Forum Guidelines (revised 2/15/07)

[Ironduke]

§ 1) Although we respect the principle of free speech, the World Affairs Board™ is not a democracy. Therefore we have devised a set of guidelines designed not to stifle debate, but rather to enhance it. To maintain a level of high-quality discussion, types of behaviors that are forbidden include, but are not limited to:

• 1. flamebaiting, trolling, participating in flame wars
  
• 2. spamming, via posts or private messages. This includes, but is not limited to, sending unsolicited invitations via PM for other forums and sites, and advertising via post for any site without prior approval
  
• 3. posting, uploading or linking to content which is libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive, harassing, threatening, sexually suggestive, hateful, profane, or contains racially, ethnically, or religiously objectionable material
  
• 4. religious proselytizing; this forum is not a pulpit, preaching your religion is not permitted here
  
• 5. advertising for commercial sites
  
• 6. advocating acts that are unlawful
  
• 7. expressing support for groups that are internationally recognized as terrorist or criminal organizations
  
• 8. making malicious comments about the forum or its staff, on this forum and other forums or websites
  
• 9. public criticism of a moderator's actions; if you have any concerns about a moderator, please contact an administrator
  
• 10. publicly requesting a member be banned, or implying that they will be; attention can be requested to rule violations, which will be followed by a decision and appropriate action by staff
  
• 11. registering an offensive or inappropriate username
  
• 12. blatantly advertising for other sites in a signature, post, avatar, etc.

§ 2) Discussion topics:

• 1. copyrighted materials posted on the World Affairs Board must state the source in full
  
• 2. permission must be sought to republish copyrighted materials that require the permission of the author and/or publisher that are not covered under the Fair Use Provision of Title 17, U.S.C. Section 107
  
• 3. make sure to check for relevant, recent threads when posting a new topic
  
• 4. topics must be posted in the appropriate forum
  
• 5. make sure your post is relevant to the thread you are posting in, please do not post off-topic comments, make tangential remarks, or otherwise derail a discussion

§ 3) Images:

• 1. hotlinking images from other sites is forbidden; WAB has a generous attachment policy, up to 5 pictures totaling 1MB for all attachments are allowed per post, so please save the pictures to your computer, then upload them if you wish to use them in a post
  
• 2. abuse of upload privileges is forbidden, this includes using WAB for image hosting or uploading inappropriate content

§ 4) Miscellaneous:

• 1. multiple registrations by the same person are prohibited, if you wish to change your username, contact an administrator
  
• 2. the administration of the World Affairs Board, without any previous notice, reserves the right to delete any topic or post and ban any user at any time
  
• 3. violations of criminal or civil law will not be accepted, and may result in the notification of the proper authorities
  
• 4. the administrators of the World Affairs Board delegate their authority to moderators they deem competent to carry out everyday tasks such as promoting discussion, enforcing guidelines, closing and moving topics, issuing warnings and infractions, etc.
  
• 5. if you are unsure if a post, picture, signature, link, avatar, or advertisement would constitute a violation of forum rules, contact an administrator or moderator for clarification beforehand
  
• 6. if you feel that a member's posts are in violation of forum guidelines and/or are an attempt to bait you into a response in violation of forum rules, please report the post to staff and/or add that member to your ignore list. Continued participation may make the situation worse
  
• 7. staff's posts and overlooked rule violations do not set a precedent for behavior that is permitted
  
• 8. there a certain individuals whom we have ascertained as possessing a professional status. Keep in mind when questioning their experiences and opinions in their areas of expertise, making idiotic, sarcastic, and rude comments may invite swift retribution, and the staff may not be inclined to shield you from the consequences of your behavior
  
• 9. the staff reserves the right to intervene in discussions lacking rule violations to preserve the quality of discussion, which includes requesting that an unruly member exit a discussion
  
• 10. immature nationalistic bickering matches are not tolerated here (e.g. nation vs. nation threads), please take them to another venue
  
• 11. the rules are subject to change at any time, without prior notice

§ 5) Consequences for violation of forum rules include:

• 1. warning or infraction issued by a staff member (in petty cases we may choose to "advise")
  
• 2. editing or deletion of the offending post
  
• 3. account suspension
  
• 4. permanent ban

The World Affairs Board is a public forum, and anybody who wishes to may register and post. Keep in mind, however, that visiting and posting on the World Affairs Board is a privilege, not a right.

Upon registration, you agree that you will comply with the forum guidelines.

Determination of what constitutes a breach of the World Affairs Board rules and guidelines rests solely with the forum staff.