Forum Rules

[therealbuba]

1.Introduction
In order for you to enjoy your stay at these forums we have a few rules that we kindly ask you to follow. The rules are designed to provide an environment that has a reasonably mature tone and discussions; one that fosters constructive criticism and is tolerant of all who can express themselves in a mature manner.

Its real simple. If you can communicate with a modicum of decency and respect, you’re more than welcome here. If not, we’ll help you to the door.

2. Overall Posting Conduct/Behavior:
2.1. Your access to these forums is a privilege, NOT a right. Your access here can/will be terminated at moderator/admin discretion. While we want to allow as much tech-related discussion as possible, there is no “free speech” here.

2.2. Be reasonable. Be civil and respectful when posting regardless of what you’re saying or to whom you’re speaking. Being civil means, at a minimum, all of the following: no harassment, racism, sexism, homophobia, nation-hating (“country bashing”), etc…. This rule extends to EVERYTHING related to the forum: name, threads, posts, PMs, images, your profile, etc…

2.3. Constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged. If you’re not sure about what “constructive” is, see rule 2.2.

2.4. If your thread/post gets locked or you receive a warning about your behavior, do NOT start new threads asking “why” or complaining about it. If you want to discuss it, PM a mod to pursue it further, one or two PMs is enough. Do not bombard moderator/admin PM boxes.

2.5. If you have a problem with one of the moderators, admins, or another member of these forums, either email them or send them a PM.

2.6. No spamming the forums.

2.7. Do not incessantly whine or complain about the same things over and over. Being relentlessly negative is not welcomed.

2.8. ALL RULES here apply to the private messaging feature as well. PMing is not some “get out of jail' free card to allow boorish or otherwise lame behavior that we wouldn’t allow in the public forums.

2.9. We do not support piracy in any way, shape, or form. Discussing or promoting piracy, etc… may result in an instant ban.

2.10. While you're free to be critical, if you are relentlessly negative and have a history of doing nothing but complain/whine/*****, you may be removed.

3. Topics/Threads:
3.1. Post threads to the correct forum. Have a great idea? Then go to proper forum. Having a problem w/ your hardware? Then Hardware is the place for you.

3.3. No "Hi, I'm new to the forum" threads. We realize its just being friendly, but if every new person who registered posted one of these... well, you get the idea; the only exception to this rule is under the New Members section.

3.4. From time to time things will be declared a "dead horse". This is usually some topic that's been beat into the ground so much that's its pointless to discuss and/or the admin team has stated that its not going to be done in the near/immediate future and, thus, is also pointless to discuss. Forumgoers are expected to let "dead horses" go.

4. Links/Images/Signatures/Content:
4.1. Do NOT post links/images/content to the following types of sites (and that includes in your sigs or profile)… NOTE: these are all instant ban-worthy.

* software/media piracy
* gambling
* pornography
* hate/racist
* viruses/trojans or anything harmful at all
* comments intended to provoke, incite, or attack a particular person/group
* anything else inappropriate for a forum of this type
* the sale of your product
* ebay linkage

4.2. If the link you attach has pop-ups or anything, content-wise, that would be inappropriate for youngsters, PLEASE SAY SO YOU IN YOUR POST.

4.3. Do NOT steal (“leech”) bandwidth from others. Stealing bandwidth for your signatures or images is bannable offense.

4.4. All signatures must be of a maximum image size 450w x 150h and contain a maximum of 1 image and 5 line breaks.

4.5. We will remove signatures or parts thereof at our discretion per the stated rule 4.4.

4.6. User-Titles are strictly reserved for admins and other important members of Computer Bay, Forum administrators and moderators, and anyone we wish to reward w/ one. Do not ask us for one. If we see that you deserve one you will get it. Nagging is not the way to do things here.

5. Registration/Names
5.1. We do not give out your email address to anyone and never will. You can choose to hide your email address for total privacy.

5.2. The email address you enter must be valid. You cannot finish registration unless you respond to our confirmation email we send to that email address.

5.3. One account per person.

5.4. At times, we moderate new registrations, so if you can’t post right away, give it a day or two before contacting us.

6. Tips
6.1. Read the stickies. They are your friends. Reading them will save lots of time for you and other forum posters.

6.2. Use the search function before posting an "idea" thread or a thread to debate something. Doing so saves a lot of time, space, energy, and emotion for all concerned.

6.3. The fact that you have 1 post, 5000 posts or have playing with computers since you were in diapers is IRRELEVANT. It may inform your opinions and certainly may mean other posters will give greater weight to what you say, but, in terms of how you treat other people, please drop the elitism.

6.4. Give your threads useful titles so that a reader will have a good idea what the thread is about just by seeing the title. For instance, “How to maximize your Windows” is a much better title than “look here” or “my thoughts”.

6.5. While we’re not grammar nazi’s, you’d be surprised how much more credibility you’ll have if you make an effort to use correct grammar and spelling. We’re not looking for perfection, just effort.

6.6. When posting images, do not use .bmp. Use .jpg or .gif, or something similarly small. .bmp’s are just too large. You may run the risk of having your images deleted if you are being reckless w/ posting .bmps.

6.7. Do not post your signature in every single post you make. Once or twice per thread.

7. Consequences/Bans
7.1. Violating the above rules can result in being banned from the forums. Depending on the reason, you may have some or no warning. For instance, racist/hatespeak will be an instant ban, no warning, but if the problem is, say, flaming between 2 people warnings will be issued. We are under no obligation to warn you since the rules are posted, but we will try to do so when the problem/infraction is of less significance.

7.2. How do I get unbanned? First off, DO NOT re-register. Doing so just reduces your chances of ever being unbanned. You will have to contact a forum admin or moderator to make such a request. Obviously, you will have to do this off-forum. You may also use a friend w/ an account to contact us via the forums.

7.3. If you receive a message saying your IP has been banned, email or PM any of the forum mods/admins. It may well be that an IP range was blocked and you got caught up in this. We will try and rectify this when possible.

7.4. Bans are not up for public discussion.

7.5. Posts made into incorrect forums can/will be moved or deleted at moderator discretion. As much as possible, we will try and note why the thread was locked/moved.

DISCLAIMER:

The Computer Bay Forums are here for the enjoyment of all who register and decide to post here. While these rules cannot cover our entire base of rules, they are provided to you as a guideline for behavior which "WE" deem as appropriate for our organization. This is NOT to say that any behavior that is NOT listed here gives a person carte-blanche to act in a manner or post in a manner which would be observed by a sampling of "normalized society" as offensive.

Please make yourselves aware that by registering here, you agree to these rules and agree to be bound by them should you decide to post here -- if at all. We understand the needs of individuals to be contrary to our rules and wish to make you aware that any behavior we understand as negative or having no positive contribution may also result in removal from these forums.

At no time are we responsible for any content or information which passes through our forum software although we shall make every effort to monitor such information and if necessary intercept and remove it.

The tips and tricks on this site should be taken at the users own risk, computerbay.forumotion.com and its producers will not be held accountable for actions that result in unwanted or unsolicited results.

These rules may be subject to change or interpretation at the discretion of the administrators of these forums so choose. You will however be notified once changes have been effected so as to give you time to read and understand any changes.

These forums are provided by the admins of Computer Bay AS IS and come with no warranty or guarantee of service or free speech. At no time should you expect anything from these forums beyond being able to use them in what we deem to be a "timely manner."

-- Forum Administration