Community Guidelines

[bu]Welcome to the FKA Community Conducts Page!

Since FKA Staff wants to make this Amino a safe place for everyone and our aquatic friends, we encourage all members to have a fun time here, but as always, there are guidelines for everyone to follow to keep this community running well. These guidelines will be enforced by the FKA Staff.

[i]If you have a question or concern relating to these guidelines, then please contact a FKA leader or curator by private chat message.

[u]Guideline Violators.

For most guidelines that have been violated, a FKA leader or curator will offer a first warning. If a member continues to violate guidelines, a strike will be given for each applicable offense. After the third strike, we will automatically ban the member from our community. All guidelines have extremes. That being said, if you are in violation of certain circumstances, the leadership may find it a bannable offense at any time. This is reserved for leadership to maintain a peaceful and positive community. Some guidelines have their own specific consequences which will be explained within their own section. If a guideline does not specify a consequence, refer to this section.

[u]Flags.

If you see violations to our community guidelines, please flag the content (adding a note explaining why you flagged the content also helps). The FKA team prefers this over you privately messaging FKA staff about every violation, dealing with it yourself or ignoring it. Also, this can help FKA staff moderate the Amino better since we are not always able to catch every incident that happens.
If you are being regularly bullied/harassed/threatened or need help from FKA staff immediately due to guideline violations, please screenshot evidence of the issue(s) and message either a FKA leader, curator or peace-walker to explain the issue. Further discussion/consequence(s) will take place.

[u]What specimens (animals) are allowed here?

What we allow as fishkeeping on FKA is anything from keeping aquatic to semi-aquatic specimens: fish, mollusks, crustaceans, reptiles, herps, plants etc. Any specimens kept should also be legal to own. If you are unsure if your specimen is not allowed, please contact FKA staff for clarification.

[u]This Amino is about fishkeeping rather than fishing.

If we come across content that relates to the fishing hobby/sport, it is deleted immediately and you will be informed why. This also applies for an unsuitable avatar (profile picture) showing you with a caught, dead fish (even if it is still alive and is put back into water) as it can be misinterpreted as well as count as off-topic. If behavior repeats or change is not made within 24 hours of the first warning, the user will be banned.

[u]Appropriate Behavior.

This is a community devoted to the hobby of fish keeping and the help and support of people in the hobby. All members of this Amino are held to a standard of decency between members and their interactions. Be kind, listen first and judge last, help and support each other. Anyone seen as destructive to the group will first be addressed and subsequently reviewed for ban from the group if they cannot hold a standard of decency between members.

[u]Impersonating Users

To prevent confusion, the FKA team asks that you do not share a similar name to other users within the Amino. If it is too similar, you will be asked to change said name. If the violator does not comply, appropriate punishment will be issued by FKA staff.

[u]Medical Advice.

Due to wanting to ensure the health and safety of our animals, FKA staff wants any medical related subject occurring in public chats to be reported to our [Fish Hospital And Emergency Room|https://aminoapps.com/c/fish_amino/page/chat-thread/fish-hospital-and-emergency-room/0b2r_E8uxsKx8qL3pQDqxjPW7EXXEW81ne]. If we find a user recommending inaccurate advice, they will be privately messaged why we find their recommendations wrong and ask that you either stop recommending or recommend them to a more advance member. If you have not successfully cured this disease personally, your recommended cures are a theory only and many situations require a more hands on experience to help cure. With what has been said, please wait for someone or privately message someone you know who can help in these circumstances. That will be of more help than answering and potentially killing an animal with bad information. Offenses to wrong advice vary on the circumstance thus will result in appropriate action given by the FKA Staff such as strikes or bans.

The FKA team also has an [Academic Illness Chat|https://aminoapps.com/c/fish_amino/page/chat-thread/academic-illness-chat/M4lE_r5FJsaEpqnRY06eK7avQP47nElQRg]. This is not to be confused for our Hospital and Emergency Room as the Academic Illness chat is purely for discussion on various medical topics rather than addressing how to cure/help someone's animal.

[u]Impeding Advice/Conversations.

To ensure users get the needed help on topics, FKA staff wants to ensure our chats and comments remain helpful and fun. If a user interrupts a conversation, for example, by showing off their new fish when someone is trying to figure out how to cycle their tank, this would be rude and impede advice. Also, when giving advice, please do not let it impede someone else that is actively taking on the task of addressing that member.

