The CB rules generally coincide with Allpoetry's site policy, however there are a few exceptions since it is viewable by members of all ages. This includes children as young as 5 years old. So if you shouldn't say it in front of a small child, DO NOT say it in the CB.
General rules and their clarifications are:
1) No Profanity -
No Profanity in public chatrooms
You cannot disguise words to get around the profanity filter. Profanity is profanity and it is NOT acceptable in public chats.
We do have a profanity filter that will remove some profanity and replace them with asterisks (if it is spelled properly). It's still not allowed, even if it's not stopped by the filter.
2) No Adult Topics such as Consuming Alcholic Beverages, Sex, Drugs, Violence or anything you should not be saying in front of a young child -
Keep in mind this is a chatterbox, not a dating service. So if you came in there to "cyber" or "make out" via the web. Forget it! This sort of thing will not be tolerated, especially in the chatterbox. There are many minors on the site so you really need to be careful with your conversations here. Also, sorry folks but NO references to alcoholic beverages (getting drunk ect.), NO references to drugs (such as, snorting blow, shooting up, smoking weed or maryjane ect.) or weapons such as guns, knives, bombs, and violent behaviors or blood and guts in the cb. Using 'code' words to disguise it in an effort to skirt the rules will not be allowed either.
Per Allpoetry's site policy "you cannot engage in sexually explicit talk or commenting with children under the age of eighteen, including sexuality, desirability, or physical attributes, or with anyone in public comments (get a room!)". You also cannot "promote illegal, racist, or overly disgusting activities. This includes rape, torture, pedophilia, death notices, self-mutilation, cutting, suicide, and suicide notes. "
Unfortunately there are people in the world that like drama and tend to spread it. Sometimes you may hear of situations such as death, suicide, accidents or other personal traumas (or drama) about another member on the site. It is very IMPORTANT that these issues are NOT discussed in the chatterbox or around the site especially without confirmation. For this reason, we will NOT allow such discussions in the cb.
If you hear of one of these situations, please advise the moderator staff immediately, do not take it upon yourself to bring it into the cb. While we realize you care about each other and feel it should be known, it is possible that it is not true and can hurt many people in the process, so please notify admin and keep it out of the chatterbox.
3) No General Rude behavior -
This basically speaks for itself. The cb is suppose to be a fun place to chat, not a war zone. No name calling, personal insults, bashing, taunting, spilling personal drama about other poets etc. This also includes those personal things like breaking up with your boyfriend/girlfriend and such drama that inflames personal feuding etc.
Please note that anyone making personal threats of any nature will be leaving the chatterbox immediately. This is a huge No-No, so do not even think about going there.
Per Allpoetry's site policy "you cannot Harass, stalk, or verbally abuse another user, troll, or consistently attempt to cause civil unrest" , nor can you "post works that reference other members in a derogatory manner".
If you have a problem with another poet, the chatter box is NOT the place for it. "If you have what appears to be an irresolvable problem with another author, please put that author on your ignore list. If the problem still somehow persists, please contact one of the moderators who (if they agree) will attempt to handle the other author. If the problem persists one or both members may be banned." Keep in mind that "your being here is contingent upon your interacting in a friendly manner with the community. We reserve the right to refuse service to this site to any one, for any reason, at any time. "
A general note here:
For those that are not aware, it is generally considered yelling and rude to type in all caps in a chatroom.
4) No Promoting -
This means you cannot ask people to read your work or the work of anyone else in the cb. For example things like "read my new poem" is not allowed in the cb.
The chatterbox is for chatting, while we all have posts on the site we want to share, the way to do that is by using the featured box or reading others' poems. Generally they will return the favor and read one of yours. Please do not stress other chatters by annoying them with pleas to read your work. However, you may ask if anyone would like to "exchange reads" with you as long as you do not reference any particular poem etc. in the cb. Once someone agrees to exchange reads with you, take the issue to personal IM please.
5) No posting personal information about yourself or others -
This is for your safety folks. If you need to share details about yourself, take it to personal IM. This includes yahoo or msn chat names, myspace pages, emails, phone numbers, addresses, real names, schools, etc.
6) No Spamming -
This means no typing keystrokes or the same thing over and over and driving everyone nuts in the cb. It really serves no purpose other than to annoy and won't be tolerated.
