AR-forum charter

AR-forum charter and FAQ

About AR-forum
What is AR-forum?
Who can subscribe to AR-forum?
Who is behind AR-forum?

List Moderation
Why and how is the list moderated?
What is the "Penalty Box"? / What is the ''Dog House''?
What are the posting rules?
Do you have any posting tips?
What kind of posts are considered inappropriate?
What if I have a question regarding list use?

Netiquette, List Policies
May I add AR-forum subscribers to my mailing list?
What should I know about copyright?

Subscribing, Unsubscribing, List Options
How do I subscribe?
How do I unsubscribe?
What are the subscription options?
Where is the AR-forum archive?

What is AR-forum?

AR-forum (formerly AR-vent) is a companion list to AR-talk. AR-talk is designed solely to identify, share, and accurately describe and categorize apologetics resources. AR-forum allows for extended discussion of those resources.

Specifically, AR-forum is designed to

explore why we hold that a particular author or source is categorized a certain way,
provide solid reasons for how a belief or category is defined,
determine what those beliefs and categories mean to the church, or to the person who holds those views, and/or
briefly note the merits, pro or con, of the viewpoints presented.

The difference between AR-talk and AR-forum is:

AR-talk — apologetics resources Q&A, find/share, no discussion (i.e., no interchange about a resource apart from efforts of identification and minor clarification)
AR-forum — discussion about apologetics resources along the lines of an extended thread which clarifies some point about a resource or involves qualifications about a resource

Responses of opinion must be limited to individual, brief posts. As soon as someone engages another in what constitutes a conflict of opinion and/or the defense of opinion, the line has been crossed and the people involved may find themselves in the read-only "dog house."

It is acceptable to briefly state personal views, preferably supported by third-party documentation, but the list may not be used as a soapbox. If someone offers supporting resources for their argument in their post, they cease to merely offer opinion and as a result have contributed to the value of the discussion much more than mere opinion.

The intent of our list policy is to limit ongoing debate. The token inclusion of resources merely to perpetuate the defense of one's position will not be viewed favorably. The AR-lists are to focus on apologetics resources and not issues discussion.

AR-forum is not a place to spar over or promote personal beliefs. The primary focus is on discussion of resources mentioned on AR-talk.

Examples

Who can subscribe to AR-forum?

Subscription to AR-forum is open to Christians and non-Christians alike. However, unlike AR-talk, there are two types of access to AR-forum: full and read-only.

Full:
Full access, including posting privileges, is granted to members of the list who are, in some sense, professionals or grad students in fields related to apologetics such as theology, philosophy, religion, and the social sciences; including, but not limited to educators, ministers, and specialized media representatives.

If you feel you qualify for AR-forum posting privileges, but do not clearly fit within the above description, please contact a list moderator: Steve Hogel (Shogel(at)midsouth.rr.com), Michael Hamblin (michaelh(at)ductape.net), and Rich Poll (richpoll(at)apologia.org)
The above e-mail addresses must be modified in order to work properly.
Change the "(at)" to "@" and it will work. This helps us avoid spam.

The revokation of AR-forum posting privileges is subject to the same criteria mentioned in the AR-talk charter.

Read-only:
All others will have "read-only" access. This means that you can follow all discussions, but will not be able to post. The subscriber limitations are necessary for reducing list traffic to levels that are acceptable by our target audience. We had previously operated with an open subscription policy. This eventually resulted in such high traffic that members of our target audience were leaving the list.

All subscription requests are subject to webmaster approval. All subscribers must agree to abide by the rules presented in this document.

It is critical that the reader understands AR-forum will include discussion of non-Christian and/or unorthodox resources as well as Christian resources. Therefore, let the reader beware — AR-forum is NOT the place for novice spiritual seekers.

Who is behind AR-forum?

AR-forum is operated by Apologia, publishers of Apologia Report - a weekly, electronic newsletter surveying new resources in Christian apologetics and the arena of competing worldviews.

Why and how is the list moderated?

AR-forum is moderated to maximize its efficiency and value to religion professionals.

The Moderator or individuals appointed by the Moderator will exercise the final word in all matters of dispute in the interest of maintaining the quality and focus of the list.

The judgement of the Moderator or individuals appointed by the Moderator will be final.

Failure to abide by the instruction of the Moderator or individuals appointed by the Moderator may constitute grounds for removal.

This charter may be modified as needed. Major revisions will be announced on the list.

What is the "Penalty Box"?

A subscriber who fails to abide by the rules for this list may, at the discretion of the moderator, be placed in "read-only" mode - our virtual "penalty box." Full access is restored only after an apology, and a commitment to improve one's behavior in using the list. Those who do not apologize may remain in the penalty box for an extended time determined on a case-by-case basis by the moderator. Repeated visits to the penalty box will result in longer suspensions, or in being dropped from the list.

