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  1. #1

    Decorum & Posting Guidelines (Please read before posting!)

    General Posting Guidelines (Please Read Before Posting)

    DBR is meant to foster a sense of community built around the Duke experience and encourage intelligent discussion, debate, and commentary in a fun and civil atmosphere. Posting on DBR is a privilege extended to those trying to make it a better place for all of us.

    To maintain your posting privilege, we ask you to post by our "Duke Blue" Rule: Don’t post anything offensive or embarrassing to you, the team (that includes past, present, and future players and coaches), the DBR community, or your grandmother. Don't post it if you wouldn’t say it face to face (and sober). Break this Rule and you may earn an infraction. (Why do we call it the “Duke Blue” rule? Because it’s based upon the expectations that Coach K has for his team.)

    We have 5 levels of infraction, of increasing severity and duration:

    Cat 1 - 1 point, expires in 30 days
    Cat 2 - 2 points, expires in 60 days
    Cat 3 - 3 points, expires in 90 days
    Cat 4 - 4 points, expires in 120 days
    Cat 5 - 5 points, expires in 180 days
    Cat X - Permanent ban

    If you collect 5 unexpired points, you've earned a 2 day vacation; collect 10 unexpired points for a week's vacation; collect 20 unexpired points for an early, permanent retirement.

    The owners of the board (who make this board available to you for free -- essentially inviting you into their living room) have assembled a team of moderators to keep things in line. These moderators have our full endorsement to give infractions. Moderators’ decisions are final. Explanations of, or disagreement with, specific infractions may take place by private messages (PMs) with the moderators and may not be discussed on the messages boards.

    When you registered on DBR, you agreed not to post any messages that are obscene, vulgar, sexually-oriented, hateful, threatening, or otherwise violate any laws. The owners and management of the DBR Forums, and the moderators as our representatives, reserve the right to remove, edit, move, or close any post or thread for any reason.

    If you wish to bring a post to the attention of the moderators, click the whistle icon at the bottom, right corner of the questionable post (float your mouse above it to see "report post").


    Following are explanations of the infraction levels with examples of some types of posts we can't -- and won't -- abide.

  2. #2
    Minor infractions. Typically a Cat 1 or 2. Nothing much to worry about; we just want to get your attention. It takes more than two of them to get a vacation.

    Needless Posting. Posts that don't advance the conversation, simply indicate agreement, or are short (possibly random) thoughts. "LOL" or "Ditto" as the entire post are good examples. Use a private message (PM) or a comment to agree with the poster. Do you want to read a thread consisting of "Yeah," "You're right," "What he said," "Well said," etc? We didn't think so.

    Inappropriate Content. Posts that use language or ideas that shock Grandma are examples. Keep it PG-13, please, as we want to keep this family friendly.

    Copyright Infringement. It's illegal. In addition to the poster who posted the information, DBR might be held accountable for posts that violate copyrights. To avoid copyright infringement, summarize the main point of the article in a few sentences, perhaps add a short quote, and post a link to it. Note that “article” refers to any text, including (but not limited to) articles, books, blogs, and posts on other message boards.

    This also includes divulging information found on premium sites. If you read it on a premium site and don't see it in the mainstream media, it doesn't belong here.

    Rumor mongering. We're not a tabloid and we're not going to be a party to propagating rumors. If you can't find a legitimate, mainstream media outlet with the information, it's likely a rumor. Don't post it. Asking about it, stating that it's a rumor, or linking to another message board's post is still rumor mongering.
    Last edited by JBDuke; 09-13-2010 at 11:41 PM.

  3. #3
    Medium infractions. Could be from Cat 3 to 5. Includes repeated minor infractions. You need to think about how your style fits with DBR.

    You've clearly stepped over the line, and probably embarrassed or offended someone. Over the history of DBR, we've found these things tear at the very fabric of our community:

    Destructively Negative. Oh, there are times when things aren't going Duke's way, and we want to discuss the loss or other less than pleasant issue. Its OK to be negative, but do so in a manner that is not destructive to the person (particularly players, staff, and their families). "Player X has to work on his rebounding" or "Player Y really has a low shooting percentage from three point range" is fine. "Player X couldn't rebound if he was the only player on the court," "Player Y jacks up nothing but airballs," "Player Z sucks and shouldn't wear a Duke uniform," "Player X won't have a place and should transfer," are all examples of Destructively Negative. We don't throw players under the bus here.

    Venting. Related to Destructively Negative. If you're too emotional to post thoughtfully, don't post.

    Incivility. You are free to disagree with other posters; all we ask that you respectfully disagree. Challenge the content of the post: point out flaws in their logic, dispute facts, or counter the argument respectfully. Attacking the poster by being snarky, name-calling, or engaging in a flame war is not tolerated. Avoid "gotcha" posts.

