New Forum Rules

[Matt]

As of 1 November 2007, these are the rules of the BMSC forum. To use the forum is to agree to and accept these rules. For the vast majority of you, this is nothing more than an FYI. For the others, if you cross the line, you get a holiday - this just helps define where the line is.


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The Brindabella Motor Sport Club (BMSC) website and the BMSC forum (Forum) have grown immensely over the years and we thank you all for being a part of this growing community. As with all social circles there are a few rules you must abide by in order to maintain your active membership with the BMSC website and Forum. The BMSC are endeavouring to provide the highest quality community experience for all our members by providing a warm, friendly atmosphere for all age groups and interest levels.

In order to make your stay as pleasant and as constructive as possible, should we find that you break any of these rules, your account may be disabled and your posting privileges removed. These Rules are very basic and we hope that you read them fully before you ‘Accept’. These Rules are necessary due to the local, interstate and international BMSC membership. This memorandum has been created to provide you with information about what you can expect here, what is expected of you, and to answer some questions you may have in your use of the BMSC website and Forums. If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to contact the BMSC Webmaster. Thank you for your cooperation.

Reminder – Your postings on this public Forum will become public. Your text will be available to anyone with an Internet connection.

1. By using this web site, you agree to be contacted by site administration, regardless of your account settings, when it becomes necessary to do so regarding your account activity.
2. The basic ground rules for discussions on the BMSC are simple: be polite, use common sense, don't break the law and don't post any message that even hints at advertising.
3. We have an active moderation team and a lot of members who will remind you of the rules should you not stick to them, be it for not having read them properly or for simply not caring. As in real life, there must be some measures put into place for people who keep infringing these Rules, Guidelines and Code of Conduct. In real life it's the penal code, on the BMSC website and Forum they are the sanctions named here in the BMSC Forum Rules, and the Forum Guidelines for Members, Moderators and Administrators.
4. We don't intend to censor messages based on the opinions expressed within posts, but we will enforce the policies outlined both here and on the Forum. We reserve the right to remove, modify or move posts at our discretion and without explanation. Please contact the BMSC Committee or Webmaster if you do not understand any of the Rules, Guidelines or Policies outlined below.
5. Private Messages (PM) are private. Content of PM’s are not to be displayed on the BMSC website of Forum, unless agreed by all parties concerned.
6. Suspension of your account is a definite consequence of not adhering to these Rules, Policies and Guidelines.
7. In addition to the Rules and Guidelines posted here, you are required to read any individual Forum Rules which may be posted at the top of specific forums as ‘Important’ threads or ‘Announcements’. By using this forum, you further agree to abide by the BMSC Forum Rules and the BMSC Committee, Moderators and Administrators will assume members have read them and will not take ignorance of any rules as an excuse for not following the Rules, Policies, and Guidelines outlined here and in the Forum specific rules.

General Forum Rules:

These rules apply to all Forum categories and Private Messages (PM).

