Global STV Forum Rules

[Theresa]

StarTrekVoyager.Com Global Forum Rules (Last Update: May 1, 2004 4pm CST)


StarTrekVoyager.Com is a free and public forum. We encourage a free flow of information and ideas on this forum. However, we ask that you follow a few basic rules. By using or participating on this site, you agree to the Rules of Conduct as stated below. Use of StarTrekVoyager.Com is a privilege, not a right, which may be revoked at any time without notice at the sole discretion of the admin(s) and moderators of this forum.


Here are some things you'll want to keep in mind while posting on StarTrekVoyager.Com:

� Spam
Purposely and/or excessively posting frivolous, senseless, vacuous, or empty messages. This includes party posts, chain letters, dupe topics, cross-posting, quoting someone without a response, advertisements, and pyramid schemes.

Do not respond to spammers. Responses will be deleted along with the spam.

Gaining higher rank by spamming is highly frowned upon!


� Flaming, Bashing, and Trolling
Hate posts and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Treat other users and their opinions on these message boards, as you would expect them to treat you and your opinions -- with respect. Talking trash about another user is a quick way to earn a banning, as is posting topics specifically to provoke a negative response from someone (aka trolling).

� Profanity
Keep offensive language to a minimum. While we might let you get away with anything you might hear on network television (no, NOT cable) or radio, don't go overboard. A simple rule to follow is: "when in doubt, leave it out." You don't have to use excessive profanity to get your point across, and it's usually better to avoid it altogether.

� Impersonating Other Users / Accessing Another User's Account
You may not impersonate another board member or create an account specifically for provoking other users. Also, accessing or using someone else's account or attempting to access another poster's account is strictly prohibited.

� Off-Topic Posts
Okay, so you probably will not be banned for one off-topic post, but c'mon, try to post suitable subjects on each of the appropriate boards. It's probably not a great idea to ask "Which is your favorite Voyager episode, and why?" on the Enterprise forum when we have a dedicated Voyager forum just screaming for questions like that. Off-topic posts will most likely be deleted, and further action may be taken against repeat offenders.

� Signature Images
Personal signature images must not be greater than 15kb in size. No animated images are allowed. Image dimensions should not exceed 500 pixels in width x 100 pixels in height. Only post your personal signature image once per thread or once per 250 posts. (For further information: http://www.startrekvoyager.com/viewtopic.php?t=11521)

� Circumventing a Ban
If you log onto the StarTrekVoyager.Com and receive a message that you have been banned, please submit an unban request to [email protected] and wait for a StarTrekVoyager.Com admin to get in touch with you. It is not acceptable to return to the boards under another username. If you do, your ban time may be extended. Having another user post for you is also not allowed.

� Copyrighted Material
Do not to post any material that is protected by copyright, trademark or other proprietary right without the express permission of the owner(s) of said copyright, trademark or other proprietary right.

� Piracy, and Warez
StarTrekVoyager.Com has a very strict policy against piracy, warez, and the illegal use of copyrighted material. Linking or giving information about any site that distributes illegal software, media, or emulators, seeking help to circumvent any copyright laws, admitting to possessing and/or distributing illegal copyrighted material, or encouraging software or media piracy is grounds for a ban. This goes for all copyrighted material, including but not limited to games, movies, music, and videos.

� Questionable Content
Since we can't have a rule to cover everything, this is the rule to, well, cover everything. These issues are left to the discretion of the individual moderator(s), but may include any material that is knowingly false and/or defamatory, misleading, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, that otherwise violates any law, or that encourages conduct constituting a criminal offense.

This is a public forum, so act like you would if you were in a public place.

- Hotlinking

STV will no longer tolerate hotlinking pictures from other websites. What is hotlinking? This is when you find a picture from another website, copy and paste the URL from the profile and then repost the picture on STV using this URL. It is stealing webspace off the original site's host. To fix this problem simply save the picture to your computer and rehost it using a host such as:

www.photobucket.com
www.angelfire.com
www.geocities.com
www.imageshack.com

Those four hosts are free and fairly easy to use. Personally, my favourite is photobucket. It hosts a lot of images, is the easiest to use, and is free.

There are many posts made each day on StarTrekVoyager.Com Forums, so we can't always promise you'll receive a warning every time action has to be taken. By registering at StarTrekVoyager.Com, users agree that any post may be removed at the sole discretion of the StarTrekVoyager.Com moderators. StarTrekVoyager.Com also has the right, at its sole discretion, to revoke board privileges at any time without notice or reason. Think of these rules as a forewarning and, if you break them, you're taking your account status into your own hands.

Also, note that the Board Rules extend to all areas of the StarTrekVoyager.Com, including but not limited to Private Messages, Signatures, and Unban Requests.

StarTrekVoyager.Com is not responsible for messages posted on the forums or the content therein. Unless expressly stated otherwise, this includes messages posted by StarTrekVoyager.Com personnel, agents, representatives et al. StarTrekVoyager.Com reserves the right to reveal the identity of or whatever information we know about any user in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any message posted by said user.