    Invasive. While we all would like to know all about our favorite players, prospects, and coaches, please keep extremely personal details to yourself. This includes stalkerish behavior like detailed sightings on campus or in the community ("he was eating a sandwich while walking down main quad and had a Target bag in his hand"), first/second hand stories of student life (particularly when they aren't particularly flattering), or on their facebook or Twitter (pointing out a relevant message now and then is fine -- reposting everything they say is stalkerish). We've all done things we regret and wouldn't want the world to share. Again, we're not a tabloid. Post only relevant, news-worthy info.

    Self promotion. Members come here primarily for dialog about Duke Basketball and related topics. They don't come here to read shameless self promotion. If your business or blog fits into the discussion, that's great - if you also provide content. But don't start or hijack threads with a "read my blog" or "buy my product, here's a link" posts. We're not a link farm.

    Baiting the Moderators. The volunteer mods have the FULL support of the owners of DBR. Infractions are final and not subject to debate on the public boards. You may (civilly) discuss the policies, but do not attack the mods or policies.

  4. #4
    High infractions. Usually Level 4 or 5. Can include repeated medium and/or minor infractions. You really need to think if DBR is the right community for you.

    Repetitive rant. A repetitive rant is when other posters can cite your pet peeve in exquisite detail, and yet you keep repeating ad nauseum. Y'know how you get tired of hearing the same three stories from Aunt Ethel? Everyone's tired of hearing your story. Bring something new to the table.

    Trolling. Is your post designed simply to provoke negative responses or outrage? Take that elsewhere, please.

    Really Inappropriate Content. Did you post something inappropriate for the family to view? Let's keep it PG-13. If linking to something that is topical, please warn if it is Not Safe For Work (NSFW) or inappropriate for younger eyes.

  5. #5
    Beyond categorization. Level X. Scalping, Insane & Trolling, Spamming. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

    Some kinds of posts are not welcome at all, and reflect on the character of the individual posting. No ticket scalping. No spamming. If you repeatedly post nothing but on-topic links to your blog/product site and rarely, if ever, engage in discussion, you're spamming.

    Insane and trolling. We'll ask you to leave if we see something along the lines of, "DUKE SUCKS!!! You're cheerleaders r UGLY!!!" If that's your style, please go to InsideCarolina.

    Using multiple IDs for multiple online personas or to circumvent infractions is also forbidden. You will be banned.

    Notes:
    Some topics have a history of being so inflammatory and unhelpful we'll delete them or lock them without warning and sometimes without comment. There used to be Public Policy Board (PPB) here, and due to increasingly contentious posts, the PPB was shut down. To avoid such contention, any public policy discussion may be shut down, particularly if it is not revolving around some major current event or it becomes partisan. In a similar vein, the Duke Lacrosse hoax of 2006 will not be rehashed here. If you’re new here, we’ll issue a warning; if you’ve been around a while and you ought to know better, we’ll not hesitate to issue an infraction.

    If you have a series of posts where the whole is worse than the sum of the parts, you may receive an infraction for your body of work.

    Some things that aren't infractions but are really, really irritating to the community are inattention to spelling (particularly player names), poor grammar, improper capitalization and punctuation, and texting/IM style shorthand (acronyms are fine, but if u r lazy, you'll annoy others). Fallacious, straw man, and other inadequate arguments don't hold water here. Don't be surprised if other posters call you out. And if you call someone on grammar, do it politely - and grammatically.

    Many infractions have a high correlation of Posting While Impaired. While we don't mind at all if you indulge in adult libations, we have had a number of posters apologize for their post that netted them an infraction the next morning. Post while impaired at your own risk.

    Finally, we urge everyone to Preview Post and read it again before they post. Read it as if your grandmother, your child, other posters, or the team were reading it. Moderators really do not enjoy handing out infractions, as it hinders our ability to read and post if we have to spend time cleaning up after others. However, we do like to keep the riff-raff out of the neighborhood, and will happily respond to any posts you report.

    Note on Bald Links:

    With the rise in popularity of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other social media outlets, we've noticed an increase in posts that consist solely of a link to another site or the text of a tweet or status. DBR prides itself on being a forum where every post strives to advance the conversation. Should you want to post a link or retweet, please include your opinion as to why the item is relevant (and in the case of a link, let us know why it's worth the reader's time to click on it).

    Here's an example of what we mean. Which post makes you want to click on the link?

    or:

    Because you can never see it too many times: One Shining Moment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrurx57Jlsk
    As far as tweets, many readers follow the same Duke players/recruits you do and likely have already seen that same tweet. Other readers intentionally do not follow the tweets because they don't care for that level of detail. If you're going to retweet somebody, tell the readers why it's relevant.

