SoGospelNews.com Community Guidelines

We created SoGospelNews to provide southern gospel music fans with a positive and interesting environment where they can connect with other fans, share stories, give and get advice, and to encourage and uplift each other.

SoGospelNews should be a place where a fan can come and feel welcome and safe and not be subject to personal attacks or disrespectful behavior. These guidelines are intended to make SoGospelNews a great place for as many fans as possible.

When thinking about what’s acceptable on SoGospelNews, think about what’s acceptable as a Christian. As Christians all SoGospelNews members should conduct themselves in a Christ-like manner. Also remember that because it is open to the public there may at times be those surfing by who are not Christians and it is up to us to maintain a Christlike example at all times.

Rules of Conduct at SoGospelNews

The following are rules you should keep in mind when using SoGospelNews. Failure to follow these rules can result in termination of your account. Click on any rule to read about it in more detail.

Above all else, be nice to the fans you meet and give each other the benefit of the doubt. If we all do this, SoGospelNews will be a great place to hang out.

SoGospelNews‘s responsibilities & your responsibilities

We do not have time to look at every post or comment made on the site nor do we guarantee the integrity of every member on the site. But, if we catch something that we believe violates our guidelines or the SoGospelNews Terms of Service – either because we noticed it or you reported it – we will act on it.

When you report something to us that you believe violates these guidelines or the SoGospelNews Terms of Service, we will do our best to review it. We will not always agree with you that there is a problem. When we do agree, we will take the action that we feel is appropriate. While we listen to our members, we have the final say on whether content or conduct is permissible under these guidelines and our Terms of Service.

We generally won’t take action against older content that violates these guidelines. We feel our efforts are better spent focusing on current issues on the site.

We always have the right to remove postings, lock postings, warn members, suspend accounts, and/or cancel accounts to enforce these guidelines or the SoGospelNews Terms of Service or as we deem necessary to maintain the integrity of the site or our business. Whatever action we choose to take, our decision is final. We will not always explain our actions, but rest assured we do not take these decisions lightly.

We are not responsible for what happens off the site, even if it was organized on SoGospelNews. Be careful whom you talk to, whom you trust, and what you do in the real world based on what you read online.

Finally, please remember that we are just trying to make this the best site possible for as many fans as possible. If we feel that by removing a post or a member we can make the site experience better for the rest of the members, we will do it. Or, we could decide that a posting that you find objectionable is within the guidelines. You may not always think our decisions are fair and you may not always agree with us. Arguing with us or harassing us will not change our minds. Let’s all treat each other with respect and work together to make this a great place for fans.

These guidelines are a work in progress. We may revise these guidelines at any time and without prior notice.

SoGospelNews Detailed Rules of Conduct

1. Be respectful of others, especially when disagreeing with them.

   It’s simple – Be nice to others. This is the most important thing for everyone to remember.

   You can be opinionated.  You can say that your opinion is better than someone else's.  You can be opposed to the ideas or opinions of others, and can say so.  But don’t be nasty about it. Mean people are not welcome here.

2. Debate is great, but it should be done in a constructive way.

   Discussion and debate are not only allowed, they are encouraged. But, if a healthy discussion breaks down into an exchange of attacks and insults or becomes too heated, we will take measures to end the discussion.

   Criticism of a person instead of their art is never accepted. Constructive criticism of art (music, writing, etc) is always welcome, but critiques or judgments of a person’s heart, motives, or Christianity will not be tolerated.

   The following topics will not be discussed and posts or topics will be deleted as soon as possible if they contain these topics:
   Rumor, gossip or innuendo
   Politics (UNLESS IT IS IN THE POLITICS FORUM)
   Doctrine/Theology
   
   Only broad comments or posts about the above last two items may discussed as they relate to Southern Gospel Music.

3. Don’t harass or personally attack others.

   When a discussion gets heated or involves a topic you feel passionate about, it’s sometimes tempting to cross the line and stop talking about the issues and instead talk about the people involved. Don’t do it. No name calling. If you must "vent" your feelings about another SoGospelNews member, do it without identifying them. Don’t use their screen name or any other information that is likely to make them recognizable to other members.

4. No ganging up.

   You may not like everyone on SoGospelNews. But don’t harass someone or tell all your friends to go harass someone because you don’t like something they said.

