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The Laws of Cats Paw Island "I accept you into my clan," said The Guardian. "But here, you are on my lands, and you will follow my rules." |
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| If you are a victim or a witness in any of these situations, please report it to an available Administration member. Don't be shy, and don't be afraid. We are here to help you and we have the power to take action, as well as answer any questions you have. The admins are the "police" for this chat server. Do not worry if you mistakenly report something. It is better to be safe than sorry. | ||||
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To get help for anything at anytime, click the "Admin" button, and type in a short message about your problem to any Admin that is on the list. Keep scrolling text history logs (the saved sections of the scroll where the event happened), record the time, date, and the room location. If there are no Admins online, please fill out a Problem Ticket (accessible from the Map interface) and it will be dealt with in a timely manner. | |||
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"But I didn't know!" is not an acceptable excuse on Cats Paw Island. As soon as you have registered, you have agreed to be subject to these rules as well as our Terms of Service. Before you participate in this site, you must read them all the way through. Also bear in mind that you are responsible for whatever happens on your account so keep your password a secret. If someone uses your account and gets banned, this ban will count towards you in the future - no exceptions. Bans can be as short as 12 hours or as long as forever depending on your behavior and counting strikes. We typically go by the 3-strikes rule, but some special people manage to earn permanent bans on their first or second try. | |||
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Chat Rating is PG-13: Our chat is based in the United States, and so we follow our particular brand of PG-13 rules. We are not aiming for Disney - think more like The Simpson's. We do NOT go by: "Well if they don't like it, the minority can leave!" No conversations over PG-13 in the public rooms no matter how old anyone is or if they're all okay with it or not. All R-rated conversations belong in private rooms, period. Your profile and username are also subject to this rule, because they are visible to anyone at anytime. There is a bit more clarification on what PG-13 means (swearing, drugs, etc.) later in this rules page. | |||
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Terms of Use: By using this website you agree to the terms of service described in this document. | |||
| Without further ado, here are the RULES: | ||||
| A. Harassment | ||||
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1. General Harassment | |||
| "To irritate or torment persistently." Harassment covers a broad area. Harassment can be (but is not limited to): cursing, name-calling, sexual innuendoes, sexual harassment, racial slurs, gay bashing, stalking, or anything else one person can do to annoy another. | ||||
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2. Begging | |||
| The soliciting of funds, favors or items (artwork, poses etc.) is not allowed. Begging in the public rooms and/or continuous and repeated solicitation is a type of harassment and could get you kicked from the chat. | ||||
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3. Spam | |||
| This can be movement and/or text. Clicking all over the screen may slow down some people's connections. Typing nonstop is also known as "flooding" and it fills up the scroll bar, which is highly annoying to others. There is no specific limit about how much you can use capitals, but be aware that in online-lingo, it is considered "yelling", and if you do it constantly, it will constitute spam. | ||||
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4. Death & Suicide Threats | |||
| We have absolutely zero tolerance for death threats. Talking about killing, how to kill, threatening someone with murder, or anything of that sort is not allowed. This rule still applies to the RP room. We also ask that you not talk about causing self-harm on the chat: it can really affect other people emotionally, often due to personal experiences in their lives, and though it may seem callous, we need to watch out for everyone. Special consequence for Death Threats: Instant permanent ban. | ||||
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5. Virus & Hacker Threats | |||
| We also have absolutely zero tolerance for any kind of threat of sending viruses or hacking. Don't talk about hacking, share tricks or links, or have anything to do with it. Threats directly against the site are taken extremely seriously. Special consequence for Virus & Hacker Threats: Instant permanent ban. | ||||
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6. Propositioning Minors | |||
| Cats Paw Island has a lot of younger members, and as such, WE WILL NOT TOLERATE any type of illegal enticement of minors by adult users AT ALL. Offering minors drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, sex, or any other illegal item/activity is not allowed. If you proposition a minor to participate in any illegal activity, you will be banned. Special Consequence for Propositions to a Minor: Instant permanent ban | ||||
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7. Harassing an Administrator | |||
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Everyone deserves respect, of course, but these guys pitch in a little
more than your average user. They accept the job knowing that they may
make mistakes, that they may face constructive criticism, and that they
take on these extra responsibilities without pay. You also accept the
responsibilities as a member, knowing that the Administration is not
perfect. Do not tell an Admin that "they suck", or how bad they are at
their job. Do not beg for your poses to be accepted, or yell at an
Administrator for banning you or someone you know. Do not constantly ask
how to become an Admin or ask to be made an Admin. Do not harass them
openly in any way. If you have a problem with how a Cats Paw Island Admin
has handled a situation, or with some other aspect of their behavior,
please fill out a Problem Ticket, or get in contact with a Alpha. See the Problem Solving instructions at the end of these rules. |
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| B. PG-13 Rating Clarification | ||||
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8. Cursing and Language | |||
| In general, you can use a couple of the lighter words a few times. Be extremely sparing with your harsh swears. Twice is too many. Do not swear AT people. Excessive swearing can get you kicked from a room and/or banned. | ||||
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9. Drug Advertisement | |||
| Chatting about legal substances is allowed (ex: forms of alcohol, cigarettes). Talk of illegal or prescription drugs for informational purposes is also allowed (ex: This illegal drug has many side effects.) Any talk of illegal or prescription drugs in an un-tasteful manner is not allowed. (ex: Oh man. That -insert drug here- was so good. I got so wasted last night.) | ||||
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10. Sexual Content | |||
| Sexual slang is not to be heard at all in a sexual context, and minimally in general. Do not be graphic. "Cybering" or "yiffing" (role-playing sexual acts) is to be kept to a whisper or private rooms. Mimicking sexual positions with your poses is also severely frowned upon, and is not allowed in public rooms. | ||||
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11. Private Rooms | |||
