RULES:
1. PERSONAL ATTACKS AND INSULTS
Personal attacks and insults are not tolerated here.
When replying to a post, your own post must be about the post to which you are replying, not the poster themselves.
Any personal remark about another poster that - in the judgment of a moderator or administrator - could reasonably be regarded as an intentional insult in the context of that discussion will be subject to infraction.
**Attacks against public officials, political figures, celebrities, etc, are allowed, as long as they do not violate the guidelines concerning threats or incitement to violence (see below.)
2. HARRASSMENT, BAITING, TAUNTING, FLAMING
Posts or images that, in the judgment of a moderator or administrator, are specifically intended to provoke emotional responses or personal attacks from other posters, rather than civil discussion, will be considered flaming/baiting and will be subject to infraction.
Stalking or harassing other members is forbidden, whether in the public forums, or through PMs. If you don't like someone, leave them alone or put them on ignore.
Any attempts to bait or taunt another poster will be considered infractions, including posters who are banned from the forum or banned from a thread, and thus unable to reply.
This includes quoting other members in your signature without permission, or mischaracterizing their statements by quoting them and changing the quotes.
3. PERSONAL INFORMATION
Disclosing personal or confidential information about other posters or staff - including but not limited to personal identities - or disclosing confidential communications is FORBIDDEN.
You will be banned.
4. TROLLING OR DERAILING A DISCUSSION
If you don't want to discuss the topic, stay out of the thread.
Posts that are, in the judgment of moderators or administrators, intended to disrupt a discussion rather than actually contribute to it will be considered trolling and subject to infraction.
5. THREATS OR INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE
Any post that expresses a direct, indirect, or veiled threat to anyone - whether it be another member, some other individual, or a group in general - or an incitement to violence will be dealt with severely, may result in an immediate permanent banning.
Depending upon severity - may be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
This includes (but is not limited to) what are known as "indirect threats," such as (for example) wishing that public officials or police officers come to harm, or expressing a desire for armed insurrection against the government.
6. RACIAL, ETHNIC, HOMOPHOBIC, GENDER, OR RELIGIOUS SLURS
Any post or image that is - in the judgment of a moderator or administrator - a slur against any such group will be subject to infraction.
7. ATTACKING OR CALLING OUT STAFF OR ADMINISTRATION
Moderators and Administrators, are volunteers who work hard to make the site as welcoming as possible.
***Please note that the moderating team is under no obligation to read every post.
Moderators do the best they can in the time they have, and occasionally posts slip by unnoticed.
***You can help. If you see one of these posts, please report it.
***Moderator Actions - If there are any concerns over Moderator actions, the way to address them is with a private message SW48, a Moderator, or all of the above. Your feedback and concerns are very valuable to the success of this board. Your PM will be read and investigated, and where appropriate reversed and notice given.
***Publicly disrespectful and/or negative behavior from a member regarding a Moderator's capacity as a Mod, the Moderators or Admin/Owner Team in general, or Moderator actions may not occur on any open areas of the website. Violations of any of the above guidelines may result in a summary suspension or termination of that member's posting privileges.
***We may not always be right - but we will always act in good faith and with the best of intentions.
When they're posting on the forums, feel free to debate and argue with them just as you would any other poster, but attacking or calling out a staff member who is acting in their official capacity is against the rules.
We welcome constructive criticism or complaints, but the public forums are not an appropriate venue for criticizing the staff, administration, or ownership of the site.
Again, if you have questions about a specific moderator decision, feel free to send a PM to that moderator, an administrator, or the site owner.
8. PROFANITY, ADULT CONTENT, AND GRAPHIC IMAGES
Any posts, signatures, or images that are considered obscene or profane are forbidden, as well as any links to any such material. This includes (but is not limited to) profane language, nudity, and pornographic or excessively graphic images. Keep in mind that profanity in a relatively obscure language is still profanity. We'll allow as much latitude as we reasonably can for images or quotes that are directly related to a legitimate event, but if in doubt, you might want to check with a moderator before posting.
9. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OPINION AND FACT
Anyone is free to express any opinion they wish, as long as it's within the guidelines, or assert any fact. However, for the purpose of civil and productive discussion, it's sometimes important to differentiate between the two. If a poster continually asserts something as a specific historical fact, they must be prepared to substantiate it as fact if challenged to do so by another poster, through a link that is credible in the judgment of moderators or administrators.
If a moderator calls upon you to verify an assertion and you are unable to do so, you must be willing to acknowledge that it is an opinion rather than a fact, or that - even though you believe it to be true - you can not substantiate it. If you continue to assert as absolute fact something that you cannot validate, it may be considered thread derailment. The fact that someone is asking another poster for a cite does not necessarily mean that a moderator will agree that one is necessary, and asking for frivolous cites may also be regarded as thread derailment.
