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Registration Terms

IPMS/USA Discussion Forum
FORUM RULES (a.k.a. Acceptable Use Policy)
(Effective August 9, 2013)

OVERVIEW

  • The IPMS/USA Discussion Forum (hereafter referred to as "Forum") has two primary functions - to be a place for IPMS/USA members to discuss models and modeling, and to be a place for IPMS/USA members to discuss the business of the Society.  Although other forums may be created over time, they are not considered essential to the Forum's mission and may be removed without notice at the Forum Administrator's discretion.
  • This document provides the rules and guidelines for the Forum. When you register for a forum account, you agree to follow these rules. Not following the rules is a sure way to find yourself in trouble.
  • Questions or recommendations about forum rules should be directed to the IPMS/USA Forum Administrator at forum_admin@ipmsusa3.org
  • The IPMS/USA Forum Administrator (hereafter Administrator) implements the forum rules with the help of Forum Moderators-at-Large (hereafter Moderators) appointed by the Administrator. Questions regarding, or appeals resulting from, application of the Forum Rules should be first directed to the Administrator, then to the President.
  • The Forum Rules apply to all posts, member avatars and signatures sent using the Forum. 
  • If, in the judgment of a Moderator or the Administrator, a user has violated either the letter or the spirit of the Forum Rules, that user will be notified via email or PM about the violation and, at the option of the forum staff, be asked to edit the message or be informed that the post was removed from view -- and why. If the user cannot be reached in a timely manner, the forum staff may delete or edit the post (at their option) to remove the parts that violate the rules. Regardless of what action is taken, the forum staff will send the user a note explaining the reasoning behind the action taken. If the post was edited by the forum staff, they will also add a notation stating what changes were made (and why) to the original post in the forum.
  • If a person repeatedly violates either the letter or the spirit of the Forum Rules, they may be restricted, suspended, or banned from participation at the Forum Administrator's discretion.
  • Users are encouraged to self-police the Forum and to use the "Report" button to inform the moderation staff of objectionable posts. Users are also encouraged to use their "Control Panel" to tailor online preferences to suit there needs.
  • Users must list a valid e-mail account in their member profile so that the Administrator can reach them as needed. If a user cannot be reached by email, his/her access will be disabled until a valid e-mail address is provided to the Forum Administrator.
  • Forum accounts - user names and passwords - are restricted to the Forums. They do not grant access to any other IPMS/USA web site or service. Passwords are fully encrypted and are not readable by the Forum Administrators or Moderators.

GUIDELINES AND PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR

As a general guideline, swearing or the use of suggestive language is to be avoided on the forums. Because Junior members can and do access these forums, adult-oriented or content inappropriate for youngsters should be restricted to the "Bull Pen" forum or not at all. Outside the Bull Pen, content should be G or PG-rated. It is expected that all dialog within the forums be conducted with civility and decorum.

Some guidelines to keep in mind when posting on the forums:

  • Search the forums to see if a topic has already been addressed. If you want to continue an older, lengthy discussion, create a new thread and reference the old one in your post.
  • Post in the correct forum for the topic (and in only one forum). Your post may be moved or deleted without comment if you post in the wrong forum or if you post the same message in more than one forum.
  • Use a short and relevant topic subject. This will help others find what they want to read and ensure your post is visible to interested members. Topics without subjects may be modified or deleted.
  • Please use the "Edit" feature rather than multiple-posting to correct errors, add thoughts, etc. If something causes multiple copies of your post to show, use the Delete function to remove the duplicates.
  • Refrain from excess quoting, especially quotes containing a lot of photos. After using the Quote button, edit the quoted text to remove irrelevant text and all photos. A quote of an entire message just to say "Looks good" is unnecessary, distracting to others, and a waste of space.
  • Avoid posting in a "texting" or "twitter" style or writing in a "stream of consciousness" manner. Appropriate sentence and paragraph structures make it easier for all users to read and understand the content.
  • Limit your public comment on another member's model (whether in forums, galleries, reviews, etc) to constructive criticism. If you have a comment that is meant only for one person, please us the PM function to send that person a message.
  • Do not post messages using all capital letters.  This is considered shouting and may even considered offensive by the recipient and distracting by all other users. It is also harder to read. The use of extra-large fonts or excessive colorations should be kept to a minimum.
  • The "Wil Wheaton Rule" is in effect here. If you have never heard of it, please check Wikipedia for a full definition. The short, family-friendly version is "don't be a jerk." Treat everyone with respect and understand that the forum operates best in an environment of mutual respect and civility. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and the forums are a logical place for that sort of exchange to occur. 

Prohibited behavior:

  • Invasion of another people's privacy. Don't do it. Do not post personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, etc., without the permission of that person. 
  • Posting private e-mails, PM's or other private correspondence without permission of the author.
  • Use of objectionable language or images. This means no pornographic, political, racial, or religious postings on the forum. Do not use profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or swearing -- including thinly-disguised attempts to defeat the word filters by using asterisks or other characters to replace letters. Language used on NETWORK, prime time television should be your guide when posting on the forum. 
  • Trolling. Do not annoy or provoke other members or forum staff to "stir the pot" or encourage discord (see Wil Wheaton rule above). Do not "flame" or incite other members to perpetuate an argument. Personal attacks or name-calling are not permitted and will get you kicked from the forums quicker than any other action.
  • Spamming. Flooding the forum with useless content or irrelevant posts is considered spamming. There will be no spamming or flooding the forums with spam, including posts which do nothing but drive up post count.
  • Vendor problems. The forum is not the place to conduct a public "discussion" with a business/trader you are having issues with. Contact them  directly via e-mail and keep such discussions off the forum.If you wish to inform the general membership of a significant, documented problem with a vendor, you may do so in a short message containing the facts without tirades or side remarks, made in the appropriate forum. Complaints that show a failure to communicate between parties, slow order processing, back-orders, etc, will be removed.
  • Posting Copyrighted material without permission.You may not post any copyright material as your own creation unless you are the original author. You may quote material from any source protected by copyright as long as you cite the original author, publication, page, etc. Do not post images, drawings, or other material if you do not have the rights to use them. If you have usage rights they must be cited in your post. It is the user's responsibility to verify the accuracy of the hyperlink and the content at the other end -- if that content violates the Forum Rules, the page may not be hyperlinked. 

DISCLAIMER

By participating in and using the services of this Forum, you agree that anything submitted to the Forum be considered public information. The act of contributing to this forum implies that you agree to not post any material which is vulgar, defamatory, inaccurate, harassing, hateful, threatening, invasive, sexually oriented, or in violation of any laws.You also agree that you will not post any copyrighted material without permission of the copyright owner.

You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless IPMS/USA and their agents with respect to any claim based upon posts you may make.

The IPMS/USA also reserves the right to disclose to appropriate authorities any information requested of us in the event of a legally based requirement to do so arising from any message you post. 

We make no warranties, implied or actual, as to the veracity of information posted within these forums, and cannot realistically guarantee the accuracy or validity of any given post. Any information found in these forums is used at your own risk.

By your participation in the Forum, you also hold IPMS/USA blameless for any contractual or other obligations that you may incur through contact with other individuals or parties on this Forum.

By registering to use the Forum you agree to the above criteria and agree to abide by all of the rules and policies listed above.

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