Rules For Posting To Cyclist Forums - Welcome Members, Rules of the Boards Admin - Apr 05, 2007 - 04:31 PM Post subject: Welcome Members, Rules of the Boards
If you have a question or comment about a particular message board please e-mail the moderator for that board.
If you have questions regarding the tour (date, time, route, amenities, etcetera) please call the tour or e-mail to answers here at bicycletourcolorado.com
The staff does not answer questions posted on the board. This way we can better address your needs. This forum is put here as a service to our riders so they can talk about things that are ride related.
The BTC Cyclist Forum rules .have been established to help maintain a civil and friendly environment, allowing everyone to enjoy the discussions that can be found here. This page contains the Terms of Service, General Rules of Conduct and Appeals Procedure for these forums. It is important that you read through this page thoroughly, to prevent any potential rules violations.
[b]Terms of Service:[/b]
By posting with your user ID, you agree to abide by these Terms of Service and General Rules of Conduct in using all features of the Cyclist Forum, including message boards and the private message system. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action, which may include deactivation of your account and notification of your ISP (see Disciplinary Action). You may only register one User ID. Multiple IDs are not allowed. No posting of vulgar or obscene material, or other material inappropriate for children.
No derogatory comments against other posters, including slurs based on race, religion, gender, sexual preference, or political affiliation. No personal threats or harassment.
No commercial posts without authorization from the Webmaster (this includes looking for other riders for the group discount).
No repeated posting of the same message(s) in multiple threads or topics.
No off-topic links to personal websites (spamming) without permission from the Webmaster.
No impersonation of other users.
Moderators and administrators monitor your compliance with these rules and dispense disciplinary action at their discretion. Disciplinary decisions may be appealed through the Appeal Procedure. No unauthorized public posting of appeals
[b]General Rules of Conduct:[/b]
Always treat fellow posters with respect and courtesy. Always.
BTC is a family site. As such, no language, avatar pictures or external website links inappropriate for children should be posted. If you are uncertain as to whether a certain word, image, or link is allowed, contact a moderator or administrator beforehand. \r\nNo discussion of how to illegally acquire copyrighted material or links to websites promoting subversion of copyright.
For your safety, [i]no public posting of any personal contact information[/i].
No misquotations or misrepresentations of other members. This is considered libel.
No irritating posting styles, including use of all caps and excessive punctuation.
Discussion must be on-topic only when possible. If there is no board where a subject belongs, include the words "Off Topic" in the thread title or contact a moderator or administrator and ask where to post the thread.
To report a rule violation in a board post, click "Report this Post" to inform a moderator. Do not use this feature for any other reason.
No posting of flames or material intended to start a flame war.
[b]Disciplinary Action[/b]:
Violation of the rules of conduct and terms of service may result in disciplinary action issued by a moderator assigned to the message board on which the violation took place. Any moderator can take action on a board with no listed moderators or in an urgent case when no assigned moderator is online. Violations are evaluated on a case-by-case basis depending on the severity of the offense and past history of violations. The following types of disciplinary action are those most often applied.
Deletion of offending material: If the offense took place on a public message board, the material that violated the rules may be edited or deleted.
Informal warning: If the moderator determines that the offense is not severe enough to warrant a formal warning, an informal warning may be issued. An informal warning is a private correspondence between the moderator and the violator advising the violator of the offense and what (s)he can do to correct it.
Formal warning: If the offense is severe enough or an informal warning has already been issued, the moderator may issue a formal warning. The formal warning becomes a permanent part of the poster's record and all moderators and administrators are informed are soon as it is issued. Several warnings can result in a permanent ban.
Block: A block is the temporary deactivation of a violator's posting privileges for one or more of the message boards. A moderator may apply a block to freeze a deteriorating situation and make time to work out issues with the violating user.
Ban: A ban is the permanent deactivation of the violator';s account with the Cyclist Forum. A moderator applies a ban in response to very severe offenses and/or consistent display of unwillingness to follow forum rules
Appeals Procedure: a moderator takes disciplinary action against you that you believe was unfair or inconsistent, you may appeal the decision. An appeal is an e-mail or private message explaining your situation and why you believe you should not have been disciplined. Appeals must be sent via private message or e-mail only, and must follow this appeals procedure, or they will not be considered. You may submit only one appeal per disciplinary action.
You must address and submit the appeal to the disciplining moderator (the moderator who originally carried out the disciplinary action). If the Chief Moderator of the board on which the violation took place is not the disciplining moderator, you may "cc" the appeal to him/her. However, you may not make an appeal to a Chief Moderator or any of the other moderators of the board on which the violation took place separate from the appeal to the disciplining moderator. Within one week of receipt of the appeal you will receive a response upholding the disciplinary action, revoking it, or requesting more information. If you do not receive any response within one week of sending your appeal, you may send a courteous pm or e-mail to a Chief Moderator or one other moderator informing them that you have not received a response to your appeal.
This is not a second appeal.
A Note on Appeals. If a moderator disciplines you and you know you have broken the rules, we ask that you do not appeal the decision. Though there is no penalty for frivolous appeals it is a waste of our time and yours to make an appeal that you know will fail. A warning is not the worst thing in the world. Some of our best and most productive board members have slipped up and broken a rule now and then, and received a warning for it. As long as you stop doing whatever it was that led to you being warned in the first place, we can go back to what this board is for, having good, productive discussions about the things we love.
If you have any questions about anything above please drop a line to kennyg here at the bicycletourcolorado.