A Quick Reminder on CC Etiquette

Roger_Dooley · 12-30-2005, 07:58 PM

We've had a big influx of new members, and a few folks haven't taken the time to read the CC Terms of Service or become acclimated to the etiquette of this forum.

1. CC is Different. CC's College Discussion Forum is different than other forums you may be used to. This is a moderated forum with high expectations for every member. Take a minute to read the TOS, and read a bit before posting. If you go to a movie, there's an expectation that you won't have loud cell phone calls during the main feature. If you do, you'll look like a jerk to everyone else. We have our expectations here, too. Avoid looking like a jerk by familiarizing yourself with the forum etiquette.

2. Courtesy. We expect every member to be treated with courtesy by every other member. That includes students, parents, college reps, people who ask what you think are dumb questions, and people who provide what you think are dumb answers. You are welcome to disagree on issues, but please don't comment on other members in any kind of derogatory or personal manner. This means no flames, no insults, no comments on anyone else's parentage or IQ. If someone flames YOU, please don't respond in kind. Just use the "report" link found in every post and a moderator will deal with the issue.

3. School Bashing & Boosterism. Particularly as more members get rejected or accepted, we see both mindless bashing and equally mindless boosterism. Please avoid both of these extremes. We all have our favorites and not-so-favorites, but if you are going to comment, please do so in a thoughtful manner that includes information to back up your assertions. If you encounter one of these, don't feed the trolls by arguing - report the post.

4. Humor. One of the most common excuses we see for insulting posts is, "I was only being funny." Based on years of online community participation and management, I can tell you that humor doesn't often translate well in a Web forum. This is particularly true where you have members of varying age, region, nationality, English ability, etc. Personally, I love sarcasm. Nelson Demille is one of my favorite authors. (If you like well-written novels loaded with sarcastic narration and dialog, he's your man.) BUT, please save any humor that could be taken wrong for other venues. In a forum like this, if there's a chance the humor will be taken wrong or misinterpreted, that will happen 99% of the time.

5. The CC Word Filter. We are a PG-rated site, and our word filter will eliminate many common swear words as well as some spam-related words. Please do NOT attempt to spell around the filter - it's there because you aren't supposed to use those words. (Duhhhhh....) Spelling around the filter is a TOS violation - we assume that if you are smart enough to break 500 on the SAT Verbal, you are smart enough to deduce that specific words aren't acceptable here when they are blanked out.

6. If your posting is turned off... In the very unlikely case that you find your posting has been turned off, do NOT re-register - please contact me or a moderator to find out what the problem is.

Thanks for your cooperation. We want CC to be a place where people of all levels of knowledge and experience can learn about and discuss college admissions in a friendly and welcoming environment. For those of you who take the time to help other members by answering questions or providing helpful advice, thank you! You may not always get a personal thank you from the individual you helped (nor do we), but over the years we've been told many, many times how our forum has helped young people achieve their goals. You are a part of that. Our members are the people who make CC the great resource that it is, and we appreciate it.

momof1 · 12-30-2005, 11:37 PM

Thanks for the update! We appreciate the service you provide and the manner in which it is provided. Keep up the great work!

~Mom of 1

firewalker · 12-31-2005, 12:49 AM

dang, didnt know working around the filters would be that big of a deal, sorry.

drummerdude_07 · 12-31-2005, 01:05 AM

LOL firewalker!

megalomaniac0502 · 12-31-2005, 01:08 AM

Amen, Brother!

joev · 12-31-2005, 12:21 PM

I don't think working around the fliters is that big of a deal unless its one of the seven words, or used to attack someone. I have seen some words deleted while the same words go untouched in other threads. I guess its all whether or not someone reports it.

NoFX · 12-31-2005, 05:51 PM

thanks roger! yeah there has been a bombardment of newbies lately.. hmm i like the word Etiquette..

ctymomteacher · 12-31-2005, 07:34 PM

What I found funny was that the filters wouldn't allow me to say wi****l, as in rhymes with wishful.

Still, I suppose they aren't sophisticated enough to distinguish between words and parts of words.

IzzyJ · 01-01-2006, 12:28 AM

*scratches head* wist ful? wasteful? no, too many letters... *lost*

But yes, there have been some posters hiding behind fake identities in order to steal essay ideas or to bash someone else.

And as for new and old members...oh, please, use "search" or look beyond the first page a forum! *begs to the Internet God* I've run across so many "Is the deadline Dec. 31 11:59 pm or Jan 1 11:59 pm" posts I'm gettin' cross eyed.

ctymomteacher · 01-01-2006, 08:02 AM

Yes, Izzy, wist ful. Turns out a series of letters in the middle are an abbreviation for a rude command some people like to throw at each other. For me, it was an apt description of how I feel about walking past my son's now-clean room.