No, I don't go to CT but now that Chevytalk has been mentioned, I'd like anyone to go over there and tell Tony Schaffer to change his website rules. In fact, go over there and get a copy of his house rules and post them here so we can compare.
I tried to get a copy of the forum rules of sites I like to go to. A Buick site I go to seems to be having technical difficulties right now so I was unable to get them from there. I couldn't find the rules on Team Chevelle but they are there somewhere. I do know for a fact that they have a no vendor bashing policy that is strictly enforced, it's one of their #1 rules. Go tell Al McKenzie to change his vendor bashing rule, see where you end up.
Here is a list of forum rules I was able to get from a poplar truck forum I go to. None of the members on that forum ever complain about any of these rules and that forum is very well run and friendly. In fact, in all the years I've been going to it, I don't recall seeing any attacks or any of the nonsense we seem to have here lately:
=================
The following are the rules and guidelines for 67-72Chevytrucks.com Discussion Forums. Ignorance of the Rules and Guidelines is no Excuse!!!
67-72Chevytrucks.com is intended as a home for ALL 67-72Chevy and GMC enthusiasts. ALL civil, productive and positive discussions are encouraged. Anything not meeting these objectives will be stopped. This website, and any bulletin board forums will not be used as leverage against a site sponsor, company represented on the site, Administrator or Moderator. Keep your personal problems and dealings with the above said off 67-72Chevytrucks.com. Any threads or posts meeting these standards will be moved off the site.
CONDUCT GUIDELINES & ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
I. To post or transmit hate speech, harassing content, threats of violence against another member written in a serious manner or joking with a hint of innuendo will lead from a 24 hour suspension or immediate suspension off the web site at the Administrators discretion
II. To post or transmit material in violation of copyright laws is a no-no.
III. No pissing matches. Its fine to disagree, but once a thread has run its course, and degenerated into little more than an insult fest, it will be locked. While this will require a judgment call by the Administrators & Moderators. The members of this site can keep our moderating to a minimum by exercising a little discretion and self- control. Excessive profanity will lead to a 24 hour suspension at the Administrations discretion.
IV. Pure trolling, either to upset someone or simply for your personal
enjoyment, is strictly prohibited. If you're here to cause trouble, it will be a very short stay. Immediate BAN and you will be reported to your ISP.
V. Posting or transmitting commercial or bulk e-mail through use of this bulletin board network will lead to a permanent ban off 67-72chevytrucks.com.
VI. To post here or transmit off-topic and/or link to websites; in regards to selling merchandise (such as but not limited to t-shirts, hats, bumper stickers, key chains, coins, etc.) that may represent any current and/or future marketable interest of 67-72Chevytrucks.com by way of capitalizing on our
platform thru our members without the prior written permission or approval of 67-72chevytrucks.com is not authorized, and is prohibited.
VII. No Spamming or Advertising on ANY 67-72Chevytrucks.com forum, regards to any product(s) your pushing, unless you are a paid advertiser, or have had the administrators approval! This guideline is for all Companies and Individuals, using our site to advertise their site of choice or trying to make money off the members!
VIII. No inappropriate pictures. No nudity will be permitted. If you have to think about posting a picture anywhere else on this Discussion Forum then it's a good bet you should not post it. To post or transmit content that is legally obscene or that violates child pornography statutes; that contains graphic depictions of sexual acts, or visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct involving children; or that contains depictions of children, the primary appeal of which is prurient.
IX. Fraudulent practices or attempts to defraud another will lead to account suspension and banning. This is in direct reference to items offered for sale, trade, or leading someone on as a buyer.
I will turn you in! This also applies to people posting fabricated lies about another user or business. If you have a real issue, discuss it off the site, but don't make up lies because you're upset with someone. 67-72Chevytrucks.com will not put up with this kind of slander.
X. To engage in illegal, unlawful, or tortuous or other conduct that interferes with the 67-72Chevytrucks.com ability to provide service and/or interferes with the rights of others, is strictly prohibited. Such conduct includes, but is not limited to: libel, invasion of privacy, consumer fraud, unauthorized dissemination of trade secrets, violation of trademark laws, hacking, or transmittal of commercially restricted information. You will be turned in and dealt with accordingly.
XI. All For Sale posts shall have a price or prices, as well as your
location. No bids or auctions allowed here!!! If you don't know the
price of what you are selling, then you should do some research. If a Moderator or Administrator here asks you to post price(s) and you have not within a 12 hour time frame, they will delete your thread, period.