After years of using the penalty box we have started to employ a less serious penalty measure that we call the "Dog House." While the application of the penalty box may involve public notice, the application of the dog house will not usually be announced and will not carry the same requirement for reinstatement. Both result in being reduced to read-only mode. However, to get out of the dog house no apology will be required, only an acknowledgement and a commitment to improve one's behavior in using the list. Those who do not acknowledge the penalty and commit to improve may remain in the dog house for an extended time determined on a case-by-case basis by the moderator. Repeated visits to the dog house will result in longer suspensions, or in being dropped from the list.

What are the posting rules?

Post are limited to 10k in size. Longer posts are rejected by the server.
6 posts a day, per person.
Unless specifically related to a discussion, posts requesting or identifying resources should be sent to AR-talk.

Do you have any posting tips?

Post URLs rather than lengthy quotes or entire articles.
Quote as little as possible from the message you reply to. Please do not include the entire original post that you are replying to at the end of your replies to the list. Make sure that your e-mail software has this feature disabled. Those who violate this rule may find themselves in the read-only dog house.
Keep your signature file short. Netiquette allows for no more than four lines.
Speak the truth in love. If you do not use courtesy in your posts, you may experience the penalty box.
Know when to agree to disagree. AR-forum will not entertain "it is so/it is not so" debates.

What kind of posts are inappropriate?

Anything not directly related to the purpose of the AR-forum list. If in doubt, contact the moderator.
Replies meant solely to say "Amen," "Attaboy," "I agree," "That was funny," or similar sentiments.
Replies that should be private (If someone asks for private input, make sure that person's email address is in the "to:" field of your reply)
Hoaxes, virus warnings, "Thoughts- Devotions- or Scriptures of the Day," prayer requests, jokes, etcetera.
Posts containing attachments, including .vcf files (electronic business cards).
Posts containing rich text, including HTML.
Posts lacking in courtesy. Ad hominem attacks.
It is always inappropriate to discuss the integrity of individuals or ministries here. At the same time, it is understood that discussion regarding the integrity of their work typically constitutes the heart of apologetic dialog. Those demonstrating an immature appreciation, or blatant disregard for the subtle differences here, will not be welcome on the AR-lists.

What if I have a question regarding list use?

Ask a moderator: Steve Hogel (Shogel(at)midsouth.rr.com), Michael Hamblin (michaelh(at)ductape.net), and Rich Poll (richpoll(at)apologia.org)
The above e-mail addresses must be modified in order to work properly.
Change the "(at)" to "@" and it will work. This helps us avoid spam.

May I add AR-lists subscribers to my mailing list?

No. Collecting e-mail addresses from the AR-lists for the purpose of mass mailing is forbidden and may be considered grounds for removal from both AR-talk and AR-forum.

What should I know about copyright?

With an interest in protecting their original content integrity, all posts to AR-forum become the property of Apologia, Post Office Box 63422, Colorado Springs, CO 80962.

However, unless otherwise noted, individual posts to AR-forum are considered public domain at the time of their release to the list. Subscribers are therefore free to reproduce individual posts sent to AR-forum without permission.

Collections of (or from) two or more sequential posts from any thread on AR-forum (in whole or in part) are intended for the private use of subscribers to the list and are not approved for circulation outside the list without permission.

How do I subscribe?

If you wish subscribe to AR-forum, click here to be taken to the subscription form ONLY if you agree to the entire contents of this charter document.

How do I unsubscribe?

To remove your address from the list, send a blank message with the subject line "unsubscribe" to: unsubarf(at)apologia.org
The above e-mail address must be modified in order to work properly.
Change the "(at)" to "@" and it will work. This helps us avoid spam.

Where is the AR-forum archive?

We are working at making an archive available through LeaderU.com. No target date has been set.

Footnotes

A request is made on AR-talk for resources regarding a certain movement, doctrine or organization. Someone may suggest a recent book. In turn, someone else may point out that the author's viewpoints are seen by some as unorthodox. It is acceptable to succinctly document or disprove that fact on AR-talk (e.g. by referring to an interview in which the author clarifies his statements). However, discussion on why those views are considered orthodox or unorthodox should take place on AR-forum.
AR-talk is where resources are identified:
("Does anyone know where to find information about 'X'?" "Yes, see such-and-such article").

AR-forum is the place to discuss those resources:
("In the fifth paragraph, is the author correct when he says 'ABC?'")
Discussion on AR-forum should focus primarily on resources, not personal beliefs:
("Yes, the author's views are in line with expert 'Y's' conclusions as noted in such-and-such book" or "I believe the correct interpretation of John 1:1 is as discussed by professor 'X' in so-and-so magazine.")