IndiForum Community Guidelines
This thread was long overdue.
Although the initial set of rules created for the forum still remain true, it's time to clarify a few things so that there are less misunderstandings!
I cannot emphasize this strongly enough - the guidelines I'm listing below may have been shaped by things which have happened in the past, but the context of it is purely for the future of this forum. No part of this thread is directed at any group or individual. Past issues are left behind, and I hope we can all work towards making this forum a healthy place once more.
The rules referred to below are listed on this thread, and some of them are omitted because they don't need to be expanded at this point.
Flaming
The first rule of the forum:
Flaming is not allowed. If you're unfamiliar with the term, please note that we are not talking about lighting yourself on fire. For a definition of what flaming is, go here.
Launching a personal attack against a fellow IndiBlogger behind a mask of sarcasm or cleverly formed innuendos is also flaming, and has no place on this forum. Opinions are always welcome - but only when they are stated clearly.
Disagreements
The second rule of the forum:
Please respect other bloggers on the forum, keeping in mind that they have a right to an opinion as much as you do.
In a place with so many strong-minded individuals, there are bound to be disagreements. When expressing a complaint or a difference of opinion, it should be in the context of the other person's opinions or actions. Making judgements about the other person's character, or name-calling is not done. If you feel strongly about something and it has the potential to turn ugly, try and sort it out on a one-to-one basis rather than doing it publicly for all to see and possibly misunderstand.
Contests / Giveaways
The fourth rule:
No advertising, and no spamming. Of course, you may promote your own blog, but only in the "Review My Blog" category (and IndiVine). Please don't promote your own products and services unless it's relevant to Indian bloggers. For example - you may promote a widget that you developed, but you will not be allowed to promote styling gel, no matter how good it makes you look.
There has been some ambiguity on this front in the past. If a blogger is conducting a contest on his or her blog, it cannot be posted/promoted on this forum. If we allow contests and giveaways by bloggers to be on the forum, it becomes impossible to moderate. It's a very thin line between a contest and shameless self-promotion.
Thread hijacking and lunchroom chit-chat
Three years ago, there was a feeling that the forum was losing it's relevancy because of threads being hijacked. We then launched IndiTalk and integrated it with the forum. As I stated in the launch thread:
The forum was built to be a relatively timeless resource of well-researched information - where bloggers can come, get help, find the information they need, and more importantly - help others. As of now, the forum is used for everything - online blogger meetups, hellos, "how are yous", and good-natured abuses. So the decision was obvious - separate the "chat" from the "resource". Of course, there will be an overlap, but we do hope it would be less!
I realize that the forum can also be a place to unwind; this forum has always had an identity crisis; it doesn't know if it's a place for professional discussion or a gathering of friends and family. In some ways, it's both, and that's why the chit-chat has to be confined to IndiTalk, so that the forum still fulfills its original purpose. Humour and camaraderie on a thread is fine, as long as it remains relevant to the subject of the thread. If the replies stray away from the original topic, they can be deleted by the IndiPolice, who will soon have the option to do so.
Locking / deleting threads
We never came up with guidelines for the locking of threads, which is a relatively new feature. I can understand how a thread being locked in the middle of a discussion can be frustrating.
Threads can be locked if the discussion has concluded/solved, so that it doesn't get bumped up later, creating confusion. Threads can also be locked in the case of spam and shameless self-promotion, so that the perpetrator knows that it's wrong. If there is flaming involved, the relevant replies / threads should be removed altogether.
The infallibility of the IndiPolice
The IndiPolice aren't infallible. They can make mistakes and errors in judgement just like everyone else. However, they are IndiBloggers first, and have the same levels of protection as any other member. Personal attacks against the IndiPolice are not allowed. They are not paid to do what they do, and it's not an easy job at all.
Having said that, personal attacks by the IndiPolice are not allowed either. If anyone feels that the IndiPolice is at fault, you can voice your concern on the forum (without flaming) or via IndiMail. If that fails, you can always contact me. I may take some time to respond, but I will respond and take action accordingly.
Encouraging Shameless Self Promotion (SSP)
If you spot a SSP thread, you can point it out to the blogger in question. However, please try not to reply to the subject of the thread/SSP link. Once a conversation starts on an SSP thread, it becomes harder to delete it.
The more the merrier!
We need to be sensitive with newbies on the forum. This place can be very overwhelming at first; it's like the first year at college! Sometimes, newbies try too hard to fit in and make mistakes; it's our job to be welcoming, and help them find a foothold here. (Repeated offenders, however, will be banned/deleted.)
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If there is any ambiguity in what I've said, or if you foresee something I've not, please do point it out!
Threads can be locked if the discussion has concluded/solved, so that it doesn't get bumped up later, creating confusion.
Technical Point to be noted 
- I think ( not too sure ) even locked threads get bumped up if an edit is made to the thread by the thread creator, creating the same confusion.
Can the button colour of locked threads be changed from red to something else, like green. The colour red gives a feeling that the locking was because of something done by the thread creator which shouldn't have been done! 
Thanks for pointing this out Ranjith. Renie, this needs to be fixed.
Ranjith, was this a guess or you really saw it happening? I did not really noticied this yet, but I did feel something amiss.
Aah I thought you are pointing to a bug you are aware of. I'll test it rigt away
Ranjith is right. I created a thread and locked it. And then I was able to edit it. See this
http://www.indiblogger.in/forum/topic.php?id=17294
Ani, Hemal I actually notiCed it in one tHread ( wHere I posted something for wHiCH I felt bad later on 
)
Now, tHat you HaVe tested it, I was CorreCt! 
Also see if tHat loCked tHread on editing gets bumped on. As far as I know / Can reCall, it Happens.
Editing a locked thread shouldn't be a problem and in MY opinion, it should be allowed.
On second thought, I am also in favor of having this option. Take for example, a thread was locked and the thread creator feels that he/she needs more info, he/she can edit the thread and ask IndiPolice to unlock it.
Editing a locked thread should not be allowed, as there is no purpose served. Since it is locked, it will not let anyone else to reply to that thread - so there is no meaning why the Thread Creator should be able to edit the thread after it is locked.
WHat if tHe THread Creator wants to get it unloCked for some reason. At Least tHere sHould be a button named 'Request mods for unlocking tHreads' For example, tHe tHread migHt HaVe been locked and the TC Has unsubscribed from e mail notification for tHat tread. He comes back after a week or so and gets confused on what is to be be done 
I'm sure tHis discussion will eventually lead to the discussion on 'Should a thread be locked if the purpose is solVed' ( regardless of the fact tHat it was Already mentioned by Renie tHat it Can be locked ) and I remember tHat tHere was a big disCussion on tHis topiC.
Locking tHreads after tHe purpose is solVed is BAD 
( MY opinion )
I am strongly of the opinion that the thread should be locked once the purpose is achieved. However, editing should be allowed so that the thread creator can request for unlocking. Or alternatively, an option can be given as "Request for Unlock"
Continuing your reply...
