FTO Main [SFW] Chat Rules
- We don't allow any illegal content (pictures, video, or audio) in any of our chats. What constitutes *legal* is up to administrative discretion. Most of our administrators are based in the United States.
- No profile pictures with fire arms present will be allowed in this chat. This creates an unsafe environment for some of our members, and we have decided to err on the side of caution. Fontana Village also does not allow firearms to be present.
- Hyperlinks, Advertisement and Solicitation
- Hyperlinks to other chats and channels must be pre-approved by an admin (unless the chat referenced is already linked in the chat's description or a pinned message).
- Hyperlinks to external websites (e.g. YouTube, Furaffinity, Twitter, ...) are allowed provided that they do not link to content that violates any of the chat rules.
- FTO is independent of any NC furry organization. Our members appreciate this independence and so we have made the choice to not allow advertisements for other cons, organizations or groups.
- Any personal adverts for art or services must be cleared with an admin BEFORE they can be posted in the chat. Repeat violations of this rule will result in suspension.
- No Solicitation allowed. This includes asking for free art or services. Solicitations for assistance must be cleared by an admin before they are posted.
- This is an SFW chat. All participants are expected to conduct themselves accordingly. All content and chats must be PG-13 or less. Please refrain from using profanity, sharing pornography or violent imagery, actual or descriptors.
- This goes without saying, but as with any other Telegram chat, you can be removed or restricted for any reason. Administrators will use discretion in making decisions and the FTO staff as a whole will generally stand behind those decisions even if another administrator disagrees. Consider this equivalent to a "don't be a dick" rule or other general requirement to uphold common courtesy.
- Do not contact an admin because you didn't get the answer you like from the first one you contacted. All reports/complaints/incidents are shared with all admins and any attempt to circumvent or manipulate our process or the initial admin's decision by contacting multiple admins for the same issue will not be looked fondly upon.
- Our primary goals are the safety of the users in our chats, and ensuring the chats are free from spam, irrelevant shock content, advertisements, and personal disputes. We are not here to micromanage people's interpersonal relationships or feelings. We typically do not get involved unless we deem that a member poses a direct safety risk to the members of our chats (either physically or through some other means such as doxing, death threats, etc.).
If you feel your complaint falls into this category please preface it with as much objective evidence as possible, including all possible context (entire conversations, not just snippets) that show the problem behavior. Please forward all Telegram messages; we rarely will review screenshots (esp. screenshots taken by others, screenshots of screenshots, or anything that does not definitively identify the user in question). We typically decline to review personal messages resulting from or related to personal relationships. - We have a zero tolerance policy for cancel culture and/or bans being used as weapons in personal disputes; if we believe you are making a report to us for the sole purpose of attacking, silencing, or harassing the individual you are reporting, and your report to us has no other merit (i.e. the individual didn't actually break any rules), we will notify the individual(s) of your report for the sake of transparency and to maintain impartiality.
- The FTO chat is not a place to debate or discuss politics, religion, social justice or other social movements. We also do not sponsor, support or condone any political or social movement. There are many impressionable minds here along with those who wish to just escape from these things so please keep them out of the chat. We have zero toleration for socially/politically fueled hate content. Anyone actively participating in such content is subject to a ban from all FTO chats.
- No backseat moderation. If you need an admin, please contact one of the ones listed in the members list.
- You should read the chat description and any pinned topics before participating.
- We do not air our dirty laundry; we typically do not notify the chat when/why someone was banned, and more often than not we choose to mute rule breakers rather than banning them (for a multitude of technical and behavioral reasons). Just because you still see someone in the chat does not mean they have not been dealt with!
- Ignorance of the rules is no excuse
- All chat members must have the following on their chat profile:
- A photo or art profile pic (no generic gifs or emojis)
- A username or handle (@example)
- Some sort of profile description. It doesn't have to be much, just something.