DARK SHADOWS FORUMS GUIDELINES/USER AGREEMENT
1. Posts should always be made in a polite and respectful manner (though good natured ribbing, if not taken too far, is acceptable), commonly referred to as Netiquette. Netiquette is considered that set of actions and behaviors which allow the enjoyment and utility of boards such as this by all participants. It is related to "real life" etiquette in that it is a set of guidelines and not actual laws. Abiding by Netiquette will help ensure that your experience here is a pleasant one.
2. The purpose of these forums is to discuss DARK SHADOWS, its characters, actors and storylines. Role playing (putting oneself or another poster into the DS story) is discouraged, and repeated efforts to role play may result in removal of these posts from the board. This does not, however, refer to DS-related usernames or signatures. These forums also do not accept fan fiction and such works are subject to removal.
3. Debate should be kept on a non-personal basis. Flaming and name-calling will not be allowed. It is never appropriate to attack, criticize, or condemn another poster. Retaliation, sharp reproof and cynicism are to be avoided. Disagreement is a natural occurrence, but as stated above, should be done in a respectful manner. Likewise, these disagreements should not be continued beyond the normal limits of interesting discourse. Argument for argument's sake is not welcome.
4. If a poster feels wronged, slighted, or offended by another poster, these disagreements should be taken up in private e-mail between the posters. These disagreements may also be brought to the forum moderator, if necessary, but members are strongly encouraged to solve these problems among themselves off-board.
5. HARASSMENT, IMPERSONATION, FLAMING and TROLLING will not be allowed. The Internet is a fairly anonymous place; an unfortunate side-effect of this is the ease with which people consider harassing others, flaming them or trolling for flames. Harassing someone, either by posting deliberately offensive messages or by trying to impersonate them, is unacceptable and will be considered a serious violation of these guidelines. Flaming is the act of posting emotionally inflammatory messages, usually due to a lack of restraint or a short temper. Reviewing what you plan to post here, particularly when you are agitated or upset, is an excellent way to avoid flaming. Trolling is the act of posting messages that are intentionally crafted to enrage or draw someone into flaming. Posts clearly designed to incite and inflame will not be tolerated and will be immediately deleted upon discovery. Posters who indulge in such activities will be subject to blocking from participation.
6. The negative discussion of other forums is to be avoided. In other words, no finger pointing.
7. These boards are not forums for the spreading of gossip or innuendo, or the defaming of the DS actors' private lives. Comment on their public behavior, whether it be a personal appearance or in the course of some other form of public exposure (i.e. a talk show, Fest appearance, etc.) is perfectly acceptable, however.
8. Off-topic posts are allowed but should be so labeled and should be kept to a minimum.
9. Distributing articles, photos, personal information or opinions that have been posted on this forum without first obtaining the poster's permission may result in loss of posting privileges. Please don't assume that because a writer has chosen to express his/her opinion on any of these Internet forums that they would allow it to appear elsewhere. If a post consists of an article or photo, linking to it from another location is preferable and would be much appreciated.
Similarly, none of the images/graphics displayed on the forum may be utilized in any way, shape or form without prior written permission.
10. Please be aware that some posters may find messages containing explicit sexual content, including links to graphics or imbedded images that are pornographic in nature, very foul language, etc. to be objectionable and posts may be deleted from a forum for that reason.
11. Please do not spam other members via their registered e-mail addresses or by using the forum's own messaging feature. The sending of any sort of unsolicited request will be considered spamming, and any member found guilty of it will risk having his/her forum privileges permanently revoked. Public requests will be allowed by including such a request in a profile signature. But repeated public postings on the same topic should be kept to a minimum and will be frowned upon unless substantially new information is provided. Posts not deemed by the forum's staff to contain substantial new information may be removed by the forum's staff without notification and without hesitation. And any member upset by receiving any sort of unsolicited request is strongly encouraged to report such an action to the forum's staff.[
12. Posters who violate these guidelines will be warned privately by the forum moderator and after one warning may be blocked from participating on any of these forums should they repeat their behavior. Decisions regarding blocking are solely the responsibility of the moderator.