For example: If a user is addressing option A for how to care for a plant and another user recommends option B in an undermining way (complete opposite, no source to back up, etc.), then that would be considered impeding. If impeding behaviors occur, the violator may be asked (or privately messaged) to not be a part of the chat/conversation for a period of time (or until the issue/conversation is resolved). If violations exceed, it may be considered Harassment or Trolling (see related sections).

A helpful tip would be giving an opinion in a full paragraph or full statement instead of responding line by line (I know it’s hard, we all do it). That would be the most helpful way to weigh in on a topic if you feel so inclined.

[i]Thank you for reading this far. I know in this section there are many instances of violations and rules however this is a framework based on respect, accurate information and enjoyment for everyone involved. Most people adhere to this in general already but it is in the off instances that staff has to have a more hands on role in keeping the community to a certain standard. Thank you for being a part of this group and we look forward to seeing your experiences in the chats and blogs!

[u]Giving Advice.

Sometimes there will be content showing or saying that animals may be in inadequate conditions. As fishkeepers and FKA community members, we should strive for working together to share experiences and knowledge to help improve the life of our aquatic animals. Additionally, we should do it in a friendly and informative way to help others understand why we recommend the things we say. If applicable, add credible sources with your advice to further help back up anything you may claim. All these things will help make proper advice. However, if unsuitable behaviors (profanity, insulting, bashing, trolling, etc.) are added with advice, FKA staff will intervene with appropriate action.
[i]If you see violations to our FKA guidelines, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Receiving advice.

When receiving proper advice, please be mindful that most people are not purposefully trying to bash, abuse, insult, attack or generally bring personal harm to you. Most try to to give advice on proper fishkeeping to better and improve the life of the animals you keep. If you receive proper advice, please remain friendly and respecting.
[i]If you see violations to our FKA guidelines, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Ignoring Advice.

A user should not ignore proper advice that tries to address endangerment or abuse towards an animal. FKA does not want improper care to be misinterpreted nor promoted. Consequences of this violation will be determined by FKA leaders and curators depending on each circumstance.
[i]If you see violations to our FKA guidelines, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Harassment

The FKA Staff will not tolerate harassment, bullying or aggressive behavior of any extent. Anyone found bullying or acting inappropriate to another member will be under review immediately. Based on the severity of the infraction the member will face disciplinary action up to and including termination from the FKA group.

If this happens to you, please block the member then flag them to the team to let us review the member.

[u]Comments and Messages from FKA Staff.

If you receive a comment, message or any form of contact from a FKA Staff Member, you may not delete the content. Even if you may disagree with the comment/message, the team wants to ensure anyone who reads over the post/chat log can learn from the comment/message. If you think a comment/message must be deleted, contact a different leader or curator to explain why you think it should be deleted. Further discussion will take place to determine if deletion is applicable.

[u]Wrong Information.

If FKA staff sees information we think is wrong, we will respond with corrections, delete the comment/message (then privately message the violator why) or take further action if needed. Information that is curated or given by most FKA Staff is what we set as guidelines to ensure improper care/advice isn't endorsed. Of course, there's different ways to care for animals, but we do this to ensure we don't do it the wrong way.
[i]If you are unsure if your or someone else's recommendation/advice is correct or incorrect, please do not comment or feel free to message appropriate FKA staff for clarification. If you see violations to our FKA guidelines, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Plagiarism

If any information, picture, drawing, etc. that you do not own, you need to credit the source from which you found the content. Crediting Google, Pinterest, Facebook, a name of a site, etc. does not count. You must at least provide a link to the source from where the content comes from and/or state name of the artist/author. This ensures anyone who sees the content you post is able to find where you got it from, credit the original author/site when applicable and prevent yourself from committing plagiarism. Stating "not my picture", claiming work that is not yours as your own or not crediting content when asked to will result in the violator's content being disabled (and private message to explain why) with possible strikes or bans if applicable.
[i][Tap this to define plagiarism.|https://www.dictionary.com/browse/plagiarism] If you see violations to our FKA guidelines, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Advertising Spam.

FKA counts any advertising as spam unless the advertiser was given permission from FKA leaders or curators. This applies but is not limited to: social media (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook), asking for more followers/likes, and content that relates to selling (see next section).
[i]If you see violations to our FKA guidelines, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Selling Advertisements.

