Post by High Priestess on Sept 20, 2015 8:14:09 GMT
Some rules for use of this forum as well as the parallel/companion FaceBook group for this forum (located at: www.facebook.com/groups/140542703035271/ )
(1) Civility, Reading Comprehension -- like other online forums, participants are asked to refrain from personal attacks (name-calling), and from posting offensive, crude or inflammatory comments.
Do not say things which are judgemental of another host's style of hosting. You may not like how someone else hosts, in fact it may really bother or offend you, but please respect their independence -- they are completely entitled to host in any way which is in keeping with the bare minimum requirements for STRs. Many hosts and guests alike fail to thoroughly understand this basic common sense: "If you dont' like someone's house rules, then it's very simple -- don't book a stay at their home! NO one is being forced to stay in anyone else's house!"
Be respectful to each other, and avoid being dismissive, picking fights, or becoming quarrelsome. Don't make comments which serve primarily to provoke others or poke/prod/drill at them. While difference of opinion is encouraged, there comes a point where habitual argumentativeness (or continually poking at someone when they dont' want to discuss the matter further) can be detrimental to a community. Many of us have opinions on a variety of non-hosting related topics, and those opinions may at times find opportunity to be expressed here. Yet at the same time this is not a place to come campaigning with an agenda not related to hosting. In fact that sort of behavior may fit into the definition of "trolling" which is not allowed here, or on most internet groups:
A tip regarding unhelpful argumentativeness: please avoid arguing with other members. It is NOT helpful to engage in a conversation with someone that goes like this:
A: That's so untrue and inaccurate!
B: It is not, but what you said is untrue and inaccurate, and you're wrong.
A: No, you're the one that's wrong!
B: No, you're wrong.
A: No, you!
B: No, it's you!
Conversations like this are not only pointless but also dont' contribute in any meaningful way to a conversation, yet surprisingly I often see adults doing this online. So if I see something like this I'm going to ask both A and B to take their conversation to private messaging. If you think another member has posted something inappropriate, please contact me about it, and don't get into an argument with them.
Feel free to express your political view on a topic related to the politics that bear upon hosting --- such as government regulations, discrimination in Airbnb rentals, housing issues -- but while presenting arguments is fine, total dismissal of other's views isn't. So you can present arguments for your viewpoint, but please dont' say, "anyone who thinks ______ is a total idiot/racist/bigot/narrow minded dolt etc". Also we don't want to hear mock incredulity about how someone could possibly have a view that differs from yours, such as -- "wow, just...wow" as a put down for others' political views: www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wow%20just%20wow .
One problem I have seen in many host communities, is that some individuals are either quite reactionary, or have poor reading comprehension, or both. Try to understand what was said before responding. Try to avoid making assumptions about what others are saying. If you don't understand someone's point, ask them what they mean, instead of painting them into a corner and putting words in their mouth -- something which is disrespectful.
Avoid getting into generalizations and simplistic approaches to huge topics the likes of which we will never adequately explore, much less resolve, in a host community group. It is pointless for instance to argue whether capitalism is better than socialism, or whether liberalism is better than conservatism, or which political party is better. Try to keep discussions narrowly on on the political issues that relate to the hosting topic and dont' go far afield into enormous political or philosophical questions.
Also please avoid making statements about what another host "has to do." No one actually "has to " do anything. There may be serious consequences for not doing certain things, but this does not mean that a host "has to" do something. It just means that they might have some trouble if they undertake a certain course of action.
We encourage positive and constructive contributions, which fit into the discussion. This is meant to be fun. Every host community has its own culture...in some, snarkiness prevails. In some host groups, moderators dont' like long posts -- in others, "controversial" topics are forbidden. In this one, we really love thoughtful posts, wit as opposed to snarkiness, and kindness towards others. I will mediate in any problems and explain my expectations of members if/when any difficulties arise.
(2) Diversity and Tolerance -- It strikes me as ironic that nowadays the term "diversity" is often used to refer to situations where there may be individuals who differ in superficial appearance, but whose worldviews are very similar. We live in times when the diversity and tolerance we may need most, is not merely diversity of skin color, or gender or sexuality, but also a diversity of opinion, a diversity of worldviews. It's this more challenging, less superficial type of diversity that I think is genuinely needed in an age of increasing antagonism and polarization in public dialogue and politics.
There is a difference between expressing a different point of view, and being continually contrarian. There is a difference between sharing, and inflicting oneself on others in a community, or picking on someone. I will clarify as needed.
