CatBox Forum Policy

We reserve the right to ban any member who violates our guidelines or disrupts our community.  Say what you want, but please do so responsibly and with respect for others. Free speech is not an excuse for irresponsible behavior. We will be fair and provide warning in most cases. More specifically:
 

CatBox Rules

The following rules are intended as a guideline for the members of this website to interact and support each other in an enlightening and productive manner. As with any type of communication which is not face to face, it is sometimes difficult to understand another poster's intended message, which creates a bit of a chasm in a dialogue between posters.

While we endeavor to protect freedom of speech, there are certain behaviors which are not allowed on this board and constitute an infringement of board rules.

The Administrative Team (AdminTeam) may update this policy at any time.

Rules and Violations

Number 1: SLANDERING - No slandering another Catboxer (calling names, personal attacks). It is okay to respectfully disagree with a person, but it is not okay to personally attack. Any person placing offensive, obscene, abusive or derogatory posts on the board or sending them to board members in PM form will be automatically banned.

If you are faced with this on the board, report any posts you feel are offensive to administration. Please remember that when you use the "Report this post" option, it is sent to the AdminTeam.

Number 2: THREAD ALTERCATIONS - Differences of opinion will occur from time to time and this is understood. Threads that generate into fights between posters will be locked. Depending upon the nature of the thread, it may also be deleted and upon request, the original poster will be informed of the reason.

Number 3: TARGETING OTHER MESSAGE BOARDS - Please do not post your anger at other message boards by naming them. Admin will delete these type of posts with no warning. We have many links to other websites featuring specific message boards which are very helpful to those posters who need them. This website and the various message boards we employ, is not in competetion with any other website. Take what you need and leave the rest.

Number 4: POSTING PUBLIC ADMIN CHALLENGES: To repeat the above, we do endeavor to protect freedom of speech; however, when admin have to step in and make a decision on a certain post, it is generally after much thought and discussion amongst all admin available at the time. We make every attempt to address issues in a timely manner. If a poster disagrees with this decision and wishes to add another piece of information previously unknown to admin, in order to perhaps amend the decision, they are welcome to privately contact admin for this purpose. Any reasonable, but brief debate will be considered. However, public posts concerning admin decisions will be deleted, as will posts questioning the integrity of admin. This is a privately owned website and the admin have been chosen by the owner.

Number 5: PROFANITY - Profanity is prohibited.

Number 6: IGNORING ADMIN EDITING REQUESTS - If we think a poster has overstepped a boundary and time permits, admin will request the original poster to restate the post in more proper language and/or tone. However, if time is of the essence or the poster refuses, admin may edit posts to help the smooth flow of the board. Upon request, admin will notify the original poster of the changes and the reason for the change.

Number 7: REPOSTING DELETED POSTS - Reposting deleted posts serves no other purpose than as an attempt to cause trouble in order to gain attention.

Admin will try to tell the board a reason for deleted posts but in some cases this may not be done. Sometimes people post stuff that just is best deleted and the right to delete without explanation ( which can cause more complications than the original deletion) is reserved. An example of this might be a post we feel will cause serious offense to readers of the site or is deliberately provocative.

Number 8: MULTIPLE PERSONAS - As this website primarily deals with abuse and its residual effects, trust among the members is paramount. IT IS PROHIBITED to create more than one persona. If you choose to change your user name for either safety reasons or it just doesn't describe you anymore, THIS IS PERMITTED. If for safety reasons, please notify admin of the change and we advise you to private e-mail anyone you want notified of the change. If you feel comfortable to publicly announce it - please do so to avoid confusion for the other board members.

Number 9: PASSWORDS - If you request and receive the password for a certain board of this website, you are not to provide it to any other member. This protocol again, addresses the issue of safety - both physical and emotional for our posters.

Number 10: COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT - Please give proper credit to the authors of original material, whether you bring it to this website or whether you take it from this website to another.

It is an infringement of copyright of this board to take posts to another board and also a breach of confidentiality. If you wish to show a post from here on another board then a link should be provided.


Banning

Admin operate a three strikes and you are out warning system. If you get a warning from admin to modify the way you are talking to others please remember to take it seriously –

First warning is by Private Message (PM).

Second warning puts you on admin watch. Again, you will be notified of your status by a PM.

Third warning is a ban. This ban may be for a certain time period (i.e. - 2 weeks or three months) or the violations of the banned poster may be so egregious to indicate that it be permanent and the poster's ISP provider may be contacted, if deemed necessary.
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Banned users who create new usernames or personalities and return will continually (and permanently) be banned and WILL be reported to their ISP provider and/or employer (if ISP address routes back to employer). Note that we do not take contacting one's employer lightly. This measure is reserved for those who do not respect being banned.


In addition to the above, any new poster deemed to be here purely to create disruption, or post spurious posts will be banned with immediate effect. This includes all "fake" posters and comes with the automatic approval of Dr Irene. Again, if action taken is mistaken, the poster concerned can always e mail Dr Irene directly.

Any person placing offensive, obscene, abusive or derogatory posts on the board or sending them to board members in PM or email form will be automatically banned.



Miscellaneous

I'm Locked Out and Can't Log In?
If you find yourself locked, please do not automatically assume you are banned. The board can do funny things at times and it may be admin just need to discuss a particular post. Email Administration if you are locked out and unsure as to why.

Flirting

Please be sensitive - mild flirting is fine if you have to but remember boasting about sexual conquest may trigger pain for some.


Tips for Good Communications

If you need to send a tough message and you are worried about how it may be perceived - Write it, then read it carefully. Look at the content, watch for particularly emotional words that may trigger. If necessary, get someone else to read it as well.

Respond in much the same manner. If you're on the receiving end of what you consider a personally offensive or triggering post, be careful about any immediate reaction that will only inflame matters.

Instead, carefully write a response, and do it in a word-processing program or on a sheet of paper to avoid inadvertently sending it before you intend to. Give it 24 hours, then look over what you put on paper to see if you're saying something that's really useful or not. It is tempting in this time of instant communication through cyber space to zip something back, but sometimes proofreading a post or response will avoid setting a house of cards on fire.

To paraphrase Soren Kierkegaard: "People demand freedom of speech as compensation for the freedom of thought which they should have used in the first place."

Don't feel you must respond to a post on the board. Just because you get a nasty message doesn't mean you have to send your response through the same medium. If you feel comfortable doing so, contact the person via email or PM to resolve personal disputes. On the other hand, if the post is particularly vile or obnoxious, don't respond either. Refer it to Administration. It is what we are here for.

REMEMBER it simply isn't necessary to respond every time we read something that bothers us. It is an important step to learn when and how to disengage from a debate, whether it be on a message board or in our every day lives.

If you have found that you have inadvertently irritated someone, say you're sorry. As highly intentioned as many of us can be with so many real life issues, we all too often can goof up and be unintentionally hurtful to others. We all hate hurtful posts, but we can all end up sending one as well.

Never forget the first option of going to the person to whom you sent it and apologizing. It isn't an easy thing to do in some cases, but can be particularly critical in restoring peace and healing among members.

 

In Summation

The decisions of Dr Irene and the AdminTeam are final. If you feel you have been unfairly treated then please write directly to the admin or to Dr Irene herself.

Both abused individuals and those who feel they are abusive may post on the board.

All members must maintain respectful communication.
And finally, be considerate of the fact that members may be at different stages in their path to recovery.