    Put your post in context by including your rationale for including the link, tweet, or quote. Otherwise, it might be considered a needless post.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Hot'Lanta... home of the Falcons!
    In the interests of transparency, we wanted to let the community know about the following...

    The DBR Mod team has had a long discussion about how to handle discussion of UNC and the cheating scandal. There are, understandably, many Duke fans who feel bitter anger at the decades of unrepentant cheating involving Carolina (as well as the school’s decision to refuse to own up to their bad deeds and take punishment). But, it is also understandable that there are many Duke fans who want to have a rational discussion about the Heels (a prominent team in the ACC race) without having said discussion devolve into taunts, name-calling, and anger.
    So, in order to maintain the DBR’s high standards of both decorum and rational conversation, we want to lay out the following thoughts/rules from the mod team.

    1. Carolina is no different from any other ACC team. Like we've done in the past, the only UNC games that warrant their own thread on the DBR will be those games with Duke (and possibly special threads when they get shellacked, after the fact) or if there is significant news about the team. They are no different from any other ACC team in this regard. We will not allow more than 1 thread for anything else about Carolina on the front page of the forum. We have closed the one started to talk about the pre-season Carolina team, as it has served its purpose.

    2. Whining about cheating. We don't want to look like IC. If your thought works into and advances the conversation, that's fine. But some of what we read on the UNC Skates thread was clearly venting and repetitive rants. As in all other threads, you must bring something new to the conversation. We all know they cheated. There's absolutely nothing we can do to change the NCAA's refusal to punish them. Our community prides itself on being a cut above other message boards; we don't allow rants and vents on other topics, so we won't allow it on UNC cheating. We all feel angry about the NCAA's decision. But bringing it up in every thread, multiple times, just makes our community look petty.

    Imagine a thread like this:
    * So what do you think about Duke playing so much zone this year?
    * Lance Thomas bought all that jewelry, something nefarious went on with him. Bring down the banner.
    * Whatever. So, will the freshmen be able to play much M2M this year?
    * Cory Magette -- D.o.o.k knew. Should have been punished.
    * But really, about the defensive sets.
    * Ratface runs a dirty program.
    Sounds like IC, right? How is that any different than:
    * What about those defending national champions that we'll play twice this year. Think they'll be any good?
    * Lyin', stinkin' Cheaters. Bring down the banners.
    * Whatever. Who do you think will be the best player this year?
    * Paper classes. Dean knew. Should have been punished.
    * But really, about the opponent we'll face twice this year.
    * Cheaters. For decades. Still do.

    3. Signatures and Avatars. Our community is a creative bunch, and it's only a matter of time (meaning about 14 nanoseconds) before someone decides to use their signature as a soapbox. Signatures and avatars are subject to the same posted rules. Please keep it family friendly. If you despise Carolina that much, we respectfully request that you do not use their logo or symbols at all -- don't give them any more airtime. This is a Duke board, so we would prefer that you remain pro-Duke with messages you attach to your name. You may put something in your signature if you feel strongly -- but it must adhere to the posting guidelines and not be visually noxious for other readers when scrolling through a thread (including, but not limited to, limiting your font size, colors, and the total length of your message).

    4. Threads on the scandal. As we've done in the past, if there is a significant new development on the Carolina scandal, a new thread can be opened with new information. No new information means no new threads. The last thread devolved into gratuitous bashing, which we allowed for a while to collectively work through our reactions. It has served its purpose. We've now got some awesome Duke basketball to talk about; we can move on. Note that moving on does NOT mean forgetting. It does NOT mean that we condone what they did. It does mean that we choose the high road and to support OUR team. (Don't you just hate it when they bring up the long-dead negative Duke stories?) This topic is becoming divisive and a distraction from our season. Let's take a break for a while and focus on the reason why we joined this board: Duke Basketball.

    So, what does all this mean?
    At the moment, it means Carolina talk is confined to the “This Week in the ACC” threads, just like for any other ACC team. We would ask that you keep mentions of the scandal/cheating toned down a bit. If there is a clear opportunity to bring it up that seems to be in the context of a natural conversation, that is fine, but don’t just reflexively say “cheaters!!” every time you see the letters U-N-C strung together. If the mod team finds you are continually bringing up the scandal and will not drop it, you may find yourself getting a Repetitive Rant infraction, which is one of the more serious infractions we hand out and quite often results in a “time out” from reading or posting to the DBR.

    We appreciate the community holding itself to high standards and love that you guys largely make the mod team’s job very easy. Thanks for understanding. As always, if you have questions or concerns about this or any other issue related to moderation, feel free to post a note or to PM one of us.

    Sincerely,

    The DBR Boards Moderation Team
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

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