Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok,

It would seem that a reminder is needed on this forum. Please consider:

Debate versus Attack

Debate: a contention by words or arguments as a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides. Also applicable: to argue about, to turn over in one's mind, to investigate by reasoning or argument, to present in detail for examination or consideration, to talk about, to discuss.

Attack: the act of attacking with unfriendly or bitter words, a belligerent or antagonistic action, a verbal assault, inclined to or exhibiting hostility, or combativeness.

Excerpt from the Kingsnake.com/PetHobbyist.com's terms of service:

"Our various features such as forums, message boards, photo galleries, classifieds and chat rooms are for discussion, entertainment, and community purposes only. We make no claims of accuracy about any information you might find there. Readers rely on information posted in our sites at their own risk."

and

"Posting threats, potentially libelous statements, personal attacks, disruption, and "trolling" (seeking to disrupt the site with inflammatory posts and actions) are violations."

Now, there are always going to be those times when an individual(s) comes around and opens up a particular discussion that has the potential to rile other people up, be it intentional or not. If you feel a topic is worth participating in, there is nothing wrong with arguing / debating that topic in a lively manner, however, it is inappropriate to attack people personally for their stance(s) on whatever that topic is. It is safer to adhere to debating the issue, not attacking the person whose opinions differ from your own. Please leave the name-calling, insults, and animosity at home or take it to private email. Not everyone is going to hold to the same opinions typically held according to mainstream views and there is nothing wrong with that. Participating in a discussion in a calm and civilized manner goes a lot further and does more to open people's minds up than to carry on and rant or act in an otherwise childish manner. At the very least, people always have the option to agree that it can be said you simply disagree on a topic and then leave it at that.

In the end, if the topic of particular discussion in question (or certain individuals participating is said discussion) is not to your liking, there is always a personal choice to skip it and move on. There is no obligation on anyone to take part in every discussion held on any of the forums. However, please keep in mind that if members cannot follow the rules and who cannot play nice will find themselves losing their posting privalages on the forums.

Reporting Forum Abuse

If you should happen to see posted messages that are in direct violation of this sites Terms of Service, please take the time to report them. The report abuse link can be found on every post next to the name of the poster of that message.

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PHWyvern

PetHobbyist Moderator
*Kingsnake.com / Kingsnake.ca - Forum Leader/Chat Leader
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PetHobbyist.com

Message well taken, and a comment.

It isn't typical to use the word you are defining in its own definition (attack).

Here's a quick link to a dictionary site

http://www.yourdictionary.com/

and it's 4 definitions for attack:

To set upon with violent force.
To criticize strongly or in a hostile manner.
To start work on with purpose and vigor: attack a problem.
To begin to affect harmfully: a disease that attacks the central

If you're going to structure part of your message with 'definitions', it would make both you, and the forum you moderate, appear more professional/credible if they actually were definitions.

Thanks for your effort in moderating the site, and I agree completely with your point.

Regards,

Neil

>>Message well taken, and a comment.
>>
>>It isn't typical to use the word you are defining in its own definition (attack).
>>

Typical no, but then I was not striving to ensure that my definition was grammatically correct. To save space and time, I simply chose to combine several elements of definitions and synonyms pertaining to the word 'attack'. And, using the word to define its own defintion in this instance, well that particular portion of my makeshift definition came right out of the merriam-webster online dictionary.

Main Entry: [2]attack
Function: noun
Date: 1661
1 : the act of attacking with physical force or unfriendly words

For the future I may restructure the definition a bit perhaps using 'criticizing' rather than 'attacking.' Would that be more suitable?

In regards to the appearance of credibility and professionalism of the forum, well that is not really for me to create. I believe that is basically up to the members posting on this forum and how they choose to conduct themselves.

As for the appearance of credibility and professionalism of myself. I choose to behave in the manner I see fit and leave it at that. People are going to believe what they want to believe about me no matter what I do or don't do on the forums so I find it easier to not worry about how people will perceive me.

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PHWyvern

Well responded. Never liked Webster's... And I didn't seek to imply any lack of professionalism or credibility on your part or that of the forum. If my message was taken other than intended, I apologize.

Regards,

Neil

>>Well responded. Never liked Webster's... And I didn't seek to imply any lack of professionalism or credibility on your part or that of the forum. If my message was taken other than intended, I apologize.
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Neil

Not to worry - it was not taken in that manner. I have a tendancy to ramble a lot as I write and when I try to keep things short and to the point it sometimes causes problems for some folks as it is at times seen as too abrubt or direct for their tastes.
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PHWyvern