An edited tHread sHould not be bumped but IP sHould be mailed about tHe editing of loCked tHread. No mail = No use of allowing editing.
Locking tHreads after tHe purpose is solVed is BAD ( MY opinion ) - THis time strongly
Keeping the thread editable after locking it does not make any sense at all.
Rather, a locked thread could be unlocked after Raising a Request with IndiPolice. This way, the creator should be able to unlock a thread that they want to persue.
If a loCked tHread is not allowed to be edited, tHen tHe word of tHe IndiPoliCe will be tHe last word spoken. ( Now, it is a different tHing tHat most of tHe tiMes, tHe DeCision to loCk tHe tHread is CorreCt )
Some of tHe keys on my keyboard are not working in lower Case ( You Can't ask me to restart my Computer )
Now, eVeryone Has a different opinion about it and it is upto Renie to deCide.
But still, I stand on my opinion ( eVen tHougH I don't HaVe any proper justifiCation )
i think if we discuss merits and demerits of both these approaches we will be able to come to a conclusion.
I always feel ( and noticed ) that discussions do not lead to conclusionS ( We Can HaVe a discussion on tHis argument some other day )
But these are my reasons ( most of wHiCH I already mentioned ) :
SHould not be loCked : Mostly, tHreads are locked ( on other forums ) only if it falls under spam or similar tHings.
Should be allowed to edit loCked tHreads :
EVeryone SHould be equal. IP Can loCk tHreads. So, tHey will be HaVing tHe CHanCe to speak tHe last words. ( NotHing against IP's 
)
If tHe tHread was dealing witH some teCHniCal problem, and was loCked beCause tHe purpose was solVed and if later on tHat solution no longer works due to some CHange in software ( like CHanges in Blogger etC ), tHen He Can Edit tHat tHread saying tHat tHe solution no longer works so tHat otHers wHo Come aCross tHat tHread won't waste tHeir time trying tHat solUtion.
THe TC Can put a message saying tHat He Had done it unknowingly ( posting links etC ) if He was not aVailable for Comment at tHe time of loCking - so tHat people wHo Come aCross tHat tHread later on will not tHink anytHing bad about tHe tHread Creator.
LoCked tHreads wHiCH are edited sHouldn't be displayed in tHe reCent list : THe same reason wHiCH Renie Said
IP sHoUld reCeiVe a notifiCation about edits to loCked tHreads / THere sHould be a 'Request for unloCking' : THe same reason wHiCH I already stated :::: WHat if tHe THread Creator wants to get it unloCked for some reason. At Least tHere sHould be a button named 'Request mods for unlocking tHreads' For example, tHe tHread migHt HaVe been locked and the TC Has unsubscribed from e mail notification for tHat tread. He comes back after a week or so and gets confused on what is to be be done ::::::
Most of my reasons look artificial because not all tings HaVe reasons!
I agree with Ranjith on all the points. 
My opinion: -
SHould not be loCked : Mostly, tHreads are locked ( on other forums ) only if it falls under spam or similar tHings.
In my opinion, what happens on other forums should not be a decisive factor for this forum. We should think of logical reasons to decide what is best for us. On a lot of forums, replies are held for moderation. A moderation first approves them and then they are visible. Obviously we cannot have such things here.
Should be allowed to edit loCked tHreads :
EVeryone SHould be equal. IP Can loCk tHreads. So, tHey will be HaVing tHe CHanCe to speak tHe last words. ( NotHing against IP's )
I am unable to relate these two things: Unlocking of thread and having last word. Most recently locked thread was the one created by Rio and I do not see IndiPolice having last say there. In fact, last say there is of Ranjith and Nandini.
If tHe tHread was dealing witH some teCHniCal problem, and was loCked beCause tHe purpose was solVed and if later on tHat solution no longer works due to some CHange in software ( like CHanges in Blogger etC ), tHen He Can Edit tHat tHread saying tHat tHe solution no longer works so tHat otHers wHo Come aCross tHat tHread won't waste tHeir time trying tHat solUtion.
He/she can send a request to unlock the thread as suggested by Hemal. Based on reason provided by the requestor, IndiPolice can then unlock the thread.
THe TC Can put a message saying tHat He Had done it unknowingly ( posting links etC ) if He was not aVailable for Comment at tHe time of loCking - so tHat people wHo Come aCross tHat tHread later on will not tHink anytHing bad about tHe tHread Creator.
Self-promotion threads are to be deleted and not to be locked. So, this point does not seem to be valid. Please let me know if you are pointing to something else.
LoCked tHreads wHiCH are edited sHouldn't be displayed in tHe reCent list : THe same reason wHiCH Renie Said
It is in conrtast to your another point where you said if the problem is not resolved, one should be able to edit and ask for help once more. If the thread will not pop-up, no one would notice and hence, the purpose would not be solved. Anyway, my opinion is to have an option to "Request for unlock" and it can be used by anyone and not only by the thread creator. Anyone may need to post on a locked thread, isn'it?
IP sHoUld reCeiVe a notifiCation about edits to loCked tHreads / THere sHould be a 'Request for unloCking' : THe same reason wHiCH I already stated :::: WHat if tHe THread Creator wants to get it unloCked for some reason. At Least tHere sHould be a button named 'Request mods for unlocking tHreads' For example, tHe tHread migHt HaVe been locked and the TC Has unsubscribed from e mail notification for tHat tread. He comes back after a week or so and gets confused on what is to be be done ::::::
Agree with the option to have request for unlock and this option should be available to everyone, reason explained above.
Most of my reasons look artificial because not all tings HaVe reasons!
When we talk of guidelines and rules to run the forum, we need logical reasons. We already have seen a lot of chaos in the past due to lack of clarity.
It is in contrast to your another point where you said if the problem is not resolved, one should be able to edit and ask for help once more.
You are probably referring to something I said in the previous thread I made when discussing about should threads be locked.
Edits for locked threads should not be visible in recent threads.
This should be the case when locking is implemented. The edited thread featuring in recent list is of no use as no one can respond unless the thread is unlocked. So, it should not be visible unless an IP unlocks it.
Thanks P for this suggestion. This is a point in the recommendations that has been sent to IndiTeam.
Have a small suggestion here, there should a clear cut rule that a SSP is not answered to by any bloggers and is to be removed at once by the mods. The time intervals in deleting the thread may create confusion/jealousy etc. among bloggers. I really emphasis this there is nothing called they and us or indipolice and us. Its we INDIBLOGGERS including newbies, oldbies and middlebies
Vijay, appreciate this. There has been time lags for a couple of reasons: -
- We may not always be available on the forum to take notice of such threads which may lead to time lag.
