Forum Etiquette & Moderation
About Moderation
Moderation of this website is designed to keep participants, site administrators, and third-parties safe from malicious, inflammatory and illegal materials.
The website is moderated by a professional global moderation team from Bang the Table Pty Ltd in collaboration with County of Northumberland.
All public facing contributions - that is, contributions that can be seen by other website users - and Usernames submitted to this website are moderated in accordance with the moderation rules set out below.
Contributions and Usernames that do not adhere to the moderation rules will be removed and you will be notified of this by email.
Repeated, flagrant disregard for the moderation rules may result in the imposition of Sanctions also listed below.
Moderation Rules
This site is subject to the following moderation rules:
- Never post personal information about another participant. This includes identifying any individual by their real name if they have not already done so, or providing personal contact information.
- Never identify a staff member of the consulting organisation by name.
- Don't defame anyone or any organisation. A comment is defamatory if it lowers or harms the reputation of a person or organisation. If you wish to insult anyone, this is not the place to do it. If you wish to accuse anyone of wrongdoing or incompetence, this is not the place to do it.
- Don't post anything that could be considered intolerant of a person's race, culture, appearance, gender, sexual preference, religion or age.
- Don't be obscene and don't use foul language. Lots of people from different backgrounds participate on this website. We want them to be able to continue to do so from home, work, school, university or wherever they may be. Disguising swear words by deliberately misspelling them doesn't make them any less offensive.
- Don't personally insult or harass other participants. Always focus on the logic of the argument rather than the individuals involved in the argument. Participants are entitled to choose not to enter into debate with you.
- Don't post or link to any inappropriate, offensive or illegal material. Don't post any advertisements.
- Don’t promote self-harm, suicide, violence or criminal activity of any kind.
- The use of emoji’s or images to convey inappropriate meaning consistent with the rules outlined above will also be moderated.
- Please don't raise concerns about the moderation on the site as it disrupts the flow of any discussion. Please direct any queries regarding moderation directly to moderation team at support@engagementhq.com.
Sanctions
Breaches of the moderation rules will be dealt with as follows:
- Removal of comment - any comment that, in the view of the moderator, breaches the rules will be removed.
- Temporary Suspension - a participant who repeatedly and flagrantly flouts the moderation rules may be suspended from access to the website for a period of up to one week. The period will reflect both the severity and consistency of the breach.
- Permanent Blocking - a participant who continues to violate the moderation rules following reinstatement after a period of suspension may have their access to the website permanently blocked.
- Automatic Blocking - a participant who posts or links to inappropriate, offensive or illegal material will be immediately blocked from the site.
Etiquette
These are not rules, they are suggestions to help keep the website respectful and constructive.
- It's a good idea to read through the information on the site and the other participant's comments before getting involved in the discussion yourself.
- Always respect the views of other participants even if they don't agree with you.
- Be constructive. It's okay to disagree with other forum participants, in fact we encourage debate, just keep the dialogue positive.
- Always keep things civil. We recognize that this can be difficult sometimes, especially when you are passionate about an issue, but it is important to keep the discussion focused on the issues rather than letting it deteriorate into personal insults.
- Once you've left your comment keep an eye on the project to see what other people have to say.
- If you feel that someone has insulted you, report their comment to the moderator by clicking the “Alert Moderator” button. Don't perpetuate the dispute. The moderator will take a look at the offending comment and decide whether it should be removed.
- Stay on topic. The projects on this website have been created for a specific purpose. Please stay within the boundaries of the subject matter.
- Turn off the "CAPS LOCK". Writing in ALL CAPS is the equivalent of SHOUTING and can cause offence.
- Choose one place to post each of your unique comments. Don't cut and paste the same comment into lots of different places on the website. These will be considered duplicates and may be removed.
- Don't be a "troll". Trolls intentionally incite annoyance or offense. They do not participate constructively in the discussion and do not add any value to the debate.
- Don't bully, harass or threaten other participants. If another participant proffers an opinion that you don't agree with, you have no right to demand that they support their position with a detailed argument. They do not have to respond to your questions. It is up to each individual to participate as much or as little as they wish.
- Please respect the moderators. Their job is to keep the forum safe and constructive so that everybody gets to have their fair say. It is not always an easy job.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if my comment is removed?
If you post something to this website which gets moderated (removed), you will receive a notification via email informing you of our decision. You will be informed as to which of the moderation rules you are in breach of and asked to review and resubmit your contribution.
What if I disagree with a moderation decision?
If you disagree with a moderation decision you are able to get in touch with support by contacting support@engagementhq.com. While the final moderation decision lies with our moderators, you may indicate to us why you think your contribution should be accepted. In some instances you will be referred to the owner of the website for a final decision.
Can a website owner remove my comment just because they don’t like it?
All comments moderated by our moderators are done so in accordance with the moderation rules outlined above. The owner of this website however, reserves the right to request a contribution be moderated if they feel it is in breach of these moderation rules. In this instance, you will receive a notification via email.
Can I report a comment for moderation and will I be anonymous?
If you feel a comment or contribution to the site is in breach of the moderation rules outlined on this page, you are within your right to alert our moderators. Simply locate the “alert moderator” link near the comment you believe needs to be escalated to our moderation team. Alerting a moderator will not reveal your identity to the person who posted the comment and you will remain anonymous.
How will I know if I have been blocked from the site?
If you are repeatedly in breach of our moderation rules you may incur sanctions as outlined above. In the instance that you are blocked from the site, you will receive an email notification informing you of your sanctions and the conditions of those sanctions.
Is moderation independent of the website owner?
Yes. Moderation is independent of the owner of the website. There are only two places where on-site moderation occurs. The owner of this website can choose to moderate stories as well as questions asked by participants and answer if they so choose.
How does moderation deal with comments which suggest a person is at risk or harming themselves or other?
Our moderators are trained to identify comments, which contain references to self-harm and or threats of violence and crime. Comments which mention or promote this behaviour will be removed and escalated for further review and passed on to our clients for further action. Any further action will be at the discretion of our clients, including referrals to law enforcement, primary health or first responder services. Bang the Table strongly advises its client to have sufficient processes in place to deal with these situations and highly encourages the use of verified participation for engagement activities. If you notice comments of this nature, please alert our moderators or the website owner. Our team can be contacted at support@engagementhq.com.