nexus rule information

          A few people, without more information provided to them, may assume synesthesia is associated with the supernatural and/or with new-age thought. In reality, however, synesthesia is a distinctly neurological condition; it is not supernatural in origin or form. In that light, the purpose of this particular website and message board forum is to discuss synesthesia in a scientific and social context because, being a neurological condition, we believe it deserves to be thought of as such, and we believe that the majority of synesthetes, neurologists, and other scientists would not appreciate it becoming intertwined with the supernatural so that it loses credibility. Therefore, the rules we have created here reflect this desire, and we hope they are understood with that objective in mind.
          It is expected that the rules, listed and explained below, will be followed throughout the Nexus by the communityˊs members so as to ensure harmony within the community as well as to ensure the best, fullest experience possible from the Nexus in learning more about synesthesia.
          If you are wondering whether something in particular you want to do would be contrary to the rules, please take a moment to PM a mod (Emma, Fogwolf, or Kela) and ask about it before you post. If you have an issue with any of the rules, you are welcome to PM the admin (Lisa). But please understand that the rules are non-negotiable. If you choose not to abide by them, your thread may be closed, your post may be edited or deleted, you may be given one or more warnings, you may be temporarily suspended from posting, or you may be permanently banned from participating in this websiteˊs activities, any of which with or without notice or explanation, in order to retain harmony and direction within the community.

Thank you for your understanding, and we hope you enjoy being here!

Children may read this website, so please try to keep your speech relatively reasonable. Granted, many young children have heard more "bad words" than most nuns, but still, try to set a reasonable example. You will probably not be edited or banned for making an occasional point with a taboo word or phrase (depending on the intent), but constant/continuous expression in such a way will lead to problems. Editing of taboo language is fully at the modsˊ/adminˊs discretion on a case-by-case (and/or person-by-person, if necessary) basis.

As it is assumed that native English speakers who visit this message board are old enough to read at least somewhat fluently, it is also assumed they are old enough to write in English well enough to be understood. Writing in the cutesy/"teeny-bopperish" ("plz", "how do u c dat?", "ne1", "sum ppl", etc.) or wannabe-hacker/cracker ("d00d 1z uP") style is not necessary and is, quite frankly, disrespectful and annoying to the people whom the writer wants to read his posts (most especially to readers whose first language is not English). Similarly, posts written in all caps are difficult to read, not to mention are considered yelling. Therefore, posts with such writing may be edited or deleted without notice. As they say, "Keep it at a fifth grade level."

If you disagree with someone, be considerate and adult about it.
If you bring up a controversial topic, please be cautious about how you do so. Deliberate attempts to instigate arguments or ill feelings are not permitted.
If you have a problem with a member or the content of a post, please do not attempt to "back seat moderate"; simply report the problem, and the mods/admin will decide if it warrants action.

Harrassment of members via public postings, synapse chat conversations, or private messages on this website will not be tolerated.
If you should receive any content from another member via PM or chat that makes you uncomfortable, please notify a mod immediately and copy to her the text of the message you received.

When posting, the options to change your textˊs size, color, and font are not visible. This is done for a reason. ;) With text color, many people (especially many synesthetes) find colorful text extremely difficult to read − some to the point of insufferable. Therefore, please keep your post text in black (the default color). Also, please leave the text size and font in your individual posts on the default settings. (You can change text size in your browserˊs options if you find text too small or too large to read well/efficiently.)

Spam, chain letters/jokes, etc. are not tolerated on the Nexus. Occasionally a spammer will show up here, posting all kinds of inappropriate things. (Weˊve seen them post links to gambling sites, X-rated sites, prescription drug sites, etc.) If you see something like that, do not respond to it, and, of course, do not click any of the links. The mods remove junk like that the second they see it. Just ignore it and it will be deleted soon.

Do not copy your post in multiple fora to get attention. Your double/mass posts will be deleted, and you will receive a warning. (No worries for accidents − accidental double-posting happens and is no big deal.) Purposeful, repeated, double-/mass-posting, however, will result in banning. Just figure out the best folder for your post, and post it there. If a mod thinks there is a better folder for your post than the folder you posted it in, she can move your post later on, and no big deal.

The signature feature, in which you could automatically add quotes, comments, links, etc., is turned off on the Nexus. Please do not manually insert signatures on your posts. This is to save both visual space and website bandwidth.

The Nexus is mainly a group for discussion of scientific and social understanding of synesthesia. As such, please note that some subjects such as pseudoscience will be off-limits throughout. Similarly, regarding religious and spiritual topics which can at time seem at odds with the purpose of the forum, if you would like to post about or comment on one or more synesthetic experiences as they relate to your religion, religious experiences, or spirituality, you are welcome to do so. However, please again keep in mind the main purpose of this forum, and that your approach should be just that − a brief mention, if possible very general rather than specific mention, of your perspective, with the highlight and bulk of your post explaining your synesthetic experiences (or inquiring about others synesthetic expleriences as they relate to their religion/spirituality). Thank you for understanding!

Off-limits pseudoscience and/or religious topics include but are not necessarily limited to:

     − paranormality, psychic phenomena/abilities, magic, astrology / numerology / other divination, new age thought, etc.
     − chakras / chi / energy points, faith healing, homeopathy, crystal or pyramid powers, etc.
     − psychokinesis (telekinesis), ESP, telepathy (empathic ability), channeling, clairvoyance, prophetic dreams, etc.
     − mystical trances, astral projection / planes of existence, transubstantiation of souls, etc.
     − communication with aliens / the deceased / spirit worlds / angels / deities, etc.

Please do not change your username regularly. Choose one and stick with it. Changing your mind is not a problem, but make sure you really mean it when you change your username. Also, itˊs good to start a new thread in the introductions folder letting people know what your username used to be and that youˊve changed it. You donˊt have to say why if you donˊt want to, but posting about the change is a very polite thing to do as it prevents a lot of confusion.

Suggestions regarding the internet in general: Please be aware of how much of yourself you are putting out there online, such as giving out your last name, school name, or even town. Be careful with your email − guard it almost like you would your home phone number. Never give out your social security number (or any other important identifying number), and if you have credit cards, use them extremely judicously. Trust your instincts. If something sounds fishy, donˊt go for it. Report any suspicious activity to website moderators (whether thatˊs here on the Nexus or on another websiteˊs forum). Always be more cautious than you think you need to be.