- Normally, we first leave a message before deleting so that the thread creator is able to know that he has done something wrong. If a thread is deleted without any warning, many would not even know what went wrong and will continue doing so.
- It is good that people comment on such thread. It helps a new member and he knows that he has done something wrong. It is sepcially helpful in cases where none of the IndiPolice is around.
I accept that Ani and DS and know that you people take time out of your busy schedules but suppose 'x' posts a SSP which is online for full day and 'y' posts it when mods are available, the 'y's post will be deleted immediately and this may create unnecessary grouse.
you are right vp. but what solution do we have? and thats why pointing out by other members that it is not allowed makes sense isnt it?
there are many more ds. around 12 of them if i am not wrong. but as of now only 4 of us are active
Badges for IndiPolice on all their replies? ( I am jealous of titles earned by others )
I never liked tHe badges on other forums wHiCH differentiated members - be it mods, top members, igest answers etC.
It will be better if that badge is displayed only with those messages were the IP are talking as a moderator - while deleting / loCking treads etC. The IP must be asked they want include the badge with the reply they are posting - something as simple as a CHeCkbox will do. ( It is of course renie's work to implement the feature by making major modifications )
Ranjith, this exactly is the ask. Nothing like Animesh (IndiPolice)! We hate it too.
Yeah Plain Indipolice does not sound cool. Maybe something invidually customized like Animesh - "The Captain of Controversy', DS - "The Exterminator", TF- "The Terror of the 7 domains", Hemal - "The Crusader of Peace" and the like.
what about badges for forum heroes??
There are no badges for Forum Heros.
I agree with Rio on Forum Hero's opinion.
Even I agree with Rio. 
Either update the logic used to list the forum heroes or accept things the way they are.
Thanks FP, I really appreciate the support.
Can I request everyone to not open a debate on these things here. Yes, it is true that forum hero is determined by the number of replies and not by the quality. This is also true that there is no way one can measure quality of reply on any thread. So, let's bury it here. The thread is created for clarifying guidelines and let's stick to that. Having badges or no badges have nothing to do with this thread. Moreover, I think there is a dedicated section for Forum Heroes and this is a privilege already given to them.
Yes, we can stop discussing about it ( and never discuss about it again ) as long as no one comments about the quality of replies they make.
I think there is a dedicated section for Forum Heroes and this is a privilege already given to them.
Do one of these things :
- Remove the list of forum heroes completely.
- Use some other algorithm to determine whose names should be listed in the forum heroes section.
- Don't comment on the quality of replies made by others.
- Remove the list of forum heroes completely. I cannot do that.
- Use some other algorithm to determine whose names should be listed in the forum heroes section. I cannot do that.
- Don't comment on the quality of replies made by others. I did not make any comment. I have said it earlier too and saying it again. Stop looking at IndiPolice as if they are different from you and for God sake, do not look at them as if they are all one. You can refer to the following: -
The IndiPolice aren't infallible. They can make mistakes and errors in judgement just like everyone else. However, they are IndiBloggers first, and have the same levels of protection as any other member. Personal attacks against the IndiPolice are not allowed. They are not paid to do what they do, and it's not an easy job at all.
Now one request from my side, can I?
Please do not ignore warnings/requests by IndiPolice on threads. Bypassing them is as if you are mocking them. Also, please do not make comments on IndiPolice publicly on IndiTalk (this may not be related directly to you) by calling them "that police" and then commenting on them. It irritates. For the last time, I am requesting, please treat us as one of the members and if that seems to be difficult, let us know. At least I am happy to do away with this burden of being IndiPolice for the sake of a fair treatment in this community.
First two things were for Renie and the third sentence was in general, not for you.
I took it onto myself as it was in reponse to my request of stop debating about it. My bad, sorry
AnotHer suggestion - WHen a member deletes His / Her profile, His / Her posts on tHe forum sHould not be deleted wHiCH is Currently tHe Case - At tHis moment wHen someone deletes tHeir profile, all tHe tHreads Created by tHat member, all His replies ( and tHe sub replies to tHat reply posted by otHers ) and the sub replies ( alOng witH witH tHe reply to wHiCH tHat sub reply belongs and all tHe sub replies of tHat reply ) are deleted.
Instead, eiTHer tHe member's name should be changed to 'deleted profile' or something similar and if tHat person wishes to delete His replies, only His replies sHould be deleted. Replies / Sub replies posted by otHers sHould not be touCHed.
Imagine wHat will Happen if I delete my profile - Most of tHe tHreads will be reduCed to ZERO replies. 
It is indeed a good suggestion Ranjith, and I would make it a point to speak to Renie about this.
However this thread talks about the forum guidelines and people behaviour, and let us keep our discussions to that.
I was waiting for someone to say tHat. But my reply is in a way related to tHe reason behind this Thread . ( WHiCH I don't want to mention Here and WHiCH eVeryone knows )
( I Hope my reply will Confuse anyone wHo reads tHis tHread in tHe future )
.
Bad software engineering decision was posted before I read your reply.
@Ranjith - what is the point you are trying to make by saying things that we did not understand knowing well that it will be confusing everyone?
Nice point Ranjith, please allow me to add another technical need. A spam thread, when a comment of warn has been given explicitly, and he has not responded for quite sometime. some member tries some sarcastic line. Another who comes in to write something valuable see's the cues and writes small take and leaves. Now the spam creator though innocent, tries a go to clean his mess by accepting fault at one place and thrashing at another. Now exact time of reply is not available. It shows just as "one day ago" etc. And to onlooker it just represent anx portray the villainous approach. To sum up. Time of reply should be frozen on spam or controversial thread.
Sir, please see the following: -
If you spot a SSP thread, you can point it out to the blogger in question. However, please try not to reply to the subject of the thread/SSP link. Once a conversation starts on an SSP thread, it becomes harder to delete it.
It is better not to engage on discussions on a self-promotion thread other than pointing out to the thread creator that this is not allowed. If this rule is followed, situation described by you will hardly arise. Let me know if I am going wrong somewhere.
When it comes to the time of the replies on the threads, somehow I like the idea of exact time like 3.05 PM, 9/10/2013 format better. On any thread, not for any specific thread. This is MY opionion. And everybody has the right to disagree to it.
That seems to be a nice suggestion and the thought had crossed my mind few days back. I aso agree with this.
But again, the thread is not about the changes in forum design or other things. Its about community guidelines and let's stick to that. All these features etc. can be discussed on other threads.
Hey Ranjith, there's an issue here, many bloggers who delete their profiles have decided to leave blogging altogether, or they do not want their names or views indexed by search engines. They specifically ask us to delete all traces of them from IB!
@Fairy Princess - for now, you can move your mouse over the "X hours ago" or "z minutes ago" to see the exact time of posting.
Thats news Renie! I never knew that existed...
@Renie, eh? I didn't get you.
