Current Forum Rules.

[Mythor]

Please take the time to read and understand the following rules. Discussion forums are a lot more fun when fights aren't breaking out every 5 minutes.
Remember: Ignorance is not an excuse. If you don't understand a rule, ask for clarification before posting.

1. Be nice to other members! (no flaming)

2. No personal posts on the forum. If you need to get in contact with someone then you can use the MOSH Private Message (PM) system.

3. Please try to post messages in the most appropriate folder. If you're not sure, ask a moderator.

4. Locked threads are not to be discussed on the forum. If you have questions regarding the lock you can ask a Moderator (or Mythor) via PM.

5. Neither the moderators nor the administrators are particularly interested in how some other forum is run. They are not MOSH and MOSH is not them. You may post a message in Forum Related Discussion about a rule if you would like it changed, but the rules are the rules - you're not to break them because "Some other forum let's me do X".

6. No impersonating existing members, celebrities, politicians or anyone else. Just be you.

7. Registration is not required, but it's preferred.
(a) As a guest you will miss out on many of the privileges of a registered member.
(b) You may not register "Anonymous" or similar handles. Attempts to do so will either be blocked when you try, or you'll simply get locked out of the account after registering. Don't do it.
(c) One registration, per person. People who are part of a group (of performers, agents, members) may have a group username for group announcements, as well as individual registrations.
(d) Registering a new username after being banned is not allowed and will add to the length of your ban. Registering again after the new name is banned will cause a report to be sent to your ISP, who may suspend your internet access. You have been warned!

8. "Bumping" a post is against the rules. Threads are automatically "bumped" if someone replies - if no one is replying then it is likely no one wants to reply.

9. Please don't post pointless messages merely to increase your post total. There are plenty of forums and plenty of topics you can participate in legitimately if you want a high post count!

10. You may use the signature function of your profile, if you wish to do so.
The limits on how much and what you can have in there are as follows:
- Your Nick/Name
- An email address
- Your webpage URL(s) but no more than two links, and no "affiliate"/referral links.
- Quote/s totaling no more than 60 words, 5 lines and from no more than 3 sources!
- An emoticon. Just one!
- Images in signatures, other than the aforementioned emoticons, are not allowed, except with prior permission. Sorry, they get abused way too much.

11. No discussion of Paul McDermott's - or anyone else's - sexuality, private lives or those of their partners. It's been done to death (especially the Paul conversation/s), and it's really no one's business but their own.

12. Please do not swear excessively.

13. Images (emoticons/avatars/gallery pictures etc) on the MOSH server are not to be directly used on another website. This means that if you are entering mosh.server101.com as part of the URL for an image on a remote site, you will be breaking the rules. And if you are caught, you will probably be banned for a good long while and what you have done may be made public for others to abuse you. You have been warned.
(a) You may save any emoticon you wish (other than the pineapplehead and blowing bubbles emoticons - ask "Veronica tghf" about them) and upload them to your own website if you wish to use them.
(b) If you want to use an avatar picture, be sure to ask the person using the avatar beforehand if it's okay. Many people create their own avatars for use on the board and will not appreciate them being taken and used. You still must download them and upload them to your own webspace in order to do this.
(c) Images posted to the "Graphic Artistry" forum are generally the work of whoever is posting them, and thus they retain copyright of the image, even though it is displayed here. If you want to use the image, contact the author.

14. MOSH members email addresses are not made available to the public for the purposes of advertising. They are there for members to email each other when necessary or desired. Emails of a commercial nature, or mass mail-outs without prior permission, are a bannable offense. This is your only warning!
(a) This includes "special offers" sent to MOSHers. There is a forum here that allows you to post such offers, but that doesn't mean we want them in our inbox!
(b) Ignoring this rule may result in a complaint being lodged with your ISP.


Additional rules (primarily) for the Sales folder:

1. You may not use any form of "Guest" account (should such an option be made available again) to bid on items, nor may you use it to advertise items for sale or auction. This is to ensure people can get an accurate idea of whether someone is usually a reliable seller/bidder, rather than having to remember IP/Email addresses. If you don't like this rule, go to eBay and see how much anonymity you can get there.

2. Failure to live up to your end of a sale or auction may result in your being banned from the forums. If you're not sure you'll be able to meet the price you're bidding, don't bid.

3. Forgery is a criminal offence and will be treated as such. You will be banned from the forum, your IP address will be noted, along with any other information, and will be provided to the authorities on request should your buyer (or the person whose material/signature you have forged) wish to report you to the police.

4. Reproducing copyrighted works is an offense, and the sale or trade of such items through MOSH is prohibited. This includes (but is not limited to); copies of CD's on cassette, CD-R ("burnt" CD), minidisc or other recordable format; copies of VHS/DVD movies or television programs; bootlegged audio or video of a live performance; photocopies of books, articles, posters or other items. Selling an original is your right, selling copies is the artist's.
(a) Some comedians/groups are okay with you bootlegging and copying the bootleg for other fans, so long as no money changes hands. If you want to do this you must contact the artist involved and be prepared to provide proof you have gained permission! If possible, have the artist concerned contact me ( mosh@cardsmyth.com ) and let me know that it's okay.
(b) This rule applies to the general folders as well.

[Mythor]

Common Sense:

Flaming:
(a) Responses to 'flames' that may be considered flames themselves will be treated less harshly than initiating any abuse. While responding is also not encouraged, it's understandable to get a little hot under the collar. Please try not to respond where possible, just click the "Report Post" button and a moderator will see to it.
(b) Moderators are not immune to this rule, but they will be given more slack. If a moderator shows a consistent pattern of abuse, they may have their powers stripped. If there is any 'Mod baiting' going on, that will be taken into account.
(c) If a moderator tells you to stop, you must do so immediately. Failure to do so can result in a ban.

Private Messaging:
(a) If using the Private Message function, please try to keep your in and out boxes tidy. Delete messages after you've read them! If you need to save information, save it to your local computer, as it's a lot safer and more accessible that way.

No Impersonation:
(a) If you genuinely are what would be considered a celebrity, you may be required to provide proof of your claim, in the case where serious doubts are held about your identity. It is not necessarily anything personal against you, it is just a fairly natural scepticism. A postal address can be requested from Mythor, to which you can send a letter/item verifying your claim (ie; recognisable signature, prop from a show, or some other easy to verify item.) If you are personally acquainted with an existing member of the forum, you may have them vouch for your identity, but be aware that the person vouching for you will need to be well known to the forum in general as well, obviously.
(b) Celebrities, their agents, venue organisers or other people "in the biz" are not afforded any extra privileges above that of an average member. This means you cannot run around abusing people and expect a blind eye to be turned because you're famous, despite what "other boards" allow you to do.

Gossip regarding celebrites personal lives:
(a) Discussion of articles appearing in the paper or magazines is okay, but try and stick to facts, not speculation. If it is reported someone is getting married, for instance, stick to congratulations, don't speculate on whether the marriage is due to a bun in the oven.
Bear in mind that this rule is fairly lenient. It is not meant to totally curtail celebrity gossip, instead it is mostly designed to stop the kind of "malicious" gossip that occasionally takes place. The moderators are not unreasonable in this regard, but use your common sense - if you were famous and what some random poster on a forum was saying about you was untrue, would you be upset about it? If so, maybe you should reconsider posting it.