| Members Conduct |
 Preliminary Note:The below ramblings are written in a particularly direct style. This is for two reasons. Firstly, it's administrative BS like this that takes all the fun out of the game, so you'll excuse us for presenting them in a rather compact format. Secondly, for 98% of the people reading this, you'll probably never be affected by it in any case. However, there exists a 2% for whom it will, and that 2% appears to be the type for whom a direct-as-possible approach is the only thing that works. Therefore, if you can't see the point of any of this - then don't worry, you're probably on the right side of the coin anyway. Administrators update: 8/15/05 All Political User Signatures, and Discussions is Strictly Prohibited from All Forums. at RaiderTalk, The Black Pearl, and The Pirate's Den. Please Visit The Extra Points Forum that can be found in the Link Bar under Auto/Mics, for All Your Ploitical Discussions. All Religious talk is Strictly Prohibited from All Forums. at RaiderTalk, The Black Pearl, and The Pirate's Den. Please Visit Take A Knee that can be found in the Link Bar under Auto/Mics, for All Your Religious Discussions. |
| RULE #1: The forums are primarily for the discussion of Raiders football, with the obvious exception of NRC forums. More importantly, they're for discussion of Raiders football in a respectful and hopefully intelligent manner. |
Rule #1 is the Golden Rule. If you don't understand what those words mean, we haven't got time to teach you, and even if we did, we couldn't be bothered. Complain to your 3rd Grade English Teacher that you got short-changed. In practical terms, understand that not everyone is the same as you. Not everyone will share the same views as you on the Raiders, but that only goes half way. You also need to understand that not everyone will have the same viewpoints as you on many things, and further may have different values and different levels of conviction and resiliency. In other words: state your case, but if you can't do it in a manner which is respectful of those around you, don't bother. If all else fails - just stick to the facts. |
| RULE #2: Personal Attacks are strictly prohibited. If you choose to engage in personal attacks, you will be suspended or possible permanent exclusion. If you are attacked yourself and choose to respond in kind, you will face the same measures. |
Just for emphasis: Personal Attacks will not be tolerated. Personal Attacks are posts where the poster insults, disparages, harasses or in some other way attacks another poster's persona as opposed to anything they have may posted i.e. their opinion. Those who engage in personal attacks will face an incremental series of actions as defined in the section on "Enforcement of Member Conduct" below. If you believe you are on the receiving end of a Personal Attack, you should not respond in kind under any circumstances. You should immediately alert us (via the Bad Message Alert), and we will deal with it - if necessary. We say "if necessary", because we ain't stupid. There are people who we know full well will constantly blow the whistle for no other reason than they're trying to get the other person fried. So... be aware. We might just tell you to stick it. If you choose to persist, then you become a nuisance, and it might just be you who's hitting the road. If you do choose to respond, you have, by definition, just escalated the issue to a "Personal War" to which you are a named party (see Rule #3). By doing so, you have also just given us no option but to treat you in the same manner as the "attacker". What we're getting at is this: do not respond in kind to a personal attack and only then, or later, cry foul. Once you dig yourself into a hole, we ain't gonna throw you a rope to pull you and you alone out of it, especially when it stinks of hypocrisy (and it nearly always does). |
| RULE #3: Any parties engaging in persistent exchanges of Personal Attacks (aka "Personal Wars") will have their memberships indefinitely suspended until the matter is resolved. |
Personal Wars are a little different from Personal Attacks, because there is more than one person on the offense, and they roll over time flaring up, then settling down, then flaring up again, simply because the two parties don't like each other. Now, we can't make everyone like each other. However, if it is completely private (e-mail, whatever), it doesn't really concern us. How could it? What people do on their personal e-mail is up to them, and you can hide your address in any case (it is already hidden, by default, when you sign up). If it spills onto the board however, then it concerns us. If we see such an item developing, you'll be given a choice. Either (a) you can stop, or (b) you can deal with it privately. If it stops, then starts again, then option (b) will be selected for you. If instead you choose to deal with it in public (i.e. continue onwards), we can enforce option (b) by suspending access for ALL parties indefinitely until we're satisfied the issue is resolved. If the issue does not get resolved, then you have a further choice: either you agree to differ but keep it civil, or you start finding other ways to spend your time online. |
| RULE #4: Flames & Flame Bait posts are prohibited. |
"Flame posts" really need little explanation. No-one wants to see them, no-one cares, and all you've done is just proved yourself of rather limited character. We wish to promote a constructive, friendly environment. If you instead choose to be destructive and hostile, we're rather at odds. Something has to give, and it won't be us. If you persist, you will be subject to the measures defined in the section on "Enforcement of Member Conduct" below. Flame bait is slightly more tricky, as it is, by nature, more covert. One man's meat is another man's poison. Therefore, judgement on whether posts constitute flame-bait or not will be treated on a case-by-case basis, and we shall be the sole arbitrator of that. If we believe the post does constitute flame-bait but was not made with intent, we will provide you a friendly word of advice. Alternatively, if you believe you knew exactly what you were doing, you become subject to the same measures applied to a flame. |