XII. It is against our policy for someone to post a complaint about a members price on whatever they are selling. If you don't like the price then skip it. Let it drop to the bottom on its own. They (potential buyers) will figure it out, why nobody is jumping on that particular item.
XIII. If you are a long time member, act like one. Lead by example and assist other newer members rather then attacking them. We look upon our veteran members to use this opportunity to teach the newer members the appropriate message board usage.
XIV. Multiple Posting - It is simply not acceptable to post your question more than once, or to post it in more than one forum. Choose the forum that your question or post best fits in, and place it there and only there. If, after posting, you feel it should be in another forum, private message the forum Moderator and ask if they would move it for you.
XV. No posts meant strictly to drive your post count up, or otherwise abuse server resources. If you make a post to drive your post count up, two times the number of posts made to increase your post count will be removed from your count.
XVI. No Dummy Accounts register using only one user name. Creating multiple user accounts or flooding the board will be considered a denial-of-service attack on the forums and will result in your being banned from the forum and reported to your ISP.
XVII. Name changes… there are very few instances that warrant a user name change. If you need to change your name contact and Administrator and tell them you are changing your user name. Register the new name and an Administrator will delete your old account. If you do not notify an Administrator of the new account, it will be assumed to be a dummy account and dealt with as stated previously.
* Any of these violations will lead to your account being suspended for 24 hours or more at the discretion of an Administrator the first time. Any future violations will lead to a permanent suspension of your membership. By becoming a member you agree to adhere to these guidelines. These guidelines are subject to change without notice and a current version is always available in each forum.
** 67-72chevytrucks.com reserves the right to use any posted materials in future projects, such as but not limited to tech articles, photo galleries, calendars or newsletters.
*** In addition, members should be aware that in keeping with federal and state law, 67-72Chevytrucks.com, in response to court order or specified legal process or certain kinds of emergency governmental requests, may turn over other information such as the content of e-mail, posts or PM's. 67-72chevytrucks.com also reserves 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. Please note that unrelated advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and solicitations are inappropriate and will be removed. ***
==================
What you see above is a well thought out set of rules that the owner of that site has put into place. It seems to cover just about everything. Nobody argues with him about the rules. Now I ask, is our 3 rules that bad? Am I a dictator or playing God now?
I tried to get a copy of the forum rules of sites I like to go to. A Buick site I go to seems to be having technical difficulties right now so I was unable to get them from there. I couldn't find the rules on Team Chevelle but they are there somewhere. I do know for a fact that they have a no vendor bashing policy that is strictly enforced, it's one of their #1 rules. Go tell Al McKenzie to change his vendor bashing rule, see where you end up.
Here is a list of forum rules I was able to get from a poplar truck forum I go to. None of the members on that forum ever complain about any of these rules and that forum is very well run and friendly. In fact, in all the years I've been going to it, I don't recall seeing any attacks or any of the nonsense we seem to have here lately:
=================
The following are the rules and guidelines for 67-72Chevytrucks.com Discussion Forums. Ignorance of the Rules and Guidelines is no Excuse!!!
67-72Chevytrucks.com is intended as a home for ALL 67-72Chevy and GMC enthusiasts. ALL civil, productive and positive discussions are encouraged. Anything not meeting these objectives will be stopped. This website, and any bulletin board forums will not be used as leverage against a site sponsor, company represented on the site, Administrator or Moderator. Keep your personal problems and dealings with the above said off 67-72Chevytrucks.com. Any threads or posts meeting these standards will be moved off the site.
CONDUCT GUIDELINES & ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
I. To post or transmit hate speech, harassing content, threats of violence against another member written in a serious manner or joking with a hint of innuendo will lead from a 24 hour suspension or immediate suspension off the web site at the Administrators discretion
II. To post or transmit material in violation of copyright laws is a no-no.
III. No pissing matches. Its fine to disagree, but once a thread has run its course, and degenerated into little more than an insult fest, it will be locked. While this will require a judgment call by the Administrators & Moderators. The members of this site can keep our moderating to a minimum by exercising a little discretion and self- control. Excessive profanity will lead to a 24 hour suspension at the Administrations discretion.
IV. Pure trolling, either to upset someone or simply for your personal
enjoyment, is strictly prohibited. If you're here to cause trouble, it will be a very short stay. Immediate BAN and you will be reported to your ISP.
