Hood River Weather Chat Guidelines

The Hood River Weather chat room materialized out of nothingness (into something-ness) in December, 2008.   From Day One, the participants have been remarkably civil and polite, compared to a lot of other chat forums.   That's been very much appreciated, but it's probably useful to post some guidelines as to what the chat room is for, and which topics and/or behavior are off-limits.   This is an evolving document, and it's subject to revision and clarification as the need arises.  So, here's the guidelines:

1)  The Hood River Weather forum is intended to be a friendly, informational, non-confrontational space where people can discuss weather, recreation, local events, and most other items of local interest, as long as discussions stay civil and respectful.   However, subjects such as partisan politics, religion, and anything else that can (or does) turn into an shouting match, are strongly discouraged.  Posts that stretch that too much might be deleted and those users might be banned for a period of time.


2)  The weather forum is not a place to personally attack other people in the chat room, or to criticize/attack specific local people, companies, or public/private entities.   If you disagree with something, please phrase your comments in such a way as to not be attacking.  Simply provide another view, or a constructive suggestion, without criticizing the original comment or person that made the comment.   Also, if you have a complaint about a public or private entity or regulation, don't use the chat room for that.  Please contact those people directly.
  
In other words, be kind, considerate, and respectful, as you would like to be treated yourself.

3)  One of the biggest strengths of this forum is the ability to insert informational links.  Those doing so are encouraged to provide a few words explaining what the link is for; just providing the link without explanation can result in folks not clicking on it.

Along the same lines, it's suggested that comments be succinct and to the point; they are much more likely to be read that way.

4)  During times of interesting weather, especially when hazardous conditions are likely occurring, please keep comments mostly focused on the weather, road reports, and other public safety information.   Also, if reporting conditions at your location, please specify the general location.

5)  Thanks for following these guidelines!

Tending to chat rooms, and herding cats...