General Discussions Forum Rules & Guidelines

General Discussions is a forum that you've seen in almost every forum that is out there. I think it is the most common place where people can idle and share their thoughts. In our forum, General Discussions is a great place for self-guidance and self-improvement into conversations with others. By creating a topic in General Discussions you are inviting our community to engage with you in a conversation that you think they might find interesting. By doing so, we encourage you to put as much thought and care into the words you choose and whatever principle that helps you decide which conversations would be the most engaging to our community. Topics shortlisted here are moved to the "Shortlisted Narratives" sub-forum where conversations at Horizon are preserved and set as a theme of our community's social culture. We want the vibrations to echo into partnering sites and other communities so that more culture is emitted, and community is cultivated. We want our culture to be known so be the one who is most engaging by starting a conversation here!

General Discussions Forum Rules

1. Respect and Courtesy:
   - Treat all members with respect and courtesy.
   - No personal attacks, harassment, or discriminatory language.

2. Stay On Topic:
   - Ensure your posts are relevant to the forum's theme.
   - Avoid off-topic discussions.

3. Quality Content:
   - Strive to contribute meaningful and thoughtful content.
   - Avoid spam, low-effort posts, and repetitive content.

Shortlisted Narratives Subforum Rules

1. Engaging and Thought-Provoking Topics:
   - Post narratives that are engaging, thought-provoking, and have the potential for long-lasting discussions.
   - Examples include emerging technologies, ethical dilemmas in IT, and significant industry trends.

2. Well-Structured Posts:
   - Ensure your posts are well-structured with a clear title, introduction, body, and conclusion.
   - Use proper grammar and spelling.

3. Evidence and Sources:
   - Support your narratives with evidence, sources, or personal experiences.
   - Cite sources where applicable.

4. Encourage Discussion:
   - Pose questions or prompts to encourage discussion and engagement.
   - Respond to comments and foster a collaborative environment.

5. Moderation and Curation:
   - Moderators will review and curate the best narratives.
   - Exceptional posts will be pinned or highlighted.

Decision-Making Process for Starting Conversations

1. Visit the Forum:
   - Before starting a conversation in Horizon's chat or Discord, visit the "Shortlisted Narratives" subforum.

2. Select a Topic:
   - Choose a topic from the curated list of narratives.
   - Ensure the topic aligns with the current interests and trends in the community. You can use the pinned topics to be most certain that your conversation will align with our interests.

3. Start the Conversation:
   - Use the selected topic to start a conversation in Horizon's chat or Discord.
   - Reference the original post in the subforum to provide context.

This process will also help newer members align with our community's culture and vibe. We want more to understand who we are and what we are capable of. Therefore, doing so and following these guidelines will be a definite way to reaching our community goals.