When you request to be on the #TCOT list by filling out the form on the Top Conservatives on Twitter website, you are signifying your agreement with the following four principles:

1. Conservatism 2. Collaboration 3. Constructive Dialogue 4. Community

When you are placed on the list, you are considered a member of the #TCOT Community. If you don't agree with these four principles, then don't submit a request to be on the list. By asking to "Get Added", you are asserting that you support these four principles.

You are considered to be a member of the #TCOT Community when your name appears on the list, or when you have asked to be added, and your appearance on the list is pending. We reserve the right to remove your name from the list if you publicly state you do not support these four principles, or, if your conduct indicates you do not support them

Use of the TCOT hashtag is free to anyone, whether conservative and a member of the #TCOT community, or conservative and not a member of the #TCOT community, or not a conservative at all.

#TCOT does not "own" the TCOT hashtag, however, we can recommend that our members follow a certain code of behavior while sending tweets with the TCOT hashtag. They are free to choose to follow that code if they wish.

The 4 C's of the #TCOT Community are:

1. Conservatism
2. Collaboration
3. Constructive Dialogue
4. Community

Here's what we mean by each of these 4 C's:

1. Conservatism -- We believe in the return to the concept of limited government in the United States. We support (1) limited government (2) free markets (3) individual liberty (4) a strong national defense. *

2. Collaboration -- We believe that advances in technology provide incredible opportunities for collaboration between like minded groups. We seek and respond to opportunities to collaborate with any conservative group or organization. Within #TCOT, we support collaborative efforts through the use of self organizing work groups based on the principles of Project Servant-Leadership. We believe that once hearts and minds are committed to a cause, time and treasure will follow.

3. Constructive Dialogue -- We believe in the power of ideas, and that coordial and direct dialogue, in which good manners complement good logic, will yield the best answers to problems. Constructive dialogue means we refrain from the use of profanity and personal attacks as best we can, and that we seek to understand the other side of a discussion first, and then seek to clearly communicate our side.

4. Community -- We believe that it is important to build the conservative community on Twitter, the internet, and within the populace of the United States of America. Community is built by engaging, including, and setting forth a positive vision of the future. We encourage positive action to solve problems, rather than negative criticisms that point out problems but offer no solutions.



Approved unanimously by all #TCOT PS-Ls on the January 8, 2009 Conference Call



* These four pillars of conservatism were four of the five pillars established at the formation of the Heritage Foundation almost three decades earlier. We are not affiliated with the Heritage Foundation, but we consider ourselves a grass roots extension of the policies they promote.

As the comments received from #TCOT members offered considerable uncertainty surrounding the fifth pillar of the Heritage Foundation, "traditional values,"" Operation Statement of Principles felt that at this time it was best not to include this particular pillar of conservatism in the #TCOT 4 C's. We anticipate, however, that some time in the future Operation Statement of Principles will make a recommendation to a future conference call of PS-Ls on whether or not to include a more precise definition of "traditional values" as a fifth pillar of the "Conservative C" of the 4 C's of #TCOT.

This Document is Revision 1.0
Dated January 8, 2009

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