Members of B77:
We are now opening the discussion and ratification of Article 2: Member's Rights and Responsibilities.
The full text of this article is quoted below. The full charter can be read HERE
We will discuss from Tues May 31 ~11:59 pm GMT to Fri Jun 10 ~11:59pm GMT. We will vote from Fri June 10 ~11:59pm GMT to Mon Jun 20 11:59pm GMT. Ratification requires a quorum of at least 39 votes and a super-majority of at least 2/3 of the votes.
The purpose of the discussion is to uncover controversial items and remove them before voting. Please speak freely. Thanks, V.
Article 2: Member Rights and Responsibilities
Some rights and responsibilities are enforceable by procedures and penalties outlined in the Charter; others rest on the determination of all members to observe them. All are essential to our purpose of building a vibrant, diverse, supportive community where both conversation and signature pictures reflect our personalities, our humor, our genuine opinions, our artistic appreciation, our creativity, and above all our mutual friendship.
¶1: Rights and responsibilities enforceable by procedures and penalties outlined in the Charter
A. You have the right:
1. To post under one registered screen name if you are 13 years of age or older.
2. To create and register characters for use in the There and Back Again forum (a role-play forum). They must be recorded in the RP Character Registry. Character Registry
3. To post in our Thinking of England forum (a forum restricted to those who are 18 years of age or older) once you have met the eligibility requirements
4. To address personal disputes in the Bike Racks forum, and in other forums to post free of disruptions caused by the personal disputes of others.
5. To post in languages other than English in threads, ranks or signature texts.
6. To post without confronting advertising spam, pornographic pictures, sexually explicit conversation outside of the age-restricted forum, and pictures or conversations of an offensively violent or distasteful nature.
7. To a Hearing if you are accused of violating the by-laws; to appeal a Hearing under certain circumstances; to petition for the reversal of a ban under certain circumstances. You must abide by the decisions of our juries and use proper procedure when contesting the decisions of administrators or jurors. Refer to Article 4 of our Charter for a full explanation of your rights under any dispute procedure.
8. To petition the administrators for redress if you believe that your other rights have been violated.
B. You have the Responsibility:
9. To provide a valid email address and to state truthfully your age for board access or entry into any forum with age restrictions.
10. To refrain from personal attacks or intentional insults that target another member's nationality, ethnicity, religion, native language, gender, age or sexual orientation, to remove any unintentional insults of this nature upon request, and to refrain from using a foreign language to conceal insults of this nature.
11. To role-play within the guidelines set by the story originator, and in a way that does not prevent other characters from participating or unnecessarily stifle the creative options of other posters.
12. To post prudently in the Thinking of England forum and not expose yourself to unnecessary harm. That forum should be free of ridicule, provocation, or demeaning posts and you should report violations to the administrators. You must also refrain from maliciously spreading information posted by others in that forum.
13. To keep your posts free of gratuitous advertising, spam that would annoy any reasonable person, and pictures that would disgust or dismay any reasonable person.
14. To refrain from inflicting damage on the board or the internet access of its members, either deliberately or through negligence, by hacking or introducing viruses.
15. To refrain from using PM capability to harrass other members of the board.
16. To refrain from soliciting or encouraging the participation of members in illegal activities; but this does not impinge on your right to speak freely about the shortcomings, ethical or practical, of any given law.
17. To refrain from threatening real life violence or other criminal acts against other members.
¶2: Rights and responsibilities that rest on the determination of all members to keep Board77 a pleasant place for all to post but are not enforceable by procedures and penalties outlined in the Charter.
You have the right:
18. To be treated with courtesy and respect by all posters regardless of their status, and the responsibility to treat others likewise.
19. To express your thoughts on any topic, as long as you post with respect, forbearance and consideration for the context, the feelings of others, the value of contrasting viewpoints, and without making personal attacks against other posters.
20. To use adult language that is generally acceptable in written media or adult conversation, along with the responsibility to refrain from unnecessary cursing or obscenities. We encourage everyone to use language that is clear and contributory (not spam or netspeak) without our having to restrict the expressions that are generally found in adult conversation.
21. To address a personal dispute with another member in the Bike Racks forum if the other member agrees. You are also entitled to mediation. It is your responsibility to resolve your own personal disputes in a productive fashion, and not to interfere with other members who are doing the same.
22. To serve as an administrator, mediator or juror and to run for elected office. It is also your responsibility to participate in the governance of the board whether simply by voting when a quorum is needed, or by serving in some official capacity.