Quite frankly, I think the terms conservative and liberal are wholly reflective terms: politically, they define a stance only in relation to another stance. I used the term in my question, however, because most people on this site would identify as a "conservative" vice a "liberal," or a "republican" or "libertarian" vice a "democrat" or a "socialist," etc.Most people here, I think (I guess, I estimate) would claim the reflective point about which they use the term would be the ideology of the Revolution, the Founding Fathers. It's easy to see the differences in terms when you think of it that way: liberals are more likely to stray from conservatives, in that they are more likely to stray from the ideals of the Revolution than are conservatives. This, in any event, is how I define my conservatism: in keeping with the ideals of the Revolution.
Conservatives do not define their position based on individual rights and individual liberties, even though those exist under reasonable restrictions imposed by society. Individual rights and liberties uber alles is a position taken by libertarians, classical liberals, and objectivists.
Okay, then: how do you define your conservatism?
Based on our conversation, I would say that "my" conservatism would be your classic liberalism tempered by reason and the good of society.
I understand that "reason" and "good" are a nebulous concepts, but it's the best I can do.