Membership Agreement

Darat · 7th July 2004, 03:20 PM

Membership Agreement

By posting on the JREF Forum you agree to abide by and follow the Guidelines and Rules and by directions made by the Moderating Team.

The JREF may at any time amend, delete, and edit this agreement, and by continuing to post here you accept any such alterations.

Guidelines

Be civil and polite.

The JREF wishes the Forum to be available to as wide an audience as possible therefore the Forum has been subdivided into "JREF Topics" & "General Topics" and "Member Only" categories and these categories into areas of interest and it is expected that Members will post on-topic in the various sections.

The JREF wishes the Forum to be a friendly and lively (if challenging) Forum for a mature audience and therefore will endeavor to ensure that civility will be the norm, however this does not mean that Members will be insulated from all insults and certainly not from challenges; the nature of the forum inevitably involves strong emotions and opinions which can result in heated exchanges. Having your views challenged is not considered unfriendly nor uncivil.

The Forum is read by many people in many difference locations (including work places), so consider if the content you are posting is “NSFW” (Not Suitable For Work). This could include pictures, audio and video and links to other sites containing such material; if you are not sure if something is NSFW, provide a clear warning to other Members of the nature of the content. (See: "How to mark content 'NSFW'")

The following are some of the behaviors that are not acceptable:

Advocacy of suicide or of violence to others: If you tell someone to kill or harm themselves, or to harm someone else, you will be suspended or banned without prior warning. Example: "Go kill yourself."

Sexual harassment: Defined as unwelcome sexual advances, sexual suggestions, or sexual content directed at another user, when reported. Generalized misogyny or misandry not directed at a specific user will not be considered "sexual harassment".

Extremely cruel or hateful content directed toward another user: This includes content in private messages. Generalized cruel or hateful content directed at groups will not be prevented in order that such topics viewpoints may be discussed, as long as such content does not encourage or incite violent acts.

Rules for all sections of the Forum

You will not post anything that is considered to be potentially criminal.The posting of computer viruses, child pornography, or links to computer viruses or child pornography is prohibited. Posts made under circumstances indicating a considered likelihood of inciting a violent or felonious act, or a subjective intention or knowledge that its content will be used for, or in furtherance of, any criminal purpose are also prohibited. Such posts will be moved offline and referred to proper legal channels.
You will not post anything that is considered pornographic, obscene, or contains excessive reference to violence and/or explicit sexual acts. This includes representational artwork as well as photographic or video media and includes linking directly to such content from the Forum
You will not post any commercial advertisements.
You will not post "copyright-protected¹" material in its entirety, including "hotlinking²" to images or other media .
You will not post anything that demonstrates a clear and present danger to the welfare of another person, or otherwise tends to create alarm or apprehension that the welfare of any person is in imminent jeopardy.
You will not "spam" or "flood" the Forum.
You may only have one membership account. Multiple accounts (sock puppets) are not permitted and only the person registering an account may use it.
You will not post a person's private information that is not otherwise publicly available or if it is not required for a discussion.

Additional Rules for posting in the JREF Topics, General Topics & Forum Topics sections
You will not post anything indecent. This is content that depicts or describes sexual or excretory organs or activities in an offensive manner.
You will not swear in your posts. This includes using swear words in a disguised form, for example, by replacing certain letters in the word with another letter, character, or image.
Posts must be on topic to the thread subject. On this Forum thread drift is expected but must follow from the discussion.
“Attack the argument, not the arguer." Having your opinion, claim or argument challenged, doubted or dismissed is not attacking the arguer.

Warnings, Suspension & Banning

When possible, and where appropriate, requests and warnings will be issued publicly, in the thread where the Guideline or Rule violation occurs. Moderators or Administrators will send private messages with requests if they feel it is more appropriate to do so. Depending upon the severity of the violation, Moderators or Administrators may include a warning that continued violations will result in suspension. (Only Administrators are able to suspend users.) Members who have ignored prior warnings or committed a serious breach of their membership agreement may have their membership suspended for a period of time. If necessary a member will be banned from the forum.

