There are very few ?rules? on BCB. BCB is intended to feel primarily democratic, and most of the ?unwritten rules? come by way of self-government by the community. These few official Community Guidelines have been created and exist for a singular purpose: to help make BCB a place that is safe and enjoyable for everyone who participates.

Free Speech on BCB

At BCB, we believe strongly in free speech and in celebrating a diversity of people and of ideas. Users are, in general, free to express their opinions without fear of retribution. The diversity of personalities, beliefs, and styles is exactly what makes BCB the strong and vibrant community that it has become. I pledge to you as proprietor of this site, that I believe in this and want to keep BCB free and open to everyone. In keeping with that pledge, I promise to all of you that I will not delete posts, and will not "censor" in any way, shape or form unless it is a blatant violation of these guidelines.

Since BCB IS a community, you should know that ?free speech? does not mean ?the right to say what you want, when you want, how you want,? without being sensitive to, and respectful towards, the community as a whole. In a community, speech is not completely ?free?? it comes with responsibility.

The following are simply not acceptable on BCB (excepting, in some cases, for obvious humor between people with an existing rapport); they violate BCB?s Community Guidelines, and are subject to sanction as outlined below:

1. Personal attacks on community members, directly or through sarcasm/belittling, e.g., ?You?re an idiot,? ?You don?t know what you?re talking about, moron,? ?Apparently, you?ve never seen a baseball game, or you?d know??, ?My Chihuahua knows more about baseball than you do,? etc.
2. Comments that are intolerant or prejudiced (sexist, racist, homophobic, etc.) in nature, e.g., ?Why don?t you go play with your dolls??, ?The Cubs shouldn?t sign black players,? ?Doesn?t Damon look like a fag??, etc.
3. Harassing/Baiting of users, e.g., ?How about that Neifi!; isn?t he great?? posted five consecutive times that Neifi makes an out, ?The Cubs will never win this game? posted 10 times in 30 minutes, etc.
4. Comments that bring politics into BCB (which is a non-political blog), e.g., ?Bush/Clinton ruined this country by?,? ?Check out this link about the war in Iraq,? etc. That said, you may occasionally see a political ADVERTISEMENT on BCB. Running such ads does NOT imply an endorsement of the candidate or views expressed in the ad, just as any such ad on a television station or network or in a newspaper does not imply endorsement by such an entity.

Consequences for Violating BCB?s Community Guidelines

Consistent with its baseball roots, when it comes to violations of the Community Guidelines, BCB works on a version of ?3 strikes and you?re out.? Complaints about possible violations of the Community Guidelines should be directed to Al for review and consideration.

I will aim to balance a high tolerance for the importance of free speech and low tolerance for minor or petty complaints, with enforcement of the stated guidelines on behalf of the entire BCB community.

Strike 1: If a violation has occurred, the offending user will be contacted privately and issued a formal ?strike 1 warning?. No other action is taken.
Strike 2: A second violation through this process triggers a ?strike 2 warning?, meaning you?re going to have to watch what you?re doing, because I?ll be watching.
Strike 3: A third violation through this process means some sort of action will be taken. That might be as simple as me contacting you and asking you to ?chill out?. Or, it might result in you being banned from BCB.

I really don?t want to do this, and would only do it in extreme situations; for example, if it seems clear that you have as your primary motive disrupting and/or upsetting the community.

Procedure For Lodging An Official Complaint

If you believe a user has violated the Community Guidelines and you wish to bring it to me for review, send an email to the address on the right sidebar. In order to be evaluated, your email must include the following information:

• Your BCB user name
• The BCB user name of the user about whom you are complaining
• The URL(s) of the post(s) in question

Complaints are evaluated, and any appropriate follow-up action taken, internally. The user who made the complaint should not expect any further reply, other than an initial acknowledgement that the complaint has been received.

Finally, please don?t take any of these guidelines to mean that I am ?clamping the hammer down? or any such thing. As noted above, BCB is intended to be a place for freewheeling exchange of ideas about the Cubs and baseball. Almost anything goes, if you are respectful of others.

Diaries

The only Community Guidelines for posting a diary are:

• A diary must be a minimum of 300 characters or it is considered to be unsubstantial and will not be accepted by the site.
• A diary must in some way belong on BCB ? in other words, it must relate to the Cubs, or to baseball, or to BCB, or to an existing thread or diary, etc.
• A user may not post more than 2 diaries in a given day.
• It is not permitted to use diaries for advertising.

Tips on writing good diaries:

Some of the qualities that the most popular diaries often have in common are:

• They expand upon the main idea with supporting examples, or statistical data, or a link to a relevant article, or a ?thinking question? for others to consider, etc.?something beyond just the main idea itself.
• They explore a topic, idea, or question that has not been explored recently, or at all, on BCB.

Keep in mind that if your diary contains only one point or idea that is not developed, expanded on, or supported with arguments or data, it is really not a diary?it is a comment that should be posted in an existing thread or diary.

General Disclaimer: What is written above are guidelines that help to explain the policies, procedures, and processes BCB generally uses. It is entirely at my discretion as to how to interpret and implement these guidelines, which are subject to change at any time.