Forum Rules

October 23rd, 2012 at 12:00:00 AM permalink
Wizard
Administrator
Member since: Oct 23, 2012
Threads: 239
Posts: 6095
These rules should be considered as a guideline of what we will not tolerate. Just because a behavior is not on this list does not mean it will be tolerated or go unpunished. The administration reserves the right to punish any activity it deems disruptive to the forum, whether against these rules or not.

  1. Absolutely no personal insults. If you disagree with another forum member, politely attack the writing, not the writer. (Amended 2/23/14 to not allow personal insults at all. The previous policy was more lenient.)
  2. Respect copyright: Don't post entire articles from other sources. If you must quote without permission, do so sparingly, and properly indicate the source.
  3. No free advertising. If you want to advertise on this site then expect to pay. Members in good standing may plug their own product or service, with prior permission. However, "good standing" must be earned. Definitely don't post an ad in your very first message!
  4. Respect privacy. Do not post any personal information about someone else that is intended to be private or quote from private communication. This rule applies to protecting the privacy of everybody, but especially forum members.
  5. Do not post the same message more than once. This includes posting the same message in two or more places, and re-posting because nobody replied the first time. If you didn't get a response the first time, chances are nobody else had anything to say about it.
  6. Keep it PG. No pornographic or violent images or text. Profanity is prohibited, especially the F word. (Amended 2/23/14 to not allow profanity at all. The previous policy was more lenient.)
  7. No hijacking: Try to keep threads on topic. If you want to veer off on a tangent, please make a new thread for it.
  8. Keep it legal: Don't post anything that would violate the laws of Nevada or the United States. For example, anything libelous, or promoting anything obviously illegal.
  9. No thumbtacking. Don't post one or two words just to keep a thread in the top of the list. If that is your motive, at least add something substantive to say about the topic, or at least a joke.
  10. Betting systems: Methods of varying bet size, based on previous wins and losses, not only can't overcome the house edge, they can't even dent it. However, if you're one of the many mathematically ignorant gamblers who think adding up negative numbers can result in a positive one, please keep your comments restricted to the betting systems sty. Betting systems may not be offered for sale anywhere on the site.
  11. Multiple accounts: One account per person. Posting under multiple identities is cause for immediate expulsion. (Added 12/30/2010)
  12. No bullying/trolling: Members are expected to act like ladies and gentlemen. Members may not be overly divisive or abusive to another member. This includes starting a thread only the for purpose of attacking another member. (Added 2/24/2012). This also includes threats against another member. (added 9/3/12)
  13. Posting limits: For the first 30 days of membership, the number of threads you may start is equal to the number of days you have been a member plus two, and the maximum number of posts you can make is limited to the number of days you have been a member plus 10. This is to help combat spam. (Added 3/8/2012)
  14. Private Messaging: Private messages are supposed to be private. Of course, by mutual agreement they can be quoted to a larger audience. The rules above also apply to private messaging, including rule #1. An exception to the privacy rule is that abuses may be reported to the Wizard, JB or Mission146. We will treat it like a "coach's challenge" in the NFL. If a banning is warranted, it will be given. If not, a banning of a perceived victim may be made for making a false claim. (Added 8/17/2012)
  15. Flagging: The primary purpose of flagging is to rid the forum of spam but can also be used for other obvious rule violations. Flagging legitimate posts, for any reason, is not allowed. (Added 4/15/2016)
  16. Messages from banned members: Do not quote anything, neither public nor private, a banned member has said. If we ban somebody it means we don't want to hear from them any longer. (Added 6/9/2016)
  17. Misquoting: If you quote another member, do not remove, add, or change any wording within the portion quoted. If you wish to emphasize a particular part of the quote, any formatting by the one quoting should be disclosed immediately after the quote. (Added 6/8/2018)
  18. Hate Speech: While we try to promote free speech as much as we can, racial slurs, vulgar terminology or advocating violence against any person or group of people are not welcome. (Added 1/10/2019)
  19. Nuclear option: Finally, if the site administrators feel that a member is so disruptive to the site, even while abiding by the rules above, a "nuclear option" may be invoked to permanently ban the offender. This will be used sparingly for only the worst of trolls. (Added 2/20/11)


The punishment for violating these rules will be meted out on a case by case basis. Options include a warning, temporary ban, and permanent ban.
Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber