The Rule Book

[Davina, The Modster]

What is expected of you

1) Once again show respect for one another by treating others as you'd like to be treated.

2) Please keep abreast of the information posted in the Reception. If you have a question related to the group, please post your enquiry in the Ask the Mod thread.

3) Not everyone will agree and others will likely feel just as strongly about their positions as you do about yours so always AGREE TO DISAGREE and don't let things get ugly. Nevertheless ...

4) We're going to have our disagreements, that is without doubt. Do you like every person you meet? Probably not. Don't expect everyone to like you. Popularity contests, this is not what this group is about. We encourage healthy and spirited discussions, but there will be no name calling, profanity or belittlement of any member.

5) Personal attacks are strictly prohibited. Attack the argument, not the person. What constitutes a personal attack: character assasination, blatantly trying to embarass or belittle a person, making inappropriate and rude comments about a person's family, the use of profanity which is directed at someone. If you have a major issue with someone, confront them privately.

6) Discussions tend to have a natural ebb and flow. If the discussion is heading in a direction you're not interested in, leave the thread. Don't try to kill off the conversation out of spite because you don't like one or two or three of the participants or because its not a topic YOU want to discuss. If you do have a topic that you'd like to discuss with others, you're more than welcome to start a thread.

7) Inappropriate and rude comments about a person's gender, race, religion, book preferences, sexual orientation will be deleted without notice. The poster will be given ONE public warning. If this behaviour continues the member will be permanently banned without notice.

What you can expect from this group

1) You can expect proactive, as opposed to reactive, leadership. What does that mean, you may wonder? Well, it means that I/we will try to nip a problem in the bud before it takes root rather than wait until it springs into something ugly. That said, however ...

2) You can expect an open and dynamic environment where the first sign of a disagreement will not cause us to go into a panic and shut down a thread. My intention is not to cultivate an environment where people are treated like little kids who must be kept in line. As long as people disagree and argue respectfully, you can expect a lot of freedom in what you're allowed to do here. So with that out of the way ...

2) You can expect good, spirited, intellectually stimulating (hopefully!) conversations about movies and of course books as well as any unrelated topic that may arise.

3) I imagine you can expect to have FUN! This group will certainly not be for everyone, but for those who find a home here, it should be good! :)

5) Last but not least, you can expect these rules to govern the conduct of each and every member, including the mod/s. If you feel a moderator has broken one or more of the rules, please feel free to contact the head moderator (yours truly) privately.

Some friendly advice to help us all GET ALONG

1) Have a care for other people's feelings. Sometimes what needs to be said will cause hurt, but don't be malicious about it. That said ...

2) It goes both ways. Don't hold grudges. Be OPEN and HONEST with people if you feel like someone did you wrong. Its up to you whether you do so publicly or privately, but the most important thing is to TALK to them about it. Don't sit and sulk or withdraw your friendship. We're adults here and in spite of our collective prides this shouldn't be too difficult. Many times people are not aware that something they've said offended you, and are more than willing to apologise or adjust their attitude once you've brought it to their attention.

3) Avoid the temptation to play devil's advocate. Dis/agree only with those arguments you genuinely dis/agree with. Playing devil's advocate will only make you a nuisance and will not by you any friends anywhere.

3) Keep in mind that the people who frequent Goodreads can be very international so everyone will not have the benefit of a shared culture and may express themselves differently than you do. Even here in the great US of A no two community are exactly alike. And there's the understatement of the year.

4) In addition to the 3rd point, don't lose patience if people want to talk outside of an American context. The world doesn't revolve around America contrary to what some people will have us believe.

5) We love a good discussion/debate in this group and it's a guarantee that we'll disagree from time to time so always assume GOODWILL. Don't be quick to assume the worse about people. Again, people have different ways of expressing themselves and many times the way in which they do so will have nothing to do with you.