Write For California Community Guidelines

In order to foster a thriving, friendly community, we have to start by laying down the rules of the road.

Image courtesy of Claire, Artist-in-Residence

Write for California is a very open, free-flowing community to discuss all things Cal. The moderators of this site would much prefer not to have to bother with any community guidelines at all, but as we've discovered, a bit of politeness greases the wheels of social interaction quite nicely. The basic overarching principle here is one of respect—we want this site to be as welcoming to as many Cal fans as we possibly can. We know we can't please everyone and we definitely don't want to stifle the unique mixture of intelligent banter and irreverent inanities that have come to define this community, but this is our best shot at a compromise.

• Please treat each other with respect. When you disagree with another commentator, please do so without personal attacks and instead rely on the force of your arguments to carry the day. Please extend the same courtesy when criticizing anyone—including Cal players, recruits, Cal coaches, Cal figures, and 17th-century British monarchs. Critiques are welcome, but flaming and insults are not. Note that we moderators can tell the difference between playful joshing and vicious invective—as long as everyone's having fun, we won't stand in your way.

• No slap fights, please. We don’t want topic subthreads to descend into commentators spouting unjustified opinions and mindless talking points at each other in an uncivil manner, making everyone else around them uncomfortable. That adds nothing to Write for California and we ask that you try to keep slap fights in check.

• Content that is overtly discriminatory based on protected characteristics (e.g., race, gender, etc.) or is otherwise objectionable to decently-educated members of society will not be tolerated. This community is inclusive of all—even USC fans.

• Linking to potentially risqué images could get people in trouble if they were seen viewing such images at work. If you're thinking of sharing an image that you would hesitate to show to your boss, grandmother, second-grade teacher, or rabbi, please clearly label it as NSFW (Not Safe For Work). People who feel safe checking out your racy images may do so at their own risk and everyone else gets to skip on by.

• No spamming please.

• Finally, please try and stay on-topic. We understand that comment threads may veer off into tangentially-related topics; this is how conversations naturally evolve and we think this is perfectly fine. However, if you want to talk about something completely unrelated to the topic at hand, the Daily Bear Dump is your place for free-form inanity and open discussion on whatever topics you like; please take any off-topic discussions there, but note that our general Community Guidelines still apply.

So, what happens if you violate the above guidelines? Well, moderators will initially try to quell any disruptions before they become big problems. We may end up hiding or deleting offending posts, though if we do, we will also leave a note explaining why some comments were moderated. You may get a private message from one of us, telling you where you crossed the line and that you should knock it off. Repeat offenders may be subject to sanctions, possibly including temporary or permanent banning.

If you believe that another commentator has violated these guidelines, we ask that you please avoid trying to moderate the issue yourself. For such issues, we have the Hit Squad, our affectionately named group of moderators. E-mail admin@writeforcalifornia.com with your concerns.

Note that these are guidelines for a reason. Ultimately, the administrators of Write For California maintain the discretion to moderate the website as necessary to maintain a friendly and inclusive community. But if everybody keeps these guidelines in mind, then any further moderation won’t really be necessary.

You stay classy, Write For California, and thanks for stopping by. Go Bears!