5. Slurs, stereotyping, and hate speech are not tolerated.

   Slurs, hate speech and attacks aimed at any race, color, religion, national origin, disability or sexual orientation are not tolerated at all on SoGospelNews and will be removed. Don’t stereotype people, it isn’t funny and it isn’t acceptable.

   This also refers to slurs and disparaging remarks against different styles of music.

6. If you’re going to post something controversial, be prepared for others to disagree with you and your ideas.

   Remember that when you post something, especially about a controversial topic, expect that your viewpoints and opinions may be vigorously questioned, challenged, and held up to scrutiny. If having your opinions challenged and being expected to defend your position will make you uncomfortable, please don't post about that topic.

7. Don’t post something just to inflame others.

   Posts designed solely to upset another fan or group of fans have no place at SoGospelNews. They simply pollute the air and make it a less inviting place for everyone.

8. Don’t ask other members for help in the form of money, gifts or donations.

   It is not acceptable at this cafe to ask another member for money, goods or services. We appreciate the stress on you and your family resulting from financial pressures.

9. Only post acceptable advertisements in designated areas.

   The only advertising that is acceptable are those related to the offering or soliciting of Jobs in a musical group

The following items are NOT acceptable:

• Work at home businesses
• Products that you are selling (personal or professional)
• Charities and charitable causes
• Promoting another website (a link to your website in your signature is acceptable, anything else is not)
• Promoting your entry in a contest (e.g,. "vote for ...")

The only places on SoGospelNews where it is acceptable to post advertisements (see above) are:

1. In the Jobs Forums
2. Concert Announcements

In addition, pyramid schemes are illegal and posting information about pyramid schemes in any forum on SoGospelNews is prohibited.

10. Don’t share your personal information with someone unless you’re absolutely certain it is safe to share with that person.

    Would you give your phone number, street address or anything else to a fan you just met in a cafe? Maybe – if you trusted her or knew someone in common. But you probably wouldn’t give it out to someone you knew little about. The same is true online. Don’t give out your personal information to anyone else unless you’re sure it’s safe.

    And don’t give money to people who ask for it online. While their stories may move you, you have no way of knowing if they are legitimate. We can’t verify the identities of everyone on the site and you use the site at your own risk. We urge you to learn and follow best practices for staying safe online.

11. Don’t share personal information about anyone else.

    You should also not share or post anyone else’s personal information. Don’t repost messages from private groups, emails or messages in public places. If the information was posted in a private group, or in an email assume that it is to remain private.

12. If you suspect that someone on the site is an imposter or not legitimate, report the problem to the SoGospelNews Team and we will deal with it.

    If you think you’ve found an "imposter" or suspect that a member is not "legitimate," let us know by using the "E-Mail Us" link at the bottom of each page. We will investigate promptly. Do not threaten, harass or make posts about your suspicions. Doing this will only interfere with and slow down our efforts to get to the truth quickly.

    Likewise, if we discover that you are pretending to be someone you are not, we will cancel your account.

13. Help us keep order by reporting any problems you see on the site including posts that violate these rules.

    If you see something that violates these rules and it bothers you, then report it to us and we will do our best to investigate it.

14. Don’t do anything criminal or illegal on SoGospelNews or encourage anyone else to do so.

    Any postings that we reasonably believe or suspect are criminal or illegal in nature will be removed and any conduct that we suspect is illegal or which poses a threat of illegal activity will be reported to the appropriate authorities. We will cooperate with authorities to prosecute anyone who breaks the law while using our site. Do not link to sites containing criminal or illegal activity.

15. You may discuss SoGospelNews’s policies, but only in the designated area.

    Don't agree with SoGospelNews policy and want to your voice to be heard?  There is a special, public group created on the forums called SGN Policies where you can discuss with the SoGospelNews Team what the policies of SoGospelNews are, why they are a certain way, and help us shape what the policies should be.

    We are open to constructive feedback and will be honest with everyone about the reasoning behind our policies. If you create posts in any other area about policy issues, they will be removed.

    There will be no tolerance for discussing policies on the message boards other than in the designated forum.
    
    Any need for clarification or displeasure to a moderator decision must be done through private emails. Any such attempt to discuss moderator decisions publicly will be promptly removed.

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The SoGospelNews Team