| RULE #5: Inappropriate Material |
Certain forms of post are inappropriate in any circumstances, and will be removed. Persistent posting of such material will lead to automatic suspension and possible removal of the poster's account. Such material will include, but is not limited to:
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| Application Notes |
| Enforcement of Members Conduct |
If you choose to engage in activities which are in contradiction of the aforestated rules, or are judged to be otherwise to the general detriment of the forum as a whole, you will be subject to a number of measures. Firstly, your account can be put on time-out at any time for 24-48 hours, for whatever reason. You will receive a warning as to why (that is, if it actually requires any explanation). The warning will be sent to your e-mail address on record. If that account "doesn't work anymore", that's your problem, not ours. Secondly, if you choose to ignore a warning, you will face an automatic one week ban. After one week? The ball's in your court. We/you can resolve the issue, or we can continue on the same path. If you choose the latter course of action? The next ban will be for longer: maybe a month, maybe three months. Maybe until the end of your membership (and beyond). A few supplemental points: "That's not fair!!" There is no court of appeal. Protest all you like, whine to your friends, kick the dog/cat/gerbil (erm... k?), write your congressman, organize a march on the State Capitol if it makes you feel better, but it won't make any difference. We're real good at ignoring multiple e-mails too, ask around. And no, we don't do parole either - One week means means one week. "I didn't receive any warning!" Nope, and no guarantee you'll get one either. We know full well some people will think the warning equates to "one free strike", and take their chances. Chance it if you like, just be aware of the risk. |
| "One Size Fits All" |
Let's make something perfectly clear: the rules apply to everyone. We'll say that once, but we could say it 500 times, and some people still won't get it. That's because some people will believe the rules don't apply to them, that they're only for other people. Because they think they're special. Understand this, and understand it well: Sooner or later, someone falling into that category is going to get suspended or banned. They won't be happy about it (no-one ever is, and of course, they will never admit any fault on their part). Whatever. There are only two ways you can deal with it in our book. Either (a) you can take it like an adult, whether you agree with it or not, or (b) you can bitch and complain about how special you really are and about how it's all someone else's fault. If you take path (a), fine. That's what you're supposed to do: act like an adult who might not like the state of affairs, but is going to get over it. If you take path (b) on the other hand, we're just going to ignore you. All you've done is proved to everyone how it's really just "all about you" and that you're no more than a spoiled little baby bleating because they didn't get their own way. Go get the kindergarten nurse to make your boo-boo feel all better. Oh, and good luck joining the adult world - if your reaction to facing any form of adversity is to whine about how unfair it all is, you're gonna need all the luck you can get. Oh, and just for the particularly thick skulls: after reading the above, if the first thought that runs through your head is "that doesn't concern me", it's a pretty good indication it probably applies to you more than anyone else and you should read it all over again. And again, and again, and again. Until it sinks in. |
| Interpretation |
Defining every single possible situation and variant thereon and attendant responses to each is basically an impossible task without years of work. Even if we were so inclined (and we aren't), we have no intention of, or time to burn, engaging in language debates with amateur internet lawyers. Some level of subjectivity is therefore inevitable and unavoidable. Subjectivity can bring its problems obviously, but only if it is allowed to. That is a two way street - we don't need to be subjective, unless we're forced to be so. In other words, the ball is more or less in your court with that - you define your own treatment. However, if you force us to act subjectively by debating rules or challenging them, then so be it. However, that's something you probably don't want to do. At that point, it comes down to our own personal opinion, which by that point will pretty much be so stacked against you might as well start packing. In other words - you can live by the rules, or you can ignore them. We've already explained what happens if you ignore them. If you choose to attempt to find holes in them or challenge them for your own ends... hey, go for it. You may well find them. But in the absence of a written rule, it's all down to how good a mood we're in, and you're probably not on our Christmas Card list by that point. |
| The Last Word |
The above may seem rather strong. OK, but as we said at the top, we need everyone to remember something. There is a good chance most of the above will never affect you, because the vast majority of people are decent individuals to whom many of the things above would be foreign in any case. However, if you aren't familiar with this kind of environment, then you might be getting an awakening. Not everyone is like you. There are people who think they can do as they please, under any circumstances. Unfortunately, we have to deal with them, and it is those people to whom much of the above is aimed at. So Keep To The Code Me Hearties, and Talk some Raider Football. |