PS: I am technically challenged. So please put up with my ignorance.
just put ur mouse over time under ur name...u;ll get the date/time
Oh! Gotcha. Thanks ND
Hey Ranjith, there's an issue here, many bloggers who delete their profiles have decided to leave blogging altogether, or they do not want their names or views indexed by search engines. They specifically ask us to delete all traces of them from IB!
Then, I think the current implementation is better. 'Feelings' first, other things next!
In that case, the name can be replaced with "Deleted Profile" and that should be sufficinet. I don't think if someone asks that every word written by him/her is also deleted, it's a genuine demand. Any contribution on the forum during my membership should remain at the forum forever.
IndiBlogger does not have any T&C. ( Or does it have? ) So, all replies on the forum belong to the person who posted them.
Or it should be like this - on deleting a profile, the name should be replaced with 'Deleted Profile' but their replies should not be touched. However, if that blogger asks for his posts to be deleted ( which might happen in most of the cases ), then his request should be granted. Because - Name being replaced with 'deleted Profile' is of not much use as in a discussion, his name might have been referred to by others.
But the problem is that along with his replies, all related replies are also deleted. So, other members may feel bad if their detailed answers ( in most of the cases, technical answers ) are deleted.
Conclusion [ according to me ] : There exists no solution to this problem.
I know I have changed my opinion. 
for now, you can move your mouse
Let it be so for ever and don't change the current timestamp format. I never bother to remember dates.
I still do not agree with replies being deleted. This way you took away loads of assets with you. You contributed on the forum, all in a good faith and if, for any reason you are leaving, you can't ask for deleting your replies. It's like asking all your gifts back which you gave me when we were friends.
About the second point, I think what Renie menat was as of now, date and timestamp can be seen by hovering the mouse over there. He might be thinking of some further changes and these are only temporary makeshift.
A point of confirmation needed from inditeam. Do we need to carry pinch of salt and drink any allegation/allegations and refrain any voicing whatsoever.
Beg your pardon. Where did you see pinch of salt and drink any allegation/allegations?
A statement by elite member regarding Forum heroes surfaces at Indiblogger at this very thread. A clarification is furnished by one another. Then another elite one wants no voicing of it at all and make it look as if Forum Hero category is a generous entitlement already bestowed upon them for free.
You are a matured person, both as a blogger and a person. You yourself told at many places that one cannot hear the tone on a thread or chat and hence, intentions can never be clear. I cannot talk about others, but let me clarify my statements now. Others can clarify for themselves. If I am not mistaken, you are talking about the portion about Forum Hero badges. This is what I have said there: -
Can I request everyone to not open a debate on these things here. Yes, it is true that forum hero is determined by the number of replies and not by the quality. This is also true that there is no way one can measure quality of reply on any thread. So, let's bury it here. The thread is created for clarifying guidelines and let's stick to that. Having badges or no badges have nothing to do with this thread. Moreover, I think there is a dedicated section for Forum Heroes and this is a privilege already given to them.
- I requested everyone to stop this debate so that we do not end up fighting once again.
- I agreed with that Forum Hero is determined by the number of replies and there is no way one can determine the quality of a comment.
- I suggested that this thread is to clarify guidelines for the community and not for adding features etc. and hence, we should limit our discussion to that.
- I also added my opinion about Forum Hero badges by saying that they have a dedicated place on the forum and on the home page and hence, I do not see any reason for having separate badges.
Would request you to let me know which of these remarks were below the belt or not called for or abusive or allegative or with a pinch of salt?
I said another elite member wants to stop voicing. I didn't refer your remark as abusive in first place. You explicitly wanted this stopped. Now, this hadn't become a battleground but on a presumption one cannot stop voicing altogether. You are sensible enough to see the remark regarding Forum heroes and the reply was just a clarification from other sides.
I would just say you are making mountain of a molehill. You being senior most here can ignore few things and peace will prevail. Hemal has already apologized on behalf of all of us for any remarks which hurt someone. Rest as you wish
Hi Everyone,
This thread is for discussion on the rules that have been laid out for IndiForum, and carries clarification for implementation by everyone. IndiPolice will be following these rules.
However I see a lot of personal grudges are being exchaged, which is not appreciated. Talking about what happened in the past and recent issues here will not help us conclude this discussion.
As being said by Renie in this thread very clearly, this amounts to flaming.
Launching a personal attack against a fellow IndiBlogger behind a mask of sarcasm or cleverly formed innuendos is also flaming, and has no place on this forum. Opinions are always welcome - but only when they are stated clearly.
I also observed some members voicing out negative opinion about IndiPolice (Nandini - i like rios comment...i dont like that police anyways so he dont exist for me) and we appreciate it. But giving constructive critisim would help IndiPolice make this better place, and help themselves better, in turn creating a better environment you all.
Also understand, this forum is not for IndiPolice, not for Old Bloggers or new bloggers or the like. Every one who is an IndiBlogger is equal here, and there will be no difference.
Animesh doing his job of IndiPolice has attracted a lot of critisim, just because he is doing his job. And numerous personal attacks, direct and indirect, have been seen against him. This is not appreciated.
DS' comment about Quality and Quantitiy may be wrong, and he went with the flow, in response to a comment that was not relevant to this thread. IndiPolice is not unfailable either. I would apologize on his behalf if anyone felt hurt, and I am sure he would realize this too. But that does not mean others are not guilty.
Guys - this is a place we all love, why create such hate groups and promote supremacy when we all are treated equals? IndiPolice has a job, and it has kept the forum clean of SPAM, and have tried their best to achive the Quality that this forum always brought. But with this constant personal attacks disguised as indirect comments, strong and unwanted opposition to any recommendation or a view putforth by IndiPolice will not deter IndiPolice from taking any action.
Hemal I agree with Rio on this. As soon as the this thread was posted Ani got on to warn Ranjith on the Platinum Love thread. That I think is taking things far too seriously. Healthy banter can always be tolerated and Ranjith has been foremost when it comes to helping bloggers out. None of us have the time or the will to answer each and every query the blogger has and once it is solved there is sigh of release which often leads to friendly banter. Till the time Renie gives deleting powers to the mods I think it would be judicious on there part not to mock/warn bloggers. Once the powers are in place you can any how delete the replies.
Ranjith in my humbe opinion never deviated from the threads purpose on Platinum or on this thread.
Vijay, why to see one side of the coin only? When I posted a general warning on the thread, was it not bypassed conveniently and people kept doing what they were doing, chit-chat on the main forum? Why not talk about that? I was forced to post that message, isn't it? If a message by an IndiPolice is ignored and bypassed an old member of the forum, it certainly sends a message to everyone else that doing so is OK. Let me also tell you that similar questions will be raised when we start deleting comments. We had warned of the situation like this in the past (Sorcerer talked about it around a year ago before quitting IndiPolice team) and it happened. I am sure we are heading towards new set of controversies with all this.
