nick
09-18-2005, 06:33 PM
Timog Forum Rules & Guidelines
There used to be a time when Timog Forum was less than 10 friends talking about certain topics they found interesting. There were no rules. Today, we have over 3,500 Timog residents from all over Japan and growing. Although we all share the common experience of living in Japan, we come from different backgrounds, with vastly different personalities and even political and philosophical beliefs.
Conflicts are bound to happen. We therefore feel there is a need to have rules and guidelines if we are to maintain order in the forums.
Membership in Timog Forum, we always like to stress, is open, quick and anonymous. “Open” because everyone can join; “Quick” because one can register and post in the forums in less than 5 minutes; and “Anonymous” because we don’t require stringent personal details from our members. Because Timog Forum can be read openly by anyone on the Internet, all the more reason why we should conduct ourselves in the best manner as possible.
Also, because Timog Forum is “open,” membership does not require approval (unlike most mailing lists) and posts are not moderated (unlike some mailing lists). We do very little editing and deleting in the forums. We trust our members to treat each other in a civilized manner and make a positive contribution for the good of the Community.
Objective of Timog Forum
We started this website because we wanted a place where Filipinos in Japan can meet, share their experiences and help each other out. Specifically, we wanted a place where Filipinos who don’t speak Japanese can get assistance from those who do. Today, Timog Forum has grown into a community website where people talk freely about almost any topic they find interesting.
The Forums
POSTING MESSAGES
Remember that Timog Forum is about “Filipinos in Japan”. What we’d like to see are discussions about life in Japan, about news about Japan, about the Japanese language, and about Japan in general. You can post almost anything in the “Chit-chat” area, but please be a good Timog resident and try to post something that concerns Filipinos in Japan.
When posting messages, please make them as readable as possible. Please don’t use text speak because it’s hard to understand; try to spell words correctly. DON’T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS because you’ll appear like you’re shouting. Don’t overly style your posts and make them hard on the eyes, like using jarring colors. Don’t post a 5,000-letter essay with only one paragraph. Let’s be responsible and think about our readers when posting messages.
Please post in the appropriate forums, and only once. Before you post something, think which forum your message is best suited to. Say you’re posting news about Filipinos working in Japan, decide whether it goes to “Nihon no Seikatsu” or “News Items”. Don’t post it on both forums.
Also, before posting, search the forums for similar topics; maybe other people are already discussing the topic or your answer has already been answered.
Please don’t post something that is rude, inflammatory or insulting. Don’t post hoaxes, chain letters, fake virus warnings and trite inspirational messages. Don’t post something that you got in the mail that is full of email addresses and forward signs and side comments of people we don’t even know. If you got something from mailing lists that is worth posting on Timog Forum, then it is also worth editing to make it readable for everyone.
Please don’t post anything that reveals personal information about other people. Don’t post copyrighted materials. If you’d like to post news items, include one or two paragraphs and provide the link to the original webpage. Do not post in the regular forums offering your products and services. If you want to post an advertisement, do so in the “Advertisement” section.
The best posts in Timog Forum are those that are informative, original, and are related to Filipinos in Japan.
The same rules also apply to signatures: Please don’t use very long or overly styled signatures. No fancy fonts, no gaudy colors, no excessive use of smilies or images. Overt advertising is also prohibited in signatures. Images must not exceed the maximum dimensions of 120x80 pixels (length and height).
REPLYING TO POSTS
Please be polite and acknowledge the original poster. Especially if the poster obviously put an effort into her post, try to show your appreciation by being polite. If you have to disagree, do it in a tactful way. “Thanks for your informative post. However, I was wondering if you made a mistake about…”
If the message is a question, please try to answer in a way that does not make the poster feel inferior. One of the main purposes of Timog Forum is for people to assist our fellow Filipinos adjust to life in Japan by answering their questions or helping out with Nihongo. We were all newbies once (in Timog Forum and in Japan) so let’s be especially patient and considerate with newcomers.
Please do not “hijack” a thread (a thread is a series of posts). Stay as close to the original topic as possible. If you have to reply to someone else in the thread, at least acknowledge the owner (the original poster).
Say someone posted something about her trip to Tokyo Disneyland. Then your replies should be about or at least be connected to Tokyo Disneyland. Don’t reply by saying Universal Studios is better and why people should go there instead. Avoid side comments if possible. If you really have to say something off-topic, at least apologize to the owner of the thread.
Or suppose someone posted a question about improving her picture-taking skills. Naturally, she expects the discussion to be about photography, camera and techniques. Replies can contribute to the discussion if they are suggestions, personal experiences about the topic, or encouragements. If replies degenerate into people greeting each other for example, then they serve no useful purpose for the original poster.
ARGUING YOUR POINT
People can argue with each other and still be friends–provided they do it in a civilized way. The keyword is politeness. The more polite you are, the more you can get your message across to the other person. Otherwise, everyone would just be talking past each other.
