Forum Guidelines

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***Please be advised that the guidelines immediately below this message relate to the official home of Surfing Sisters, the Forum.***

Surfing Sister Posting Guidelines

Updated June 6, 2011

PRIVACY:

E-mail addresses and names of sisters are not to be sold, shared, or otherwise abused. Copying information directly from the Forum is prohibited, with the exception of being utilized in an official capacity by Surfing Sisters leadership for chapter promotion and recognition. These capacities include but are not limited to the Surfing Sisters website, LAMP submissions and social media networks.

ACCESS/POSTING BY ANYONE OTHER THAN APPROVED MEMBERS OF SURFING SISTERS:

Surfing Sisters is a private group restricted to only initiated members of Delta Zeta Sorority who are approved for forum access by the Vice President of Membership.  Therefore, only approved members should post or login under their approved user name.  If you are going to be offline for any reason (illness, hospitalization, out of town, limited computer access, etc.) and you need to get information to the group, please have a friend/family member contact an officer by e-mail to the following address: admin@surfingsisters.com.  E-mails to this address go to the President, Vice President of Membership and Content Monitors.  Please have your contact person e-mail the officer or other sister the information you would like posted and they will post the information to the forum for you.  This guideline is established to keep confidentiality and privacy within the group.

FORUM/SUB-FORUM ACCESS & MOVING POSTS

The Forum includes a number of sub-forums and categories which have been organized to keep similar topics together, many of which are only accessible to Dues Paying Members (such as Taboo Topics, DZ Mommies, Television & Movie Spoilers, and DeeZeEBay).   Dues Paying Members of Surfing Sisters will have access to all areas of the Forum, except for restricted sub-forums, such as the Executive Boardroom, Committee sub-forums, etc.  Non-Dues Paying Members will only have access to the “WELCOME TO SURFING SISTERS CHAPTER HOUSE” Forum and all sub-forums contained within, as well as the following Sub-Forums: “Turtle Talk” and “Officer Announcements.”  The Content Monitors will endeavor to keep threads within the appropriate Forum or Sub-forum. Therefore, if a thread is started in Turtle Talk which would be better suited to Taboo Topics or Television/Movie Spoilers, please be aware that it will be moved, and access will be restricted based upon each member’s status as a Dues Paying Member or Non-Dues Paying Member (this means, for example, that if a Non-Dues Paying Member starts a thread in Turtle Talk about a particular television show, it will be moved to Television/Movie Spoilers, and will no longer be accessible to the thread started).

PUBLIC INFORMATION, DISCUSSION OF RITUAL, CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION & CORPORATE OR ILLEGAL COMMUNICATION:

This forum has several levels of protection from outside sources, but cannot be guaranteed to be 100% safe (if your computer is left publicly logged on, anyone may view the content if they can access your computer).  Due to this fact, there should be no discussion about ritual, the crest, the meaning of our badge or anything else that pertains to the secrets of our sisterhood.  We also do not discuss military troop movements; and strongly encourage members to refrain from posting about intimate family secrets/stories.  This list can be considered a legal means of communication in which what you write in the forum could be used against you in a court of law.  If you are accessing the forum from work, please remember that you are on your company’s server and that could possibly be accessed by personnel within your company.

SIGNATURES:

The Forum allows members to set up a standard signature in the Personal Profile (which may be accessed under “My Controls”).  Your Signature should include: Chapter Name and Initiation Year, College/University, and any current/specific Delta Zeta position.  Please keep your signature relatively small, with no images, animated (such as glitter letters, or jumping characters) or otherwise.  Every post will automatically include your display name and location along with a personalized avatar; therefore, your name does not need to be included in your signature line.  Furthermore, you don’t need your email address or any web links as you can add those to your profile as well.

You may include other personal information, such as links to appropriate websites, professional titles, etc. in your Personal Profile.  It is not appropriate to list in your signature business, professional titles; personal or professional websites or any other business/professional information (phones/fax numbers, addresses, etc.).

If you choose to add an inspirational quote to your signature, please keep it brief.

***New for Dues Payers as of 8/27/2009***

ONE image is now allowed in your signature. Have fun with it, make it a personal collage or a favorite photo. Please keep the content as clean as if you were able to pass it around at a chapter meeting without making someone uncomfortable. This is an OPTION for dues payers, and not a must. If you want one and can’t figure out how to create a collage or image that meets the specs, ask one of your tech-savvy sisters and she can help. Specifics: Choose only ONE image (or collage) with a maximum HEIGHT of 165pixels and a maximum WIDTH of 400pixels (the usual width of one ticker). This can be measured in most photo editing applications. A ticker counts as an image. No glitter, animation or blinkies Two pictures side by side, if contained in different files, count as two images. Collage them into one image if you must have both (exception being admin, who has the forum friend graphic). Insert your image using BB code, just like inserting an image into a regular post. HTML won’t work.