As far as taking things far so seriously is concerned, I am surprised why these things were not said when I was cornered for doing my duties on the forum and I was all alone defending myself? Why is it that IndiPolice has always to be on the receiving front?
Renie, I think you need to take a decision now whether this forum needs moderators or not. If members think that moderators are not required, so be it.
Not true Ani I supported you that day when I thought you did the right thing. I didnt interfere as things got too personal with you and PM with matters going to FB and all which is a strict no no in my books and I voiced my disapproval when you opened the Gintoojee thread though I agreed that whatever Gintoojee was doing was wrong. When the things get out of hand I have always supported moderating them. I could have interefered in Rio's thread too but didnt as you people were cleansing your hearts and getting over with a burning issue which has created a bitter avoidable void on Indiblogger. Did you know that I had tagged Ranjans thread as SSP without replying even before Ranjith guided him and then all hell broke loose. If the thread had been deleted at that point I dont think any prob would have arisen. I think sometimes Indibloggers(all) comment on certain aspects in the heat of the moment and then regret it. Actually at the end of the thread I was happy you people buried your hatchet. A cooling off period is necessary at that point. I am still ashamed of the fact because a newbie quit indi because we guys jumped on him.
Re you next para I would say that you start deleting replies without telling the party concerned anonymously (this has been suggested before) and let the TS or the replier think what he/she did wrong. Why should IP take all the blame?
Vijay, my bad. I types something in the heat of the moment. Yes, you were there supporting me and I am extremely sorry for what I commented before. Please accept my apologies.
What you suggest makes sense which will always ensure that none is blamed personally. But tell me on thing, would it be right to delete comments without telling the reason? #WearingMyThinkingCap
One question, what do you mean by you tagged? This option is available to IndiPolice only if I am not wrong
Ani I punched the article as SSP right when it appeared I dont know whether that is called as tagging or not
Hi Rio and Vijay,
Thanks for sharing your opinion. And appreciate your cooperation and welcoming of the guidelines.
I am not here to defend Animesh's reaction on that thread, and I was aware of his actions but if this is the very reason for this chaos, then I am sure to support a milder approach.
However, at this time personal individual and indirect attacks had to stop, and chit-chats on the thread had to stop as well. The Guidelines were already in place, and we as IndiPolice of this forum wanted Renie to clarify and give us in clear terms what it would be. If this action would have been taken before this thread, we did not have any clear / crisp language written rule to point to.
Now about freedom - well, we all are free in this world from freedom. Every country, every place has its own laws to keep decorum.
Keeping laws/rules does not mean it is culling anybody’s freedom, but laws/rules are made to ensure one’s freedom does not interfere with other's freedom. I think that is the world we live in, and that is what we are trying to do at IndiBlogger. The word Freedom sometimes can be taken way too personally or generally. Here, we are taking it generally, where there are equal rights to everyone.
Everyone has the right to voice opinion, but as we have seen, many a times opinion turns sarcasm, fun to name calling or just a disturbance and it is the other person on receiving end losing his freedom.
So, I think of this freedom with laws/rules as the way to have a neutral environment - to ensure one gets the right freedom him/herself and they do not interfere with other's freedom, which are generally limited by laws/rules.
No Hemal you misunderstand me, I neither critisized Ani or have anything against him. Its like this Hemal, I go around helping bloggers with their problems, simple and complex and in between a smiley or a off the cuff comment(believe me we really need that when there is a error and we are hot under our collars) should not be taken as violation of policies. I dont believe that as spamming or anything. It would not only hurt me but also hurt the blogger with the problem. (hypothetical scenario)
Because I have been through it myself and I have helped people who are getting 404 errors or comments not appearing at odd times of the day. For eg look at Staggmann thread of moving to custom domain. It is spread over infinte days and takes unbeievable patience on part of the replier as well the thread starter. But at the end of the day, when the prob has been solved its all fine. This is however my observation.
Vijay, agree with what you said here and as I said earlier, I regretted doing that later. I resolved the issue with Ranjith later on Inditalk.
But there is another angle to it. Others may take clues from it and start chit-chat only. Now the situation may be as follows: -
One of the members is actively helping others and contributing to the forum while few others are only doing chit chat without actually engaging themselves in anything which can add values to the thread. In such a situation, if one is ignored and others are pointed out, it will have it's own repercussions. We may again be looked upon as biased beings, isn't it? In that case, only two options are left; either let it go the way it is going on or stop everyone.
Now I do understand, and thank you very much for your clarification. I am with you brother, when you say about how healthy it could be.
I may sound like I am imposing this, and my view is this - Threads on forum, as you rightly said, many a times have been under discussion for a long time and as you again rightly said, we take a sigh of relief when the issue is resolved. This brings in some cheer, which we share using smilies and responses which are not related to thread topic. IndiBlogger forum has seen that all these years.
The only problem we have is with the continued trend which eventually leads to Thread Hijacking - if that never happened, this issue would have never even come out. I am sure you would agree as you have been here and been part of so many conversations.
Thread Hijacking led to reinforce the rule, and with more clarity now on the guidelines, for chit-chat, IndiTalk is the place to go. Whole purpose of IndiTalk is for those informal/non-topic discussions.
A bit of history:
The Active Blogger thread is where the birth of idea of IndiTalk came out... the original thread had to be deleted by Renie since that thread was hogging server and caused IndiBlogger site to shut down. It was the only thread where chit-chat used to happen, and those who used that thread never chit-chatted in other threads. I think that was the level of understanding that we are looking for here.
Leading to birth of IndiTalk - which almost reduced a big chunk of chit chats on Active Blogger thread. The thread is still active, but not very much alive.
Also, I think including myself, all other senior members and IndiPolice here appreicate the very fact that there are so many people who help including yourself and Ranjith. And we have never been against that. The whole movement only started once Thread Hijacking really surfaced out and loud - without caring for the Thread Creators' feeling some times.
I think many of us are no aligned on what is good and what is bad, but on certain points there is bound to be difference of opinion. After all, not all five fingers are same.
* spello
I think many of us are now aligned on what is good and what is bad, but on certain points there is bound to be difference of opinion. After all, not all five fingers are same.
Agree with you bro no issues about that 
but do make that change I suggested, reporting a article as SSP shoud come directly to you guys will save a lot of hassles
Definitely yes Vijay, as Animesh said on IndiTalk, this is one of the recommendations that we had shared with the IndiTeam. Since the laundry list is large, it may not happen immediately, but I am sure Renie and everyone are working towards it as it has become a need rather than an added feature.
He suggested (+) and (-) buttons on threads which will discourage spammers. Its not in our list.
Oh Okay! that one, sure I can add that to our list of recommendations. But I thought he said about reporting should come directly to IndiPolice.
In any case, Vijay just sharing with you what we mentioned in the recommednations for reporting the thread bit.