V. Posting or transmitting commercial or bulk e-mail through use of this bulletin board network will lead to a permanent ban off 67-72chevytrucks.com.
VI. To post here or transmit off-topic and/or link to websites; in regards to selling merchandise (such as but not limited to t-shirts, hats, bumper stickers, key chains, coins, etc.) that may represent any current and/or future marketable interest of 67-72Chevytrucks.com by way of capitalizing on our
platform thru our members without the prior written permission or approval of 67-72chevytrucks.com is not authorized, and is prohibited.
VII. No Spamming or Advertising on ANY 67-72Chevytrucks.com forum, regards to any product(s) your pushing, unless you are a paid advertiser, or have had the administrators approval! This guideline is for all Companies and Individuals, using our site to advertise their site of choice or trying to make money off the members!
VIII. No inappropriate pictures. No nudity will be permitted. If you have to think about posting a picture anywhere else on this Discussion Forum then it's a good bet you should not post it. To post or transmit content that is legally obscene or that violates child pornography statutes; that contains graphic depictions of sexual acts, or visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct involving children; or that contains depictions of children, the primary appeal of which is prurient.
IX. Fraudulent practices or attempts to defraud another will lead to account suspension and banning. This is in direct reference to items offered for sale, trade, or leading someone on as a buyer.
I will turn you in! This also applies to people posting fabricated lies about another user or business. If you have a real issue, discuss it off the site, but don't make up lies because you're upset with someone. 67-72Chevytrucks.com will not put up with this kind of slander.
X. To engage in illegal, unlawful, or tortuous or other conduct that interferes with the 67-72Chevytrucks.com ability to provide service and/or interferes with the rights of others, is strictly prohibited. Such conduct includes, but is not limited to: libel, invasion of privacy, consumer fraud, unauthorized dissemination of trade secrets, violation of trademark laws, hacking, or transmittal of commercially restricted information. You will be turned in and dealt with accordingly.
XI. All For Sale posts shall have a price or prices, as well as your
location. No bids or auctions allowed here!!! If you don't know the
price of what you are selling, then you should do some research. If a Moderator or Administrator here asks you to post price(s) and you have not within a 12 hour time frame, they will delete your thread, period.
XII. It is against our policy for someone to post a complaint about a members price on whatever they are selling. If you don't like the price then skip it. Let it drop to the bottom on its own. They (potential buyers) will figure it out, why nobody is jumping on that particular item.
XIII. If you are a long time member, act like one. Lead by example and assist other newer members rather then attacking them. We look upon our veteran members to use this opportunity to teach the newer members the appropriate message board usage.
XIV. Multiple Posting - It is simply not acceptable to post your question more than once, or to post it in more than one forum. Choose the forum that your question or post best fits in, and place it there and only there. If, after posting, you feel it should be in another forum, private message the forum Moderator and ask if they would move it for you.
XV. No posts meant strictly to drive your post count up, or otherwise abuse server resources. If you make a post to drive your post count up, two times the number of posts made to increase your post count will be removed from your count.
XVI. No Dummy Accounts register using only one user name. Creating multiple user accounts or flooding the board will be considered a denial-of-service attack on the forums and will result in your being banned from the forum and reported to your ISP.
XVII. Name changes… there are very few instances that warrant a user name change. If you need to change your name contact and Administrator and tell them you are changing your user name. Register the new name and an Administrator will delete your old account. If you do not notify an Administrator of the new account, it will be assumed to be a dummy account and dealt with as stated previously.
* Any of these violations will lead to your account being suspended for 24 hours or more at the discretion of an Administrator the first time. Any future violations will lead to a permanent suspension of your membership. By becoming a member you agree to adhere to these guidelines. These guidelines are subject to change without notice and a current version is always available in each forum.
** 67-72chevytrucks.com reserves the right to use any posted materials in future projects, such as but not limited to tech articles, photo galleries, calendars or newsletters.
*** In addition, members should be aware that in keeping with federal and state law, 67-72Chevytrucks.com, in response to court order or specified legal process or certain kinds of emergency governmental requests, may turn over other information such as the content of e-mail, posts or PM's. 67-72chevytrucks.com also reserves 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. Please note that unrelated advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and solicitations are inappropriate and will be removed. ***
==================
What you see above is a well thought out set of rules that the owner of that site has put into place. It seems to cover just about everything. Nobody argues with him about the rules. Now I ask, is our 3 rules that bad? Am I a dictator or playing God now?