AT-HOME CONSULTING OR BUSINESS RELATED SELLING:

Members shall not advertise/promote their home-based or work-at-home businesses online (either by unsolicited SPAM or in posts providing website information, etc.).  Additionally, we ask that avatars not be used for advertisement logos or business advertisement.  EXCEPTION: Please feel free to post any business links or information in the “Career Central” sub-forum of “The Chapter Room.” We encourage sisters to support each other in our endeavors.

SOCIAL CAUSES:

ALLOWED:  A brief mention of a legitimate (please check an urban legend/hoax site first) website link can be posted.  Example: “I just found that if you go to this website www.somecause.org ,that you can donate food to the masses or funding for cure of XYZ.”  Personal mention/stories about certain causes can also be posted.  Example: “I am walking in a race to cure XYZ in two weeks and am trying to raise donations for the cause, would anyone be willing to help donate?”  (Please also reference “Solicitation of Money” section for additional guidelines.)

PROHIBITED EXAMPLES:  Do not cut and paste information from an email or website directly into a forum post in reference to a cause.  Example:  “I just got this in my e-mail box…Hi, my name is Amy Bruce and I am 7 years old,  I have severe cancer from second hand smoke and a large tumor in my brain.  The doctor says I will die soon if this isn’t fixed and my family can’t afford the bills.  The XYZ Foundation has agreed to donate 7 cents for every name on this list.  Please send this to everyone on your buddy list immediately.”  This particular example is a hoax. Please do not paste a lengthy description of a cause you know to be true.  Please find a web link or ask members to contact you off-line for more information.

SOLICITATION OF MONEY:

Solicitation of money for personal use is strictly prohibited.  For fund-raising to be advertised, it must be for a trust, foundation or certified non-profit.  If you are running/walking in a race (or similar) for a specific cause that meets one of the above requirements, you are most welcome to let sisters know.  All funds requested must be paid directly to those organizations.  Any requests on behalf of a Delta Zeta collegiate chapter must be approved through the officer board prior to posting.

TABOO & TOUCHY SUBJECTS:

Dues Paying Members of Surfing Sisters have access to the “Taboo Topics” sub-forum, which has a more detailed set of posting guidelines, described below.  Otherwise, please keep in mind that not all of the members of Surfing Sisters have the same opinions, religion or political affiliation.  A comment that you might not think is offensive, may be highly offensive or inciting to another sister.  Conversely, something you find offensive or uncaring may not be meant that way.  Please be considerate of your sisters and their feelings and point-of-view.  Please treat this forum as you would a traditional alumnae chapter event…if your topic is not something that can be discussed over lunch with a variety of chapter members, then it is not appropriate outside of the Taboo Topics sub-forum.  Please do not participate in escalation of a topic or “flaming”, it is better to let something go than to be disrespectful to another.

The “Taboo Topics” sub-forum is the primary location to post any topic that might not be appropriate for 100% of the members.  Some threads may be started specifically for the purpose of lively and respectful debate, other may be a place for like minded people to share their passionate views with one another, still others may be for discussing sensitive issues that may be otherwise uncomfortable for the general membership to read about (such as detailed medical or mental health issues).  By reading and posting in the Taboo Topics sub-forum, you are agreeing to abide by the following rules:

• Participation in the Taboo Topics sub-forum is a choice that brings certain responsibilities: know when you can control your emotional reaction to divergent opinions on a particular subject, and also know when you cannot, and therefore choose not to participate.
• Personal flaming and escalation of heated discussions will absolutely not be tolerated. It is better to let something go than to be disrespectful to another. PLEASE NOTE: There is a difference between disagreeing, and personal flaming. We can disagree without being critical, and we can debate without being argumentative.
• Violation of any of the Taboo Topics sub-forum Posting Guidelines may result in the following: suspension of or permanent ban of posting privileges, not only from the Taboo Topics sub-forum, but also from Surfing Sisters in general.
• Surfing Sisters’ Executive Board reserves the right to temporarily suspend or permanently remove the Taboo Topics sub-forum in the event that it becomes clear that our members cannot, in fact, engage in civilized debates without name calling or disrespect of other’s opinions.