You agree, through your use of these forums, to not post any material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, inflammatory, obscene, profane, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of ANY law. You also may not post commercial software or audio/video, warez, and any material which could be in violation of any Federal, State or local regulation. Spam, flooding, advertisements, chain letters, and pyramid schemes are also inappropriate to these forums.\n\nYou agree that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the administrators and moderators of dsboards have the right, but not the obligation, to remove content from dsboards which they determine to be in violation of this agreement. Similarly it is the administrators' and moderators' sole discretion to determine what is and what is not in violation.
Help files and instructional posts are provided on the forum should you choose to use some of the forum's more advanced features. If you should require additional help after having consulted the Help section and having searched for instructional posts on a particular topic, the administrators and moderators will make every reasonable effort to assist you. However, it is not reasonable to presume that the administrators and moderators will always be available to teach you Web site basics (i.e. image manipulation, the uploading of images, linking to images, etc.). Given that such instruction does not directly relate to the forum, and given that there are many Web sites devoted to such topics, most graphics software programs are equipped with their own help files, and most ISPs/hosting sites provide detailed instructions on how to upload and link to images you might store in the Web space they've provided for you, it is not unreasonable on the administrators' and moderators' parts to expect that it's your responsibility to familiarize yourself with such topics on your own.
Please note that we do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented. Messages posted here express the views of the author and not necessarily the views of the forums or their administrators. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the forum and any related websites to these forums. We have the right to remove objectionable content within a reasonable time frame if we determine that removal is necessary. In the event of a major violation of this agreement, users may be banned from this forum.
For your protection as well as for validity reasons, you are asked to not give your password out to another forum member, and you must agree to NEVER use another member's account to post messages or browse this forum. After you register, you have the option of filling out a detailed profile. It is your responsibility to present accurate and clean information, and any information that we deem inaccurate or vulgar will be removed, and the same goes for any username that may be inappropriate. We reserve the right to reveal your identity and any information we have about you in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any information posted by you.
GENERAL COMMENTS
These forums were primarily established to promote discussion of DARK SHADOWS. They are informal and were started purely for the enjoyment they might bring their posters. These guidelines were not developed to impede discussion but to channel it in a positive and productive manner. Forum posters will most probably share an admiration for DARK SHADOWS, its actors, characters and writers, and therefore should come to this board with common ground. Behavior on these forums is essentially a matter of common sense. Treat other forum posters as you yourself want to be treated. Think twice before posting in anger. Remember that cyberspace robs us of voice inflection and facial expression, and therefore, written comments are more easily misinterpreted. With that in mind, consider your words carefully before posting. Likewise, give other posters the benefit of the doubt when reading their posts.
It is the responsibility of posters to this board to familiarize him- or herself with these guidelines before posting to these forums. It's up to you to periodically check to see if they have been added to and/or amended. It's also up to you to be sure to read and follow any instructions that might be posted to either the "Testing. 1, 2, 3..." board and/or specially marked topics atop any of the other boards. Failure to read additions/amendments and/or special posts will not be considered an excuse should you violate a guideline or fail to comply with a request.
You remain solely responsible for the content of your posted messages. Furthermore, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the owners of this forum, any related websites to this forum, its staff, and its subsidiaries. The owners of this forum also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or any other related information collected on this service) in the event of a formal complaint or legal action arising from any situation caused by your use of this forum.
You have the ability, as you register, to choose your username. We advise that you keep the name appropriate. With this user account you are about to register, you agree to never give your password out to another person except an administrator, for your protection and for validity reasons. You also agree to NEVER use another person's account for any reason. We also HIGHLY recommend you use a complex and unique password for your account, to prevent account theft.
After you register and login to this forum, you will be able to fill out a detailed profile. It is your responsibility to present clean and accurate information. Any information the forum owner or staff determines to be inaccurate or vulgar in nature will be removed, with or without prior notice. Appropriate sanctions may be applicable.
Please note that with each post, your IP address is recorded, in the event that you need to be banned from this forum or your ISP contacted. This will only happen in the event of a major violation of this agreement.
Also note that the software places a cookie, a text file containing bits of information (such as your username and password), in your browser's cache. This is ONLY used to keep you logged in/out. The software does not collect or send any other form of information to your computer.
Thank you for visiting and adhering to these guidelines. Please post often and enjoy yourselves.
