Cheers
Introduction
This code of conduct applies in any and all areas of the UEGA Forums, and at 'official' events.
We want this to be a place where community can develop and we can enjoy one another's company. To achieve this, we strive to maintain a positive atmosphere that can be enjoyed by all, and we ask all members of the community to be respectful at all times. This means please use etiquette, politeness and treat people and places with respect. If you do this, the rest of the code of conduct won't need more than a cursory mention.
All posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author of each post. Those liable for the content of posts and private messages are the ones submitting the material, and not the administrators, moderators, the UEGA community, or anyone else.
The UEGA and its staff do not condone any activities members may partake in, nor the planning of meetups (with the exception of 'official' occasions, which are organised by staff).
This is a moderated forum, but only in the sense that we act to deal with content that violates the forum code of conduct when we become aware of it. The staff of this forum attempt to edit or remove any objectionable material as quickly as possible. However, it is sometimes impossible to review every message.
Users agree not to post anything abusive, rude, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, advertising or marketing related, or sexually-oriented. Such threads/posts will be closed/deleted and offending users will be penalised with formal and informal warnings. After a formal warning, the user may be banned pemenantly without further notice.
Given that our forums could be used by people at work and school we want to ensure they will not encounter material that will cause them problems or cause their access to our site to be limited, so all content should be safe for both.
Forum staff have the right to delete, edit, lock or move any post, topic or thread at any time they see fit following the guidelines outlined below. Staff of this forum have the right to send a private message with a warning and/or censor any forum user who is in violation of forum policy.
General Policy
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Respect the Forum Staff:
We provide a service in our free time to keep the forums running efficiently. We are all volunteers. Feedback is welcome in the Forum "Feedback or Suggestions" thread.
If you believe an error has been made in moderation or other staff actions, please politely PM our moderators or admin and help us understand your perspective.
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Trolling, Attacks and Flaming:
These are always forbidden.
Trolling is posting in a way that is intended only to annoy and/or provoke emotional responses.
Attacks and derogatory terms of any kind are not welcome.
Flames are messages that personally attack or call any people names or otherwise harass. These, along with any generally condescending/negative posts will be edited or removed at the moderators discretion.
If a thread is flame-bait (appears to be intended to start an argument or is likely to cause an argument rather than enhance discussion, as in trolling), it will be locked or removed without notice. Individual flame-bait comments in a post may be deleted or edited at the moderators' discretion.
If the thread turns into an argument, it can be closed to further comment or removed without notice. Sometimes a moderator may split the thread or delete certain portions in order to keep the discussion going, but this is not always possible.
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Spam (unsolicited advertising):
Spam will be deleted immediately and the account posting it will likely be banned pemenantly. You are allowed to post links to retail/store sites in threads on occasion, as long as the content is relevant to the forum/thread, and the site linked does not include material that violates this code of conduct.
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Profanity:
We have users of all age groups and of all tolerance levels where profanity is concerned. A language filter is in place to catch most major forms of profanity that may accidentally be used. Do not attempt to circumvent the language filter by using variations or slight misspellings of profanities.
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Location Details:
Posts in the public forum must not reveal any specific location/entry details, either by map, photos, or descriptions on how to enter specific sites. Please contact staff before posting if you are unsure whether your material will be acceptable.
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Graffiti/Tags/Vandalism:
UEGA has no tolerance for these things, regardless of the present state of a site. Members found to be involved in such activities may be banned permenantly from the forum. Signing of 'guestbooks' is also not encouraged.
We ask that members do not bring paint or markers when exploring, or attending meets.
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Thread Hijacking:
Please keep discussions on topic.
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Reporting Posts/Private messages:
If you have found a post or receive a private message that you feel is inappropriate or that violates the forum code of conduct, please use the report function to notify staff. Do not attempt to moderate discussions or correct other users yourself. PMs which are reported will be passed onto staff for review, and will be dealt with according to the Code of Conduct.
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Links:
You may post links to sites with content that is acceptable according to this code of conduct. You may also link to your personal site.
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Signatures:
Signature content must conform to the same guidelines as all content in this code of conduct.
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Images/Avatars:
Images must comply with the content guidelines of this code of conduct, and must not be offensive, disruptive, provocative, or for the purposes of advertising.
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Multiple Accounts:
Users may only have one active account. If you feel you have justification for requiring a new account, please contact an administrator to discuss your situation. Users who have multiple accounts without approval of an administrator may be banned.
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Editing of posts:
If a post breaks guidelines it can be edited in order to bring it back under compliance with this Code of Conduct. The moderator may (within the thread) specify or describe which part of the Code of Conduct was broken. It is not required for Staff to send a private message when a post has been edited.
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Thread Closing/removing from the public forum:
Staff are not required to explain or notify members why a certain thread may have been closed/moved. Though you may request an explanation by a polite PM to Staff.
Here are some common reasons why a thread may have been closed/moved:
-The thread is not appropriate for the public forum
-The thread has degraded into an argument, or is intended to cause an argument
-The thread topic is a duplicate of another current and active thread
-The thread is very old.
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Staff:
-Administration (including IT)
-Moderators (including AUSUE forum Moderators)
Staff are chosen by the Forum Administrators.
Users who have demonstrated a consistent attitude of friendliness, kindness and have shown a pattern of responsibilty in their conduct, and helpfulness in their posts may be contacted and invited to serve. Recommendations are made by current staff by private message. All recommendations are considered. Due to privacy issues the Forum Admin is unlikely to comment publicly on these recommendations.
You can view the current staff members here.
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Appeals:
If you have a complaint about a Staff action or believe an action was taken in error, you should contact forum administration directly.
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'Pruning' of members:
Keep your account active!
In the interest of safety and security, we occasionally review all member accounts, and deactivate the accounts of those who are no longer active on the forum.
This is done without warning.
It is performed as follows-
-Members of at least 6 months with zero post count
-All members who have not visited in the last 12 months
-VIP members who have not posted in the last 6 months (removed from VIP, but still active as a registered user, unless any of the above apply)
With good reason, a deactivated member (or VIP member) may appeal to be reinstated. Reinstatement is at the sole discretion the forum administrators.
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This code of conduct may change and evolve with time based on constructive feedback and experience. It is our hope that these policies will foster helpful, honest, and civil interaction. Any major changes to the code of conduct will be announced, but ultimately it is the users' responsibility to check this page for updates - you could do so by subscribing to this thread.
Thank you,
UEGA staff.
Last Updated: 23 Oct 2014