Keep in mind that we are not going to apply this rule the instant someone makes a questionable claim. We're only going to consider applying the rule if, in the opinion of a moderator, a discussion becomes stalled on an unsubstantiated claim. Hash it out among yourselves first. A poster who appears to be abusing this rule to harass another member or otherwise interfere with a discussion will be subject to infraction himself/herself.
10. THREAD CREATION
The opening post of a thread sets the topic and the tone of the discussion. It should contain a member's opinions or questions with sufficient elaboration to establish a foundation for respectful discussion and debate. Threads should not be posted in the wrong forum, or be duplicates of other threads and/or topics (creating multiple threads with fundamentally the same topic is not allowed). Images, links, quotations, etc., should be used to support a member's opinion, not to replace it. Thread titles should be a description of the thread topic (and if not they may be altered by the moderators). Whether a thread has sufficiently set a basis for respectful debate on the thread topic will be at the discretion of the moderators.
11. AVATARS
Avatars and profile pictures are governed by the same rules regarding other content - images that are obscene, insulting to any individual or group are not allowed and are subject to infraction.
12. SIGNATURES
Signatures must comply with all applicable forum rules, especially those on 'Flame/baiting' and 'Personal Attacks'. The use of quotations from other members in a signature is subject to the express consent of the member being quoted. Signatures should not contain more than one link, and links should not be primarily intended to advertise or sell any product, service or other forum.
13. MULTIPLE USER ACCOUNTS
Multiple user accounts are not allowed. The use of anonymous proxy IP addresses and systems, which are often used to hide identities for the purposes of creating multiple accounts, is also prohibited. Usage of these tools can lead to immediate and permanent banning.
14. LINKS, ADVERTISING, IMPROPER QUOTING, AND COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS
Links in posts must be relevant to the discussion, and must not be intended simply to direct members to another website. Quotes, links, and images should be used to support a member's opinion, not to replace it - all posts containing them should also contain the poster's own comments as to their relevance. All quotes from other sources must be given appropriate credit, preferably with a link to the original article - long articles should be quoted from and/or summarized, not quoted in their entirety. Content copied from other sources must meet "fair use" guidelines, and violations of copyright will be deleted and subject to infraction. When quoting other posters, we ask that you use the site's "quote" function, so that other members can backtrack the conversation if they wish.
1. PERSONAL ATTACKS AND INSULTS
Personal attacks and insults are not tolerated here.
When replying to a post, your own post must be about the post to which you are replying, not the poster themselves.
Any personal remark about another poster that - in the judgment of a moderator or administrator - could reasonably be regarded as an intentional insult in the context of that discussion will be subject to infraction.
**Attacks against public officials, political figures, celebrities, etc, are allowed, as long as they do not violate the guidelines concerning threats or incitement to violence (see below.)
2. HARRASSMENT, BAITING, TAUNTING, FLAMING
Posts or images that, in the judgment of a moderator or administrator, are specifically intended to provoke emotional responses or personal attacks from other posters, rather than civil discussion, will be considered flaming/baiting and will be subject to infraction.
Stalking or harassing other members is forbidden, whether in the public forums, or through PMs. If you don't like someone, leave them alone or put them on ignore.
Any attempts to bait or taunt another poster will be considered infractions, including posters who are banned from the forum or banned from a thread, and thus unable to reply.
This includes quoting other members in your signature without permission, or mischaracterizing their statements by quoting them and changing the quotes.
3. PERSONAL INFORMATION
Disclosing personal or confidential information about other posters or staff - including but not limited to personal identities - or disclosing confidential communications is FORBIDDEN.
You will be banned.
4. TROLLING OR DERAILING A DISCUSSION
If you don't want to discuss the topic, stay out of the thread.
Posts that are, in the judgment of moderators or administrators, intended to disrupt a discussion rather than actually contribute to it will be considered trolling and subject to infraction.
5. THREATS OR INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE
Any post that expresses a direct, indirect, or veiled threat to anyone - whether it be another member, some other individual, or a group in general - or an incitement to violence will be dealt with severely, may result in an immediate permanent banning.
Depending upon severity - may be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
This includes (but is not limited to) what are known as "indirect threats," such as (for example) wishing that public officials or police officers come to harm, or expressing a desire for armed insurrection against the government.
6. RACIAL, ETHNIC, HOMOPHOBIC, GENDER, OR RELIGIOUS SLURS
Any post or image that is - in the judgment of a moderator or administrator - a slur against any such group will be subject to infraction.
7. ATTACKING OR CALLING OUT STAFF OR ADMINISTRATION
Moderators and Administrators, are volunteers who work hard to make the site as welcoming as possible.