Appeals

Note: You can create a formal appeal thread even when suspended.

If you have been subject to a Moderating Team action you can formally appeal that action (for details of the process see: "Moderator Agreement"). A formal appeal is an appeal that the Moderating Team is obligated to respond to. To make a formal appeal create a new thread in the "Appeals" section and in your opening post provide details of exactly what Moderating Team action or decision you are appealing and any appropriate links. See: http://forums.randi.org/announcement.php?f=88 for details of how to make an appeal thread.

Frequently Asked Questions

A FAQ is available that provides additional information and clarification for some areas of the Membership Agreement and how the Forum is moderated, click here to read it.

______________________________________________
Notes:

¹The JREF has adopted a policy of treating all published material as if it was copyrighted regardless of its legal copyright status. (This includes articles, images and other media.) Under this rule "copyrighted" content may be posted within the doctrine of "fair use" therefore the quoting of brief portions of articles, books, emails, or bulletin board messages, relevant to discussion, is permitted. All quoted material should be credited to the original author or publisher and a link provided (when available) to the original work. It is not possible to declare precisely how much material may be quoted, as it will vary from article to article. We suggest quoting no more than a paragraph. Authors of copyrighted material may post their own work, provided they hold publishing rights to the material.

²"Hotlinking" is using the [img] code to display material from another website in a post. An example would be using the [img] tag to display an image you found on someone else's web page so it will appear in your posts here. Some sites may allow hotlinking, especially image hosting sites, however it is up to the Member to ensure that is the case prior to using a "hotlink" to the content. It is not "hotlinking" to provide a link to content on another site.

______________________________________________

(New Membership Agreement Posted 15th August 2007)
Edited: 19th October 2007 - added section on appeals.
Edited: 27th October 2008 - clarity and layout, added FAQ section

