Are we really allowed to dicuss anything here? FOr instance politics is mentioned but not religion. I only ask because on another forum I belong to everything even slightly delicate, or potentially incendiary, is banned. including politics and religion.
I don't think anything is banned from conversation on this part of the forum. Look under the Free Speech subsection of the forum rules.
I think anything is permissible, but when it goes down the tube and devolves into a flame fest (and it will) the mods will shut things down (and sometimes distribute infractions too).
Threads discussing topics like politics or religion usually end up getting locked or deleted because people can't keep it civil and respectable, but according to the rules, such topics are allowed. I was actually hoping for a separate philosophy/religion/politics subforum where such things could be discussed.
I don't mind people talking about such things at all, but they will be watched carefully by us mods as they are always like piles of low-grade tinder.
If your thread is inflammatory, you may be held responsible when matters get out of control. There are general site content rules. No. Get enough of them and you get banned, perhaps permanently.
Now this is what I had in mind, not that I'm planning on earning myself any infractions (although you never know when you're going to have to unsheathe your blade and defend your family's honor).
Yeah, well, watch out for anything and everything that by some absurd stretch of logic can be considered "promoting or advertising", like discussing the writing software you use or a literature contest outside the forum. What constitutes advertising or promoting is arbitrarily determined and selectively used against people. Even the mods admit the rules are vague and unclear. I'd add the who and why in that used-against-you accusation because it's not a widespread phenomena, but it's against general forum etiquette on the Net to personally attack people. I'm not even sure if going this far is going to be considered inflammatory, but I think the issue of selective enforcement is something that needs to be said.
Thanks guys. That has answered my question. What has been disclosed is exactly as I had hope: reasonble and fair. I've never been sanctioned on any forums I inhabit, but I do know of some disaffected ones from the site I was thinking of in my original post. They have become so strict recently, that people tend to be banned without warning and the first time they get to know is when they try to log on one day. So I wanted to tread carefully here. I enjoy this site very much. Even when I am hospitalised and cannot post myself, I am still reading lots of threads and picking up tips.