| In your room, be it temporary or permanent, you are your own Alpha, and you can pick your own rating and you can kick out whoever you want for whatever reason. In someone else's room, you are subject to their laws. If you don't like someone's rules in their room, just go somewhere else. If they are violating one of the special consequence rules, such as a death threat, a hack threat, or propositioning a minor, you should report the violation to an Administrator immediately. | ||||
| C. Other | ||||
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12. Role-Playing | |||
| Unlike on Wolfhome, it is okay to role play on Cats Paw Island, but do not assume everyone wants to RP with you. Asking people repeatedly "Will you be my mate, join my clan, etc?" constitutes harassment; talking with your mate quietly about your clan and adventures is fine. Do not bother other people and they shouldn't bother you. Please refrain from roleplay if it is clear that the other person is not interested. | ||||
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13. Art Theft | |||
| Please see the Art FAQ for further explanation. Art Theft is taken very seriously on Cats Paw Island. This includes using a pose on this chat when the artist has made it public they do not wish their work to be used here, modifying poses that the artist has asked not to be messed with, uploading work that is not your own without the artist's permission, and more. If you ever have a question regarding the rights of a pose, please contact a member of the Art Staff. | ||||
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14. Multiple Accounts | |||
| Multiple accounts in the same room are not allowed. One to two free accounts per person. If you pay for them, that is a different story. You can pay for as many as you want. Different family members may have their own account, but we will find out if you lie, and refusals to remove your other accounts from the chat, or refusing to delete some accounts if you have an excessive amount, can result in a ban. | ||||
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15. Disturbing the Peace | |||
| Generally, "Disturbing the Peace" might mean many things, but on Cats Paw Island it means behaving in ways that are deliberately upsetting or unsettling to people within the community, deliberately causing emotional grief, or trauma. Now, this may not be a crime, but it is taken very seriously here. An example of "disturbing the peace" would be faked reports of deaths, suicides, car accidents, abductions, etc. So, don't go around telling deliberate lies in order to cause commotion. Not only is it rude, it may also get you banned. | ||||
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16. Links to Inappropriate Content | |||
| As a service to our users, the Cats Paw Island chat software automatically converts web addresses that are typed in as "speech" into clickable links. These web links open up a new browser window and display the content found at that web address. These links are typically for sites that are external to this website and are thus not under the control of wunderwood LLC. Please note that wunderwood LLC is not responsible for any content displayed when a link takes you to an external website. Furthermore, any user who enters a link to a page with explicit sexual, violent or racist content, or to a "shock site", or a site that opens multiple windows repeatedly to force a user to restart the computer, or to any other site that is considered offensive in nature, will be permanently banned without warning. This rule applies in both PUBLIC and PRIVATE rooms. If you have any doubts about a particular link, DO NOT POST IT ON THIS SITE. | ||||
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Feedback & Problem Solving Strategies | |||
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Feedback is always welcome! All we ask is that you be polite and
respectful, and we love it especially when solutions are suggested along
with a problem. The Administration is trying to make sure everyone has a
pleasant chatting experience, and the decisions we make are always made
with the users' best interest in mind. The users do not vote or have an
official say in the making of rules, but I can promise you that your
feedback weighs in heavily on our decisions and we need that feedback in
order to know what you want and how you feel about things. ALL ban lengths mentioned in the above sections are non-negotiable. Each incident that falls under those categories are all treated the same, no matter how simple or extravagant the incident may have been. These rules are subject to change, with or without notice. While we will make an attempt to notify of changes (via the forum or login page), we cannot guarantee notification. It is your responsibility to check for updates. |
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| D. Problem Solving Strategies for Cats Paw Island (by Underdog) | ||||
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"I want to take a minute to explain how I expect members of Cats Paw Island to approach problems with another user, whether that other user is a
Subordinate, Gamma, Beta or Alpha... The goal is to try and keep the
public forums clear of the acrimony that plagued the previous two
incarnations of Cats Paw Island. I want to make these suggestions: "1. When you have a problem with some other user, first you need to send a message to that person explaining yourself. Avoid sarcasm or other things that would add more "heat than light". State your case plainly and politely. If someone has done you an injustice, make it clear why you feel that way, but do not make things more complicated by attacking back. Resist the temptation to "tell them off". Try to resolve the problem in a private message. "2. If you are unable to resolve the problem by working directly with the other person, you should escalate it to someone of higher rank. So, for example, if you are a Subordinate and you are having problems with another Subordinate, send a private message to a Gamma about it, or speak with them privately. "3. If escalating to the next level doesn't work, continue to escalate. There's no reason why you have to go through each level, but try to if you can. If all else fails, please do not hesitate to contact me (or another Alpha) directly about problems with an administrator. Be aware that I want to think highly of my team, but that doesn't mean that they are infallible. "4. The main goal is to try to resolve problems without turning it into a public argument. For what it's worth, any time that I see a PUBLIC discussion of some problem that should have been handled in PRIVATE, I tend to be strongly biased against the public debate. So, it serves your purpose to avoid airing "dirty laundry" in public. This means, be discreet and private. PM the Alphas, rather than post a negative topic. "5. If all else fails, and you have moved up the ladder and STILL don't have a fair resolution, then by all means you are free to take it public. You could have done it all along, of course. But keep in mind that I am not going to cave in to mob rule. I am the Alpha at Cats Paw Island. What I say is final. I want to keep people happy, but I am going to do what I feel is right, regardless of any public vote. "I believe that one of the root causes of the collapse of the previous two incarnations of Cats Paw Island had to do with arguments on public forums. I do not want to eliminate those, but I want them to be a last resort. Thanks for helping me reach that goal." ===underdog=== |
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| Thank you for participating in our site and happy chatting! | ||||
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