Our Terms of Use Agreement

[willy]

Hi folks.  We have a new addition to this "General" board.  It is the "User Agreement" that people have to agree to in order to join the forum.  This is not "new"; it's what we all clicked on when we joined this forum and selected out membernames and passwords.  I'm posting it as a gentle reminder to guide people when they post to try to keep things somewhere in the "G" rating (and not to exceed the "R" rating) when choosing words and topics for discussion.  Try to use some discretion and consideration when choosing words, subjects, or images in your posts.  Please keep in mind that while many of us are indeed actual friends there are still many people who may visit here who are strangers.  One general rule of thumb would be that behavior might be similar to what is appropriate for at work.  (meaning a large corporation; and not the dockworkers.   )

OK....that's it.  If we need to we can discuss it here too.  Please keep in mind that the mods here are all volunteers.  We donate our time to help keep this forum running smoothly.  That means we appreciate things that are done to please the maximum amount fo people with the minimum amount of effort.  Please use some consideration before posting.

Thanks from all of us that help moderate this forum.

Willy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This agreement is shown when a user registers an account on this forum and has to be accepted before users can continue registration.
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You agree, through your use of this forum, that you will not post any material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, adult material, or otherwise in violation of any International or United States Federal law. You also agree not to post any copyrighted material unless you own the copyright or you have written consent from the owner of the copyrighted material. Spam, flooding, advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and solicitations are also forbidden on this forum.

Note that it is impossible for the staff or the owners of this forum to confirm the validity of posts. Please remember that we do not actively monitor the posted messages, and as such, are not responsible for the content contained within. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented. The posted messages express the views of the author, and not necessarily the views of this forum, its staff, its subsidiaries, or this forum's owner. Anyone who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to notify an administrator or moderator of this forum immediately. The staff and the owner of this forum reserve the right to remove objectionable content, within a reasonable time frame, if they determine that removal is necessary. This is a manual process, however, please realize that they may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately. This policy applies to member profile information as well.

You remain solely responsible for the content of your posted messages. Furthermore, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the owners of this forum, any related websites to this forum, its staff, and its subsidiaries. The owners of this forum also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or any other related information collected on this service) in the event of a formal complaint or legal action arising from any situation caused by your use of this forum.

You have the ability, as you register, to choose your username. We advise that you keep the name appropriate. With this user account you are about to register, you agree to never give your password out to another person except an administrator, for your protection and for validity reasons. You also agree to NEVER use another person's account for any reason.  We also HIGHLY recommend you use a complex and unique password for your account, to prevent account theft.

After you register and login to this forum, you will be able to fill out a detailed profile. It is your responsibility to present clean and accurate information. Any information the forum owner or staff determines to be inaccurate or vulgar in nature will be removed, with or without prior notice. Appropriate sanctions may be applicable.

Please note that with each post, your IP address is recorded, in the event that you need to be banned from this forum or your ISP contacted. This will only happen in the event of a major violation of this agreement.

Also note that the software places a cookie, a text file containing bits of information (such as your username and password), in your browser's cache. This is ONLY used to keep you logged in/out. The software does not collect or send any other form of information to your computer.

[Ty]

 It' s a great forum, and it's run very well by all it's moderators. 

Anyone can have a bad day,  so it's a great reminder.  When coming from a forum that may different, it's best to get the atmosphere of the new forum before jumping in.   my 2 cents

[Jazzdenova]

You agree, through your use of this forum, that you will not post any material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, adult material, or otherwise in violation ....

.....Gee, that doesn't leave much else for me....
I'm not hateful or threatening but I have to admit to everything else....

[Hank's mom]

Thank you Willy for posting this. It's so easy to slip into the lovely land of forgetfulness in which case who doesn't need reminders.

Certainly all of us heppers have had to face much more daunting things than having to be civil. I understand that among friends a little ribbing and sharing fun jokes is natural and normal, but in the public forum it's not so simple. It's kind of like giving an invitation to all those in a Vegas casino to join in a private game of poker. Sitting in our living rooms feels so comfortable and private that it is fairly unbelievable how many are reading your post. Surely members can arrange for private conversations by exchanging e-mail addys on their own.

I've already said more than was necessary in agreement with you, but still want to thank you again for helping all members come here.

momxfive

[robin]

I try to behave...but it is sooo hard at times. Does the threat to streak violate the rules? Not that I would do it but the idea of a middle age, grey haired MeMaw streaking strikes me as more humerous or maybe a bit nauseating, depending on the movie in your mind of the event. I will behave...sigh. Keep your spirits high...robin

[19Dragon52]

(((Robin)))

I hear ya!  Now I'm wondering if I can still go into chatroom topless or bottonless?!

Love Ya.....

[willy]

Thanks all, it's good to hear for feedback, even a little joking is fine too.  I want people to understand that this thread isn't directed towards anybody.  IF a situation were to come up though a mod can easily simply copy and paste the link and have people read thru the basic rules.  It's an effort to make modertors jobs easier so that they don't have to draft much.  If posting this in the forum is for anybody..... it is for the mods.   

I have had to attend several "human relations" type classes.  Once when I taught and another to simply be an employee of a city.  It's an interesting world we live in.  In essense, if I were to discuss either what I saw on TV the night before or what I heard riding to work listening to the radio I could end up in trouble.  It's sometimes hard to know what is appropriate anymore but our goal is to keep the board unoffensive to all while trying to not be too restrictive.  We are always walking the line.

best
willy

[robin]

OK...Dragon...do you think that our dear Willy was speaking to us with his last post? I won't tell on your if you don't tell on me? What 'cha think?  to our Willy and the other moderators who do such a great job keeping us hoodlums in line.  Keep your spirits high...robin

[Pancho and Lefty]

'Vulgar' is not a well thought out term. It's real meaning has nothing to do with profanity or smut.

[willy]

The above "terms of use" agreement was a generic one provided with the forum.  We can alter it a bit where needed.  "Vulgar" works OK with me; some things are crass, base or objectionable without being obscene or pornographic.  I think that we will all have various areas where we may draw the line.  Still, some basic wording has been useful, or at least somewhat more useful than having no guidelines.

Generally speaking we don't have to remind people to moderate their posts.  On occasion we have to take some action, but very seldom.

Best,
Willy

[hanklive39]

Is the use of the word "Balderdash" vulgar, or crass without being profane or obscene???

I mean if I went down past 1250 ft under the ocean's in order to defend our great nation's values and moral compass, then there must've been some really intense "magnetic" storms consisting of some rather questionable behaviors with respect to practicing etiquette in the use of our "civil" tongueswhile under the depths of perpetuity - so to speak

In any event, thanks for the reminder there Willy!!! Btw, how's your studying coming along for the AWS CWI???

Respectfully,
Henry