D3boards.com

General => Terms of Service => Topic started by: Pat Coleman on March 27, 2008, 10:05:41 PM

Title: Terms of Service
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 27, 2008, 10:05:41 PM
Welcome to the D3sports.com message board. Post up your opinions about Division III sports here. Please, no commercial posts and no flaming. We will remove posts when necessary.

By posting on this Web site, you agree not to hold Pat Coleman, D3hoops.com, D3football.com, its parent company or any representative of the site responsible for anything that may occur to you or any third party, whether on this message board or off of it.

Here is what is permissible and what isn't.

1. Comments or rumors of a defamatory nature without published substantiation will be removed. NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTS. If we haven't noticed them yet, we will and will remove them. Repeat offenders are subject to banning from the system. (That goes for any of the rules laid out on this page.) We also currently require your valid e-mail address in order to get a username and password, and said e-mail address must be displayed on your profile. This is written into the software. [added 02/01/02, modified 10/26/04]

2. DO NOT attempt to have a conversation with yourself using various handles, or create a separate persona just to have someone to back up your viewpoint. If your opinion is reasonable, somebody else will back you up. Duplicitous posts will be removed. No discussion. No arguments. I have access to the source of all posts -- I would not allow completely anonymous person to use a complex script on my server. And don't use the excuse that it's several people all using the same computer. If you're all using the same machine, then talk amongst yourselves and keep us out of it. Don't use us as your soapbox to repeatedly bash an athlete, coach, school, etc. Similar offenses involve "rolling the board" -- posting nonsense or an identical or similar message many times on one board -- or being a "troll" -- making inflammatory posts simply to incite an argument.

3. Posts that simply serve to bash another poster and do not discuss Division III sports will be removed. POSTS IN ALL CAPS WILL BE REMOVED. Every keyboard has a shift key. Learn how to use it. Certainly your professors don't accept papers in all caps.

4. No one team needs a conversation of its own. If there is already a conversation about that team's conference, I will remove the new conversation. If there is no conversation about that team's conference, I will rename the new conversation to make it more inclusive.

5. Don't bash the Webmaster. If I didn't care so much about D-III sports, we wouldn't have this site. You won't get anywhere by giving me a hard time. Send cash instead.  Wink

6. Don't post saying, "I'm a Team X fan and I was really impressed with how Team Y is doing this year." That's a dead giveaway that you're a fan of Team Y. It's so obvious that you don't even have to look at the IP address to figure it out. Ask Gregory Sager.

7. Usernames: Don't use the name Webmaster, don't create a handle that makes it seem like you're a D3hoops.com or D3football.com "employee" or otherwise an official part of the site [added 4/07/03], don't make your name "(someone)sucks" and don't use a handle that is already taken. Don't impersonate a Division III athlete or coach. Impersonating the Webmaster carries a lifetime ban from the system.

8. Are you an active player? We welcome you aboard, but your coach might not be a big fan of it. You might want to check. Are you a new recruit? Here's a hint -- people will see your e-mail address, so that message you're about to post asking if anyone has heard about this great shooting guard from Soandso High School isn't such a great idea. [added 10/26/04]

9. E-mails and private messages between board members are not to be quoted on the board without the permission of the sender. Consider respecting the sender's wishes to take a discussion offline. If you don't, we will. [added to clarify long-standing moderation policy 9/27/06] Sending repeated unwanted private messages to a user is grounds for removal from board privileges. Users who have received repeated unwanted private messages should contact the board administration with their request. Users who have received repeated unwanted e-mails from a user should contact that user's ISP and work through that organization's Terms of Service. [added 10/9/06]

That's it. Basically, we're here to promote conversation about D-III sports, not multiple personality monologues.