myDedham Policies
myDedham exists to foster greater community throughout the town of Dedham, Massachusetts and dialogue about the issues it faces. We seek to encourage discussion about the various issues and happenings around our town, provide a forum for community groups to announce events, and to connect and inform all Dedhamites. Over time the site will become a chronicle of Dedham, recording the daily ebb and flow of 21st century life in a town founded in the 17th century. These policies are designed to improve everyone's experience in using the blog.
Civility
Everyone is welcome at myDedham. Spirited discussion and debate is encouraged, but civility and community are paramount. At the end of the day we are all Dedhamites and we must all live together in one town. As insults, personal attacks, and rudeness in general lower the level of discussion, and interfere with the goal of greater community, they will not be tolerated. You can disagree on an issue without attacking another person. In general, you should never say something about someone that you wouldn't say to their face.
Assume Good Faith
Unless there is clear evidence to the contrary, assume that most posts and comments are made in good faith. Assuming good faith does not prohibit discussion and criticism, but if criticism is needed, discuss actions and not personalities. Don't accuse others of harmful motives without clear evidence.
Moving the Ball Forward
Before any post or comment is submitted, the writer should ask him or herself if the comment is designed to advance the conversation in some meaningful way, or is good natured fun. If it is, it should be posted. If it is not, the blogger should instead consider leaving a more productive comment.
Front Page Policy
Everyone is welcome to write posts on any Dedham-related subject at any time. Those which are, in the opinion of the editors, likely to generate some discussion in the comments, are well written and of a suitable length, and meet the other criteria laid out in these polices will be placed on the front page.
Privacy
All users are encouraged to reveal their names and information about themselves on their profile pages. Anonymous usernames are discouraged but not prohibited.
Ratings
All myDedham users are encouraged to make use of the rate comment feature. Those who consistently receive high ratings will automatically become "trusted users" and they will be allowed to give higher ratings than other users. Comments that receive several rankings of 0 will automatically be hidden. It is hoped that with these features the myDedham community will moderate the discussion so the editors do not have to do so.
Penalties
Users who consistently violate these policies will receive a warning from the editors. If the behavior persists they will be banned. Hopefully such an action will be extremely rare. |
