Post by Clover on May 3, 2005 9:02:43 GMT
Rules and Guidelines
Welcome to Wheekers Cavy Forum. We want Wheekers to be a friendly and relaxed place where you can make friends and talk about your guinea pigs, discuss any problems you may have or share your experiences of keeping guinea pigs. For Wheekers to be a pleasant place to visit, we ask all members to follow these rules and guidelines.
General Posting Information
Manners: Please be courteous to one another and treat everyone with decency and respect. We welcome people expressing and discussing any different views, but attacking people on a personal level about their views or choices will not help them or their pets, it only serves to create a bad atmosphere for everyone at Wheekers. Please put aside any personal problems you may have with another member when posting here or deal with it privately (should the other person also wish to pursue it privately - attacking people via pm will not be tolerated).
Thread subject: There is a descriptive message with each forum to help you decide where your topic should be posted. Please use a descriptive subject line - naming your thread 'Help' or 'Question' isn't very informative or helpful to others looking for advice in the future, and will be edited by staff. Also please do not make multiple threads on the same topic as this makes it harder for people to help you, and may waste their time if they answer something which has already been resolved.
Editing posts: Select the 'modify' button if you wish to edit your post to correct a mistake or add something further to your original post. Multiple posting is discouraged. We also ask that you don't delete or significantly edit the content of your posts (anything other than correction of spelling/ web links etc) once other members have replied to them, as it makes it difficult to follow the thread.
Signatures:To make the forums easier to read and quicker to load, can members please follow the following guidelines when creating their signatures. Any images used must be non-animated, and the total size of the image or images used in your signature (including transparent backgrounds) must not exceed 350 (width) x 40 (height) pixels. Two lines of standard text (no formatting to alter size or font etc) may also be used. Would members please respect Wheekers by not advertising other forums in their signature or avatars. You may advertise your own forum in one thread in the Meet the Pigs Board.
Posting Images:To keep the forums quick to load, the maximum size for images posted should be 640 x 480 pixels, and a file size limit to 60kb per image. Please ask a member of staff if you need help with this. Please do not post or link to images on other people's websites without their permission. If this happens, we will have to take the pictures down. In addition, no images used or posted at Wheekers may be used by others without the permission of the member who has posted it.
Off topic chat: We're relaxed here and many conversations evolve as randomly as they do when you're chatting to someone face to face. We'd just ask that where a member is talking about or asking for help on a more serious matter, you try to stay on topic and don't add any silly or irrelevant posts. Such posts can and will be deleted/edited at the discretion of the staff.
Capitals: Please be careful how you use block capital words. Obviously some block capitals are seen as a positive message, example: 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY'. But some block capital words, for example: DON'T EVER DO THAT'' appear in a negative way, making it look like you are shouting. You can get your message across without resorting to block capitals.
Text talk: Please refrain from using 'text language' (i.e. 'hi ppl wot r u up 2?') at Wheekers. Many members find it hard to read a message containing such abbreviations, and it makes it more difficult for people whose first language is not English.
Post content and bumping: We also request that members do not flood the boards with posts containing only a smilie or a throwaway comment such as 'I agree!' or 'That's cute!'. If you don't have anything useful or personal to add to a conversation, then don't reply. Please do not 'bump' threads (by replying to them without adding anything of interest to keep the thread at the top of a section) - it is members participating in threads which will dictate which stay at the top of a forum, not the personal interest of individual members. Please also ensure you're not replying to very old threads just to add only a throwaway comment.
Trolls: If you feel that another member is posting dishonestly or posting to provoke a reaction, please don't encourage them by responding in a challenging way, or try to expose what you see as the truth. Instead please let a member of staff know of any concerns you have. You may wish to give people the benefit of the doubt and post with constructive advice/ opinions to help anyone else reading that thread. But if you don't, we ask you simply save your time for responding to other posts you feel worthwhile rather than entering in to any arguments.
