APPROVED TEXT
Article 3: Dispute Resolution in the Outside Forum
¶1: The Bike Racks Forum
• The Bike Racks Forum is a read and write forum available to all members. It is used for:
•• resolving disputes between individual members when these disputes do not involve a violation of board rules
•• off-topic discussions that are derailing a thread but do not warrant a thread of their own
•• restricting posters who have provided invalid email addresses
• Members may start a thread in that forum to resolve a personal dispute.
• Admins at their discretion may split quarrelsome or disruptive posts and move them to the Bike Racks if they threaten to impinge on member rights
• Bike Rack threads should be titled with the name of the expected participants so that the title is neutral and easy for participants to find.
• A thread in the Bike Racks forum is intended for those members directly involved in the interaction, plus whomever else they designate as participants. Those who have initiated the thread may request that Administrators delete the posts of non-designated members who enter the thread.
• When members involved in the dispute feel it is resolved, they may notify an administrator to lock the thread. Administrators should confirm with all parties that the discussion is concluded before locking the thread.
• If members are having difficulty resolving their dispute they may ask for a mediator. There should be no more than one mediator, agreed upon by the discussants, and chosen from among those jury pool members who have indicated their willingness to serve in this capacity. Service as a mediator in a particular dispute is voluntary.
• The role of the mediator is to offer an objective view of the dispute and help the parties come to an agreement. The mediation may take place in private, by PM or email, if the parties so desire. When the dispute is concluded, the mediator should make sure that all parties are aware that the discussion is concluding, and then notify an administrator to lock the thread.
• Locked threads in the Bike Racks are deleted only if the posters request it to preserve their privacy.
• Bike Rack threads may be summarized and placed in the Archives with the members' names removed if a mediator or Administrator feels that aspects of the discussion might help future members learn the culture of the board. This may be done even if the locked thread remains on the board and does not require the permission of the discussants.
REVISED STICKY THREAD FOR THE FORUM
HOW TO USE THE BIKE RACKS
Board77 is a member-moderated board. We expect posters to behave responsibly and moderate themselves as much as possible.
Have you gotten in a squabble with another poster? Are you and someone else derailing a thread because of an off-topic discussion that neither of you can let go of? Are other posters telling you to “take it Outside� Perhaps you inadvertently gave an invalid email address when you registered on Board77?
THE BIKE RACKS is the place to bring your minor squabbles and temporarily-off-topic discussions, and it is the place where you will be asked to wait for verification of your email address if we have trouble contacting you by email.
This is a Read-and-Write Forum. Anyone may start a thread here for resolving a disagreement. In addition, if posts in another thread have become quarrelsome or disruptive or seem to be on the brink of violating member rights, you may find that an administrator has split the thread and moved the disruptive posts here until the problems are resolved.
The Bike Racks are intended for use by members directly involved in a dispute and whomever they designate as participants. Uninvolved members should consider carefully before posting comments that they consider to be helpful without the permission of discussants. Sometimes even the most benevolent intervention serves to exacerbate the situation when it is made without the parties' consent or desire. Administrators have the right to delete the posts of non-designated members who enter the thread.
Once you are in the thread, remember that everyone can read what you are posting.
• Open your thread and title it with the names of the posters who are expected to participate. This will make it easy for your fellow-posters to find the right thread and easy for the administrators to monitor the thread and delete posts that do not belong.
• If uninvited and unwanted posters interfere, please contact an administrator by PM or email so that the offending posts can be deleted. You may ask unwanted posters to leave politely, but please do not widen the conflict by arguing with poachers. Current administrators and contact info are listed at the bottom of this post.
• When you feel your dispute is resolved, you may notify an administrator to lock the thread. The administrator will confirm with all parties that the thread is finished before locking it.
• If you are finding it difficult to resolve your disagreement, you may request mediation from the jury members listed as mediators in the second post of this thread. Their participation at any given time is voluntary. If a particular member declines to assist you at this time, please respect their decision and ask someone else. There should be no more than one mediator to a thread, and all participants in the discussion should agree to the choice of mediator.
The role of the mediator is to offer an objective view of the dispute and help the parties come to an agreement. They do not have the power to impose penalites. The mediation may take place in private, by PM or email, if the thread participants so desire. When the dispute is concluded, the mediator will make sure that everyone is aware that the discussion is concluding, and then notify an administrator to lock the thread.
• You may request that a Bike Racks thread be deleted to preserve the privacy of participants. If you do not request this, the thread will remain readable.
• Bike Rack threads might be summarized and placed in the Archives with participants' names removed if a mediator or Administrator feels that aspects of the discussion might help future members learn the culture of the board. As the participants’ names will not appear in the Archive, their permission is not required for this.
Thank you for helping to keep Board77 a member-moderated Board.
To email all administrators: admins@board77.com
To send a PM, the following members are current admins:
Voronwe_the_Faithful (May 1 to July 31)
laureanna (May 1 to July 31)
Primula_Baggins (April 1 to June 30)
Nin (May 1 to July 31)
truehobbit (May 1 to June 30)
[The members thank Jnyusa for drafting the Sticky Threads in the Outside Forum]