7th July 2004, 03:20 PM	#1
Darat Lackey Administrator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: South East, UK Posts: 45,887	Membership Agreement Membership Agreement By posting on the JREF Forum you agree to abide by and follow the Guidelines and Rules and by directions made by the Moderating Team. The JREF may at any time amend, delete, and edit this agreement, and by continuing to post here you accept any such alterations. Guidelines Be civil and polite. The JREF wishes the Forum to be available to as wide an audience as possible therefore the Forum has been subdivided into "JREF Topics" & "General Topics" and "Member Only" categories and these categories into areas of interest and it is expected that Members will post on-topic in the various sections. The JREF wishes the Forum to be a friendly and lively (if challenging) Forum for a mature audience and therefore will endeavor to ensure that civility will be the norm, however this does not mean that Members will be insulated from all insults and certainly not from challenges; the nature of the forum inevitably involves strong emotions and opinions which can result in heated exchanges. Having your views challenged is not considered unfriendly nor uncivil. The Forum is read by many people in many difference locations (including work places), so consider if the content you are posting is “NSFW” (Not Suitable For Work). This could include pictures, audio and video and links to other sites containing such material; if you are not sure if something is NSFW, provide a clear warning to other Members of the nature of the content. (See: "How to mark content 'NSFW'") The following are some of the behaviors that are not acceptable: Advocacy of suicide or of violence to others: If you tell someone to kill or harm themselves, or to harm someone else, you will be suspended or banned without prior warning. Example: "Go kill yourself." Sexual harassment: Defined as unwelcome sexual advances, sexual suggestions, or sexual content directed at another user, when reported. Generalized misogyny or misandry not directed at a specific user will not be considered "sexual harassment". Extremely cruel or hateful content directed toward another user: This includes content in private messages. Generalized cruel or hateful content directed at groups will not be prevented in order that such topics viewpoints may be discussed, as long as such content does not encourage or incite violent acts. Rules for all sections of the Forum You will not post anything that is considered to be potentially criminal.The posting of computer viruses, child pornography, or links to computer viruses or child pornography is prohibited. Posts made under circumstances indicating a considered likelihood of inciting a violent or felonious act, or a subjective intention or knowledge that its content will be used for, or in furtherance of, any criminal purpose are also prohibited. Such posts will be moved offline and referred to proper legal channels. *You will not post anything that is considered pornographic, obscene, or contains excessive* reference to violence and/or explicit sexual acts. This includes representational artwork as well as photographic or video media and includes linking directly to such content from the Forum You will not post any commercial advertisements. You will not post "copyright-protected¹" material in its entirety, including "hotlinking²" to images or other media . You will not post anything that demonstrates a clear and present danger to the welfare of another person, or otherwise tends to create alarm or apprehension that the welfare of any person is in imminent jeopardy. You will not "spam" or "flood" the Forum. You may only have one membership account. Multiple accounts (sock puppets) are not permitted and only the person registering an account may use it. You will not post a person's private information that is not otherwise publicly available or if it is not required for a discussion. Additional Rules for posting in the JREF Topics, General Topics & Forum Topics sections You will not post anything indecent. This is content that depicts or describes sexual or excretory organs or activities in an offensive manner. You will not swear in your posts. This includes using swear words in a disguised form, for example, by replacing certain letters in the word with another letter, character, or image. Posts must be on topic to the thread subject.** On this Forum thread drift is expected but must follow from the discussion. “Attack the argument, not the arguer." Having your opinion, claim or argument challenged, doubted or dismissed is not attacking the arguer. Warnings, Suspension & Banning When possible, and where appropriate, requests and warnings will be issued publicly, in the thread where the Guideline or Rule violation occurs. Moderators or Administrators will send private messages with requests if they feel it is more appropriate to do so. Depending upon the severity of the violation, Moderators or Administrators may include a warning that continued violations will result in suspension. (Only Administrators are able to suspend users.) Members who have ignored prior warnings or committed a serious breach of their membership agreement may have their membership suspended for a period of time. If necessary a member will be banned from the forum. Appeals Note: You can create a formal appeal thread even when suspended. If you have been subject to a Moderating Team action you can formally appeal that action (for details of the process see: "Moderator Agreement"). A formal appeal is an appeal that the Moderating Team is obligated to respond to. To make a formal appeal create a new thread in the "Appeals" section and in your opening post provide details of exactly what Moderating Team action or decision you are appealing and any appropriate links. See: http://forums.randi.org/announcement.php?f=88 for details of how to make an appeal thread. Frequently Asked Questions A FAQ is available that provides additional information and clarification for some areas of the Membership Agreement and how the Forum is moderated, click here to read it. ______________________________________________ Notes: ¹The JREF has adopted a policy of treating all published material as if it was copyrighted regardless of its legal copyright status. (This includes articles, images and other media.) Under this rule "copyrighted" content may be posted within the doctrine of "fair use" therefore the quoting of brief portions of articles, books, emails, or bulletin board messages, relevant to discussion, is permitted. All quoted material should be credited to the original author or publisher and a link provided (when available) to the original work. It is not possible to declare precisely how much material may be quoted, as it will vary from article to article. We suggest quoting no more than a paragraph. Authors of copyrighted material may post their own work, provided they hold publishing rights to the material. ²"Hotlinking" is using the [img] code to display material from another website in a post. An example would be using the [img] tag to display an image you found on someone else's web page so it will appear in your posts here. Some sites may allow hotlinking, especially image hosting sites, however it is up to the Member to ensure that is the case prior to using a "hotlink" to the content. It is not "hotlinking" to provide a link to content on another site. ______________________________________________ (New Membership Agreement Posted 15th August 2007) Edited: 19th October 2007 - added section on appeals. Edited: 27th October 2008 - clarity and layout, added FAQ section
	Last edited by Darat; 27th October 2008 at 06:11 AM.