***Please note that the moderating team is under no obligation to read every post.
Moderators do the best they can in the time they have, and occasionally posts slip by unnoticed.
***You can help. If you see one of these posts, please report it.
***Moderator Actions - If there are any concerns over Moderator actions, the way to address them is with a private message SW48, a Moderator, or all of the above. Your feedback and concerns are very valuable to the success of this board. Your PM will be read and investigated, and where appropriate reversed and notice given.
***Publicly disrespectful and/or negative behavior from a member regarding a Moderator's capacity as a Mod, the Moderators or Admin/Owner Team in general, or Moderator actions may not occur on any open areas of the website. Violations of any of the above guidelines may result in a summary suspension or termination of that member's posting privileges.
***We may not always be right - but we will always act in good faith and with the best of intentions.
When they're posting on the forums, feel free to debate and argue with them just as you would any other poster, but attacking or calling out a staff member who is acting in their official capacity is against the rules.
We welcome constructive criticism or complaints, but the public forums are not an appropriate venue for criticizing the staff, administration, or ownership of the site.
Again, if you have questions about a specific moderator decision, feel free to send a PM to that moderator, an administrator, or the site owner.
8. PROFANITY, ADULT CONTENT, AND GRAPHIC IMAGES
Any posts, signatures, or images that are considered obscene or profane are forbidden, as well as any links to any such material. This includes (but is not limited to) profane language, nudity, and pornographic or excessively graphic images. Keep in mind that profanity in a relatively obscure language is still profanity. We'll allow as much latitude as we reasonably can for images or quotes that are directly related to a legitimate event, but if in doubt, you might want to check with a moderator before posting.
9. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OPINION AND FACT
Anyone is free to express any opinion they wish, as long as it's within the guidelines, or assert any fact. However, for the purpose of civil and productive discussion, it's sometimes important to differentiate between the two. If a poster continually asserts something as a specific historical fact, they must be prepared to substantiate it as fact if challenged to do so by another poster, through a link that is credible in the judgment of moderators or administrators.
If a moderator calls upon you to verify an assertion and you are unable to do so, you must be willing to acknowledge that it is an opinion rather than a fact, or that - even though you believe it to be true - you can not substantiate it. If you continue to assert as absolute fact something that you cannot validate, it may be considered thread derailment. The fact that someone is asking another poster for a cite does not necessarily mean that a moderator will agree that one is necessary, and asking for frivolous cites may also be regarded as thread derailment.
Keep in mind that we are not going to apply this rule the instant someone makes a questionable claim. We're only going to consider applying the rule if, in the opinion of a moderator, a discussion becomes stalled on an unsubstantiated claim. Hash it out among yourselves first. A poster who appears to be abusing this rule to harass another member or otherwise interfere with a discussion will be subject to infraction himself/herself.
10. THREAD CREATION
The opening post of a thread sets the topic and the tone of the discussion. It should contain a member's opinions or questions with sufficient elaboration to establish a foundation for respectful discussion and debate. Threads should not be posted in the wrong forum, or be duplicates of other threads and/or topics (creating multiple threads with fundamentally the same topic is not allowed). Images, links, quotations, etc., should be used to support a member's opinion, not to replace it. Thread titles should be a description of the thread topic (and if not they may be altered by the moderators). Whether a thread has sufficiently set a basis for respectful debate on the thread topic will be at the discretion of the moderators.
11. AVATARS
Avatars and profile pictures are governed by the same rules regarding other content - images that are obscene, insulting to any individual or group are not allowed and are subject to infraction.
12. SIGNATURES
Signatures must comply with all applicable forum rules, especially those on 'Flame/baiting' and 'Personal Attacks'. The use of quotations from other members in a signature is subject to the express consent of the member being quoted. Signatures should not contain more than one link, and links should not be primarily intended to advertise or sell any product, service or other forum.
13. MULTIPLE USER ACCOUNTS
Multiple user accounts are not allowed. The use of anonymous proxy IP addresses and systems, which are often used to hide identities for the purposes of creating multiple accounts, is also prohibited. Usage of these tools can lead to immediate and permanent banning.
14. LINKS, ADVERTISING, IMPROPER QUOTING, AND COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS
Links in posts must be relevant to the discussion, and must not be intended simply to direct members to another website. Quotes, links, and images should be used to support a member's opinion, not to replace it - all posts containing them should also contain the poster's own comments as to their relevance. All quotes from other sources must be given appropriate credit, preferably with a link to the original article - long articles should be quoted from and/or summarized, not quoted in their entirety. Content copied from other sources must meet "fair use" guidelines, and violations of copyright will be deleted and subject to infraction. When quoting other posters, we ask that you use the site's "quote" function, so that other members can backtrack the conversation if they wish.
