Community Guidelines

These rules apply to both public and private communications.

Stunt accounts and throwaway accounts are permissible especially in conjunction with Sites like Fapware.com where we encourage you to cloak your identity due to the sensitive nature of the Content and Products posted on the site. However, any accounts that are set up to be used for sock puppets, astroturfers, hackers and spammers are strictly verboten and will be automatically terminated if reported to us or we detect their existence ourselves. That said,

DO NOT create multiple accounts. Part of our objective in setting up the Elporia Marketplace is to create a community of users who possess and have an identity that other users can relate to. In other words, once you set up an account on one of our Sites, the same handle and login can be used on the other Sites that are associated with the Elporia Marketplace. Better yet, use a social media login.

DO NOT post, encourage or condone insulting, bullying, victim-blaming, racist, sexist, violent, or homophobic remarks.

DO NOT post insinuations about astroturfing, shilling, hoaxes, conspiracy theories and the like. It not only degrades discussion, but 9 times out of 10, you are most likely making assumptions that are unfair, it not, flat out wrong. If you are worried about abuse or may be the recipient of unacceptable overtures, contact us and after an investigation, we take remedial actions, if merited.

DO NOT engage in flamebait. Don’t introduce any topics that are bound to incite other Users unless, of course, you have something genuinely new and informative to say. Avoid unrelated controversies and please, refrain from going off on a tangent. It never ends well.

DO NOT complain that a User’s submission is inappropriate. If a comment or a reference is spam or off-topic, bring it to our attention and we will deal with it. No point putting yourself in the line of fire when we can take action on your behalf.

DO NOT use uppercase for emphasis. From a netiquette point of view, the use of all CAPS is the convention used to signal shouting – unless, of course, it is required by law and considered a legal convention, as in a document like a TOS Agreement which contains contractual obligations. If you want to emphasize a word or phrase, use boldface, italics or ***asterisks*** to grab a reader’s attention.

DO NOT post e-mail addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, URL-shortened links that obscure the target, porn, gore or anything another User might avoid if they knew ahead of time what they were being exposed to.

DO NOT make assumptions as to anyone’s mental state, race, gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, group affiliation or sexual orientation without corroboration.

DO NOT post material you do not have the right to post.

Stay on topic. Don’t hijack threads, repeat yourself, post walls of text, or generic talking points.

Constructive criticism is welcome. Hostile, whining, or nagging will NOT be tolerated and if you engage in that type of behavior, you risk having your fingers rapped.

Err on the side of being perceived as good, gentle and accommodating.

If you come across what you deem to be unacceptable comments or behavior, please bring it to our attention so we can deal with it pronto.

Avoid me-too’s, pandering and content-less comments.

We have the right to delete an account or content at any time for any reason. Therefore, for your own protection, remember to export your data right after making questionable or any comments that are considered in poor taste since such remarks might get you suspended or banned.

Be sure to read our Polices, in particular the Terms of Service and Privacy, to know what is and isn’t acceptable on the Elporia platform.

Bottom line:

Be reasonable. Whereas snarky and sarcastic might appear, on first blush, to be cool, in fact, that kind of behavior is counter-productive.

Assume good faith. Whereas you can never go wrong with comments that are amusing, ironic, witty and clever. Plus, anything funny and entertaining never goes out of style. We like a chuckle as much as the next person. Just don’t cross the line from what’s considered “in good taste” to what may be construed as “in bad taste.” It’s a fine line to be sure but one that needs to be respected if we are to remain a community of like-minded individuals and not a ragtag collection of trolls, assholes and creeps.

Start or engage in curious conversations; don’t cross-examine or be unreasonable. Comments should become more thoughtful, insightful and substantive, not less so, as a topic becomes more divisive and disagreeable.

No ad hominem attacks, ever! When commenting, please reply to the argument instead of resorting to name calling. For example, saying something like: “You’re an idiot. 3 + 3 is 6, not 9” can be rewritten to something simpler and less offensive: “3 + 3 is 6, not 9.” Alternatively, it’s not a good idea to remark on whether someone has read an article or possesses certain expertise. Writing something like: “Did you even read the article?” is bound to be inflammatory. A better approach would be say something like: “The article mentions . . .” or “The author refers to . . .”

Treat others the same way, you would like to be treated yourself. OTOH, if you are a sadist or masochist or a glutton for punishment, forget that and “just do right” by those individuals and any staff you come in contact with on the Elporia Marketplace.

Contact Us if you require any further clarification or assistance.