Danielk wanted me to post these to the forum for discussion. So, post what you think of them. Should anything be taken out? Added? Do you think we don't need the rules?
POSTING
Lurk and get to know the forum before you post. Use the search function before posting. Chances are your question has already been answered. Read up before asking!
Don’t be afraid to post. If you're new to our community, taking the step for the first time to post publicly to a message board can sometimes seem intimidating. Don't be afraid to jump into a discussion. We have a very supportive community that serves up heavy doses of support, encouragement and enthusiasm. We love meeting new people and making new friends.
While we hope that you'll become an active participant and join in our discussions, you're welcome, of course, to simply hang out silently until you feel more comfortable posting a message.
When newcomers arrive, say "hello" and welcome them to our growing community. Help new folks "learn the ropes" about how to find information and resources, save time, and how to get involved with our growing membership.
One thread. Do not post a thread more than once. Combine your comments into one post rather than making many consecutive posts to a thread within a short period of time. Post a new thread in the proper forum. If the topic is relevant to more than one forum, pick the best fit or most specific forum and post it only once.
Thread titles. Use thread titles that indicate the subject of the thread, not generic titles such as "Need help" and don’t use all caps or special characters to draw attention. Moderators may change thread titles that have no specifics, usually by adding something more specific in parentheses.
No cross posting. Post your message once, to the appropriate forum and nowhere else or it will be locked or deleted without warning.
Keep the focus: Questions outside the scope of a certain forum will either be moved, locked or simply be deleted.
Useless posts. This includes topics like 'let's tell a story post by post' as well as tacking on garbage to the end of a thread that has ended. Do not bother making posts with only one or two words (e.g., LOL) or a smilie, or post simply to have the first reply in a thread. Posts saying "I agree", "me too", or the equivalent will also routinely be removed. Posts should have some sort of redeeming quality such as information, entertainment or advice. Useless posts that waste server resources or do nothing for the community will be moved and/or pruned at the discretion of the administrative staff. Such posts waste everyone's time and will be deleted.
Bumps. Posts that bring a thread to the top of the New Posts list but add no content to the thread (bumps) are not permitted. This applies not only to posts that say "bump" but to those with the intent to bump.
We strongly suggest that you check your spelling before posting. Good online communication starts with understandable writing. We're a global community with people who speak many languages.
Try to remain professional when helping someone or asking for help. We all have grumpy days. When in doubt about how a post might go over, let it sit for awhile and come back later.
No derailing of threads because you don't agree with their content. If you don't like what you read, find a different thread. Don't take it off topic because you don't like it.
Do not ask "what's best" because this question cannot be answered objectively. Everyone has their own view about what's best in a certain area. The best is what works best for you!
Do not post again, 5 minutes after your initial post, post writing something like "Why is nobody helping me? I'm sure you know the answer". Once somebody replies to your thread but doesn't give you exactly the answer you've been expecting you insult them.
Do not post your email address. If you must share your email, please do it with a private message. We will remove it to prevent it from being discovered by automated email harvesters who wish to send you spam. Thousands of people visit these forums daily, it's not worth the spam, or scams, that are possible. We will also remove your phone number if you post it.
NETIQUETTE
We invite and encourage an exchange of opinions. Disagreements are okay and if you disagree with a member's post or opinion, by all means, challenge the opinion. However, any challenge must be given with a sense of respect for the other person. The real objective of our community is to understand each other, not to attack others and convince them that you're right. Name-calling, insults, "flaming" and attacks are not appropriate and will not be tolerated. Agree to disagree respectfully.
Insults. Do not direct personal insults at another member, i.e., "You are an idiot." and all the variations. Why? Because this isn't grade school. People should be able to discuss or even dispute other's posts without insulting people. And the only purpose of a post like this is to incite other people. You may dispute somebody's opinion, but not attack/flame the person who stated it. There are a lot of other non-direct-personal insults that depending on the context/nature may lead to post editing, post deletion, or warnings. They include telling people to shut up, or being extremely or repeatedly rude or sarcastic. The bottom line is, don't try to make others mad. Private Messages sent between members are not read by admins, but the rules for appropriate and inappropriate content apply to them as well.
Harassment. Purposely intimidating a particular member, harassing them, sending them rude or unwanted private messages, etc. This includes personal attacks on moderators for doing their jobs.
Trolling. Do not post in order to anger other members or intentionally cause negative reactions. For a given post, this can be a subjective call, but a pattern of such posting or an especially egregious case will get you banned. Basically, don't try to pick fights. Knowingly posting false information is also prohibited.
Hate speech. This will simply not be allowed.
Chattiness. Use the forums to discuss the topic of the thread, not as a substitute for Instant Messaging.
Profanity. The profanity filter is there for a reason. Do not circumvent it by using the language we intend to exclude or disguising those words. If a word is replaced by asterisks when you Preview or Submit a post, you know it's on the list.
Corrections. There is no need to point out another poster's spelling or grammatical errors unless you think it is causing confusion. Remember that not all members are native English speakers. Communication, not correctness, is our goal.
Baiting. Dropping things in the forums just to stir the waters will not be tolerated.