(3) Content -- This is a forum about short term rental hosting, as well as, related to that, issues related to property rental generally. As well as political issues directly related to hosting -- namely, government regulations, housing issues, landlord-tenant issues, and others. New members in particular should only post on hosting related topics -- those who start out posting far off topic will be banned from this forum. New members should NOT post links to outside websites in their very first post. This happens too often, and it's a sign that someone is engaged in spamming and using this forum not for its intended purpose, but to try to get more SEO for their own website. Hence I will delete posts which I suspect have more to do with people abusing this forum to get their own advertising done, and will delete the member as well. If this continues to be a problem on this forum I will put all new members in quarantine so that their posts wont' appear on the site until they have been checked by a moderator.
Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are on a variety of hosting topics, some of which may hold no interest for you. Please be polite and avoid posting pointless complaints such as "this doesn't interest me/I have zero interest in this/this is too long for me to read." It should be obvious that if you aren't interested in something you can skip over it. Those who simply post in order to complain about what is posted may not be suitable for this forum.
As well, do not assume that because I have posted something on this forum, that I am interested in it. I have taken upon myself something of a librarian function here and am engaged in collating newsworthy information for hosts, regarding what occurs to me as pertinent news about hosting topics from around the world. Some of what I post (for instance, as regards news on hosting in a country or municipality I have little knowledge about ) actually doesn't interest me personally, but I believe it may interest hosts in that region, so I post things here in service to others, not only out of my own interest.
(4) Moderation -- In the case of inappropriate conduct or content on this forum I will either address that within the thread or speak privately with the group member, or both. I prefer to leave posted content whole, but if necessary at times, posts may be edited or removed in the case of inappropriate content.
Just like members are expected to be courteous to each other, members are expected to be courteous to moderators/admin. It's not appropriate to make accusations of admin or moderators such as "you're on a power trip" or "you censor anyone who disagrees with you." IF you really believe admins/moderators are just removing all comments we disagree with, then you shouldn't be in this forum.
(5) Privacy -- in order to protect the privacy of hosts and guests, don't mention full names and/or identifying details of hosts or guests on this forum. (Exception: newsworthy issues -- eg amazing listings, or awful listings, or listings which have illegal discriminatory content, etc) If you're referring to others in the host community, it's fine to use their first names. If you want to post a link to a hosts' or guest's user profiles, it is probably best to do so on one of the boards on this group that can't be seen by the general public -- such as the Home Sharers Groups, Anecdotes, or a few others. You can always post your own profile or property listing if you want. When speaking about guests/renters on the forums, I tend to change their name, often their gender, and sometimes other details about them as well, if I am posting in a place the general public could see. You can share other hosts' stories if they give permission for that and/or have already "gone public" with their stories, eg told them on another forum, but if their story was personal or had identifying details, best to change the names and identifying details in those unless permission has been given for the disclosure of such. Many posts simply have to do with asking questions and providing answers and those discussions don't often contain private details.
(6) Public Access -- be aware that things you share here may be accessed by the public, so do not share here details about yourself or your listing or location, or anything else that you would not want publicized. Again, don't share those things about another host either, whether or not they are a member here. You can make your own choices about what you want to disclose about yourself. We may edit out of posts any identifying details that members post about others. Also, while most of the boards on this forum are open to the general public (can be seen by anyone in the world, they dont' have to be a member of the group to see the content) there are also several boards on this forum that are viewable only by members, and then there are still other boards which are only open to certain members to view. Those who actively participate in this forum may be invited to join these more private boards.
Sometimes things are said on some forums having to do with Airbnb, hosting or vacation rental, that could make the host look bad, and that doesn't help our cause. For instance, someone read through one of the Airbnb forums, found some controversial material, and posted it on his Twitter account here:
tinyurl.com/qcob4k8
(7) Advertising , No business advertising is allowed on the FaceBook group associated with this forum, though exceptions may be made at times ONLY for regular contributors/known community members. On this forum itself, we do allow advertising posts, if the business is one that would be of interest or use to hosts. We ask that advertisements about businesses be posted under the "consultation and services for hosts" board ONLY. The presence of an advertisement on this site does not imply any endorsement of that business.
(8) Spam and Spammers Spam is not permitted on this forum and those who join this forum with the intent of spamming here will have their accounts terminated and be banned from the forum. Spam means, posting content that is inappropriate for this forum, or making posts with the intent of doing SEO for other's websites. Generally spammers are individuals who have no interest in being part of the community and discussing the subject matter the community is focused on, but simply join forums to post advertisements or content in order to try to manipulate Google Search engine to see their content in more places on the internet and give enhanced positioning to them. There have unfortunately been numerous spammers join this forum and try to do just that.
In order to combat spam, new member accounts may be "quarantined", and new members may not be permitted to post anything anyhwere on the forum, until they respond to my request that they provide a link to their short term rental listing or private property rental website. Until I am able to verify that the link they share is actually their own property listing, they will not be able to use the forum. IF they cannot provide such proof that they are actually a short term rental host or other owner of rental property, they will not be able to use the forum.
These rules may evolve and change as need arises.