One account per user: We ask that members create only one user account each. If you have signed up again because you lost your previous login details, please let a member of staff know, and we can ensure that one of the accounts is deactivated.
Age: As per the proboards terms of service, all members must be at least 13 years of age. If we find out a member has put in an incorrect date of birth to start an account, and is underaged, we will have no option to close their account. Any under 13s who wish to join the forum to seek advice must ask their parent or guardian to join on their behalf and make any posts for them.
Safety: To help ensure your personal safety on the internet, please don't post personal info such as your surname, the specific area you live in or the school you attend. It means anyone who uses the internet has access to that information, and could potentially trace you (most people are lovely, but some are not). If we feel someone has compromised their personal safety on the forums, we may edit their posts to remove information.
Rules being broken?: Please let a staff member know if you feel these guidelines are being breached, or if another member is upsetting you either on the boards or via PM, and we will deal with it as we feel appropriate. This may be on the forum or solely on a private level, depending on what we feel is necessary to remedy that particular situation, whilst making it clear to all members what sort of behaviour will not be tolerated at Wheekers. We reserve the right to ban members that repeatedly upset other members or are violating the rules.
Members of Staff
The Administrators are the Head Honchos of Wheekers, and together with the Moderators they keep the boards running smoothly. This includes tasks such as moving or locking threads and deleting/ editing posts when needed. Any staff member can assist with any queries or problems you may have.
Administrator
Treen
Moderators
Weesilvie + 3piggles
Guinea Pig and General Pets Boards
Forums are not a substitute for vets: These forums are intended to be used for owners to share tips and ideas in the hope that our personal experiences can help each other. Although there are many very experienced guinea pig owners at Wheekers, no advice given here should be used in place of that of a qualified vet, and we always suggest that you seek the advice of your vet as a first option. We hold no control over the opinions posted, and any advice you decide to take you do at your own discretion. Regardless of where the advice comes from, we are all individually responsible for our own pets and it is our duty to make sure that we reference advice given and always see a vet when there is a concern.
Ask away!: Remember we all had to start learning at some point so ask as many questions as you like. We are always happy to help or point you in the right direction.
Forum Ethos: This is a rescue friendly forum: Every message board has its own flavour, and we have decided that we'd like this board to be rescue friendly. We'd therefore appreciate it if you could keep discussions about intentional breeding and/ or showing to other message boards and refrain from posting links to websites promoting either, including their own. If you feel there is important health information on a breeding/showing website that would help another member, please clear it with a member of staff before posting it or simply send it to them via pm.
Breeding and showing: People who do breed and/or show are still perfectly welcome here, and anyone seeking advice on health issues related to either topic will be treated fairly, provided they don't seem to be promoting either activity in their pursuit of information. Could any member talking about pets they have intentionally bred, or who they show, please use common sense with regards to these guidelines - it will not be considered appropriate to go in to any detail about the breeding or showing side of things so as to invite discussion on the forum (members may of course use PM or email to discuss these topics if they wish). And please remember that just as we don't want to see people promoting breeding and showing, neither do we wish to see anyone harangued for doing so.
Merchandise and Fundraising: Members who run shops or sell merchandise are welcome to start a thread to let other members know about it. But we ask that members do not use the forum to raise money for their own situations (such as their own pet needing treatment, or any personal circumstances), only for registered rescues or charities. Members are of course free to do as they wish with regards to helping other members, but we would prefer that any requests for individual financial assistance were not made on the board.
Linking to upsetting material: Members may wish to help with a cause relating to animal welfare. While members are perfectly welcome to do this, we ask that no links are posted to material which may be distressing to our members, especially any children. Instead please ask in your post that people PM you should they wish to view the links you mention. This way we know that people have actively chosen to see what they are about to view, rather than just surfing in without consideration. As much as is possible, please try to verify the accuracy of any material you may use, or link to.