Sales posts, trade posts, and free service(s) announcements are not allowed in our community. We will disable any content that is in violation. FKA staff has agreed to enforce this guideline in order to create a safer environment for our members. According to the Amino Terms of Service, "Narvii shall not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as the result of any such dealings" and "are under no obligation to become involved." (Please refer to the Amino terms of service for full details).
[i]If you see violations to our FKA guidelines, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Information from other Aminos
FKA additionally does not support posts or comments made in other Aminos other than our Amino's curated content. If you would like to promote this type of information, please ask for permission from the FKA Staff.

[u]Off Topic Content.

Any content that does not relate to fishkeeping will be disabled and the violator will be informed.
[i]If you see violations to our FKA guidelines, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Face Reveal.

To protect your privacy as well as prevent off-topic content, blogs/chat messages/etc. that have content (such as selfies) that reveal your face should not be posted. If a face is revealed, FKA staff will inform the violator to remove the picture. If it is not removed within 24 hours, the content will be disabled. Face Reveals/Selfies may be used as profile pictures.
[i]If you see violations to our FKA guidelines, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Unsuitable Content.

Please be mindful of what content you post. Even if something is meant as a joke (such as a picture/gif of a betta in a vase), it could be misinterpreted. When posting content like this, please put it into the right context (such as "What not to keep fish in"). Other unsuitable content can include but not limited to: releasing captive fish to wild waters, putting pets in unsafe conditions (even if it's only for a joke), animal abuse, fishing (see section above), ranting posts (see next section), trolling (see section below), illegal activities (see section below) and anything else FKA Staff may find unsuitable. Again, we have this in place to try to prevent misinterpretation, promote safety to our animals and keep our community fun. If we see a post in violation, it will be disabled and the violator will be informed why.
[i]If you see violations to our FKA guidelines, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Ranting.

Ranting content includes but is not limited to venting about anyone being harsh, rude, or aggressive (this also includes but not limited to "I hate this community" and "I'll leave" posts). Ranting in this context is not allowed as it usually only causes unnecessary drama, counts as spam and considered off-topic/unsuitable content.
[i]If you see violations to our FKA guidelines or someone is bullying you, please refer to the "Flags" section.

[u]Trolling.

FKA will not accept any content we identify as trolling. Trolling is defined within this amino as a deliberate act of making random unsolicited and/or controversial comments on various internet forums with the intent to provoke an emotional knee jerk reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight or argument ([Urban Dictionary|https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trolling]). If we think any content counts as trolling, it will be disabled immediately and the violator will be messaged why. If an individual persists with these behaviors, there will be a review for harsher consequences including being banned from the amino.

[u]Illegal Actives.

In no way, shape or form will FKA associate with, condone nor accept activities deemed illegal. Due to our international variety of users, we ask that you be mindful of your and other's laws. Please do not recommend anything considered illegal. If you need help on finding local laws or are unsure of something, please message a FKA leader or curator.

[u]Chats.

Public Chatrooms are only allowed by leaders and curators to create. FKA Staff agreed upon this due to repeating chats that need frequent disabling to keep feed organized, moderating repeated chatrooms as well as helping out the community members by finding active chats more easily. If you cannot find a topic that a chat room does not exist for, feel more than free to recommend a Public Chatroom topic to appropriate FKA Staff. FKA's [Official General Chat|https://aminoapps.com/c/fish_amino/page/chat-thread/seines-crazy-official-general-chat/P12L_EdC8sdZr8EwN7l30Megd7YoYEQYXl] has a bio that states all of our current chatrooms or scroll through the Public Chatroom folder to see what interest you. If you're wanting to make a chat with friends, you are able to make private chatrooms to invite them to. Again, the FKA made this decision for easier moderation as well as help members find active, official chatrooms.

[u]Keep Chats on Topic.

Since we try to have a chat for every possible topic, please keep those chats on topic. For example: we do not want users talking about their new fish in the hospital chat when someone is trying to save their sick fish or talk about fish in the non-fish chat. We have different topics to keep things organized.

Also please be respectful in chats. If there is a direct discussion happening, jumping in on a completely different topic can be considered rude. Just remember to use basic respect and manners just like if you were in a group of friends.

[u]Informational Posts and Wiki's.

