FORUM

Forum Rules 

(If you have any questions after reading, please address them in the Forum Assistance. Do not reply to this topic. Thank you.)

GOVERNANCE AND CODE OF CONDUCT

The Mission: to provide a venue in which viola/cello/violin/fiddle students of any age, skill/ experience level, musical interests, or cultural background can exchange information, knowledge and ideas, participate in group activities and form friendships.

Our Golden Rule: Respect thy fellow members. Treat other members as you would have them treat you. These rules exist to help make this forum a more enjoyable place to visit.

The following types of posts are prohibited:

1. Attacks, harassment or slander towards another member. If you disagree with what a member has posted, post your own opinion without attacking the member who made the post.
2. Derogatory generalizations based on race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, politics or socio-economic status. On this forum, we are all equal. 
3. Pornography or profanity: Remember that families and children frequent this forum.
4. Discussion of politics or religion: Generally not permitted though non-argumentative comments and common terms such as “thank god”, “lord knows”, or “we will pray for you”, will be allowed at the moderators’ discretion.
5. Spam, mystery links and links to competing websites: No one likes a site full of spam and people are wary of following unidentified links. If you are posting an external link, please explain what you are linking to and why. Include your own personal thoughts about the site, page, video, etc. If you are in business selling a violin-related product, please contact Violaman before posting information promoting your product. 
6. Violaman operates a related e-commerce site called fiddlershop.com. Links to competitors are not permitted. You are not allowed to mention in posts, or direct members or guests to other competitors in posts or chat roll. If you want to suggest alternatives to Fiddlershop, just say, "You can do an internet search for more information," or something similar. Admins have the right to edit or delete a post, without warning, that mentions a competitor. 
7. Mean spirited comments that ridicule, berate or belittle members regarding their skill level, style, equipment, musical taste, knowledge of music theory, etc.
8. This site is a place to learn. All members should feel free to ask questions, post comments and request critiques without fear of ridicule.
9. The selling of violas and other bowed string instruments and their accessories, is for members' convenience. As such, Violaman, Forum Administrators and Fiddlershop are in no way responsible for any transactions or postings for items to be sold or purchased, even if erroneous. Violaman, Forum Administrators and Fiddlershop will not act as mediator for any discrepancies for sales or purchases. Discrepancies will not be debated on the forum or chat roll. Action will be taken against any and all members who bring the discrepancy about a sale or purchase to the forum or chat roll. Transactions are solely between seller and purchaser. Keep in mind when talking price, people are from different countries on this forum. The original poster and interested parties are responsible for providing the correct contact and currency information to each other. Violaman, Forum Administrators and Fiddlershop will take no action to provide this information. 
10. If a topic is posted in a area you think is incorrect, please do not reply by requesting the poster move it, please do not contact the original poster about it. Please just contact a forum administrator with as much information as you can, including the link to the topic post in question. Thank you.
11. There is a sister site to this forum, please do not copy posts you did not submit from this forum to the sister forum. 
12. Please do not link any posts from this forum site to other forum sites, ie its sister forum. Chasing broken links will be a nightmare. You may post your topics on both forum sites, but please do not link them.

Also, all topic threads in the for sale section will be deleted, without warning, if the original poster has not logged into the forum and updated the post in 3 months after posting. Updating requires a new reply placed by the seller, or original poster, in that topic thread, not just logging in and viewing. Admins need to see a new post by the seller or original poster to confirm the seller is tracking the item listed for sale. This must be done every 3 months.

Tips for good forum citizenship:

• When you start a new thread, please try to put it in an appropriate section of the forum. Non-viola/cello topics should be posted in the Breakroom. Non-music related chit chat should be posted in the "Off Topic” forum room located in the Breakroom Forum Group. If you don’t know exactly where to place a music related topic post, the Breakroom is a good starting point. An administrator can move it for you. Administrators reserve the right to move a topic posted to an appropriate forum.
• If you have any doubts as to whether or not a post is acceptable, please feel free to message a Forum Administrator. 
• If you encounter a post by a member that violates any of the rules above, report the issue to a Site Administrator or Violaman rather than accelerating an argument or responding in kind on the forum, PM or chat room.
• Humor can be misinterpreted, especially in writing without the benefit of non-verbal cues, and humor can differ across cultures. What’s funny to one person might be offensive or misconstrued by another. That’s not to say that we always have to be serious in the forum or chat room. Just use some discretion when using humor, and as a reader, consider whether the writer intended his or her post to be humorous and take it in the spirit in which it was intended. The use of LOLs and smilies helps convey that you were just trying to be funny.

Procedures for violations: 

The Site Administrators, in conjunction with the Violaman man, will consider a number of factors when deciding whether to take action such as deleting posts or banning a member. Those factors include, but are not limited to, the number of complaints received about a member, the frequency of complaints over time, and the nature of the offensive posts. Posts violating the above rules will be removed by the administrators immediately and without warning, as will any posts by other members referencing the original post. Offending members may receive a warning via private message, or email, if PM rights have not yet been granted, however Forum Administrators reserve the right to ban a member from the forum after consultation with the Violaman, or by Administrator's own decision.

Violaman Forum Advisory Board: Violaman, Mouse