Poem Train provides an educational environment where artists can post their work for review and critique. A few basic rules will apply to ensure that all members derive the full benefit of their Poem Train experience. Poem Train uses a verified registration system. Once an applicant registers, Poem Train will need to verify the email address prior to allowing access to the forums. Poem Train reserves the right to deny membership to any applicant who has (a) been previously banned from another Internet site; (b) who is known to have publicly expressed derogatory or inappropriate personal remarks against other members at another Internet site, and (c) who has made inflammatory or threatening comments in private correspondence that has been made known to the Stewards of Poem Train. All such denials of membership shall be administered at the discretion of the Stewards.

Poem Train Code of Conduct, your Ticket to Ride!

Members must be at least 13 years old in order to join

Upon registering for your ticket to ride the Poem Train, you agree that:
1. You will not post any material to which you do not own the copyright or to post any material without the express permission of the party who does hold the copyright. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and is grounds for banishment. If you are citing a poet in a literary comment or response to another member, be sure to give proper credit to the poet you are citing.

2. You will not post any information that violates the law, or is demeaning, vulgar, obscene, abusive, degrading, racist, profane, threatening, or that invades the right of another to privacy or their right to enjoy all the privileges of the Poem Train experience.

3. You will not solicit, advertise, or in any way proselytize any of the members of Poem Train.

4. You are solely responsible for your posts and the stewards have the right to modify or remove any post that they deem is inappropriate. Any member is encouraged to contact a steward if they feel that a post needs to be reviewed for content or appropriateness. The stewards will review the post in question and will inform the member of their decision in a timely manner. In the event that not all of the stewards are available to discuss this in a timely manner, the consensus of those present will determine the outcome. This includes all areas of the Poem Train website including, but not limited to your member profile area. Links to member sites that do not meet the PG-13 requirements for content will not be allowed.

5. You will not share your password with others, or gain access to the Poem Train through the use of another member’s password.

Poem Train will never release your personal information to any third party group with one exception: we reserve the right to share your personal information and any and all of material you have posted with any law enforcement agency that requests such information.

Posting Rules

The rules for each forum are also posted on the platform entrance to each train car.

Time Requirements: You may post one poem every 5 days within any specific forum.

Critique Requirements: You must offer at least three critiques for each post. Critiques should follow the rules and adhere to the spirit of the learning and sharing process. Critiques may only address the poem; unkindly remarks about the poet/writer are not allowed. You may, for example, say " This poem leaves a lot to be desired." You may NOT say " You leave a lot to be desired."

When posting a poem in any of the critique forums in Cafe Poetica, the procedure is as follows: when preparing to post a poem in such a forum, you must critique at least three poems in that forum FIRST -- then post your own poem for reading and input from your fellow members. After that, you may, and are encouraged to, continue to critique as many poems as you like.

Critiques offered should match the level of critique in that forum. Saying only " Wow nice poem" only in a harsh forum is not an acceptable critique. Point out what worked and didn't work in the poem as you read it. Tell the poet what you think the strengths and weaknesses are. Inform the writer of any known grammar, spelling and syntax errors. Let the author know how the words made you feel. This feedback is essential to growth and we all need it. In ALL instances, be courteous and polite in your approach to each another.

Revisions:

If you have received comments and made some revisions to your work and would like to get further comments on your revised version, modify your post. Copy the new version of your poem at the top of the post and leave the original in the thread directly below it, indicating which poem is the original. You may also want to modify your "subject Line" to let others know you have revised it. This encourages everyone to return to your post and offer further advice.

Site Etiquette:

Thank those who have responded to you either in thread or by private message. They have taken time to comment on your work and a "thank you" is not only polite, but encourages them to critique your own work that you post. It is nice to know that your time has been appreciated and that recognition is one of the easiest courtesies that you can offer. Respond to one of their poems and thank them for commenting on your own. Above all, be truthful, and remember that you can tell people that their poems need work without being nasty or hurtful. Also, when receiving critique, be mindful that those offering the criticism are doing so to help you improve your craft and NOT to hurt your feelings.

Disputes:

If you have a dispute with another member, keep it private; do NOT make it public. If there can be no meeting of the minds - avoid one another. Do not let a private feud spill out onto our website or you will be subject to suspension or banishment. You may request that a member not post to your work. In doing so, you also agree that you will not post to his/her work. Silence can be the best remedy among members who have issues that are too diversified to ever see common ground. Such individuals should refrain from any direct contact.