(1) Civility, Reading Comprehension -- like other online forums, participants are asked to refrain from personal attacks (name-calling), and from posting offensive, crude or inflammatory comments.
Do not say things which are judgemental of another host's style of hosting. You may not like how someone else hosts, in fact it may really bother or offend you, but please respect their independence -- they are completely entitled to host in any way which is in keeping with the bare minimum requirements for STRs. Many hosts and guests alike fail to thoroughly understand this basic common sense: "If you dont' like someone's house rules, then it's very simple -- don't book a stay at their home! NO one is being forced to stay in anyone else's house!"
Be respectful to each other, and avoid being dismissive, picking fights, or becoming quarrelsome. Don't make comments which serve primarily to provoke others or poke/prod/drill at them. While difference of opinion is encouraged, there comes a point where habitual argumentativeness (or continually poking at someone when they dont' want to discuss the matter further) can be detrimental to a community. Many of us have opinions on a variety of non-hosting related topics, and those opinions may at times find opportunity to be expressed here. Yet at the same time this is not a place to come campaigning with an agenda not related to hosting. In fact that sort of behavior may fit into the definition of "trolling" which is not allowed here, or on most internet groups:
Trolling, definition: (1) making a deliberately offensive or provocative online posting with the aim of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them. (2) Typically unleashing one or more cynical or sarcastic remarks on an innocent by-stander, because it's the internet and, hey, you can.
A tip regarding unhelpful argumentativeness: please avoid arguing with other members. It is NOT helpful to engage in a conversation with someone that goes like this:
A: That's so untrue and inaccurate!
B: It is not, but what you said is untrue and inaccurate, and you're wrong.
A: No, you're the one that's wrong!
B: No, you're wrong.
A: No, you!
B: No, it's you!
Conversations like this are not only pointless but also dont' contribute in any meaningful way to a conversation, yet surprisingly I often see adults doing this online. So if I see something like this I'm going to ask both A and B to take their conversation to private messaging. If you think another member has posted something inappropriate, please contact me about it, and don't get into an argument with them.
Feel free to express your political view on a topic related to the politics that bear upon hosting --- such as government regulations, discrimination in Airbnb rentals, housing issues -- but while presenting arguments is fine, total dismissal of other's views isn't. So you can present arguments for your viewpoint, but please dont' say, "anyone who thinks ______ is a total idiot/racist/bigot/narrow minded dolt etc". Also we don't want to hear mock incredulity about how someone could possibly have a view that differs from yours, such as -- "wow, just...wow" as a put down for others' political views: www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wow%20just%20wow .
One problem I have seen in many host communities, is that some individuals are either quite reactionary, or have poor reading comprehension, or both. Try to understand what was said before responding. Try to avoid making assumptions about what others are saying. If you don't understand someone's point, ask them what they mean, instead of painting them into a corner and putting words in their mouth -- something which is disrespectful.
Avoid getting into generalizations and simplistic approaches to huge topics the likes of which we will never adequately explore, much less resolve, in a host community group. It is pointless for instance to argue whether capitalism is better than socialism, or whether liberalism is better than conservatism, or which political party is better. Try to keep discussions narrowly on on the political issues that relate to the hosting topic and dont' go far afield into enormous political or philosophical questions.
Also please avoid making statements about what another host "has to do." No one actually "has to " do anything. There may be serious consequences for not doing certain things, but this does not mean that a host "has to" do something. It just means that they might have some trouble if they undertake a certain course of action.
We encourage positive and constructive contributions, which fit into the discussion. This is meant to be fun. Every host community has its own culture...in some, snarkiness prevails. In some host groups, moderators dont' like long posts -- in others, "controversial" topics are forbidden. In this one, we really love thoughtful posts, wit as opposed to snarkiness, and kindness towards others. I will mediate in any problems and explain my expectations of members if/when any difficulties arise.
(2) Diversity and Tolerance -- It strikes me as ironic that nowadays the term "diversity" is often used to refer to situations where there may be individuals who differ in superficial appearance, but whose worldviews are very similar. We live in times when the diversity and tolerance we may need most, is not merely diversity of skin color, or gender or sexuality, but also a diversity of opinion, a diversity of worldviews. It's this more challenging, less superficial type of diversity that I think is genuinely needed in an age of increasing antagonism and polarization in public dialogue and politics.
There is a difference between expressing a different point of view, and being continually contrarian. There is a difference between sharing, and inflicting oneself on others in a community, or picking on someone. I will clarify as needed.
