Collected policies of LondonCommons.net

We spent most of the time at the last meeting editing this collection of all of the policies for the website. Mostly we made small clarifications, and discussed larger changes and additions that would have to be made.

Here they are posted as a book page. If you change something, please explain the edit by filling out the log field in the edit form. Large changes and additions should probably be marked as tentative some how until they can be agreed up at a meeting.

LondonCommons.net policies

All of our policies are decided at meetings run by consensus. The meetings are open to anyone who has an account on the site.

User name policy

1. Users are required to use their real names as their user names on the site.  First and last name are preferred, but using one real name and one initial is acceptable. (Such as 'Firstname Lastname', 'F. Lastname', 'Firstname L' or something similar.)
2. When a user signs up for an account using an obviously fake name or are later discovered to be using a fake name, they will be contacted by a user moderator requesting that their user name be changed.  Accounts that are obviously intended to post spam will be deleted immidatly without the need for such a message.  
3. If the user refuses to change their user name or there is no reply in two weeks, the account will be blocked by the user moderator.
4. Also, until the user's real name is used, their account will be temporarily limited or so that they will be unable to post content and the comments they add will be held back in an approval queue or blocked.

• See 'Updated procedure for dealing with fake usernames' HERE.

Unacceptable Content and deletion of content

1. All content posted to the site is subject to editing or deletion at the discretion of the moderators. Moderators will only edit or delete content under the following circumstances:
   1. The content is deemed to be an advertisement, (Note that there are some excepions made under the Calendar/Event posting guidelines and policies). Spam posts and commercial advertisements will be deleted immidiatly.
      
   2. The content is protected by a copyright and has been posted without permission of the copyright holder (content licensed under a Creative Commons license counts as permission).
   3. The content is deemed to willfully promote hatred.
   4. Calender/event post that do not fall under the Calendar/Event posting guidelines and policies.
2. In the event that a moderator deletes content, they must document their action and the reason why in the deleted posts forum.

Style and category edits by moderators

1. Moderators will never edit or change the content of a user's posts, however a moderator may make stylistic or categorization changes to any post for the following reasons
   1. more than one image is used in the teaser/preview of the post
   2. the teaser/preview of the post is substantially longer than normal
   3. the post was mistakenly put into the wrong category on the site
   4. the post is missing a title and its link cannot be clicked
   5. In cases above in the 'unacctable content' section where outright deletion seems like overkill.

Conflict, civility and personal attacks

• See the Working Policy Document on personal attacks and civility for guidelines on what is considered to constitute civility, incivility and personal attacks on the London Commons.

1. Comments made on the site are permanent and will not be deleted upon request of a user regretting what they have posted.
2. If a discussion on the site becomes heated or personal attacks are made, a moderator will attempt to diffuse the situation either by privately messaging the users involved or requesting in a comment that people remember to respect each other and/or apologize for any incivility they have brought.
3. A moderator cannot take these steps in a discussion that they have already participated in.
4. When intervening in a heated discussion, the moderator should identify his/herself as a moderator.
5. Attempts to diffuse heated discussions and resolve conflicts due to incivility and personal attacks should not be limited to moderators. As LondonCommons.net is a user-driven community, all users should feel welcome to participate in conflict resolution on the site.

Repeat "flamers"

1. If a user has been warned three (3) times to stop making personal attacks and/or creating incivility in discussions on the site, their account may be temporarily limited.
2. The decision to limit their account must be made by at least three (3) moderators, documented on the site and discussed at the next London Commons meeting. Until we have more active moderators, only one moderator is needed.
3. When a user's account has been limited, she-he will be unable to post new content. The user will be able to add comments to content on the site, but before their comments are published they must be approved by a moderator.
4. Moderators will approve all comments in the approval queue that are civil and do not include personal attacks.

Rule # 9

The spirit of the above policies is more important than the wording. No amount of e-lawyering will save you.   Seeing as this is now essentially a one man operation, Rule # 9 will be applied as needed to maintain civility and anywhere else I feel it's warranted simply because I can. I suggest you google it.

Moderators

1. A user may become a moderator by a consensus decision at a London Commons meeting.
2. In order the retain the status of moderator, the user must regularly sign into the site and attend London Commons meetings. (put numbers on it.. not signed in/at meeting for 5 months for example).
3. Moderators will be reviewed regularly at London Commons to determine if they should retain their status.
4. Need to include something about user moderators.
5. Set terms for moderators?

• List of current moderators

Privacy Policy

- we need to outline a privacy policy