Please refer to FKA's [Wiki Guidelines|https://aminoapps.com/c/fish_amino/page/item/wiki-guidelines/wJZW_B4ipIp6MqYX3axKwdz5d10rNaJ1EL] to have an understanding of what we will and will not allow. Any information posts/wiki's that do not have credible sources to validate the content, bad grammar, hard to read presentation and other flaws will be given critiques by the FKA Staff (Revision Team). If corrections are not addressed within 24 hours, the content will be disabled and the violator will be informed.

[u]Personal Info

Basic internet stuff: don’t trust anyone you met with your full name, exact address, phone number, account information, credit card information, or any other identifying information.

It will help protect you from scams, bullying, or any other dangers.

If someone says they’re from Team Amino and they start asking you for personal information or your password, report the conversation. Team Amino will never do that.
[u]Copy and pasted from Animo Guidelines.

Note: If you ever wish to join an FKA teams, you will be asked to provide time zones. This ensures when we can expect you to be active.

[u]Libel.

FKA will not accept any form of libelous statements. While we support the freedom of speech regarding reviews/advice/knowledge, all information negative toward a company/brand/statement needs to be backed with proper sources and founded data when making a point or statement. Anything viewed as an attack on a product/company/user will not be supported by this group.

[ub]Amino Guidelines

Amino empowers anyone to connect with others around what they love. With that mission comes a responsibility to keep every Amino member safe and happy. So we went ahead and created a set of universal community guidelines that apply to every single Amino. Individual Amino community leaders can create their own additional rules, as long as they don’t conflict with ours. Make sure you check those out, too.

[u]Personal Info

Basic internet stuff: don’t trust anyone you met with your full name, exact address, phone number, account information, credit card information, or any other identifying information.

It will help protect you from scams, bullying, or any other dangers.

If someone says they’re from Team Amino and they start asking you for personal information or your password, report the conversation. Team Amino will never do that.

[u]Copyright & Intellectual Property

In general, if you post something, you should either own it or have gotten permission to post it. Don’t claim authorship over content that you didn’t create. Try creating something yourself instead. Join an art community to learn some tips.

[u]Harassment & Hate

Be kind. Communities are about people coming together because they share something in common. We take this behavior very seriously, and explicitly ban:

* Harassment

* Bullying

* Threatening

* Impersonating another member

* Intimidating another member

* Making inappropriate or unwanted requests for personal information or photos

If you feel harassed on Amino, we encourage you to block that user. Then take a breath and flag them for review. Lastly, take some time to compliment yourself, because you’re great.

[u]Bad Internet Stuff

We want everyone in an Amino community to enjoy the content & discussions they want. Some activities ruin that experience. Some examples:

* Super annoying, off-topic messages

* Pretty much any post, message, or comment aimed at sketchy money-making schemes

* Automated posting, messages, comments...or automated anything

* Making the same post, message, or comment over and over and over and over and over again (really, once is enough)

Sexual Content & NSFW

[u]We don’t allow sexually explicit imagery on Amino. How do we define sexual explict imagery? Like this:

* Nude imagery intended to arouse. This includes provocative displays of genitals, human or otherwise. We know it when we see it.

* Any sexualized images of yourself or other members. These are technically covered by the ^above^, but Amino’s no place for that.

Sexually explicit content, including text-based communication, is prohibited in public posts, chats, and other public areas of Listed Amino communities. Some communities have extra rules on this subject, so be sure to check with your community’s leaders if you are unsure of what’s allowed.

Amino allows certain Unlisted communities to discuss sexual themes and related topics, as long as they are set to unsearchable, and are private or require Leader approval to enter. These communities still can’t have any sexually explicit imagery. And, obviously, the rest of these guidelines apply to them, too.

[u]Self-Harm

Anything that promotes, glorifies, or encourages self-harm isn’t allowed on Amino. If it could intentionally physically, emotionally, or mentally harm an Amino community member, it has no place here.

If you see someone on Amino discussing harming themselves or others, let us know. And if you are going through something yourself, know you are not alone and that there are resources out there to help you through it.

[u]Other Kinds of Graphic/Gross Content

Pretty straightforward: don’t post gore or graphic violence to shock other members. In fact, don’t post it at all. Don’t post anything that depicts the mutilation, torture, harm, or threats to human beings, animals, or any thinking, feeling being. And don’t post anything that glorifies any of the above.

[u]Harm to Minors

Don’t post anything that encourages or glorifies any kind of sexual or suggestive activity with individuals under the age of 18. Be respectful of being young.