BFChat Code of Conduct

[forumadmin]

Disclaimer: This web site is a not for profit public bulletin board open to all people. As such, links or references to promoting commercial or business enterprises deemed to be solely for the profit of the publisher will be removed without notice. The user account responsible for posting such references will be terminated and possibly banned permanently. This web site is presented solely for the entertainment and enlightenment of our readers. Any use for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited.

We expect participating members to:

1. Treat all the members of this web site with dignity and respect.
   Any activity designed to intimidate, harass, or debase the integrity of our members is prohibited.
2. Keep their posts' content in the context of a young adult viewable site.
   Sexually explicit content, violence, bullying and subversive activity is prohibited.
3. Refrain from using excessive profanity
   Everywhere
4. Refrain from Post Whoring.
   Post whoring = flooding the board with multiple topics and/or replies with no substance.
5. Respect the privacy of our forum participants.
   Do not post direct quotes from e-mails, instant messages, community private message service, or other confidential communications.
6. Adhere to all applicable copyright laws.
   BFC is a nonprofit community forum. As such we believe that text, images, movies, music, or any other multimedia materials (or hyperlinks thereto) posted on this web site comply with Fair Use of copyrighted work, and thus does not constitute infringement of the copyright owner's protection. We recognize that individual sources, typically news service web sites, publish Terms Of Service (TOS) which may supersede the copyright holder's protection. In those instances it is the responsibility of each person posting such material to comply with the TOS of their sources, and to be able to provide proof of permission to publish on demand.
7. Be accountable for their account activity.
   Each of our members is responsible and accountable for any and all activity associated with their account.

Discussion Etiquette:
The following points of etiquette should be strictly observed in our Discussion Forums.

• TOPIC TITLES: The title of a topic should give a clear indication of the subject being offered for discussion.
  A review of the topic titles should give the reader enough information to determine if the post is of interest to them.
• REPLIES: Comply with our Code of Conduct guidelines.
  Replies should be focused on expanding, clarifying, or contributing to the subject of the post.
• TOPIC DRIFT: Avoid topic drift as much as possible.
  Formal debate protocol is not required in any discussion; a casual and friendly dialog is encouraged therein. Side notes and personal comments are acceptable, but care should be taken not to allow the original point of the post to be lost.
• CHAT: Keep forum discussions on a general interest level.
  It is often necessary and entertaining to single out individuals in order to advance a point of discussion. However, it is inconsiderate to reply in a manner that excludes responses from any and all readers. Personal one-on-one comments should be restricted to private messages and to our Chat Forums.
• POST OWNERSHIP RIGHTS: Ownership of a topic goes to the member creating the original post.
  As such the owner has a right to request the topic to be deleted or locked. However, the administrators and moderators of BFChat have the ultimate responsibility to determine if the content of any topic is appropriate.
• PERSONAL SIGNATURES: Signatures should be regular text.
  To avoid visual distractions, and to assure a uniform presentation, signature graphics are limited to 350px x 20px maximum. Hyperlinks (URL's) of any kind are not allowed in signatures.

REMEDIES:

• Adherence to the Code of Conduct and specific forum rules is the sole responsibility of the registered member.
• Continued membership and participation on this web site is at the sole discretion of the administrators.
• Any member account may be canceled or deactivated for any reason at any time.
• Complying with this web site's Code of Conduct and rules of etiquette does not in itself constitute a right to continued membership.
• New applications for membership may be challenged and/or rejected by the site's administrators at their discretion.

Violations of this site's Code of Conduct will be handled by, but not limited to, the following procedures:

MODERATION:
Moderators are responsible for overseeing the posts in the forums to which they are assigned. They have an obligation to enforce forum rules and the general Code of Conduct. Forum moderators may at their discretion, and without prior warning, remove or alter posts which are judged to be inappropriate.

WARNINGS:
All members are invited to use the "Report This Post" function to notify the site moderators of possible violations of the Code of Conduct, etiquette, or specific forum rules. Each report will be investigated and an appropriate warnings issued.

ABUSE REPORTS:
Report any instances of abuse to abuse@brainformation.com or use the site's private messaging (PM) system to notify moderators and/or administrators. A formal abuse report would include:

1. A description of the abuse
2. The name of the perpetrator(s)
3. The name of the person(s) being abused
4. When and where the abuse took place
5. Any documentation to support the claim of abuse

The reporter of abuse may be contacted by the site administrator(s) for additional information.

SUSPENSION AND BANS:
Continued violations of this web site's Code of Conduct will be handled in a "3 Strikes And You're Out" fashion:

1. 1st offense: a written warning
2. 2nd offense: a temporary suspension of account and/or private messaging privileges.
3. 3rd offense: a permanent ban from participation.

Exceptions to the 3-Strikes policy may be applied on occasion, and in all cases the decision of the site administrator is final.