We've been getting moderator reports complaining that people are launching personal attacks on each other in this forum.

We've also had comments that people think they are being singled out over what builder they like or dislike.

I'm here to set the record straight.

First, we don't care about any of the builders or whom you like or whom you don't like. We do not favor anyone and in fact its silly to suggest that those kinds of thoughts enter into anyone's minds when they make moderator decisions.

The bottom line is that nobody should be afraid to post here because they think they may be personally attacked. People are going to have different opinions and people will disagree over things -- that's fine. Disagreements can be productive and educational. The key is to disagree without making it a personal issue. If you find yourself threatening someone or calling them names then you are going to have to deal with the moderators.

We will not tolerate personal attacks of any kind and we are going to come down hard on people who engage in personal attacks. Our goal is to have a friendly, educational forum which the whole family can enjoy.

Before anyone is banned you will receive a warning from the moderators. If you ignore the warning, then you will be banned from the forum and yes....I have the technology to prevent you from getting a new email address and reregistering using a different IP address. So if you value your membership here, do not throw it away lightly under the mistaken belief that you can get back in -- you can't.

If you do find yourself banned, you may contact the moderators and ask to be let back in. If you send a thoughtful and apologetic email it will be considered. Nobody will be let back in without promising that they stop the personal attacks. If you are let back in and become banned again -- that's it...no third chance you are gone for good.

Everyone will be treated fairly and equally regardless if you're a long time member or a new person.

If you are unclear if something may be considered a personal attack, you can always use the notify moderator link to ask them before you make your post. We are all here to help and to help you have a wonderful experience in these forums.

Also

PMs, Personal Messages being posted in the forum. That is grounds for immediate banning
because it violates a confidence and personal trust between two people who are having a discussion in the PM system.
Posting PMs is something absolutely not tolerated in the forum.
Whether the moderator chooses to actually ban the person or not is up to
them -- it may depend on other factors such as how heinous the post was.

REPORTING PROBLEMS IN THE FORUMS

If you find a post you feel is inappropriate, please click on the notify moderator icon to report the post. Be sure to describe what was wrong with the post and also tell us the forum nickname of the particular author who posted the problematic message. You need to provide enough info that we can determine which message in a thread is the bad message.