TV, MOVIE & BOOK DISCUSSIONS:

If you are discussing a TV show, movie or book and have information that might be a “spoiler” for some, please add in your subject header.  The forum is also equipped with spoiler tags to cover sensitive information, and allow views to choose what they do or don’t want to see.  Please remember that we are not all on the same time zone, so while some shows may have aired in your area, they may be playing in another.

HEALTH & MEDICAL TOPICS:

Obviously, we have a very diverse membership and while some people work in the medical/health field or can handle clinical or very specific information about an illness, others cannot.  Please post health/medical topics in the “Medically Speaking” category of the “Taboo Topics.”

PRAYER & POSITIVE THOUGHT REQUESTS:

Please post all prayer/positive thought requests in the “Prayers and Good Thoughts” sub-forum.

NAME CALLING & GENERAL DISRESPECT:

This is obviously not tolerated on this forum.  Remember that online messages or posts do have a tone and can come across in many different ways, so please make sure that what you type is not directly or intentionally disrespectful to another.  If necessary, please use “emoticons” to help better express your opinion.  Swearing and additional hostile talk is also not allowed on this list.  If you feel a need to express a curse word, please know that the forum will automatically convert the word to symbols (i.e. #$%&*@).  If you are on a rant, please note this in the subject line of your post. The Executive Board reserves the right to decide what is and what is not considered a curse word on this forum.

HANDLING PROBLEMS & REPORTING POSTS:

If you notice a post which violates any of these posting guidelines, you may send a notice to the Content Monitors by clicking the “! Report” button within the post in question, and providing an explanation of what you believe the violation to be.  The Content Monitors will investigate the report upon receipt, and take necessary action, if any.
If a conflict arises on the forum that you have unsuccessfully attempted to handle privately, please notify the Content Monitors and let them know what is the problem and how they might be of assistance. If you have a sister notify you that she has a problem with you or something you wrote, please remember that we are all sisters and to behave with civility, as you would were you attending a traditional alumnae chapter function. Please also do not participate in on-list escalation of a topic or “flaming”.

MONITOR REMINDERS & FYI’S:

From time to time, the Content Monitors will send out Private Messages or direct e-mails to sisters personally reminding them of the established guidelines. A reminder from a Monitor is meant to protect and maintain the principles of our alumnae chapter. If you wish to discuss the issue, please reply to the Monitor directly and she will be more than willing to clarify the situation.

MODERATION:

Due to the unique nature of the electronic forum, Surfing Sisters has created this set of Posting Guidelines to help the flow of conversation and maintain a level of communication that is acceptable to all. The Content Monitors will notify members privately if they fail to follows these rules. In serious cases, such as when a member posts something deemed offensive or disrespectful, they may receive an “official” warning. Each potential offense is discussed by the Content Monitors, but it is the responsibility of the Content Monitor(s) to bring it to the Executive Board’s attention and then notify the offender accordingly. After two “official” warnings, a member may be subject to “moderation” should any further violations occur. Moderation means that all posts by that member must be viewed prior to being approved  by a Content Monitor (members may be asked to edit their posts prior to receiving such approval).  Moderation will last for a term not fewer than 90 days. If there are two additional violations during this moderation period, the sister’s posting access will be terminated. She will be removed from the forum and will lose her chapter membership privileges.  Once a member successfully completes the Moderation period, she will return to full posting status. Should she violate the guidelines at any time after her Moderation period, her membership is subject to termination as determined by the Board of Officers.

ADDITONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHAPTER:
We are a very unique alumnae chapter, yet still hold many similarities to a regular  geographically based chapter.  Within this chapter, we offer many fun activities such as “Questions of the week” (QOTW), “Virtual candle passes” and “Secret Sisters,” just to name a few.  Therefore, some information to keep in mind:

• Please send any ideas for QOTW to the Vice President of Sisterhood.
• Dues Paying Members may request candle passes to share special announcements.  If you would like a candle pass, please contact an officer offline, and they can start the pass.  Please remember that you will need to be online each day of your candle pass as not to miss blowing it out.  The specific uses for a candle pass are:   1). engagement/surprise wedding  2). pregnancy announcement/adoption 3). going to be a grandmother. Requests to hold candle passes for non-dues payers will be declined.

QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT GUIDELINES:
The monitors and officers welcome your comments and interest in helping to keep Surfing Sisters a happy and exciting place for all.  If you have any questions or comments about these guidelines, please contact one of the monitors or officers and they will be happy to respond.  When your concern is voiced off list to an officer, it is brought to the attention of the Executive Board and opened for discussion.