7) No Abusing the Moderators, Greeters or Chatterbox Helpers -
While this is certainly covered under the above rules, it needs to be mentioned here that per Allpoetry's site policy "You cannot Repeatedly ignore moderator requests" This also includes those members of the site that have been appointed as Chatterbox Helpers or Greeters. You can view a list of them here http://allpoetry.com/help/who These folks are here to keep peace on the site and deserve to be treated with respect, just like any other member of the Allpoetry community. If they warn you against something in the chatterbox (or elsewhere on the site), heed the warning and cease whatever you are doing. They do have the authority to remove you from the chatterbox (and the site if need be) for breaking these rules.
If you have an issue with any member of site staff (moderators, chatterbox helpers or greeters) Please send an IM with a copy and paste of the cb conversation (or IM) to AnnD. She is Allpoetry's site supervisor and will handle the complaint for you.
Here are some General FAQ's about the Chatterbox.
Question: Is Role Playing allowed in the CB?
Answer: At this time there is no policy against role playing in the chatterbox. However, if the role playing breaks ANY of the above rules OR there are excessive complaints regarding its disrupting other chatters, you will be asked to remove it from the cb immediately.
What does this mean to those that role play?
Basically it means that your role playing must be kept suitable for a 5 year old. No killing, bloody gashes, swirling daggers/talk of weapons, biting, kicking, fighting, sex, arguing etc. It really is best to do your role playing in a group chat room or via personal IM.
Question: Do you have to type the English Language in the CB?
Answer: There is no site policy against using other languages in the chatterbox. But, what you need to keep in mind is that English is the most common language used in the cb and many other chatters will have no clue what you are saying. Given that, it can be annoying to those chatters that do not understand your language. If you are talking to someone in there that can understand your language, great! If not and it starts to annoy other chatters (since basically you'd be talking to yourself in that language) you may be asked not to annoy others.
So use your best judgment there.
Question: Are religious debates allowed in the cb?
Answer: Religious discussions are not strictly suitable for the chatterbox. Religion is a touchy subject for most folks and many times become volatile.
While chatting about it can be enlightening and great to explore other religions or cultures, it is asked that you take them to personal IM or a group chat to discuss this topic.
Question: How do I get the smileys (emoticons)?
Answer: See one of these columns:
http://allpoetry.com/column/306041 written by Barbara
http://allpoetry.com/poem/2344131 written by Toni A Christman.
They have all the new emoticons and loads of fun!
Question: How do I type with italics in the cb?
Answer : If you type /em a space and then what you wish to say, it will print it italicized in the chatterbox.
Question: Can we get removed from the site (ban) for chat infractions, not just the chat areas?
Answer: Yes! While we certainly do NOT want to have to remove anyone from the site, if you acquire several chat warnings and bans, you will be removed from the site. The length of the ban will be determined by your site ban history (previous bans). If you've had no bans, the first one will be for three days, then proceed according to the ban ladder as defined in site policy.
If you have been issued a chatban and you create a new ID to come back on site and back into the chat areas during that time, you will be removed from the site (as mentioned above).
In extreme cases of "trolling", you will be permanently removed from the site. Trolling is basically being on the site for the sole purpose of causing chaos, personal feuds and/or civil unrest. Trolling can happen anywhere on the site, including the chat areas.
Remember this is a poetry site, so please come here to write and read poetry as well as enjoy the chat areas and remember to respect others while you are here.
Question: Why do some people get away with breaking the rules and others get banned from the chatterbox?
Answer: There is a very simple answer for this. Allpoetry is a large community and site staff is constantly working to help someone somewhere. It is impossible for us to watch the chatterbox 24/7, though we certainly try to do so. This is the reason that the site owner has now added Chatterbox helpers and employed the Greeters in helping to keep a watchful eye on the CB.
There are times when we are helping someone and miss a post or two. We do not seek out trouble makers on the site and rely on EVERY poet here to help us keep Allpoetry a nice, fun place to be. So if you happen to see an issue in the cb (or elsewhere on the site) that you feel is inappropriate or breaking the rules PLEASE notify us immediately and we will address the situation as quickly as we can. You can use the ticket system or IM any moderator or Greeter that you see online if the issue is in the chatterbox or chatroom.
We also ask that if it is from the Chatterbox or Chatroom, please copy and paste the conversation in the ticket or IM. This will allow us to respond much more quickly by not having to check the logs for inappropriate behavior.
I hope this has been clear and informative for you all. I'll be sure to post any updates as they arrive and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me or any moderator on the site.
Please note: All quotes used in this column were taken directly from Allpoetry's site policy located at http://allpoetry.com/home/guide/rules
Have fun chatting
Amunet Wolfbane
Moderator Manager
