Forum Policy

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unilang
Server Administrator
Posts:88
Joined:2002-06-20, 20:00
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Forum Policy

Postby unilang » 2013-12-19, 0:57

1. User accounts

    1.1 Do not choose an offensive username.

    1.2 You are allowed to have only 1 account. If you create any others, they will be banned and there will be consequences. If you have a deactivated account, see 1.6; you are to ask for that to be reactivated instead of creating a new one.

    1.3 Contact the forum administrators via PM if you want to change your username. It may only be changed once in any 6 month period, and three times in a 2 year period.

    1.4 If you for any reason can't log into the forum and need to contact the forum administrators, send an e-mail to unilang@unilang.org
    Ex. Your account is deactivated, you've forgotten your password and can't reset it using “I forgot my password”, or you're currently banned.

    1.5 If you haven’t made any posts from your account and it's older than 2 months, your account may be deleted in an account purge, without your consent.

    1.6 If you have made at least one post, you may deactivate your account by contacting the forum administrators.
      • This is is done instead of deleting an account, since deleting the account completely destroys the ability to follow threads.
      • All it leaves is the account’s username. However, all posts will remain.
      • Your account must remain deactivated for at least 6 months.
      • You must contact the forum administrators for reactivation. You can do so via the contact form or e-mail.
      • If you discuss it with the forum administrators first, deactivation for a period of less than 6 months is possible with a good reason.


2. Behavior and general rules

    2.1 General guidelines:
      • Be nice to other members and visitors to the forum.
      • Treat people the way you would want to be treated.
      • Be civil, show respect for other members and their views.
      • Use normal netiquette.

    2.2 Do not:
      • Ridicule, mock or insult other members.
      • Post for the sole purpose of getting reactions from other members (in other words, do not troll).
      • Fill the forum with a lot of meaningless posts.
      • Speculate that someone is a troll or spammer or call their posts trolling or spam.
      • Do any backseat moderating, that is to tell other members what to do or write, how to behave, that they are breaking the rules or should be banned.

    2.3 Language - We do not censor language. Cursing is permitted as long as it is not used to offend another.

      2.3.1 Examples of what is allowed:
        • “That’s fucking great!”
        • “This book is fucking stupid!”
      2.3.2 Examples of what is forbidden:
        • “You’re a fucking idiot!”
        • “Fuck you!”

    2.4 If you think that someone is breaking the rules:
      • Report the post, there is a button for that in the header of all posts.
      • Do not comment on it or reply to it in the thread itself.
      • Private messages are reported in the same manner as posts.


3. Promotion and spam

    3.1 Allowed:
      • Linking to a blog, personal or commercial website which contributes to a post or topic.
      • Linking to a survey with an academic purpose, if you ask the forum administrators for permission first.
      • In signatures, links to non-commercial sites that have to do with languages.
      • In signatures, links to a personal blog or website, as long as it’s non-commercial.

    3.2 Forbidden:
      • Posts whose sole purpose is promoting any website or blog, non-commercial or otherwise.
      • In signatures, links to commercial websites.
      • Unauthorized posts whose sole purpose is getting answers for a survey.
      • Private messages advertising commercial goods or services, as well as non-genuine romantic private messages, seeking to mislead another user.
      • Joining for the sole purpose of promoting a website or a blog, non-commercial or otherwise.


4. Forum posts

    4.1 Keep posts on topic, if you feel the need to discuss something that is not, do so where it is appropriate, or create a new thread. If a discussion goes off-topic for more than one page, the moderators may split it into a separate thread.

    4.2 Do not post in old threads unless you have something that contributes to them. Similarly, do not create a new thread unless you have something to contribute about the topic.

    4.3 Do not create a new thread if one already exists, however exceptions can be made for threads that are very outdated, and should be made for threads which have had their topic completely changed through off-topic posts.

    4.4 Do not write posts with identical or very similar content in multiple sub-forums. If you want input from speakers of several different languages or people from several different countries, post it in the General Forum, the General Language Forum, or in one of their sub-forums, which one depends on the topic and type of thread.