2.f. Report Thread / Report This Topic notifications should go to IndiPolice so that IndiPolice can verify and take action if required. Notification can be on Email or via SMS Group Notifications (fastest way to communicate and action).
Thanks bro for taking that one up. This is the one which in my opinion would make huge difference > http://prntscr.com/1w8z9b
Many forums have it to avoid verbal abuse
Oh, I know where you picked that from.. Kat.ph?
Yep
Though, I do not like indulging in such dangerous threads, I, couldn't keep away from this one. There are a few suggestions, I would like to make (I don't say that this is implementable and should be done, maybe, because as far as my understanding of the feature goes, it would require tracking of each reply on the forum (which on other forums is probably done by the permalink)). Though, I would refrain from quoting anyone.
- For the forum heroes thingy, can't we implement a Vote up and Vote down for replies on thread? The way it's done on a number of forums like microsoft technet, stackoverflow, etc. This way, the Vote ups and Vote downs can probably be used in the best possible way to determine the forum heroes, determine the most helpful members and so on, the the reply voted the most ups may be promoted at the top (though, this could be helpful for some technical queries). I too agree that not quantity, but quality of replies matters, and if we could, by this way, make sure that the forum is kept sane and safe for all bloggers newbie, midbie and oldbie alike, and the replies prove helpful.
- Since there are a lot of issues I've been seeing on IB, of late and more regarding some locked threads, unlocking of locked threads and such, I fail to understand that why is IB a place where I am able to see a huge number of personal attacks on IndiPolice (I read IP as mods)? Though, I'm not a social media buff, neither I am present on avery other forum, wherever I'm a member of, I can see who all are section mods, forum mods, and so on (the mods are clearly kept identifiable with some differentiation from the regular members), and I do not see an issue with an easily identifiable forum or section mod (read IndiPolice). I would like to quote Renie (because, he probably won't find that much time to read my reply and take this as a personal attack on him:
The IndiPolice aren't infallible. They can make mistakes and errors in judgement just like everyone else. However, they are IndiBloggers first, and have the same levels of protection as any other member. Personal attacks against the IndiPolice are not allowed. They are not paid to do what they do, and it's not an easy job at all.
I agree with you, sir. Afterall they too are humans and regular bloggers, and, since everyone has his or her understanding of things, I do not expect every indipolice member to be and act same. I regret to say that IB is the only platform (among a couple of other forums, I'm member of), I've seen where Mods (read IndiPolice for IB) are subjected to such personal abuses and attacks from the community members (what if the attacks are verbal). We need to respect the task they take up voluntarily and keep the forums clean for us - members to enjoy it.
Kindly do understand that (as far as I know), the mods aren't subjected to some specific training/course/test, and aren't required to clear some not-so-easy eligibility test like f-MAT (forum- Moderator Aptitude Test)
So, if we carry on the attacks on the mods, why should we continue with people being mods in MMS mode? We can easily do away with them, for everyone's freedom. If someone wants will freely post links to his blog, someone would come up with earn-easy-money offers for other fellow bloggers, someone will use the forum itself as a blog, no need to do any seo and stuff, and we can sell pirated software too here. It will become something like Nehru Place (the computer hub in New Delhi).
Moreover, I've been reiterating this in my replies at times, I'll do that again. Why can't we include more reporting parameters in the report a topic thing? Though, I am able to now see some changes like addition of shameless self promotion and renaming of making me quit blogging and take up farming ( I'm already gardening, can't take up farming, don't have a farm in Delhi
)
Finally coming to locking of threads, in my personal opinion, I don't understand what's the harm in locking threads which have solved their purpose? Off late, I stumbled upon some old (ok, really old ones 3+ years, ready to be admitted in school) threads, where people had rampantly shared links of their blogs, probably the thread was posted at a time when there wasn't any rule against SSP. And since these threads were unlocked, some new bloggers got chance to post their links too (behti ganga me haath dhone me kya jaata hai
People on IndiTalk are getting very eager to read my reply, so posting it now, will update with my thoughts, if any (on the points discussed in this post, though, not after two-or three-or four years.
don't know who that was-maybe, I'm too suffering from short term memory loss-oh, that's why ...
It was me! 
no ranjith...it was gazini!
@Nandini It seems that Animesh's message on the Forum, IndiTalk and IndiMail about chit-chat on Forum threads did not help you. You are still doing the same thing again and again and again. Even on this very thread where guidelines have been laid to deter from doing so.. Please remember that IndiBlogger does not appreciate this.
Starting right away >>
Contests / Giveaways:
Ah. I should know where that is coming from. Sorry about that!
However, I would like to add something here (in my defense ):
As I had said in one of the earlier threads too, reiterating - Giveaways are an integral part of a blogging journey and though I agree about the thin line between them and SSP but the point I am trying to make here is that 'Everyone' loves it. By everyone I mean, the giver as well as the receiver, everyone is happy with that kind of SSP and everyone is benefited. The forum can make (and by personal experience I can say, it does) for a superb platform for the promotion of the same. So why not?
Having said that, right now, I have to agree with the implementation of this rule. But, I would really love to see this forum so positive one day that it would have the courage to accommodate and encourage giveaways as one of its arm as well. I have a kind request for you, Renie - Please keep a bookmark in this page so that it's not totally lost and you can visit it again later someday.
Thread hijacking and lunchroom chit-chat: If the replies stray away from the original topic, they can be deleted by the IndiPolice, who will soon have the option to do so.
In addition --> Can we have a feature for ‘Flagging of replies’ provided to the thread creator? Let him breathe; give him some freedom at least over something that he is doing in the forum. The thread is his, after all. His 'flagging' would mean a notification sent to the IP and they can take further action like deletion of that reply, etc. as they deem fit.
Reason: First off, healthy banter is nice and we all love it and I will spam Renie's inbox if it's ever disallowed or curbed by the IB. However, what i was wondering was that -> if we reply/encourage/help/whatever in someone's thread, does it give us the rights to follow-up on HIS/HER thread the way we want to? Does this behavior not constitute to spam? Even if we think it is not... to the other person, it might come across as so - in camouflage (and unintentional) perhaps? Because even though there is no link giving involved here still, just plain replies is also a link after all - to our IndiProfile, isn't it? Hmm, although our intentions may not be to hurt that thread or the thread creator in any way but not everyone might understand and appreciate such a behavior. What do you all think about it?
Threads can also be locked in the case of spam and shameless self-promotion, so that the perpetrator knows that it's wrong.And we have another point mentioned in the same guidelines - IP can make mistakes and errors in judgement just like everyone else.
Don’t know but I find something amiss if I co-relate these two points:
The perpetrator (I had to check out the word, it means executor :P) can also be right, which simply means the judgement of the IP can also be wrong in some cases? Right?