StarTrekVoyager.Com has the right but not the obligation to monitor and/or moderate the StarTrekVoyager.Com Forums. StarTrekVoyager.Com reserve the right to change any or all other parts of this User Agreement at their sole discretion and without notice, including but not limited to implementing Rules of Conduct, Terms of Service and/or other measures.

As a standard operating procedure, StarTrekVoyager.Com do not enter into correspondence, discussions or other communication, either public or private, about StarTrekVoyager.Com policies, individual moderators, enforcement or application of the User Agreement, bans or other sanctions, etc.




Thank you,
STV Admins & Mods



(adapted from Original StarTrekVoyager.Com Rules & VN Boards)

[Theresa]

Please pm the mod of the forum with spam/misplaced topics. Do not post in the topic that needs to be moved, or has spam. When the spam is deleted, all posts pertaining to the original spam will be deleted as well. If you pm a mod, please include a link. Including a link will help mods quickly find the offending topic thread.

[edited by M]

[Theresa]

If a user requests that another user stop IMing them, do so. Otherwise it is harassment.
Several people have complained of this. Normally off-forum issues are just that, but when the harassing carries over to STV, we'll do something.

So make it easy on yourself, and if someone tells you to leave them alone, DO IT.

[Morphy]

This topic will be for rule amendments, notices, and clarifications only. All other post were split from this topic.
No animated avatars or signatures.

[Theresa]

Backseat moderating will no longer be tolerated. The mods know their jobs, and do them. If you see they have missed something, PMing them is fine, but no more stepping into situations that have nothing to do with you, and no more speaking to users yourselves. Helping is one thing, modding them is another.

[Theresa]

This is generally just a known rule here, but apparently some don't know. Each user is allowed only one user name. If at any time you'd like to change that name, please PM Morphy. Duals are not allowed in any circumstance.

[Theresa]

Warnings issued by mods have a six month "shelf life".
Each warning, etc... is case by case, though. The six months is merely a guide.



In any PM to a moderator or administrator, please make every effort to use proper spelling and grammar. Moderators are not required to expend extra effort to interpret a PM, and may summarily delete any communication which is not readily understood.

[Theresa]

Apparently there is some confusion regarding the rules. You break the rules, you get warned. You break them often, you get warned. You continue to break them, your ban time extends. It doesn't matter how good a user you were before. Especially when you are warned for breaking the same rule over and over and over again.

Get it? Good.



We also do edit incorrect spelling in topic titles. Sometimes.

[IntrepidIsMe]

Recently, people have making posts that go off topic, instead of using PMs. If you want to ask someone about something they posted in the topic, but it doesn't directly deal with that topic, then take it to the PM system. Its there for a reason. The same goes for if you have a question regarding a moderator/administrator decision. Thanks.

[Theresa]

This isn't a "rule", but I did want you all to see it.

When you make a new topic, please try to put as much info in the title as possible. For example, we had a topic called: Chakotay... and the question inside. If it'd been titled: Why was Chakotay XO? It'd save people from going in there who simply don't care. We've been going around editing topic titles to do this, but I thought it'd be a good idea to let you guys know for your future topics as well.

Thanks.

[Puck]

From now on, users are no longer to post articles in whole, or in part, that have been copied and pasted from news sources or other sites, unless they have been given permission from the site which they are copying. All of the news sources that are commonly used, such as CNN, FOX News, AP, and TIME, (as well as many other sites) have copyrights and disclaimers that state, "All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed." Therefore, when posting articles from now on, unless the site gives you permission to reproduce its work, you should now just link us to the article that you are referencing and briefly describe what the article is about.

If you do by chance gain permission from a news site to reproduce whole, or partial articles in a post, please PM one of the WN moderators with a copy their written permission that you received. If you claim to have written permission or not though, StarTrekVoyager.com will not be held accountable for any copyright infringement that an individual user may make.

[Theresa]

� Signature Images
Personal signature images must not be greater than 15kb in size. No animated images are allowed. Image dimensions should not exceed 500 pixels in width x 100 pixels in height. Only post your personal signature image once per thread or once per 250 posts. (For further information: http://www.startrekvoyager.com/viewtopic.php?t=11521)




(just a reminder, this rule has been being broken quite a bit lately)
[will delete this post in a week]

[Morphy]

No Promoting Religion

STV is a sci-fi/star trek forum. This is not an appropriate place to promote religion. Religious discussions are acceptable in Chit Chat and World News. However, users are not allowed to post religious content in their signature or have avatars or anywhere else that would be against the spirit of the 'no promoting religion' rule."

Addendum

Your sigs can say, "I am X." But it can't say, "I am X, and you should be X" or "X is A...B...C."

I'm sorry if this is an unpopular rule and it's not intended to offend anyone. It's intended to make any possible conflicts a non-issue on this site.

[Morphy]