All members of the Moon Clan must follow these rules to the best of their ability. This includes all members: Honorary, Active and Elders. These Rules are mostly common sense, but we (the Elders) thought it best that we have a guideline to follow.

These Rules fall into three parts:

Online : which includes posting on message boards, guestbooks,  e-mail etiquette, etc.
Offline : which will mostly concern gatherings, visiting, phone calls, etc.  and
General : which is just as it says; anytime , anyplace, anywhere.

We'll start with General :  

Basics of Member Conduct in General :

Be Tactful when dealing with others. This includes anyone, not just your fellow Clan members.

Be Accepting of those around you. This includes anyone, regardless of their beliefs, race, conduct (just cause he's being an a## doesn't mean you have to) or any other factor. Acceptance is the first law of personal growth, and that's what we are about. Accept what you see as it is, and done expect it to change.

Be Respectful of everyone you meet. We should all respect others privacy, freedom(s) and beliefs at all times. Give them the same respect that you would want them to show you.

Be Patient with everyone. Not all people can understand your point of view, for it is yours, not necessarily theirs. Feel free to explain your point more than once if need be, but do it with the same kindness that you showed the first time.

Be Mature ! There is no room for name calling, slandering, hearsay, etc. in this family. It is not what we are about. If there is a problem, you will be expected to handle it as mature adults. If you can not handle that, find someone that can help you with it.

Be Helpful to your fellow Clan members to the best of your ability. If someone has a problem, be there to listen. They would do the same for you.

Be Honest. Do not tell people what they want to hear simply because you believe that it what they need. If you feel that they should be told that they are wrong, tell them so. There is always room for criticism, so long as it is constructive.

Act like a family ! We understand the we cannot agree on all things at all times, but we are a family nonetheless. These people are your siblings, nieces, nephews, etc. and they will be for as long as you consider them so. If you do not agree, then agree to disagree and leave it at that.

Do not "Recruit" others. While it is perfectly acceptable to tell others that they are welcome to join our family, it is ultimately their decision to do so. Offer the page address, and welcome them, but from that point on, let them make their own decisions.

Be Proud of your Faith and your Family. We are proud to have the members that we have, you should be proud to be one of us. This does not mean that you should announce that you are a member of the clan to everyone that you meet, but if asked, we would certainly think that you would admit to it.

Know your siblings ! Make an effort to get to know everyone on some level, however basic. Ask for some member info or call them in for a chat. Make everyone feel loved and accepted as they would for you. This is especially true for new members: they need to get to know you, and you need to get to know them... it doesn't matter who makes the effort first, you should both be trying.

BE YOURSELF ! We want you to be your own person. Don't try to impress anyone. There's no reason. Family is family, and we will accept you regardless. There is no room for multiple personas here... we wouldn't know who we were talking to...

Basics of Online Conduct :

Use your best judgment when posting on the pages of your fellow members, as well as any other pages you visit. We do not expect you to use your Clan name, not to state that you are in the Clan, that is your choice, but your language and context should reflect your personality. You should use the same tact on other pages that you are expected to use at all times.

When posting on OUR board, please make the topic relevant to the entire Clan. Keep a list of E-mail addresses so that you can send personal mail to folks, use the e-mail prompt on the board to send personal replies, or contact the person on ICQ if you need to speak to them directly. The board is meant for us to post issues that involve us all. If it does not involve the entire clan, there is no reason to inform the entire clan of it. Obviously, this does not extend to messages that report death, illness, extended absences, welcomes, etc. These concern us, as we are all concerned for our family. The main thing this entails is personal disagreements. If there is a problem with the content/context of a message (i.e. language) it will be erased and a reason will be posted in it's place. We will uphold your right to free speech, so long as you show respect for those who will be reading your messages.

If there is a personal disagreement within the Clan, please keep it there... likewise, if there is a disagreement outside the Clan, do not involve the entire Clan in it. There is no reason for any of us to take our problems outside the page into the chatrooms, or bring them from the chatrooms to the page.

When attending meetings, please refer to the list of rules for member meetings. There is a difference between a meeting, a chat, and an open discussion. Know the difference. Meetings are not called often, but when they are, you are expected to pay attention and keep the comments to a minimum.

Basics of Offline Conduct :

This should be pretty much common sense stuff, but I felt that I should get it out of the way now...

If you live close enough to visit another member of the Clan. We don't expect you to rearrange your schedule to do so, but it would be nice if you would. This does not, however mean that you should decide to visit one weekend and then show up on their doorstep with no warning. That would be rude and unacceptable. Certainly, we would expect you to call first and make plans.

If you make plans to visit someone, follow up on it. This means either showing up or calling if you cannot. Likewise, if you're going to be in that area anyway, at least try to call and make plans... then follow through... We understand that plans change, but don't leave them hanging.

If you do meet another member face to face whether it be at a Gathering or personally, we would expect you to be the same person that they met online. We understand that there will be some initial anxiety, but a complete change of persona would mean that the person was lying all along. We expect you to be yourself at all times. There shouldn't be any problem getting along offline if you get along online.

Extended Rules for Elder Conduct :

All Elders of the Moon Clan are expected to uphold and follow the Rules of Member Conduct. You are supposed to be an example for the other members of the Clan. If you cannot handle yourself in a tactful and respectful way towards others, how can we expect anyone else to do so.

With regard to your Duties towards the Clan, you are expected to keep up with those duties to the best of your ability. If you cannot perform those duties for some reason, it is up to you to find someone who can take charge of them until you are again able to do so.

With Regard to Elder Meetings you are expected to follow the rules of conduct for those meetings. Our meetings are meant to be serious. They are not meant to be used as free chat time or time to catch up with folks you haven't seen in a while... you should be in touch with them anyway! Comments are to be kept to a minimum.

Problems with Other Elders are to be dealt with in a mature fashion, and in private. If the Problem affects the entire Clan, any Elder may call a vote on it.

With regard to your Status as an Elder. You are not to "pull rank" over other members of the Clan at any time, but if there is a matter that concerns your position as an Elder, or the Clan as a whole and you, as an Elder have a way to take care of it, then you may post that you are an Elder and what your position as an Elder is. Do NOT, however post that you are an Elder after every message that you leave. You are no better than anyone else, you just have a greater responsibility towards the Clan as a whole.

When contacting other members for information, please give them adequate time to respond. If you do not see them online, there is a good chance that they are busy and have not had time to contact you. If you see them online, ask them if they have received your message, and ask for a reason as to why they have not replied. Do not demand that they reply immediately, but make sure they know of the importance of their response.

Note : This List is still under construction. If there is anything which need to be added in the future, it will be, and an updated version will be sent. As always, if you have any questions, comments or problems with this list, please send them to the Clan Administrator or Elder of your choice.