1. We take the "Be Polite" rule very seriously! Show integrity and be respectful of others opinions, and allow your fellow members to voice their opinions. While debating and discussion is fine, we will not tolerate rudeness, insulting posts, personal attacks or purposeless inflammatory posts. Our decision is final in these matters. Any member who is intentionally unpleasant or disruptive may be banned without warning.
2. Always try to "give" back to our community. For each time you find help or answers here at on the BMSC website and Forum, try to help someone else out in return. You may find that what goes around comes around...Thank those who help you. Acknowledgement of a helpful suggestion not only placates those who helped you, it may also help others with a similar
3. problem. All those who have been helped on this Forum are invited to help other users by responding to their questions when they know the answer and/or to consider donating to the project, post or thread.
4. ‘Newbie’ bashing will not be tolerated, particularity in the BMSC website and Forum. New members are encouraged to use the BMSC website and Forum. New members are encouraged to review the FAQ’s and learn more about the website and Forum. Regular Forum users are encouraged to be helpful and courteous in their responses. All flames will be automatically deleted and the poster may be warned or permanently barred from future forum use.
5. The BMSC requires that members respect the decision of Moderators and Administrators. Public posts debating, the BMSC Rules, Guidelines and Sanctions, and Code of Conduct by threads and posts questioning the actions or decisions of Forum Moderator’s enforcement will be removed without comment and the appropriate action taken (up to and including Forum bans) against the thread starter and/or participants. We encourage feedback however, and invite you to contact the BMSC Committee via the website/Forum link or at the next club meeting if you have any questions or concerns. However, if as a member you feel a post violates any of these rules, or you need to bring it to the attention of a Moderator (move threads/close/split), please use the ‘Form to Moderator’ link to notify the Moderators and Administrators to report bad behavior that may need action. Do not abuse the report system. Whilst we appreciate members assistance, we do not appreciate rude comments or your opinion on how 'quick' BMSC Committee, Moderators, Administrators and the Webmaster are at handling problems.
6. Disputes which can not be resolved between Forum users and Moderators may be arbitrated by the BMSC Administrators and/or Committee.
7. Warnings and bans are not to be discussed on the Forum. Such matters shall remain private between the offending member/s and the Moderators and Administrators of the BMSC. Questions or comments concerning warnings and bans will be conveyed through private messaging or communication deemed appropriate by the BMSC Committee.
8. Post constructively. Negative feedback can be very useful, provided that it is presented in a civil, factual manner. Tell us what you do not like and why and how you feel it could be improved. Posts that are insulting and rude may be deleted, no matter how valid the ideas behind them may be.
9. Give people a little time to respond to your requests. There is a lot going on in the BMSC forums and it may take a little time for people to notice and respond to your request. Please be patient.
10. We also reserve the right to ban anyone who wilfully violates the Forum rules, as access to our support Forums are a privilege and not a right. A banned member is still entitled to support from other communication methods outside of the BMSC website as determined by the BMSC Committee.
11. Please refrain from posting meaningless threads, one word (or short) non-sense posts, or the like.
12. Multiple or repeated posting in order to increase your post count is not allowed.
13. Ranting is prohibited. A rant is a post which is long-winded, redundant and filled with angry, non-constructive comments. A free exchange of ideas is essential to building a strong sense of community and helpful in the development of the forums, but rants are disruptive and incite flaming and trolling. Please post your thoughts in a concise, clear manner and avoid going off on rambling tangents.
14. As a courtesy to others before beginning a new thread or post, please look and see if an active thread on that topic has already been established by searching the BMSC forums. Check that your question has not been answered elsewhere on the site. Use the search feature.
15. Make sure you read the parent article/post completely before posting a reply.
16. Small, approved advertising will be permitted at the discretion of the BMSC Committee.
17. Signature spam (a post that is made in hope of showing a signature, as determined by the Moderators) is forbidden in all Forum categories.
18. While we are quite happy to have constructive comparative conversations about competitor's products, we will not tolerate blatant adverts or threads. Also, we would appreciate it if you refrain from blatant bashing of other Forum boards and websites.
19. You may not use discussions to recommend, praise, or belittle other products or services, or any company; without first hand experience of those products or services. This includes companies recommending other companies. Any post not meeting the Moderator's criteria will be removed without notice.
20. Your account is yours alone. You are responsible for any activity created with it. You may not share your account login with anyone. If you choose to ignore this important restriction your account, and any accounts associated with it, will be disabled. Registering with multiple accounts is not allowed.
21. Should you be disciplined with a restriction or ban, you are not allowed to open a new account to obtain freedom to post. Restrictions and bans are given for a reason, and usurping that ability by re-registering is not tolerated. If another account is opened, that account will be banned immediately, and the original account will be further penalised where applicable. Anyone who has warnings on their account is automatically excluded from changing their user name. If your account has been permanently removed due to non-compliance to the BMSC Forum Rules, Guidelines and Sanctions, and Policies that you agreed to, you will not be able to access the BMSC website and Forum with a new account. Permanent removal is final.
22. You may not post on behalf of any banned member in any public manner. This includes all Forums, private messages, signatures, and e-mail features.
23. Even though this is an international Forum, please make sure all publicly displayed messages are limited to the English language. This includes posts, titles, signatures, and any attachments or other forms of public display.
24. You may not post commission, referral or affiliate links anywhere on the forum. You may not link to sites whose main income is derived from affiliate or referral links.