Common sense. In the end, use common sense. When you are about to post messages just to increase your post count, or post something you think is funny at someone else's expense, or just to make the first post in a news thread, think to yourself "Is this annoying?" If the answer is yes, don't do it.
Any ongoing actions that make more work for everyone else. If banning you is easier than dealing with the problems you are causing, you will be banned.
If you feel threatened by another user or have concerns about a conversation, we ask that you try to work it out privately with the member, so as not to ruin the experience of other guests.
We are not striving for graduate level writing, but the ability to string a few words together to form a complete thought is definitely required. If you have a hard time typing out a full word without finding the need to abbreviate it with some cryptic form of internet variation, our other users will have a hard time understanding you and our search engine will have a hard time indexing your posts for posterity which hurts our community. We encourage participation in the forum and as such, we encourage the use of proper spelling, grammar and cohesive thought.
RESTRICTIONS
The following are not acceptable on LinuxMCE’s forums.
Multiple registrations are prohibited and are grounds for immediate account deletion and IP banning. You may register only one account, and if you were banned, you may not reregister. Reinstatement can come only from an administrator.
Accounts are to be used by only one person, and not shared between family members, friends or any other people. Registration is free, so there is no reason not to create a unique account for each person.
Posting articles from your or other websites in their entirety. Links to and quotes from on-topic articles are acceptable. Provided, the source is cited and credited appropriately, it does not violate copyright claims and also doesn't appear to be a "link drop" for your own promotional purposes.
No warez, cracks, serials or illegally obtained copyrighted content! Do not post software serial numbers or keys or refer people to specific websites or software whose purpose is to break or bypass software licensing methods, distribute cracks, or obtain or use commercial software or media in violation of its license and/or for copyright violation. Links to content of a questionable nature, asking for, offering, or asking for help/helping to process such content in any way or form is not tolerated. Do not ask for or give such help.
Hoaxes. Purposely misleading other members to their detriment. Giving advice you know to be incorrect or harmful. Sensationalism.
Posting or linking to material that is illegal, libelous, harmful, threatening, harassing, abusive, violent, racially or sexually offensive, defamatory or objectionable in a reasonable view.
Impersonating another member, forum administrator or anyone else or attempting to gain access to or use another Member or Moderator's password.
Cut and pasting, mixing, combining or mirroring any posts for the purposes of promoting or demoting any product or service for inclusion on external websites.
Spam, in any of its ugly forms, will not be tolerated. We will deal with the offense swiftly and harshly.
Do not use either Forum Posts or Private Messages for advertising. This includes all 'classified ads' or promotions, surveys/polls, jobs or help wanted or seeking, and contests - No Exceptions! However, short promotional messages are permitted in your signature lines. As you participate in the forums and build a positive reputation, this may convince people to visit your site or your promotion.
No over posting. Not just being a prolific poster, but posting the same exact post in many different threads, posting multiple pointless posts in the same thread, making numerous posts with no real content, or posting for the purpose of gaining a higher post count.
If you Spam the Forum, you will be immediately ejected forever without a warning or a goodbye. Period.
One Infraction
You will receive a warning.
Two Infractions
You will have your forum account suspended for one week.
Three Infractions
You will have your forum account suspended indefinitely. Please remember that if you should decide to unsubscribe, neither you, nor we can delete your posts.
SIGNATURES AND AVATARS
Please be advised that since your Avatars and Signatures, as well as other profile fields are displayed throughout Linuxmce.com forums, they must comply with all forum rules and they should not contain offensive or distasteful language or more than PG images. Members will be required to change avatars or signatures that are deemed too controversial or that are particularly annoying to other members. Moderators have the right to edit Sig's. (No personal ads, solicitations, personal details like phone numbers, IM or email address; any obvious abuse of the privilege. We reserve the right to reject any link we feel is inappropriate for this Community.)
ADMINS
Admins are the management here. Instructions by the admin team are to be followed and not challenged. They have the full authority to edit or remove any posts without warning and have the final say in any rule dispute.
The administrators reserve the right to add, modify, or remove any of these rules at any time and any rule changes apply to past, current and future posts.
Posts that violate any of the forum rules should be reported to the forum admins by clicking the Report to moderator link on the bottom right of the offending post. Do not send unsolicited PM's or email to Admins, they will be ignored.
We try for consistency in enforcement of the rules, but with multiple admins we can't be 100% consistent when judgment calls are required. Remember that admins are people also and although we try to choose admins who are level-headed, it is possible to tick them off. This isn't being unfair; it's being human. When members assume "it's personal" or "I'm being singled out" when their posts are moderated, they are usually wrong. Still, all complaints are taken seriously.
We ask our volunteers to do their best, and they put tremendous effort into helping the site. Still, we rely on checks and balances to avoid moderation problems. Admin actions are observed by other admins and discussed among them. Administrators review moderation and help establish and interpret site policies. If an administrator or admin has acted mistakenly or inappropriately, we'll correct it. Any decision to ban a member for abuse of any of these rules, or for whatever reason, will be made by the administrative team. If you've been timed-out or banned by mistake, we will reinstate your account.
Linuxmce.com does not have the practical ability to restrict conduct or communications that might violate Linuxmce.com’s rules. We cannot always ensure prompt removal of offending or rule breaking message board posts. All we can do is our best.
