Terms of Service - have your say

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Well of course! EVERYBODY who is ANYBODY counts down to their suicide!

*runs away to cross off today on the calendar...* Yep! Only 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 days to go!

*rubs paws gleefully*

NOTE: This post is not meant to be offensive. I just find the whole idea of such a thing to be quite ironic and in rather bad taste... (much like this post perhaps! )

In my 'umble opinion, any member who in any way encourages another member to commit suicide should get a lifetime ban. that's just not acceptable in any way. As for the countdown, if somone is making suicidal statements, I think we (WP) has a mandate to do our best to get this information to those who can protect them. This may involve tracing IPs etc. Really no different than if someone calls a radio station and makes suicidal statements.

I think we have to be careful about that one dough-boy: a lot of us at some point have felt pretty low and talked about suicide, but most of us are still here. I think we would be forever checking up on IP's, and to no avail because the things are so damn pesky! Besides, I think that if someone is talking about suicide, they are less likely to commit it than someone who keeps it to themselves. Ack... sorry Vivi, I know we aren't meant to comment on other people's ideas but I just thought I should point that out...

Talking about suicide and suicidal feelings is vastly different than saying you are GOING to commit suicide...esp if you have a plan detailed enough to include a countdown.

this is the last day for posting anything here, so get in while it's open, folks!

Do the mod's have a way to keep each other in check? A way to balance the power? There needs to be a way to prevent power abuse. Possibly polls on whether or not a member should be banned, etc.

yes - check my post on page 2 on this thread, sarcastic name.

I agree with the use of the advisory. Bouchard once sent me one and it helped avoid a dispute over a warning. Also, how about setting a time limit for the warnings? If we get one, are they going to stick with us as long as we are a member, kind of like a Scarlet Letter?

On the suicide note however, we should help others in every way we can, yet if that is their (horrifically bad)choice, they have every right to do so. Just putting Soma's two cents in!

When it comes to suicide notes, there is no good reason to leave a countdown. They can talk about it (like I have done myself) and try to find an alternative, or they can shut up and go do it without getting everybody worked up over it if they don't want help anyway. Notes asking if anybody cares is a whole different story, since they are still making an attempt to get help, we have a moral obligation to do what as much as we can, though it will ammount to little compared to professional help in person. If someone doesn't want help, then there's unlikely to be anything we can do. Suicide notes saying not to expect to hear from them anymore should be allowable though. If someone won't accept help, it would still be nice (for lack of a better word) to know what became of them.

I guesss the above suggestion doesn't need to be taken as nothning or all if something I said doesn't err on the side of caustion in assuming that someone wants help.

I hope this sounds more tasteful than my last post on suicide notes.

Aye! *nods vigurously*

I think the issue with suicide is that we have to walk a very fine line. If people are thinking about it, encouraging them to talk about it and us to give the person advice and encourging the user to seek professional assistance (as we are not professionals ourselves) should be our mandate. We however cannot have user encouraging others to commit suicide.

As far as tracking users, IPs can change and I do not know whether the ISPs can contact authorities or not (and due to the RIAA's actions, ISPs tend to want to stay out of legal things). If the person notes where they reside, then we may be able to contact someone. I think the mods/admins should try their best in a serious situation but the should not be responsible. We are not required reporters.

Finally, a time limit on bans would be a good idea. Kinda of as a reward for good behavior.

Even I tried to help someone that was trying to commit suicide it is hard to deal with. We do walk a fine line to try to help them that need the help. We are not professionals ourselves. We can only help them not if possible not to commit suicide if possible for us to help them. To not commit suicide. To seek the help they need. I did not know who to turn to on this site to help the one that needed help. I know that "ljbouchard" tried to help me. As this site gets bigger we are to need to help each other even more. It is a matter how we can help them and us in the such matters. We are not gods but are people that are concerned for each other that really matters in life that is how we care for each other. Just remember that we must care for each other no matter what. that is how I see it myself.

AND IF TRUE HE MAY HAVE KILLED NOT JUST HIMSELF BUT OTHERS TOO, AND IT IS TRUE.

thank you for all the suggestions, people. i am now in the process of collating all your suggestions, which will then go to the Mods for discussion, and then i'll redraft the TOS.

they'll be published, and i'll post explanations of what hasn't been included and why here.

Vivi
(as Mod)

the revised terms of service (called "forum guidelines") are now posted. you can find them here

i'll be posting the reasons why some suggestions weren't included here later.

please read them - they make an awful lot of things clearer.



Vivi
(as Mod)

In policy on discrimination, the part where you refer to sexual orientation as something that sometone has no control over is extremely debateable.