25. Cross-Posting is not allowed here. Cross-posting refers to posting new duplicate threads or posts, or the linking to threads or posts already started by the poster with the intention of gaining exposure.
26. You may not bump threads. Bumping can refer to posting useless information, posting one-liners or any other action to deliberately keep a thread hot or to bring it to the top of its forum. Moderators will use their discretion, depending on the nature of the post, as to whether to take action or not.
27. Posts in a particular forum need to stay on topic. If you want to talk about something that is drastically removed from the topic of a forum, please take it to the relevant forum categories. These categories are set up and designed for members to discuss issues not related to a specific forum section. We welcome most general conversation in the Idle Torque, but discourage it from other forums. Use a title that describes the content of your post. Don't use all caps or special characters to draw attention.
28. Multiple postings. Do not post the same topic in multiple forums. If you are unsure of which forum a thread should go under, just state that in your post and a Moderator will move the thread to the correct forum. Multiple posts are unnecessary and will be deleted. Do not post the same question multiple times in multiple threads in the same forum. If no one responds to your question or request, just post a reply to the same message thread again to bring the message to the top of the list so members may notice it. Be patient and sensible.
29. No all-caps (FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THIS) or all-bolds please. It is extremely hard to read and can appear to the end user as shouting or arguing. Posts submitted in all-caps or all-bolds will be deleted automatically.
30. We will not tolerate unacceptable forum or news comments. While some members feel that post count is important, there are some posts that we feel do not contribute to the community in any way what-so-ever. Observe, because these are examples of unacceptable posts. If you wish to direct a fellow member to something that has already been posted, please do so in a courteous manner.
    • "old news" or anything similar
    • "first post" or anything similar
    • "(insert product or brand) sucks" or anything similar
    • "I posted this in ABC x days ago!!!" or anything similar
31. You may not compensate anyone for any review or recommendation. Further, you may not suggest a tone (i.e. "Go give us a plug on …") circumvention.
32. We see the BMSC website and Forum to be open to people of all ages, genders, races, and sexualities, so any inappropriate or offensive posts will be deleted.
33. Do not make inappropriate or offence posts or use name calling towards other members -- Even if you think its fun. “Knocking” can be perceived differently by different people. Pause and think before you respond. Review your response before you send. It is not a race to see who can respond the quickest. Respect your fellow members with courteous tone and tact.
34. No cursing or swear words. You may not post words or URLs that are censored by adding spaces, dots, or substituting characters; or by any other means in an attempt to defeat any censors put in place by the BMSC. Please contact the BMSC Webmaster if you feel a word or URL is unjustly censored. We encourage you to use our website as a forum to debate topics, but please use proper adjectives to express yourself. We do not tolerate circumvention of our word filter or abuse upon another member.
35. No racism, threatening, personal attacks and slander, (citing) victimisation or hateful/retaliation posts of any kind against a user, member, or group of users. If you are a long standing member, act like one; lead by example and assist other new, less experienced users rather than attacking them. We look upon our veteran users to use this opportunity to teach the new, less experienced users the appropriate way to conduct themselves in this community.
36. No flaming, personal attacks such as flaming, instigating "flame bait", verbal abuse or mocking of members in forum posts are not tolerated on the BMSC website. Do not deliberately start arguments. Such posts will be deleted on sight and moderated accordingly. As above, if you are a long standing member, act like one. Lead by example and assist other new, less experienced members rather than attacking them. Members that reply to posts simply to instigate argument will be dealt with and shown no mercy.
37. Do not just make a negative statement and leave the person hanging out to dry. Although you may consider yourself to be an "expert" now, try to remember that we were all new and learning once upon a time. Take it easy on your fellow members.
38. Do not drag another member's personal site or life, into a forum discussion unless the discussion directly involves that site OR if the member brings his or her own site or life into the discussion first. There's no point in ruining a good debate by accidentally (or intentionally) offending someone with a personal comment.
39. No posting of personal information. Please respect the privacy of other members and do not give out information such as phone numbers and addresses. Use other forms of communication to do so, should the request arise, only after establishing whether the person/people in question does not mind their details being distributed.
40. Discussion of illegal activities, piracy and other intellectual property violations are not allowed. Any posts that encourage illegal intent will be removed and the account disabled.
41. No Warez (links), serials and cracks help, requests or posts that discuss circumvention. This includes linking to illegally obtained software, movies and music files - posting about it, and suggesting obtaining it.
42. You may not link, in any manner, to sites, and we do not allow, images and/or posts that contain graphic material of macabre nature, pornography, paedophilia, sexually explicit, drug abuse, gambling or gross violence determined by Moderators to be detrimental to the community standards. BMSC shall be the sole arbitrator of what does and what does not violate community standards. Toleration will be nil and we reserve the right to remove offensive posts without notice.
43. Do not impersonate, or represent anyone whom you are not, regardless of who the other individual may be. Identity theft is illegal and will not be tolerated.

While these Rules, Guidelines and Sanctions, and Policies cover most common situations, they cannot anticipate everything. Consequently BMSC reserves the right to change or alter these Rules, Guidelines and Sanctions, and Policies at any time and the BMSC Committee, Moderator and Administrator's word are final. The BMSC reserve the right to take any actions we deem appropriate to ensure the BMSC website and Forum/s are not disrupted or abused in any way.

Note: Breaking any of these rules will result in an infraction being placed against your BMSC account. Infractions can and do accumulate, which may result in a temporary or permanent ban.

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