So there should be a way that the perpetrator can raise an appeal and that should NOT be so tedious that he/she has to contact Renie / IndiPolice on a personal level i.e. via mail / sms/ any other such means. Why should someone go out of the way for something that is happening on the forum? In my opinion, there should be a way for this appeal integrated very much within the structure of the forum itself, of course, if it’s possible.
Encouraging Shameless Self Promotion (SSP):
If you spot a SSP thread, you can point it out to the blogger in question – WITH "RESPECT". Just saying, I thought this particular word was missed.
+1 -1 for Forum replies.
-1. (I beg to differ)
Personally, I don’t like this feature.
Reason: Blogging is all about networking. We have all seen animosities, misunderstandings, hate, etc. in the past unfolding even in a healthy scene. And in situations like those, things like these may have a probability of adding fuel to the fire?
However, this can be a feature; I think which can be reserved only for the IP (and all those +/- things should not be visible on the main forum) and to no one else, since they are the people who are entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the interests in the best of the forum. I am sure, IB trusts them more than anyone else here, otherwise unlike so many others here, why would only they have the privilege and honor to serve the forum of IB? Further, I also feel that Renie should take the final call on such things.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excess of ‘anything’ is detrimental to the healthiness of a place/situation and this, I believe, applies to everything and everyone in life. For ex. Look at this thread - so many number of replies and sub replies - it's difficult to follow the conversation in one go, how do I accumulate all the important points by everyone here? It's impossible, for me at least.
Anyway, so much for now. I hope I have made some sense somewhere at least. I also hope that if any of it is taken into consideration, it will serve in the best of the interests for this place and it’s people because that is the only reason it has been put forth here.
Finally, all comments on my above thoughts and suggestions are welcome, please feel free to discuss and voice your thoughts as well. I love hearing different perspectives of the same point – it is the most amazing thing I have known of my ‘IndiForum-ing’ and ‘IndiBlogging’. Thanks you.
Damn! It's *Thank you not *Thanks you -> please excuse me for that typo
Right sir. And to avoid it, I advocate the need of not allowing irrelevant replies on serious threads at all.
Sir, no one can stop people from taking meaning out of things. People are free to think Thank You as rude.
As far as high judicious approach is concerned, it is possible only if people trust IndiPolice and believe that they may make errors at time as they are human, too. But if people are not ready to forgive IndiPolice for petty mistakes, we will have to stick to strict rules. As in refer to rule book and take actions accordingly.
We never needed any rules written in Black and White on this forum, did we? We both have been here almost for the same duration and things went pretty well. Why is it that we had to ask for a complete written set of rules? It was because things were going out of hand and people were confused. Someone thought that InsiPolice is taking undue advantage of its powers (if there are really are some real powers) and InsiPolice thought that they are being corenered and thrashed for nothing. It was not a good situation and hence, we are where we are.
I totally agree with what you said. We necer wanted this place to be run by strict rules, but given the current scenario we did not have any other option. If people start trusting IndiPolice, admit them as one of their own, and forgive them for few mistakes that they can make and at the same time can maintain the decorum of the forum with some masti at the same time, will it not be a better place?
Is it not the same forum where we wrote a complete story by using baton and we all enjoyed and no one objected to it? That was also a form of masti but it added value, we all laernt from it and we became closer. Why can't we all do some fruitful masti? Why do we want to confine to few smileys and irregular chit chat in the name of fun on the forum? When do we use IndiTalk then?
#SpokeMyHeartOutAndHappyNow
Renie and Indipolice I want to draw your attention to the fact that a few bloggers have indulged in openly creating a mutual admiration society. There have been threads celebrating making X number of posts in just Y amount of time, quality regardless, as if that's something to be proud of.
You give a monkey a laptop and it will probably type a 1000 gibberish posts in under a week. I don't see why it should deserve link spamming privileges under the guise of an applause thread. We already have the Indirank for that, which makes sure the cream rises to the top. Another example is people link spamming under the guise of phoney contests that have no prizes, though that has already been mentioned earlier in this thread.
It's discouraging to see others openly flaunt the rules under such a flimsy pretext and get away with it while others are following the rules. Please deal with it or other members won't have any reason to not stoop to the same levels.
SM those are all past things. As per new guidelines no such thing will be allowed. Treat this reply from you as resolved
Stagg Mann,
Thank you for pointing out these. We are already aware of issues with many threads and chit chat on thread and which is precicely why you see (not sure if you read all the points mentioned by renie above) this thread coming out. While protecting everyone's interest is what we are trying to achieve, we know that for some this may not be acceptable. But these rules are formed/created with majority of people in mind.
And I would also like to give you a Warning: Do not accuse fellow members without providing examples of what you are pointing out to. If you want to share examples of what you are pointing out, share it with IndiPolice via IndiMail. Your response on this thread is directly after SFJ pointed out your thread (again without taking names), leading everyone to believe that your response may be directed to SFJ's reply.
Since this thread in question is already locked and we have new rules to follow, any further responses / discussions on such topics will be viewed from the new and clear rules as stated above. Indirect namecalling is also a form of name calling, without using names.
Thank you for your response, Hemal. For proof, I would like to point out a thread named "Applause to ****** for reaching 100 posts". I am leaving out the name out of respect and courtesy. Also, the other thread I was referring to was known as "Photo a day" or something- a phoney contest. Please curb such blatant attempts at link-spamming. Also, I think you will agree that my post was ambiguous enough to not really point out anyone, but then someone had to come forward and complain against it, which like you said lead everyone to believe my response was targetted at that person.
I would also like to point out that this person made an indirect reference to me, which I had the manners and ethics to not cry over or call foul play, because I believe everyone has a right to complain on this forum, even if the complaints are against me. So I take it I should also be allowed the same rights. You can see I have merely complained here and she is already claiming that it shouldn't be "allowed" and I or anyone else should be warned for complaining against her
.
Stagg Mann, I too agree with Vijay. We all are here to enjoy. We can't go on locking old threads and deleting the two-or-three-or-four year old threads just because these threads didn't follow the new forum rules. As far as I understand and comprehend the forum rules, these rules are for us only. I enjoy an ad-free forum where people don't sell their stuff like some machchi market, so, I try abiding by the rules. I too have come across that thread, and would say that there are some other threads like that too, but, in my personal opinion, none of it appeared to me to be targeted at mutual admiration or such stuff. And I would request you to please do respect and kindly maintain the decency of the forum. We are on a public forum where whatever you say or do becomes part of your personality for people to associate you with. We all (don't know whether all have this or I'm alone) have a stand that is clearly reflected in the latest thread by Renie that clearly states that no thread, targeted at self promotion even in the form of giveaways or such should be allowed on the forum henceforth. I don't engage in backscratching and think that no one will/should backscratch me. And since everyone seems to be seen equal on the forum, I believe that everyone has got access to report a thread, and one should use it. Atleast that makes the thread come to the light in front of the forum admins/mods, and they will do whatever they deem fit for it. Moreover, since we are on a public where all sorts of people come and interact with each other, there are some points/topics which we do not like. In my opinion, one should stay away from such a thread till the time possible.
