(In addition to the site terms of service.)
By using APUG forums, you agree that:
Regarding Staff (includes owners and moderators)
-staff here will not be held responsible for anyone else’s actions.
-staff reserves the right to edit or delete posts without explanation, if they are in violation of these rules or any law. We make every effort to give an explanation, but depending on the nature of the thread one may not be needed.
-staff reserves the right to take any system action deemed necessary against those that do not follow the rules.
-staff reserves the right to move or delete threads that are not posted in the appropriate forum.
-Although staff do not and cannot review every single message posted and are not responsible for the content of any of these messages, we reserve the right to delete any message for any or no reason whatsoever.
-any hostility or combative behavior towards our staff (online or offline) for a moderation decision they have made will not be tolerated. All concerns regarding a moderators decision should be directed to the site admin/owner via the apug "contact us" link.
Members (includes standard members and subscribers)
-Please note that with each post, your IP address is recorded, in the event that you need to be banned from this forum or your ISP contacted. This will only happen in the event of a major violation of these rules.
-You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless APUG.ORG owners & staff with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s) or forum behavior. We also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or whatever information we know about you) in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any message posted by you.
-Posting under multiple usernames will typically be outed to the community and result in possible ban.
-You agree to post only materials to which you have copyright, permission or references to distribute electronically. You may not violate, plagiarize, or infringe on the rights of third parties including copyright, trademark, trade secrets, privacy, and publicity, personal or proprietary rights.
-When posting comments regarding organizations or individuals inside or outside of APUG, should those organizations or individuals ask for removal of that material we may accommodate them in some cases.
-you will not post any messages or links that lead to obscene, vulgar, sexually-orientated, hateful, or threatening material, or material that violates any laws.
-APUG does not tolerate personal attacks and will delete such posts and ban users if necessary.
-If a staff member contacts you asking for changes in your posting style or habits, abide by them or face the consequences.
-If you vehemently disagree with a moderators decision contact the site admin/owner via the "contact us" link -DO NOT TAKE IT OUT ON THE MODERATOR. Do not post a thread to discuss your disagreement, and do not send hostile messages to staff. We are very protective of our moderation staff and will swiftly remove accounts that show hostility towards them.
-Cursing/swearing is tolerated but not encouraged. Keep in mind that there may be younger members visiting this site. Excessive swearing or swearing in topic titles could result in being banned.
-You may not start fights or induce fights in the forums. Use private means to resolve a dispute. Open flaming will result in removed posts, possible warnings and/or bans.
-Do not cross post a message in the forums (posting the same thread in multiple forums for more help/attention). Pick a forum, post the message, and let it be.
-no general politics (if the thread involves photography it may be allowed until it becomes unproductive, then it will be moved to the "Soap Box Forum")
-no religious discussions
-no digital vs. traditional threads
-Spamming is not tolerated. If it becomes blatant that your signature and user account are nothing more than a ploy for self promoting your products you may be warned or banned. Active members who contribute to the community are allowed signature links to their business or websites.
-When are links to external sites permitted? If you are linking to off site content which you own or are affiliated with it must be a direct link to the content and not a blanket link to your content. For example a link to your article should be www.mysite.com/article1.html NOT www.mysite.com *Be warned using APUG as a vehicle to post links to your external sources can be regarded by forum users as a form of spamming and elicit an extremely negative response from the community. The *occasional direct* link to your own content is acceptable but if it is all you tend to do when using APUG we'll have to evaluate your membership.
-If you are engaged in a constructive argument, make sure your posts are clear and that you aren't inadvertently starting a flame war.
-In some extreme cases we may place you on a "watchlist", which means you can post messages but we must approve them first. We will let you know if you have been placed on the watchlist and explain why. Do not try to argue a case against being placed on the watchlist, or how long you will be on the watchlist. Post approvals for watchlist users happen several times a day, please do not ask when your post will be approved. We will not waste time explaining why certain posts will not be approved.
-Use common sense when posting.
-Questions regarding digital techniques connected with traditional processes should be posted at hybridphoto.com
-Do not publicly post any personal details of individuals who have not explicitly given their blessing for you to do so (for example addresses, email addresses, phone numbers). Such information will be removed as it will be indexed across the internet possibly against their will. Private off line exchange of such information is fine. Linking to contact information which they have posted is also another method that is acceptable.
-Refrain from discussing members who were banned from APUG. Such discussion is unfair when the person in question can not post on APUG to defend themselves or reply.
-Poaching is a form of spam and will result in being banned (more details about poaching can be found in the site terms)
Sponsors Announcement (Advertisers and their affiliates)
Hi All,
There has been a lot going on behind the scenes lately and I've had to make some tough calls. I want to post this announcement to clarify things a bit. Due to the growth of the site and the amount of sponsors we have, I need to strengthen policies that apply to the sponsors and their affiliates. I feel that having no policy in place is a recipe for disaster to say the least. The current policy is that sponsors and their affiliates are to stay out of discussion regarding other sponsors threads or other sponsors products. This for example prevents sponsor A from posting something such as "We have a new camera bag out that is far superior to sponsor B's bags", or maybe the guy who designed the bag for sponsor A, posting claims that sponsor B and C have poorly made bags, etc. When this sort of thing is allowed, it can only end in forum wars between sponsors. Is this censorship? To some degree yes, the sponsors are being asked to stay in their respective corners. It is sad that such a policy is needed but I refuse to end up with a forum full of these types of wars. Typically sponsors do this on their own anyway, however from time to time we have some sponsors or those involved with them, banging heads until there is an all out escalation that sours the forums. If left unchecked the result would be members taking sides and those members fighting resulting in more bad blood. When there is a war I can't even describe the amount of mediating and work that goes on behind the scenes to smooth things over between those involved and in some cases trying to avoid legal dramas. I will be contacting all sponsors to ensure everyone is up to speed on this policy. We will try to start with a clean slate and enforce this more vigorously from here on out. From this point onward if you feel that any sponsor is going after another sponsors products, feel free to report the post.
Should you decide to leave APUG
We have decided from this point on to ban threads that are designed to be an "I'm Leaving APUG" announcement. These threads tend to be trolling for attention and serve no purpose other than disrupting the community for days, even weeks. If you want to leave then leave, we do not need an announcement. If you want to depart and feel obligated to provide feedback at the same time please use the 'contact us' link. If you want your friends to know you are leaving then PM or email them. There will be exceptions to the rule such as medical problems or temporary absence and these can be handled on a case-by-case basis.
|