Please do not use inflammatory words. Resist the urge to use sarcasm. Do not post when you are angry or agitated. Sleep on it. It’s easy to post something that you’ll regret later. Remember that posts in the forum are not easily deleted and can only be edited within 2 hours of the original posting. When you think you made a mistake or offended others, it is always a good idea to say you’re sorry.
On the other hand, don’t be easily offended by what other people say. Maybe the poster made a mistake, or the message was not clearly written or he was just having a bad day. Even if the poster is clearly a disagreeable person, you will only get down to his level (and drag the discussion down) if you answer inappropriately.
In the end, people will always have different opinions about many things, especially about topics such as politics, religion and ethics. Accept this as normal and don’t get frustrated. You’ve made your point, and if it doesn’t convince other people, then that is just how the way things are. Let’s practice patience with people that we find disagreeable and toleration with people who don’t share our opinions.
SHARING THE FORUMS WITH OTHER PEOPLE
In the relatively short period of Timog Forum’s existence, we have witnessed a lot of personality conflicts among members that can be prevented (or minimized) if we all act wisely and make the right adjustments that is required if we are to share this website with other people.
For newbies, we strongly recommend that you post in the New Members area. By introducing yourself in this area, you will get a nice welcome from existing members. It’s a good way of having a good “feel” about a new place and new people. It’s also a way of testing the waters; people will be more forgiving if you post in the New Members forum.
As a general rule, if members feel that rules were violated, they may report a bad post to the administrators and moderators and let them deal with the problem. (There is a small icon http://www.timog.com/forum/images/buttons/report.gif below the poster’s avatar especially for this.) If you have to offer criticism, especially to newbies who may not be familiar with the guidelines, at least make sure that your criticism is not directed to the person, but to his post. One way of doing this is to give a nice comment first, offer your criticism, and then end your post on a cheerful note.
Let’s be especially patient with newbies.
On the other hand, if your receive criticism in the forums, the best way to respond is to offer an apology (if the criticism is valid) and make sure you right your wrong ways. Don’t take it personally. People make mistakes and sometimes others need to just let them know about it. Remember that it takes a highly intelligent and articulate person to make a faultless criticism of other people. If a criticism is overly harsh, then it is probably the other person’s fault and not yours. It’s not worth losing sleep over, or worse, leaving Timog Forum altogether.
We highly recommend that everyone read the Ten Tips For Giving Criticism (http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/9972.htm).
The Gallery
Members are free to put photos in the Gallery. Since this is a website for Filipinos in Japan, please post only pictures taken in Japan, especially in the Public Folders. There are exceptions, of course, but only exceptions. You can also use the Gallery to store pictures that you use in your posts. Please don’t upload inappropriate pictures. Also, please don’t use the Gallery to put images for translation; instead attach the images to your message when you post in the “Translations” forum.
Learn more about using Images in Timog Forum here (required reading). (http://www.timog.com/forum/showthread.php?p=314 1)
Language in Timog Forum
Most of us are comfortable speaking in Pilipino, but some may feel at ease writing in English (and even some in Japanese!). In Timog Forum, both Pilipino and English (and to some extent Japanese) are acceptable. However, we strongly encourage people to write in Pilipino, to have a conversational feel in the forums (at para welcome ang hindi komportable sa Ingles). Mas mabuti ring gumamit ng Pilipino kapag nag-uusap tayo tungkol sa ibang bansa, o mga bagay na hindi maganda para sa Pilipinas. “Watch your language!,” ika nga.
As for swearing, this is generally frowned on. However, creative use of the f-word and such is probably okay. But let’s not go beyond the limits of good taste. Use them sparingly, perhaps once or twice in your entire stay at Timog Forum. Note that use of profanities directed at other members is inexcusable and will almost automatically earn you a ban from Timog Forum.
Philosophy of Timog Forum
If there is an adjective that we’d like to describe Timog Forum (or what we’d like it to be), then it has to be “Useful.” We’d like Filipinos to enjoy their stay in Japan (and be good citizens at the same time), and we think we can make a small contribution to achieve that goal by providing a place where they can meet on the Internet wherever they are and share their experiences and help each other out. Let’s make all members feel welcome and contribute something to the Community.