Don't bother replying to my long posts Hemal or Vijay . I just wanted to draw your attention to this matter, I don't want to waste your time complaining over every little post. I consider this issue resolved from my end under the new guidelines. In future I will take up any perceived problems by contacting the Indipolice.
Cyberkid I agree partly with your words man. It's just that when you see people breaking the rules and getting away with it you start to feel you are stupid for not breaking them yourself. Personally I have never link spammed ever- even when I needed you guys to help me move to a new domain, I always made sure to replace the blogname in my URL with "mydomainname" when posting it here for doubts.
Anyway I am happy with the new guidelines and only posted here as a response to someone else's post. I don't have a problem with the Indipolice whatsoever, or with the members who have been very helpful to me.
Stagg Mann, I see where you're coming from, and it's something I'll look into for sure. This is something that should be cut down with the upcoming upgrades.
However, that line - "You give a monkey a laptop and it will probably type a 1000 gibberish posts in under a week." - that's not done at all; like I said earlier, if you disagree with something, talk about the action or the behaviour. Don't directly attack another blogger and call them names.
Indipolice, is digging up a long forgotten issue for taking subtle indirect cheapshots not flaming? Especially when all involved parties shook hands and moved on? Now she is doing it again. Shouldn't someone warn her also??
Also, I didn't create any "hate thread"- she is once again blatantly lying. I just posted in an ongoing discussion that was not started by me. So she is also indulging in slander apart from flaming.
both the threads were created by another individual...a new comer forgot his name...but they were not created by SM though he replied on it
Thank you Nandini. Anyway I don't want any action to be taken against anyone. Let's forget it and move on already. I only posted here to make sure facts aren't being distorted.
The warning was regards to the accusation made, believing that you commented here (as stated in previous response) becasue SFJ placed the comment.
About a Hate thread, I went through the thread entirely and I do not think the thread is a hate thread. As Renie stated above, disagreements are okay! Not all five fingers are same.
Disagreements
The second rule of the forum:
Please respect other bloggers on the forum, keeping in mind that they have a right to an opinion as much as you do.
In a place with so many strong-minded individuals, there are bound to be disagreements. When expressing a complaint or a difference of opinion, it should be in the context of the other person's opinions or actions. Making judgements about the other person's character, or name-calling is not done. If you feel strongly about something and it has the potential to turn ugly, try and sort it out on a one-to-one basis rather than doing it publicly for all to see and possibly misunderstand.
Is the thread in question to do with gender bias and readership? I have to say that there may have been a few things said in a politically incorrect manner, and a few more which were simply politically incorrect because of too much generalization, but it's quite far from being a hate thread.
Do you mean the link is posted by the creator of the thread? Or by someone who is posting a review? If it's the latter, then I would say it's SSP for sure... signatures aren't necessary on IndiBlogger when the link to their blog is available on the profile page...
Make a rule for job posting. Many people here a network of sites and they hire people with a certain skillset from time to time, but there have been people who post on their friend's behalf. Have a clear and simple rule for this.
Why Job Posting? Is there something that you saw?
It will help us understand the issue better if you could provide leads to where / when it happened.
Hey Renie,
As a step to reduce SSP, I think we should get rid of the Insert Blog link icons from TinyMCE editor. I think this is an important point that got neglected because many of us never use it, but newbies might not think likewise.
wow! A lot to take in. Renie, thanks for the rules again. They are I believe very self explanatory. And yes chit chat on forums has been taken to the next level. Not that I ever indulged in it but yes often on contest topics or other relevant threads I found it impossible to get my queries cleared. I personally feel that we need to make the divide between indi chat and forum firmer only by practice. And not through rules. Let us all ensure that each of our replies even if is has some fun/humour also contains information. In this was all threads will be useful
By posting this comment I only mean to bring my opinion forward, I don't want to be controversial nor am I an attention seeker Please forgive me if you feel I am doing so!
I finally completed reading all the replies, suggestions and issues reported on this thread, took a long time though. I know and realize that the need of this arised after my inappropriate behaviour yesterday on a thread. I do accept it and apologize to everyone who was bothered because of my personal attack. i did apologize yesterday too but the thread was already locked by then and my reply was not posted. However, I do like to clear myself here that whatever I did had to be done at some point of time, or this issue would never have been raised.
I am not pointing to ANY member of Indiblogger here, please forgive me if you think so, I am just giving my opinion and my apologies.
This is a forum to help new bloggers and no matter what you say, you can help people by being polite at least to first time bloggers or first time thread poster's.
The only concern that I have is the way people react to SSP by new bloggers, I realized i did ssp in my first thread but believe me i was genuinly not interested in doing so, I got some very good comments on explaining things to me by senior indiblogger members but at the same time i got a blatant accusation of SSP (which I didn't think I was doing) now I don't mind being pointed out by any fellow blogger but I mind being pointed out rudely and blatantly.
This community is a public community, people have the right to voice their opinions but they can do it on their own thread, there is no need to reply to someone or something you don't like (just as you wouldn't in the real offline world)
Please don't do something that makes the other feel embarassed or low (that was how I felt when SSP was pointed out on my first ever thread on indiblogger though I genuinly didn't intend to do that) (and that is the reason I felt raged yesterday when I saw a similar reply on a new blogger's thread) , SSP is not allowed but try not to point it out rudely to new members or first time thread starters. Personal message regarding guidelines is always welcome and the IndiPolice are doing a very good job here in keeping the community spam free. let them do the needful.
I will once again clarify that all the above points were just my opinion on why my experience of Indiblogger was bitter/I don't mean to point to anyone specifically/ I am really sorry for my behaviour yesterday and trust me my apologies are genuine
(Please forgive me for typos, grammers and other language related errors)
Completely agree on your disagreement to unwanted replies on threads which are really demotivating, be it from any simple member or man in uniform....
Cheers.... Hulallahulalla......
Yes madhu yes.... Hope it grows more and gives shade to sunbaked souls like us..... Hulallahulalla
Can we have this mandatory check box which states that by ticking this option, you assure that you are not promoting your blog or website links and following the indiblogger forum guidelines. Vbulletin/Xenforo type forums do have such options.
You again started vbulletin/xenforo 
It can be done on IB also with 2-3 extra lines of code
I feel that it is simply complicating things. There is a warning just above the chat box which says 'Link spamming on IT ...' But still people post links
How is putting a tick complicating things? People take advantage by saying 'Oh I didn't read the rules and I am new'. This is happening on a regular basis. If people put a tick and still put their blog links, moderators can go ahead and delete the thread without warning. Because the OP was already informed but chose to ignore it. You can't use any form of lameass excuse.
It will waste screen space
I just told what I felt. I like things that are simple. 
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