These rules are subject to change without notice so please keep checking back to make sure you're up to date!
Welcome to Wheekers Cavy Forum. We want Wheekers to be a friendly and relaxed place where you can make friends and talk about your guinea pigs, discuss any problems you may have or share your experiences of keeping guinea pigs. For Wheekers to be a pleasant place to visit, we ask all members to follow these rules and guidelines.
General Posting Information
Manners: Please be courteous to one another and treat everyone with decency and respect. We welcome people expressing and discussing any different views, but attacking people on a personal level about their views or choices will not help them or their pets, it only serves to create a bad atmosphere for everyone at Wheekers. Please put aside any personal problems you may have with another member when posting here or deal with it privately (should the other person also wish to pursue it privately - attacking people via pm will not be tolerated).
Thread subject: There is a descriptive message with each forum to help you decide where your topic should be posted. Please use a descriptive subject line - naming your thread 'Help' or 'Question' isn't very informative or helpful to others looking for advice in the future, and will be edited by staff. Also please do not make multiple threads on the same topic as this makes it harder for people to help you, and may waste their time if they answer something which has already been resolved.
Editing posts: Select the 'modify' button if you wish to edit your post to correct a mistake or add something further to your original post. Multiple posting is discouraged. We also ask that you don't delete or significantly edit the content of your posts (anything other than correction of spelling/ web links etc) once other members have replied to them, as it makes it difficult to follow the thread.
Signatures:To make the forums easier to read and quicker to load, can members please follow the following guidelines when creating their signatures. Any images used must be non-animated, and the total size of the image or images used in your signature (including transparent backgrounds) must not exceed 350 (width) x 40 (height) pixels. Two lines of standard text (no formatting to alter size or font etc) may also be used. Would members please respect Wheekers by not advertising other forums in their signature or avatars. You may advertise your own forum in one thread in the Meet the Pigs Board.
Posting Images:To keep the forums quick to load, the maximum size for images posted should be 640 x 480 pixels, and a file size limit to 60kb per image. Please ask a member of staff if you need help with this. Please do not post or link to images on other people's websites without their permission. If this happens, we will have to take the pictures down. In addition, no images used or posted at Wheekers may be used by others without the permission of the member who has posted it.
Off topic chat: We're relaxed here and many conversations evolve as randomly as they do when you're chatting to someone face to face. We'd just ask that where a member is talking about or asking for help on a more serious matter, you try to stay on topic and don't add any silly or irrelevant posts. Such posts can and will be deleted/edited at the discretion of the staff.
Capitals: Please be careful how you use block capital words. Obviously some block capitals are seen as a positive message, example: 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY'. But some block capital words, for example: DON'T EVER DO THAT'' appear in a negative way, making it look like you are shouting. You can get your message across without resorting to block capitals.
Text talk: Please refrain from using 'text language' (i.e. 'hi ppl wot r u up 2?') at Wheekers. Many members find it hard to read a message containing such abbreviations, and it makes it more difficult for people whose first language is not English.
Post content and bumping: We also request that members do not flood the boards with posts containing only a smilie or a throwaway comment such as 'I agree!' or 'That's cute!'. If you don't have anything useful or personal to add to a conversation, then don't reply. Please do not 'bump' threads (by replying to them without adding anything of interest to keep the thread at the top of a section) - it is members participating in threads which will dictate which stay at the top of a forum, not the personal interest of individual members. Please also ensure you're not replying to very old threads just to add only a throwaway comment.
Trolls: If you feel that another member is posting dishonestly or posting to provoke a reaction, please don't encourage them by responding in a challenging way, or try to expose what you see as the truth. Instead please let a member of staff know of any concerns you have. You may wish to give people the benefit of the doubt and post with constructive advice/ opinions to help anyone else reading that thread. But if you don't, we ask you simply save your time for responding to other posts you feel worthwhile rather than entering in to any arguments.
