Code of Conduct

Comments on San Francisco Classical Voice are "on the record," with real names required and listed to uphold accountability for people's words (we do not publish e-mail addresses, however; they are only used when an SFCV staff member needs to be in touch with a comment writer). In addition, we require the following Code of Conduct when posting comments on SFCV:

Be courteous. You agree that you will not threaten, harass, or verbally abuse other members; use libelous and defamatory language; violate another person's privacy; or deliberately disrupt discussions with repetitive or meaningless messages, or spam. We define spam as anything that qualifies as nonsense unrelated to the discussion.

Use respectful language. Like any community, comments flourish only when our members feel welcome and safe. You agree not to use language that abuses or discriminates on the basis of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual preference, age, region, disability, and so on. Hate speech of any kind is grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to the service.

Debate, but don't attack. In a community full of opinions and preferences, people always disagree. SFCV encourages active discussions and welcomes heated debate. But personal attacks are a direct violation of this agreement and are grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to our service. A good rule of thumb is to not say anything online that you wouldn't say in person. As online pioneer Tim O'Reilly writes on his blog: "The next time you're tempted to vent your anger or frustration online, imagine you're talking to your mother. Or if you have no respect for your mother, imagine you're talking to a big, mean dude that you met on the street. Or simply imagine the person you're speaking to as a real person, standing in front of you. Would you say what you're saying to them if you were in the same room?"

Do not infringe upon any copyright, trademark, trade secret, or patent of any third party. If you quote or excerpt someone's content, it is your responsibility to provide proper attribution to the original author. 

In addition, use of SFCV is subject to our Terms of Service.

This Code of Conduct was last updated Februrary 2009.