User Submitted Content

There is no charge for joining this Forum. We do insist that you abide by the rules and policies detailed below. If you agree to the terms, please check the ‘I agree’ checkbox and press the ‘Register’ button on the registration page. We do not delete accounts once they are activated.

This is a community of Filipinos, expats and tourists, both experienced and inexperienced. Your behavior here, and ours, can be summed up in 4 words: “Mi casa, su casa” (my house is your house). The Dumaguete Info Forums is a place where it’s okay to be yourself as long as you always act with respect for your fellow members as well as the Dumaguete Info staff. Our goal will be to treat our members as we would wish to be treated in their homes. In return, we ask that you act here as you wish for your own members to act in your home. You are not expected to leave your personality at the door. There are going to be topics and discussions that will have heated debates. Please think before you post and re-read what you type before you post it. Keep your comments limited to the debate at hand and do not make this a personal issue between you and another member.

There is tremendous diversity in age, race, gender, language, location (worldwide) and more here and there will be a lot of varying opinions on different subjects. We’re all human beings and we’re all drawn to this site because we have a common bond as Filipinos, expats and tourists living in or visiting Dumaguete. We will willingly listen to your suggestions and complaints, and try to incorporate your ideas into the Board.

If you come across any violations to these guidelines or have any problems navigating the site, do not hesitate to let us know through the Dumaguete Info Contact Form. We’ll be happy to address your concerns. Here at the Dumaguete Info we encourage everyone to participate in and enjoy the Community while at the same time adhering to these Guidelines:

Be Welcoming!

When newcomers arrive, welcome them to our growing community. Many of our community’s senior members are a wealth of knowledge and have much to share. Help new members learn about how to find information and resources, save time, and how to get involved in the Community.

Be Courteous!

Don’t attack others. Personal attacks on others will not be tolerated. Challenge others’ points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully … without insult and personal attack.

Be Cautious!

Think before you post or speak: Do you really want to put your address or telephone number on a public discussion forum? We encourage you to keep personal information personal.

In the same vein, do not ask for personal information from others. Discussion forum posts that request members to submit personal information to another party will be removed. Information that should be considered personal includes but is not limited to your home phone number, name, and age. If you must give this out for any reason, please do so privately.

Be Forthcoming!

Please identify all potential conflicts of interest clearly. If you are commenting on an issue or product that you have a financial interest in, you should identify this relationship.

Be Appropriate!

There may be places where explicit, obscene or vulgar language, graphics or behavior is appropriate however Dumaguete Info is not one of those places. Posts containing explicit, obscene or vulgar language will be removed. Similarly, posts that solicit or offer explicit or X-rated GIFs, JPEGs or similar content files will be deleted without notice! Links to Websites with adult content/images anywhere on the site will be removed. Simply put, we do not wish to be seen as supporting any site that contains adult content – adult content being defined as any material that you would not feel comfortable showing to your spouse, your teenagers, or your boss and co-workers. In other words, anything which is “NWS” (not work safe). This represents our values and our desire to appeal to the widest possible audience not to mention keeping clear of any restrictions that our present or future advertisers might have regarding acceptable content.

Be Ethical!

The Dumaguete Info website: resources, articles and discussions are based on basic, appropriate professional ethical behavior. Unethical behavior: use of other admin’s member lists for PM invites, email invites, spamming, warez, license sharing, and other illegal activities are completely inappropriate and will result in the loss of membership at Dumaguete Info.

Be Nice!

Dumaugete Info is a community and our members are our primary resource. Please play nicely with others whether you agree with them or not. Don’t taunt or otherwise bully your fellow community members! This includes posts, profile comments, PC’s, and post ratings. Anyone who uses such means to torment another member will find their ability to post, comment, PC, and/or rate posts curtailed, temporarily or permanently.

Signature Guidelines

  • The maximum font size allowed in signature lines is 2.
  • The maximum number of lines in a signature is 3.
  • The maximum number of links or URLs in a signature is 2.
  • No images allowed in signatures except for a maximum of 4 Dumaguete Info smilies.
  • Signature text should comply with our regular posting rules. No all-caps, no alternating caps, etc..
  • Signature links can not be bought and sold!
  • You may include only links to your own sites.
  • Signature text that is too long or obtrusive will be removed. This would include overly creative use of punctuation, color, etc. which make the signature too flashy.
  • Signatures with just your username will be removed. Usernames are on the top of every post, so there’s no need to have it in your signature too.
  • No affiliate links!
  • Links to other Communities may not include referral ID’s.

