@Joe Shearer
I think there is enough summary now. Looks like at least 7-8 people have given their express approval, and others are in tacit agreement. I am in a hurry but for the sake of brevity and in simple English, here are the guidelines. Whenever there is a violation in future, gently remind the concerned user about violation of code number #. For example, if some user keeps on insisting to post from the vile tabloid trash OpIndia, it's a violation of code number #4.
1)
No religious abuse: No Indian poster should make any Islamophobic or Hinduphobic remarks.
2)
No profanity: No Indian poster should use abusive words in Hindi or English. Respectful rivalry is way more entertaining than just swearing at each others moms.
3)
Be hospitable and friendly to Pakistani posters: it's their forum, not ours. We are guests here. So don't insult their country, religion, Founder, and any national symbols/icons. Do not make any posts comparing India to Pakistan.
4)
Use neutral international media sources for all discussions: acceptable international media outlets include BBC, CNN, Guardian (UK), Independent (UK), USA Today, Washington Post, Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France Presse etc.
Most Indian media sources are acceptable where there is no intent of trolling, or making inflammatory contents.
Please avoid Indian media sources which marginalize, bully, and attack Indian Muslims. WhatsApp forwards, BJP IT cell tweets, OpIndia etc. are therefore, not desirable. Whenever you want to share a story presented in an Indian media outlet, cross-check to ensure that even international media outlets are covering that story. Wikipedia is an unacceptable source. If you see any contents from these outlets, ignore them, or block the users.
If there are too many instances of spamming from unacceptable sources, those users will be reported to the moderators.
5)
No Personal attacks/off-topic posts: Don't attack any posters personally. Don't change the discussion with off-topic rants. Stop getting baited by any comments- this is not a social media website.
6)
Do not make too many assumptions: Dont gloat until a topic is concluded. Stop making hyperbolic assumptions.
7)
Provide evidence where possible. Try to provide reasonable evidence for your argument.
8)
Always agree to disagree. Don't be a typical South Asian where a disagreement is often considered a personal insult and an attack on the person. Just disagree and move on.
9)
Steer clear of racist bigots. There are a few on this forum. Ignore them, and do not entertain their racist posts with a reply. You cannot change them so don't even try. Report to the mod's for serious violations.
10)
Responding to one-line insult. Most of us are not mature enough to ignore the one liners, insults to our country, political affiliations. It is perfectly normal to feel angry. If you can't resist replying, do hit the ignore button on the user.
11)
Stay silent if there you have nothing interesting to say. If nothing meaningful can be added, stay silent. Recognise that people can disagree with you and are allowed to dislike and vent about you. Not every provocation or India-bashing thread requires an internet warrior to defend our country
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Consequences for violating the code of conduct: This code of conduct is only applicable to users who identify with Indian flags, or consider themselves Indian in any way. There is no real penalization but consistent violations of one or more code numbers will have your posts reported, eventually leading to warnings and bans. More importantly, you'll find yourself alone as noone will reply to your posts in future. These are common sense rules, so be a gentleman and play by the rules. At the end of the day, the code is more like guidelines than actual rules. So enjoy yourself in this forum, but just remain respectful.
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That's it. Go edit this and post it in your OP account. I will put a link to the code on my signature once you do that.