    4.5 Information about other users

      4.5.1 Allowed:
        • Using the given name of another user if it is already common knowledge.
        • Posting the personal details of a non-user that are public knowledge.
        Ex. “The President of the United States lives in the White House”, “Elvis lived at Graceland”.
      4.5.2 Forbidden:
        • Posting another user’s personal information.
        Ex. Account details, addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, etc.
        • Giving away another user’s identity without permission.
        • Exchanging any personal details of a non-user that are not public knowledge.
        Ex. “Zhang Ziyi, the lead actress in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon lives at [her address]”.

    4.6 File-sharing and piracy

      4.6.1 Allowed:
        • Links to torrents or downloadable material in the public domain, or material to which the user owns the copyright.
        • Explaining how torrents work for users who wish to download legal material.
        • Links to streaming content which does not break any other terms.
        • Discussions about piracy.
      4.6.2 Forbidden:
        • Explaining how to obtain illegal or pirated material.
        • Linking to downloadable illegal or pirated material.
        Ex. Copyrighted books, films, music, software, etc.

    4.7 Sexual and romantic content and nudity

      4.7.1 Allowed
        • Non-sexual flirting, regardless of gender.
        Ex. “You’re cute”, and “I’d take you out for dinner”.
        • Posting sex-related posts in the appropriate thread.
        Ex. The random threads, but not in threads with a specific, non-sexual subject.
        • Clearly artistic historical works depicting nude people.
      4.7.2 Forbidden:
        • Sexual flirting.
        • Graphic depictions of sex.
        • Graphic depictions of body parts and fluids.
        • Pictures or drawings that:
          - are clearly pornographic
          - show pubic hair (including the mons pubis if there is no hair)
          - show nudity with the genitalia covered by a hand or object
          - show exposed breasts
          - show genitalia

    4.8 Editing posts

      4.8.1 Allowed:
        • Correcting typos, spelling errors and grammatical errors.
        • Clarifications of what you meant, before too many have answered.
      4.8.2 Forbidden:
        • Deleting all of the content.
        • Twisting the content so that the actual meaning of it becomes something else.
      4.8.3 The ability to edit your posts will be taken away for a year should these rules be continuously broken or ignored.

    4.9 Pictures

      4.9.1 Allowed:
        • Posting a picture which you hold the right to, unless another Unilang member is visible in it, in which case you need that member’s expressed consent.
        • Posting a picture which you don’t hold the right to if you have been given permission by the person who does.
        • Posting a picture belonging to the free domain.


5. Private messages

    5.1 The rules for behavior on the forum also apply to private messages.

    5.2 Allowed:
      • Forwarding a private message to the forum administrators if a rule violation is suspected.
    5.3 Forbidden:
      • Posting any private message on the forum without expressed consent by the author.


Infractions of Items in red are considered major infractions, and will result in an immediate ban, without prior warning.
Infractions of Items in orange may result in immediate ban without prior warning if the infraction is considered severe. Otherwise these infractions will follow the normal path.
Infractions of Items in green will be considered minor infractions, and will usually receive a reminder.
Infractions of Items in blue may result in an immediate permanent ban.

unilang
Server Administrator
Posts:88
Joined:2002-06-20, 20:00
Contact:

Ban Policy

Postby unilang » 2013-12-19, 1:48

The penalties for breaking the forum policy follow a graduated response, as shown:
Image

Things to note:

  • Reminder in the chart above means an official reminder, recorded to your user notes. You will be informed if you get one of these. You may receive a number of PMs from administrators, or blanket reminders in threads, before an official reminder is given, depending on the infraction and severity.
  • In exceptional circumstances the penalty given may be higher or lower than that shown.
  • If you feel you were given a penalty in error, or you think a penalty was unjustly harsh, then you may contact the administrators either by PM or through the contact form, with your reasoning for doing so, and we may review the decision.
  • Anyone with a two-week ban or lesser penalty at 00.00 GMT on the 19th of December, 2013 will start as from zero infractions, while anyone with a more severe penalty shall start at the closest level below that penalty.


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