Updated 05/17/11
* A note about requesting votes/posting voting contest links has been added:
"Soliciting votes for and posting links to voting contests is considered a type of spam. The posts will be deleted. Examples include cute baby/child contests, cute pet contests, etc."
New ConstantChatter Forum Rules
The point system is being retired. Infractions will no longer be issued and previous infractions will not count towards any future ban.
Here are the new guidelines:
ConstantChatter's General Guidelines
Debate and discussion are encouraged here on CC. We want to encourage a fun atmosphere on the forums. But as we are all adults we can handle controversy and disagreement. If a thread gets too out of hand with insults or personal attacks, warnings will be issued. We don't want people to be afraid to speak their minds in fear of personal attacks or unfair treatment from anyone. Criticism is fine, but when things cross the line and get personal, that's where we make a distinction. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect here.
We respect each of our members' privacy and for that reason we will not release personal information (IP addresses, email addresses) to third parties except to comply with law enforcement or legal processes (see also "a note about privacy" at the end of this document).
We hope you enjoy your stay on the ConstantChatter forums, and if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact a forum administrator.
Temporary Bans
We want to keep our rules simple and as such there are three main ways to be banned from the forums. The following behaviors will result in a warning and then a temporary ban. The second time a person is banned for the same behavior, the ban will be permanent.
1. Harassing, personal attacks, or abusive behavior toward other members will result in a warning. The next instance will result in a 30-day ban. This section also includes trolling the forum, or repeatedly making posts intended to get a rise out of other members or start fights.* (See the end of this message for a list of examples of trolling.)
2. Cross-posting of advertisements (links to your online store, for example--see below for rules on advertising) throughout the forums will result in a warning. The next instance will result in a 30-day ban. Posting links to sites you do not own or non-profit resources are not included in this section.
3. Carrying a fight or closed thread topic (threads closed for breaking CC rules, not for length) over into a new thread will result in a warning. The next instance will result in a 30-day ban.
When a member is temporarily banned, they may return after the specified period of time. After the member returns, the next instance involving the same issue they were previously banned for will result in a permanent ban.
User Banning
If a member has been warned for a behavior and the same type of behavior is repeated, the member will be banned. When banned, the member will be emailed with a statement regarding their ban, including the reason and the length. CC administration will not use any "miserable usergroup" or "global ignore" functions in lieu of banning or as punishment to any user. If you are having any problems with your account or posts, please email or PM a staff member.
Other Guidelines Excessive Editing
ConstantChatter members have the ability to edit the posts they submit to the forums. Sometimes this is necessary to remove information you're not comfortable with leaving up for periods of time. We understand this and won't penalize anyone for doing so. However, excessive editing of your posts can disrupt the flow of threads, and if editing abilities for non-personal content are abused, we will notify you that editing will be disabled for your account if the excessive editing continues. If you'd like a journal deleted or have other privacy concerns about posts, PM a moderator or administrator and we can assist you in removing them.
Avatars & Signatures
The CC forum rules apply to avatars and signatures as well. Members may not use signatures or avatars to call out another forum user in a negative way or make personal attacks on them. Doing so will result in a request from staff to change the avatar or signature. If the member refuses, a warning will be issued under "Harassing behavior/personal attacks." Repeated abuse of sigs/avatars may result in the loss of use of these features.
Account Deletion
If you would like your account deleted, PM an administrator. Your posts will not be deleted, but all of your other account information will be removed. If you need certain posts edited or deleted, and need assistance, let a member of staff know and we will assist you.
Multiple Usernames
We have no rule against registering a second username for your own use. Registering a username for use by a banned user, or registering another username if you have been banned from the boards will result in the banning (without notice) of all accounts involved. Allowing a banned member to post under your username will also result in the permanent banning of all accounts involved.
We do not allow members to register multiple usernames for the purpose of calling other members out or other unacceptable behavior. Second usernames are not like bulletproof vests or "kamikaze" accounts and the originating IPs and matching accounts will be verified and held responsible as well. You are still responsible for what you do and say on your other accounts. If the ability to register multiple usernames causes drama and mudslinging from "secret accounts," we will have to revert to the previous guideline of one account per person.
Pornography
Pornography may not be posted on the forums (photos or videos of sexual acts). These items will be removed by staff (you will receive a PM stating so) and continuing to post pornography may result in a permanent ban. Non-pornographic nudity may be linked only. Posting these images will result in an edit (to a link) by a mod.
Copyright Guidelines
All articles need to be posted in accordance with copyright law. The poster must provide a link to the original article and may include no more than 4-5 paragraphs of the original article. No copyrighted photos may be posted. Please PM a moderator or administrator with any questions or concerns. Thank you.
Please do not quote pictures. Doing so can eat up the bandwidth for the person that is hosting the image you see (that would be your CC friends, since we don't allow hotlinking) and it eats up huge chunks of the viewing page.
You should never link directly to the image on another site. That is called hotlinking and stealing bandwith and that is bad. If you have any questions, or aren't sure if what you're doing is hotlinking, please read up both here and here.
Instead of hotlinking, you will need to copy the picture to your computer, upload it to your own image hosting service (flickr, photobucket, etc.) and then load it onto CC from there. It's more work, but better karma as long as you're following copyright law. (Not to mention that some folks protect their images from hotlinking by having porn images load up instead of the image you *think* you downloaded.)
About Spam
Spamming the boards will result in a permanent ban.
Voting Contests
Soliciting votes for and posting links to voting contests is considered a type of spam. The posts will be deleted. Examples include cute baby/child contests, cute pet contests, etc.
Advertisting
In order to post an advertisement on CC, you must use our Direct Sales forum, which involves paying a $5 fee: http://www.constantchatter.com/forum...play.php?f=170. All other ads in signatures, posts, or profiles will be removed.
Other Notes The Mods & Admins
All members of staff try to respond to questions and concerns as quickly as possible. But we do have outside lives like everyone else. Please allow a reasonable amount of time (at least 24 hours) for a response to a PM or post. If your issue is time-sensitive, you can always PM or email another member of staff.
A note about privacy:
Any private information you provide to ConstantChatter (IP addresses, private email addresses, etc) will not be released to third parties for any reason unless in response to law enforcement or legal processes.
Final Note
The above rules may be modified from time to time as needed. A notice will be posted when/if this occurs.
* Examples of trolling (including but not limited to):
repeatedly posting controversial topics (like breastfeeding or circumcision threads)
repeatedly making posts that our members in general find offensive
starting multiple emotional support threads as a new member
starting threads containing unbelievable or highly unusual situations
starting a lot of polls or threads asking members to share information without contributing to any discussions on the site
