Registration and House Rules
Please read these before registering
(the registration link is at the foot of this page)
Internet discussion boards are great for debating issues, asking questions,
sharing information, telling stories and jokes, and meeting people who share
your interests. But sometimes things go wrong – which is why we have a set of
house rules.
Respect – The number one rule here is respect your fellow contributors. In a
perfect world this would go without saying, but we are all humans and rather
less than 100 per cent perfect. Before you post your message, ask yourself if
you would say the same words if the person was standing in front of you.
Debate – Attack the issue, not the person. Strong and lively debate is
encouraged, but personal attacks are not. If you can't state your argument
without making it personal, please remove yourself from the conversation before
the board moderator does it for you.
Personal stuff – We discourage people from using these boards for sharing
seriously personal information, because this is a public forum and is
open for the whole world to read. However, if you are sharing a personal
experience, please remember that not everybody may agree with you, and
you might not receive the affirmation you are looking for. Be careful.
And if you're reading personal information someone else has shared,
please be mindful of the fact that it was probably painful and difficult
to share, and treat it accordingly.
Netiquette – Netiquette covers the basic rules of courtesy for communicating on
the Internet. A few quick tips: correct punctuation and spelling show that you
respect others enough to take the time to do it right. Posting in ALL CAPITAL
LETTERS is widely regarded as shouting and is considered to be extremely rude.
Emoticons are a useful way to convey the emotions behind the words, while
abbreviations and acronyms are the shorthand of the Internet.
Stick to the point – Off-topic posts are the bane of every Internet bulletin
board. When you post a message, please stick to the point of the thread. There
is nothing quite so frustrating (and infuriating) as watching a good discussion
veer off onto some wildly-tangential path, never to be seen or heard from again.
If you want to launch a new subject for discussion, just start your own thread.
Linking to other sites – Do not link to pornography, websites advocating illegal
activities, or blatantly offensive material. If you do this, your message will
be removed immediately and you may be banned from the board without notice.
Copyright – Copyright, libel, and defamation laws apply here, and we ask
that you respect them. Please do not copy and paste large amounts of
text from other websites onto these boards. Do not post the contents of
private e-mails. If someone has written to you off-forum then it is
likely the e-mail was intended to remain private.
Moderation - Our forums are moderated. Violations of
these house rules will result in your
message being deleted by a moderator, whose decision is final. Subsequent violations will result in immediate and
permanent revocation of posting privileges.
Multiple names – We do not allow multiple usernames because it violates the
trust of other members. Please register only once for this discussion board and
post messages under your registered username. Honest discussion can only take
place when everyone knows who has posted what. Please respect this simple rule.
Postings before October 2005 may
carry the wrong user name or no user name at all!
Continue with your registration
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