One account per user: We ask that members create only one user account each. If you have signed up again because you lost your previous login details, please let a member of staff know, and we can ensure that one of the accounts is deactivated.
Age: As per the proboards terms of service, all members must be at least 13 years of age. If we find out a member has put in an incorrect date of birth to start an account, and is underaged, we will have no option to close their account. Any under 13s who wish to join the forum to seek advice must ask their parent or guardian to join on their behalf and make any posts for them.
Safety: To help ensure your personal safety on the internet, please don't post personal info such as your surname, the specific area you live in or the school you attend. It means anyone who uses the internet has access to that information, and could potentially trace you (most people are lovely, but some are not). If we feel someone has compromised their personal safety on the forums, we may edit their posts to remove information.
Rules being broken?: Please let a staff member know if you feel these guidelines are being breached, or if another member is upsetting you either on the boards or via PM, and we will deal with it as we feel appropriate. This may be on the forum or solely on a private level, depending on what we feel is necessary to remedy that particular situation, whilst making it clear to all members what sort of behaviour will not be tolerated at Wheekers. We reserve the right to ban members that repeatedly upset other members or are violating the rules.
Members of Staff
The Administrators are the Head Honchos of Wheekers, and together with the Moderators they keep the boards running smoothly. This includes tasks such as moving or locking threads and deleting/ editing posts when needed. Any staff member can assist with any queries or problems you may have.
Administrator
Treen
Moderators
Weesilvie + 3piggles
Guinea Pig and General Pets Boards
Forums are not a substitute for vets: These forums are intended to be used for owners to share tips and ideas in the hope that our personal experiences can help each other. Although there are many very experienced guinea pig owners at Wheekers, no advice given here should be used in place of that of a qualified vet, and we always suggest that you seek the advice of your vet as a first option. We hold no control over the opinions posted, and any advice you decide to take you do at your own discretion. Regardless of where the advice comes from, we are all individually responsible for our own pets and it is our duty to make sure that we reference advice given and always see a vet when there is a concern.
Ask away!: Remember we all had to start learning at some point so ask as many questions as you like. We are always happy to help or point you in the right direction.
Forum Ethos: This is a rescue friendly forum: Every message board has its own flavour, and we have decided that we'd like this board to be rescue friendly. We'd therefore appreciate it if you could keep discussions about intentional breeding and/ or showing to other message boards and refrain from posting links to websites promoting either, including their own. If you feel there is important health information on a breeding/showing website that would help another member, please clear it with a member of staff before posting it or simply send it to them via pm.
Breeding and showing: People who do breed and/or show are still perfectly welcome here, and anyone seeking advice on health issues related to either topic will be treated fairly, provided they don't seem to be promoting either activity in their pursuit of information. Could any member talking about pets they have intentionally bred, or who they show, please use common sense with regards to these guidelines - it will not be considered appropriate to go in to any detail about the breeding or showing side of things so as to invite discussion on the forum (members may of course use PM or email to discuss these topics if they wish). And please remember that just as we don't want to see people promoting breeding and showing, neither do we wish to see anyone harangued for doing so.
Merchandise and Fundraising: Members who run shops or sell merchandise are welcome to start a thread to let other members know about it. But we ask that members do not use the forum to raise money for their own situations (such as their own pet needing treatment, or any personal circumstances), only for registered rescues or charities. Members are of course free to do as they wish with regards to helping other members, but we would prefer that any requests for individual financial assistance were not made on the board.
Linking to upsetting material: Members may wish to help with a cause relating to animal welfare. While members are perfectly welcome to do this, we ask that no links are posted to material which may be distressing to our members, especially any children. Instead please ask in your post that people PM you should they wish to view the links you mention. This way we know that people have actively chosen to see what they are about to view, rather than just surfing in without consideration. As much as is possible, please try to verify the accuracy of any material you may use, or link to.
These rules are subject to change without notice so please keep checking back to make sure you're up to date!