Appendix:
Examples of Posting Styles, Post Content and Signatures
Posting Styles
IDEAL POST:
Good morning! It’s nice to find a online community of Filipinos in Japan. Dito po ako nakatira sa Tokyo. I hope to meet a lot of friends in Timog. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
ACCEPTABLE POST:
Good morning! It’s nice to find a online community of Filipinos in Japan. Dito po ako nakatira sa Tokyo. I hope to meet a lot of friends in Timog. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
UNACCEPTABLE POSTS:
GOOD MORNING!!! IT’S NICE TO FIND AN ONLINE COMMUNITY OF FILIPINOS IN JAPAN. DITO PO AKO NAKATIRA SA TOKYO. I HOPE TO MEET A LOT OF FRIENDS IN TIMOG. YOROSHIKU ONEGAISHIMASU!!!gu d am! it’s nice to find an online community of Pnoys in Jpn. d2 po ako nkatira sa tokyo. i hope to meet a lot of friends in Timog. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Hello everyone! It’s nice to find a online community of Filipinos in Japan. Dito po ako nakatira sa Tokyo. I hope to meet a lot of friends in Timog. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Hello everyone! It’s nice to find a online community of Filipinos in Japan. Dito po ako nakatira sa Tokyo. I hope to meet a lot of friends in Timog. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Good morning! It’s nice to find a online community of Filipinos in Japan. Dito po ako nakatira sa Tokyo. I hope to meet a lot of friends in Timog. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Good morning! It’s nice to find a online community of Filipinos in Japan. Dito po ako nakatira sa Tokyo. I hope to meet a lot of friends in Timog. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Good morning! It’s nice to find a online community of Filipinos in Japan. Dito po ako nakatira sa Tokyo. I hope to meet a lot of friends in Timog. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. So you won’t feel we’re too strict about this, you can style your posts a bit more freely in the Off-topic and Personals forums (but within reasonable limits, of course).
Post Content
IDEAL POST:
Hello Timog Forum users, check this very cool news on BBC. It says that the Philippines should get serious with it’s population problem or we will overtake China by the year 2050. Excepts:
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.”
Read the rest here (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAN3065.htm).This is the ideal post; no gaudy colors and styling, evenly spaced paragraphs, and links in posts.
UNACCEPTABLE POSTS:
Hello Timog Forum users, check this very cool news on BBC. It says that the Philippines should get serious with it’s population problem or we will overtake China by the year 2050. Here’s the full article:
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.”
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.”
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."Posting whole articles from other websites is unacceptable.
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed
do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco
laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute
irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore
eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non
proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.”
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed
do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco
laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute
irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore
eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non
proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed
do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco
laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute
irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore
eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non
proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."Very bad post: no introduction, bad formatting, most likely received from email.
Note: forwarded message attached.
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Forwarded Message
Subject: FW: Fwd: Fw: Miraculous Prayer…
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 10:57:58 -0400
From: “Anna” anna@acme.ca
To: “Ester” ester@acme.ca, “Aimee Reyes (E-mail)” aimeesd@yahoo.com, “Amabelle dela Cruz (E-mail)” felfs@yahoo.com, “Carol Sioson (E-mail)” feljsf8@yahoo.com, “Debbie Gibson (E-mail)” debbieg@yahoo.com
HTML Attachment [ Download File | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]
Miraculous Prayer
This is a beautiful prayer. Please do not break
this chain. It is miraculous, ask for something,
anything just pray !!!
Remember her words: Am I not here,
and am I not your Mother?"
Beautiful Virgin of Guadalupe, I ask you on behalf
of all my brothers and sisters of the world that
you bless us and protect us. Give us proof of your
love and kindness. Oh pure Virgin of Guadalupe,
give me through your Son, forgiveness for my sins,
blessings for my job, cure for my diseases and needs,
and all that you deem necessary I ask for my family.
Oh Mother of God, do not disdain the pleas we present
to you in our needs. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters, I want to impart to you
the presence of the Virgin of Guadalupe… that she
is miraculous and is always with us wherever we go.
This letter has the objective of going around the
world so recipients could receive miracles with
this beautiful chain.
Please forward it to 19 people and share it during
the following 10 days. In return you will receive a
proof from the Virgin no matter how impossible it is.
If you receive it and share it before 10 days, you
will have a surprise and great joy!We will treat with utmost severity people who post chain letters, hoaxes, and trite inspirational messages in Timog Forum.
TF members!!! you can download your favorite songs here (http://www.suprnova.org/)!!!Linking to illegal content is prohibited in Timog Forum.
Signatures
IDEAL SIGNATURES:
“If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn’t thinking.” - General George Patton, Jr.Visit my blog at www.wordpress.com (http://www.wordpress.com/)http://promote.opera.com/small/opera80x15.gif Simply the best internet experience. “I feel sorry for someone who has to win at everything.” - Snoopy ACCEPTABLE SIGNATURES:
http://promote.opera.com/buttons/official/120x60/png-8/120x60innovationred. png Clothes make the man. Naked people have little influence on society. - Mark Twain UNACCEPTABLE SIGNATURES:
To be is to do. (Sartre) To do is to be. (Descartes) Do be do be do. (Sinatra)You can only be young once. But you can always be immature. :eek: :biglaugh: :lol:We accept remittance to Phils. Super fast! (http://www.example.com/) http://www.timog.com/logofolder/anime.gifThe path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee. - Jules, Pulp FictionThis post is closed. If you wish to comment, please do so here (http://www.timog.com/forum/showthread.php?t=365 ).
This is an archived page from the former Timog Forum website.