Personal attacks against another individual or group of individuals for any reason is not allowed and may be subject to banishment from Poem Train. Such instances are discussed in detail by the stewards on a case by case basis. In any event, any personal attack will result in a seven day suspension as a cooling off period while the stewards discuss the issues surrounding the attack.

Retaliation for personal attacks is also not tolerated. If a member has attacked you personally, contact a steward and the situation will be immediately handled according to the terms described in the preceding paragraph. The attack will be removed from public view and the stewards will deliberate on the issue and bring it to dissolution. The member who was the victim of an attack need not take any action except to contact a steward to make them aware that a situation has occurred. Should a member who was attacked lash out in retaliation, both parties will be given a 7 day cooling off period and the matter will be discussed by the stewards. If such a personal attack takes place through a private Email or Imail, those correspondences may be shared with the stewards and the sender could be subject to the same disciplines that would apply as if it had been a public attack.

Attacking the stewards individually or as a whole is grounds for an immediate cooling off suspension pending the outcome of a steward discussion whereby further measures may be taken. If a member has a grievance and it involves a steward, bring it to the attention of another steward and the issue will be discussed in mediation with a neutral steward, the member and the other steward. The rule of thumb is never publicly carry on a dispute of any personal nature.

Disciplinary actions

Time limit and critique violations

If a member posts before the 5 day waiting period is over or has not offered the required number of critiques, the new thread will be removed and he/she will receive a reminder notice. If this is a recurring problem, the stewards will discuss stricter disciplinary measures which, at their discretion, may be applied.

Misconduct and Whistle Stops:

This is a learning environment and we would like to see that the main focus remains on sharing, learning and growing. If there are incidents where the rules are being violated, these incidents will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Any time there is a violation of the rules, the stewards will discuss the remedies available to them and will bring the issue to final resolution by any one of the following means which we call whistle stops.

Whistle Stop # 1. Warning

Whistle Stop # 2. Cooling off period. ( A one or two week suspension)

Whistle Stop # 3. Suspension ( 1 - 3 months )

Whistle Stop # 4. Banishment

Extraordinary Measures:

The stewards have the discretionary right and obligation to impose any of the Whistle Stop punishments, including banishment, even if the case in point is a first offense. In such cases where an incident has so seriously threatened the website and its members and/or where such behavior is viewed as a direct "attack" on the welfare of Poem Train, the stewards may impose any punitive measures listed in the Whistle Stop list.

The following imperatives are formulated as a statement of the fundamental personal responsibility each steward has agreed to uphold as he/she serves Poem Train for the betterment of this literary society.

1.1 Contribute to the well-being of the society.

We affirm to protect the integrity and well-being of the literary society of Poem Train as a whole; minimizing negative consequences in a manner that ensures the welfare of the entire membership of our society.

1.2 Avoiding Injury to the Society

We affirm to uphold the integrity of the society and keep it safe from harm. Sometimes well-intended actions create a negative environment that leads to harm. The stewards further affirm to mediate and or terminate these negative environmental issues as they arise and will mitigate damage to the society.

1.3 Trustworthy

We affirm that in order to perform our duties to the society there must be a high level of trust. Without this trust, the society cannot function as it was designed to do. We further affirm to uphold the terms of the confidentiality agreement that we accepted as part of our terms of service.

1.4 Making Fair and Just Decisions

We affirm to uphold the integrity of the society through fair deliberations and final resolution of issues that arise concerning the well-being of the society.

1.5 Right to Privacy

We affirm to uphold the right of others and ourselves to privacy. Personal information shared with us due to our position as stewards must be treated with strict confidentiality with one exception:. In any case where evidence has been presented to one of us individually which shows there has been a violation of law, or this society's regulations, then the very nature of that information demands that it be disclosed to all of the stewards so the issue may be discussed.

1.6 Strive For Excellence

We affirm that we will strive for excellence as we serve this society. Our actions shall work for the betterment of the society as a whole and shall also serve to increase the level of our performance, efficiency and effectiveness whenever possible.

Stewards are bound to uphold the confidentiality agreement they signed when they accepted the responsibility of serving as a Poem Train steward. Personal information disclosed to them or discussed among them as they serve will not be permitted to be released or disclosed to the public either in the form of a private communiqué or in a public post. This confidentiality code applies during and after the steward's term of service.

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All Rights reserved.