OCMB FAQ

[admin]

Sometimes people get lost, confused or distracted. They don't understand where they are or what they are supposed to do there. While their intentions might be the best, their eagerness or emotions can lead them astray creating more harm than good. This is to remind them where they are, and also to guide the newcomers to OCMB.

• "What is OCMB?"
  
• "I've registered, why can't I get in?"
  
• "Why did you create OCMB?"
  
• "What are the rules on OCMB?"
  
• "I don't like the way you moderate this board!"
  
• "What is the Guestbook for?"
  
• "Is there a delivery guarantee?"
  
• "Where can I find help and tips?"
  
• "What is Operation Clambake?"
  
• "What is FAQ?"
  
• "How do I post?"
  
• "How do I format the text in a post?"
  
• "Can I be anonymous?"
  
• "Why all the strange and angry posts?"
  
• "Can I contribute or help?"
  

"What is OCMB?"

OCMB stands for Operation Clambake Message Board. OCMB is a free and open service provided by the creator of Operation Clambake. This message board was created to offer a friendly and safe place to meet others and discuss subjects related to the Church of Scientology.

What you do elsewhere is none of my business, but you should consider OCMB as neutral ground. If you can't hold back on personal attacks then do so somewhere else.

"I've registered, why can't I get in?"

This message board is receiving a lot of very malicious attacks. Because of this we are forced to not allow new accounts in long periods. We apologise for this and wished, like you, we didn't have to. Your application for an account is archived and you will be notified when we are ready to open for new accounts. You can still read the board (and you should anyhow lurk before posting). Please look here for other places to go while you wait for your account to be enabled.

"Why did you create OCMB?"

A lot of people contact me, especially friends and family of Scientologists and Scientologists trying to get out of the cult. I try to help as best I can, but it is limited due to my resources and the fact that I have never been a Scientologist myself. To be able to offer more help I set up a list of volunteers that were willing to talk to others. This didn't work so good.

I tried to tell people to go to the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology, but many got lost or were treated really bad there. That was why I created OCMB. To give all the people who contact me a place to come, to communicate and feel safe as they work through the problems they have.

Anybody who believes OCMB should be anything else (their private battleground or whatever) can go and create their own message board with their own money.

"What are the rules on OCMB?"

This message board has very simple rules:

• You are to behave polite and friendly here (just adding a lot of smilies is not enough). Use netiquette.
  
• When writing your messages, please use the same courtesy that you would show when speaking face-to-face with someone. Flames, insults, and personal attacks will not be tolerated. It's fine to disagree strongly with opinions, ideas, and facts, but always with respect for the other person. Great minds do not always think alike.
  
• Don't publish private messages without approval from all involved.
  
• We promote one of the most difficult "martial arts": BYT - Bite Your Tongue. It is easy to snap back at someone, but much more effective to rise above them.
  
• If what you have to say is not constructive and positive, then there are many other places on the 'Net for you to post it. Or you BYT.
  
• There is a zero tolernance policy on threats or promotion of violence, against people on the board or outside. Even if it was intended as a joke.
  
• Post your own original words and don't forward text you can easily link to. Make a web page and link to that in your post if you need to repeat something - or if what you feel you must say is not suited for OCMB.
  
• Don't feed those who are here to distract and destroy the friendly discussion. Learn to notice who these are instead!
  

The board is reactively moderated by the Administrator. Based on what is found or is notified about, the default procedure is:

1. A complaint must be sent to the Administrator no later than one week after the post was posted. The complaint must contain proper reference and/or link to the text it refers to.
   
2. A thread that goes off topic or turns nasty might be closed and/or (re)moved.
   
3. If the Administrator considers a post to breach the rules of this board then he may issue a public warning to the poster, and the second time disable access for the poster for minimum two weeks. Newcomers or very bad breaches may not be warned or get a second chance.
   
4. After two weeks the user can apply for the account to be opened again..
   
5. It is no excuse what lead up to the post in question, it is absolutely no excuse that others were worse than you. Everybody is alone responsible for their behaviour.
   

Please direct all debate related to the moderation of OCMB to the topic "System >> Feedback & Help". Thank you for your understanding and support.

"I don't like the way you moderate this board!"

A few get very angry at me because of what they believe is unfair treatment on OCMB. Please read one of my many posts trying to explain the situation.

"What is the Guestbook for?"

The Guestbook is not for debates or replies, it is only for short greetings from unregistered visitors. Anything else will be deleted without notice.

Register an account and go to the other topics to debate and ask questions.

"Is there a delivery guarantee?"

OCMB is run on a voluntarely basis by the Administrator at his personal cost. He reserves the right to close, take down or remove the whole or parts of the board without notice.

You should also be aware that there is no guarantee that your posts or names will be removed if you request so in the future. What you post to OCMB is released to the public domain. When posting anywhere on the Internet you must keep in mind that it most likely is publicly recorded for the future.

"Where can I find help and tips?"

Go to the OCMB Announcements. If you need more help please post to the topic System >> Feedback & Help. There is also a separate topic for testing.

"What is Operation Clambake?"

Operation Clambake is a web site with critical information about the Church of Scientology. Please read the Operation Clambake FAQ.

"What is FAQ?"

FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions.

"How do I post?"

You need to register an account here first. To register an account you need to provide a valid e-mail address. You do not need to register if you only want to read.

Due to spammers and agents from the cult trying to sabotage this board I have a screening process for all new users. This is manual and takes some time since there is a backlog. If you hear nothing within a month or two please write to the admin.

I have a huge backlog of applications to join OCMB! This has to take time in order to sort out all the fakes. I'm doing this manually and in my spare time. Making the approval period extra long also helps to weed out more with the wrong agenda. I also don't want OCMB to become too big as it will become a more important target and it would demand way more maintenance than I am able to provide. Go to alt.religion.scientology if you need to post immediately.

I also get a lot of e-mails and many think theirs are the most important. I however need to prioritize people with serious needs and reporters etc. Not applications to a tiny message board. Sorry, I don't mean to be rude.

"How do I format the text in a post?"

Instructions on how to format text is found here.

"Can I be anonymous?"

On the board, yes. The Administrator however, will know your e-mail address and IP address. Read more about anonymity on the 'Net here.

Be aware that the cult monitors everything posted here.

"Why all the strange and angry posts?"

The cult and individual cult apologists will always try to distract or disturb any critical debate. One way of doing so is to make pretend they are critics. They are also here on OCMB so you should not take any claims for granted. Be truly sceptical and measure people on what they actually contribute and not only on what they write or claim. Be extra cautious if you see people trying to distract the debate by soliciting ad hominem attacks or promote off topic subjects.

Also, learn how to handle Internet Trolls.

"Can I contribute or help?"

Yes, there are many ways to help fight this and other cults. Check out this page.

It is also a great help if you manage not to reply to the ones who attempt to distract the debate here on OCMB. Thank you.


Last update: 11.08.2008 (prev. 25.01.2007). May be changed without notice.