If your signature is in violation of any of these new rules, the Staff may remove it without prior notice. If you have any questions as to whether something is acceptable, please PM a Staff Member.

No Cross-Posting

Do not post the same discussion more than once on a discussion forum or on many forums. Duplicate discussions are frustrating and counterproductive for other members, especially for those whose time and energy is limited. Duplicate discussions will be deleted.

No Advertising – Spam

Do not heedlessly place your advertisements through the Discussion Forums. This will be considered SPAM and could result in the loss of your Dumaguete Info Community Membership. Affiliate links are not allowed within the forums. If you wish to promote a particular program then promote the program not your own affiliate tie with it.

Do not create an account on the forum with a username that is the same as business’ name. This will be considered as unauthorized advertising and could result in the of your Dumaguete Info Community Membership. Violators of this rule will be offered a chance by an administrator or moderator to provide an alternate username to be placed on the account. Failure to reply to this request in a reasonable amount of time will result in the violating account being permanently deleted from the forum.

Business Listings and Promotional Sections

Dumaguete Info does offer local businesses a place to list and promote their businesses on the website. Business owners are allowed to create one (1) Review Listing per business in this review section of the website. Please understand that this section is a review section and users may leave comments, reviews and criticism, both positive and negative. It is possible that you will receive negative comments and reviews from people who have visited your business. If this type of environment does not suite you or your business model please do not post in this section.

All business listings and promotional posts must be made within the review Pages. Any business or person listing or posting promotional material outside of this section will be considered to be in violation of the “No Advertising – Spam” forum rule and the offending posts will be permanently removed without notice to the poster. Repeated offenses may result in moderator warnings being issued and/or loss of access to the entire website.

Businesses are allowed to make one (1) promotional post to their review listing every 30 days.

Note: Once a business is posted in the Review Pages it is very unlikely you will be able to have it removed.

No Abuse of the Review Section

User reviews and business replies should follow a few simple rules:

Members:

  • If you have not personally visited a restaurant/business do not critique/review a business owner’s business, food or practices. Questions and requesting more information to be posted is fine but criticism should only be made from first hand experience.
  • If you are leaving a negative review of a business make sure that you are constructive with your criticism and inform the business owner how you feel they could improve their establishment.
  • If there is a conflict of interest or direct competition between you and a business do not leave negative reviews on your rival’s review page. This is unethical and will not be tolerated on the forum.
  • Do no leave false or malicious reviews.

Businesses:

  • Business owners replying to reviews and experiences (both positive and negative) must do so in a professional and courteous manner.
  • Understand that you cannot make all of your customers all of the time. Do not take negative reviews personal.
  • If you believe that a review is false, malicious or in bad taste bring it to the attention of a moderator or administrator and explain your position. Do not attempt to resolve the issue on your own.

The review sections are meant to offer an environment for business owners to help show the community that they are there and offer a bit of free advertising and promotion. It also provides a way for customers to share their experiences at these businesses so that others may determine if the business is a place they might like to visit. Note that the “Be Nice”, “Be Courteous” and “Be Forthcoming” rules apply to this section of the website as well.

No Abuse of Dumaguete Info messaging systems (PMs, IMs and email)

Personal Messaging is provided to the members of the Dumaguete Info as a service intended to enhance the Community experience. The purpose of personal messaging is to allow for discreet conversations to take place between members. This privilege is not to be abused! Solicitation, spamming, or harassment of any kind is strictly forbidden. Any member receiving an inappropriate personal message should forward that message to an Administrator or Moderator right away. Although PM’s are normally only accessible by those who send and receive them, they are part of the database and as such, property of Dumaguete Info. An Administrator, if so inclined, could locate the Private Messages in the database and read them. They are private, but not necessarily secret. In addition, Private Messages are not intended to deprive the Community of valuable information or experiences which could benefit the entire group. Please do not use private messages if the content of the message can be helpful to others.