Welcome to the discussion forums.
Below are the rules for posting to the HawthorneVillager Discussion Forum. Most of these fall under the simple rule of “Be polite”. However, there are some specifics that need to be listed.
In most cases, the first violation will result in a public and/or private warning. Subsequent violations will earn you infraction points depending on the seriousness of the violation. Accumulating sufficient infraction points will result in a suspension and, beyond a certain level, a permanent ban.
That may sound harsh, but in reality these rules are pretty easy to follow. This board is based upon mutual respect for and by all posters. This is a community. Whether we agree on specifics or not, we’re all here because we’re interested in the Milton community. Following these rules benefits everyone. The beauty of internet is that there are plenty of discussion forums with different set of rules. If you cannot abide by these rules then you’re encouraged to find another forum.
0. The Spirit of these Rules.The purpose of all of these rules is to ensure that this forum remains a civil, and congenial place to engage in discussion. That a post complies with that spirit is a greater consideration than whether it can be defended as being within the rules.
1. Civility and DecorumPoliteness is the top rule here. Of course, we expect to have spirited debates! That’s fine, as long as people involved extend one another basic respect. Disagreements are inevitable, but even in those situations you must still be nice. Discuss ideas, don’t attack people personally. Likewise, posts expressing or promoting intolerance or hatred towards any ethnic, sexual orientation, religious or socio-economic group will not be tolerated.
If these guidelines are not followed, the administrators/moderators will take swift and appropriate action, so please behave accordingly.
2. LanguageNo cursing. Attempts to express words or phrases in messages or screen names, by any means such as (but not limited to): replacing key letters with different characters, misspellings homonyms, sound-alikes, abbreviations, or any other trick will not be tolerated. This includes avatars; use care in choosing that image. Contact a moderator or administrator if you have any doubts.
3. Privacy IssuesPosting private information about forum users that is not available otherwise publicly will not be tolerated. The same caveat applies to private messages, whether they're from this forum or anywhere else. If you receive rude or abusive private messages on this forum, you can report them via the same mechanism as inappropriate posts.
4. Advertising, Solicitation, and SpamDo not post advertisements of any kind in the General Section, there is a dedicated Advertisement section for ads. If you see advertisements in the
General section then do not slam the poster, moderators will deal with it.
If the advertisement is for a charitable event, exceptions can be made for posting in the general section. Please PM the administrator with information on the prospective post.
You can put a website and some business info in your signature if you wish.
5. Sock PuppetryUsers are allowed only one account per person. Do not register under a different username for any reason as that will be treated as sock puppetry. All such accounts (including the primary one) may be banned without warning. Should you feel a need to contact the moderator staff, use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the homepage.
6. ReligionDue to the contentious nature of this subjects, discussion of religious beliefs is strictly prohibited. There are plenty of online discussion forums for religious debates, this is not one of them. Announcements of religious events or celebratory best wishes is acceptable. Please don't begin or contribute to a topic that's merely going to incite or fuel a flame war.
8. Disruptive BehaviorThe moderators and administrator reserve the right to take action against a poster who is disrupting the normal flow of the board. This includes violations listed in the other rules (trolling, personal attacks, flame wars, etc.), but may also include behavior we have not yet foreseen. Since this rule is perforce general, we will attempt to correct the problem by warning the violator (via PM, email, or posting in the thread) and giving him/her a chance to explain his/her behavior, and we will take further action only if proven necessary.
8. Repeat/Chronic OffendersBe warned: If you are banned and try to get back in by spoofing or changing your email, appropriate action will be taken - not limited to but including contacting your ISP.
9. Forum PolicePlease do not police the forum. If you feel a post breaks one of these
rules, please report it to moderators. All reported posts are reviewed by moderators or administrator, and are treated very seriously (so do not report frivolously). If you have concerns, please PM a moderator or administrator.
10. Moderator ActionsIf there is a rule violation, then a moderator/administrator will take action. This may include: the deletion of a word or phrase (if it breaks the rules), the removal of an entire post (if it is beyond redemption, or if it's a spam, etc.), the merging of a new thread with an existing one on the same topic, the closing of a thread if it wanders too far off-topic or gets too heated, a gentle warning to a user or users, a not-so-gentle-warning, and as a last resort, the banning of a user. This banning may be temporary or permanent, as outlined above. If a moderator gives you advice, we advise you to take it.
If you disagree with a moderator action, then PM or email the moderator or an administrator. If it's a post by a moderator that you disagree with, you can report the post using the usual mechanism. We will review the case and take action as needed.
11. Rule Additions & RevisionsThe administrator reserve the right to modify existing rules and/or add additional rules as they see fit. In many ways, this board is like a living thing, subject to change. Situations sometimes arise which cannot be anticipated, and thus, rules must be added to accommodate them.
Before posting a question please first do a search (near the top of the page there is a "Search" link) to find if your question hasn't already been asked and anwered by someone else in the past.
If you are a new user,
do not make any of your first dozen posts a
complaint or negative review on an issue.
Don't make posts encouraging people to break the law. Don't make posts of an offensive or personal nature to other people.
Also when posting new threads/messages please keep the Subject informative. The subject should be a very short summary of what you're trying to say in your message.
Below are some condensed advice postings from old...
viewtopic.php?t=1307&view=next - preperation for framewalk
viewtopic.php?t=1189 - things to do before closing
viewtopic.php?t=472&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30 - framewalk and final inspection checklists
viewtopic.php?t=949&start=0 - production schedule
(Thanks Marc Le Brun for this original list of good posts to refer to..)