member becomes eligible to access the "Thinking of England" forum after three months and 100 posts. After this time, a member can request access to the forum from an administrator.
OR ALTERNATIVE TEXT
Question 3B A member becomes eligible to apply to an administrator for access the "Thinking of England" forum after three months and 100 posts. Before permission is activated, two (or more) current “Thinking of England†posters must sponsor the new applicant. The sponsorship will be in confidence and will take the form of PM to the administrator handling the permissions, stating “I am willing to sponsor [name of applicant]†and will be in response to a notifying post in that forum stating “[name of applicant] seeks sponsorship to this forumâ€.
A. I agree with the text in 3A: 24 votes (55.8%)
B. I agree with the text in 3B: 13 votes (30.2%)
C. I do not agree with either text: 5 votes (11.6%)
Invalid votes: 1 (2.3%)
No option on this question received the needed two-thirds supermajority, so none of these options will be added to the Charter. This question will be reopened for discussion and a new vote, because more than a two-thirds supermajority of the membership did vote for some restrictions on eligibility.
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Question 4. Before permission is activated, an email with the “Thinking of England†forum sticky note information will be forwarded to the new member, who will be required to agree to the terms of participation in that forum as outlined in that sticky by return email.
A. I agree with this text: 42 votes (97.7%)
B. I do not agree with this text: 1 vote (2.3%)
This text is ratified and will be added to the Charter.
Question 5. Posters, when in the “Thinking of England†forum, must be even more alert to abusive or exploitive behaviour (especially taking advantage of another’s emotional vulnerability, youth, or inexperience in adult environments) than in other forums. Posters are encouraged to act on conscience when they witness such behaviour and to report any violation of the by-laws to the Administrators.
A. I agree with this text: 41 votes (95.3%)
B. I do not agree with this text: 2 votes (4.7%)
This text is ratified and will be added to the Charter.
Question 6. In addition to the criteria for jury eligibility outlined elsewhere, jurors for “Thinking of Englandâ€- related hearings are required to be ToE posters in good standing.
A. I agree with this text: 27 votes (62.8%)
B. I do not agree with this text: 16 votes (37.2%)
This text did not receive the required two-thirds supermajority, so it will not be added to the Charter.
Question 7. As a courtesy, new posters to the 'Thinking of England' forum are encouraged to make their arrival known to existing posters in a Courtesy Introduction thread created for this purpose in that forum.
A. I agree with this text: 34 votes (79.1%)
B. I do not agree with this text: 9 votes (10.9%)
This text is ratified and will be added to the Charter.
Question 8. It is the intention of the membership to stay abreast of any changes in the law that would affect their responsibilities toward the public where this forum is concerned.
A. I agree with this text: 37 votes (86.0%)
B. I do not agree with this text: 6 votes (14.0%)
This text is ratified and will be added to the Charter.
Thank you all for your participation in the discussion, and for your votes! (Prim here) I think this is momentous: this is the membership directly making decisions that affect us all. This is how it's done. When it needs to be done again, this is the model.