(3) Content -- This is a forum about short term rental hosting, as well as, related to that, issues related to property rental generally. As well as political issues directly related to hosting -- namely, government regulations, housing issues, landlord-tenant issues, and others. New members in particular should only post on hosting related topics -- those who start out posting far off topic will be banned from this forum. New members should NOT post links to outside websites in their very first post. This happens too often, and it's a sign that someone is engaged in spamming and using this forum not for its intended purpose, but to try to get more SEO for their own website. Hence I will delete posts which I suspect have more to do with people abusing this forum to get their own advertising done, and will delete the member as well. If this continues to be a problem on this forum I will put all new members in quarantine so that their posts wont' appear on the site until they have been checked by a moderator.
Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are on a variety of hosting topics, some of which may hold no interest for you. Please be polite and avoid posting pointless complaints such as "this doesn't interest me/I have zero interest in this/this is too long for me to read." It should be obvious that if you aren't interested in something you can skip over it. Those who simply post in order to complain about what is posted may not be suitable for this forum.
As well, do not assume that because I have posted something on this forum, that I am interested in it. I have taken upon myself something of a librarian function here and am engaged in collating newsworthy information for hosts, regarding what occurs to me as pertinent news about hosting topics from around the world. Some of what I post (for instance, as regards news on hosting in a country or municipality I have little knowledge about ) actually doesn't interest me personally, but I believe it may interest hosts in that region, so I post things here in service to others, not only out of my own interest.
(4) Moderation -- In the case of inappropriate conduct or content on this forum I will either address that within the thread or speak privately with the group member, or both. I prefer to leave posted content whole, but if necessary at times, posts may be edited or removed in the case of inappropriate content.
Just like members are expected to be courteous to each other, members are expected to be courteous to moderators/admin. It's not appropriate to make accusations of admin or moderators such as "you're on a power trip" or "you censor anyone who disagrees with you." IF you really believe admins/moderators are just removing all comments we disagree with, then you shouldn't be in this forum.
(5) Privacy -- in order to protect the privacy of hosts and guests, don't mention full names and/or identifying details of hosts or guests on this forum. (Exception: newsworthy issues -- eg amazing listings, or awful listings, or listings which have illegal discriminatory content, etc) If you're referring to others in the host community, it's fine to use their first names. If you want to post a link to a hosts' or guest's user profiles, it is probably best to do so on one of the boards on this group that can't be seen by the general public -- such as the Home Sharers Groups, Anecdotes, or a few others. You can always post your own profile or property listing if you want. When speaking about guests/renters on the forums, I tend to change their name, often their gender, and sometimes other details about them as well, if I am posting in a place the general public could see. You can share other hosts' stories if they give permission for that and/or have already "gone public" with their stories, eg told them on another forum, but if their story was personal or had identifying details, best to change the names and identifying details in those unless permission has been given for the disclosure of such. Many posts simply have to do with asking questions and providing answers and those discussions don't often contain private details.
(6) Public Access -- be aware that things you share here may be accessed by the public, so do not share here details about yourself or your listing or location, or anything else that you would not want publicized. Again, don't share those things about another host either, whether or not they are a member here. You can make your own choices about what you want to disclose about yourself. We may edit out of posts any identifying details that members post about others. Also, while most of the boards on this forum are open to the general public (can be seen by anyone in the world, they dont' have to be a member of the group to see the content) there are also several boards on this forum that are viewable only by members, and then there are still other boards which are only open to certain members to view. Those who actively participate in this forum may be invited to join these more private boards.
Sometimes things are said on some forums having to do with Airbnb, hosting or vacation rental, that could make the host look bad, and that doesn't help our cause. For instance, someone read through one of the Airbnb forums, found some controversial material, and posted it on his Twitter account here:
tinyurl.com/qcob4k8
(7) Advertising , No business advertising is allowed on the FaceBook group associated with this forum, though exceptions may be made at times ONLY for regular contributors/known community members. On this forum itself, we do allow advertising posts, if the business is one that would be of interest or use to hosts. We ask that advertisements about businesses be posted under the "consultation and services for hosts" board ONLY. The presence of an advertisement on this site does not imply any endorsement of that business.
(8) Spam and Spammers Spam is not permitted on this forum and those who join this forum with the intent of spamming here will have their accounts terminated and be banned from the forum. Spam means, posting content that is inappropriate for this forum, or making posts with the intent of doing SEO for other's websites. Generally spammers are individuals who have no interest in being part of the community and discussing the subject matter the community is focused on, but simply join forums to post advertisements or content in order to try to manipulate Google Search engine to see their content in more places on the internet and give enhanced positioning to them. There have unfortunately been numerous spammers join this forum and try to do just that.
In order to combat spam, new member accounts may be "quarantined", and new members may not be permitted to post anything anyhwere on the forum, until they respond to my request that they provide a link to their short term rental listing or private property rental website. Until I am able to verify that the link they share is actually their own property listing, they will not be able to use the forum. IF they cannot provide such proof that they are actually a short term rental host or other owner of rental property, they will not be able to use the forum.
These rules may evolve and change as need arises.