UPDATED 07/22/09

Hello, and welcome.

Forums rules are as follows:

1. Stick to the topic at hand: If you want to talk about something else, start a new thread. Some threads are more random in nature, and it's understandable if those get hijacked a bit, but in general please try to keep threads on course.
   
   
2. Respect others: Not everybody will agree with you about everything. Try to keep an open mind, and be accepting of other views and opinions. If you don't agree with somebody, be careful what you say. We prefer to keep things friendly here. Debates are welcome but keep in mind that some sections, particularly "Mature Discussion" have additional rules regarding debates.
   
   
3. Do not flame: If you do not agree with something that was posted, this does NOT give you the right to flame or vent. Instead, simply to not reply. Insulting remarks may be edited by a moderator, and you could be warned, or banned.
   
   
4. Do not post spam: Do not post nonsense threads or posts, or multiple threads for the same thing (With the exception of the Sub-Talk forum). In addition, please avoid posting duplicate threads. Try to use the search option and make sure there isn't a recent thread already made on the subject. Lastly, do not try to draw attention to your threads by putting "LOOK" or "MUST SEE" in the titles, or by using all caps or unnecessary special characters.
   
   
5. No unsolicited spam/advertising: Advertising here at GF costs money. If you join thinking you will be allowed to post links to any sort of scam, money making opportunity, online MMORPG, or your own website you are mistaken. Your posts will be deleted immediately and your account will be banned permanently. This includes spam in avatars or signature images. Additionally, you are not allowed to send people PM's asking them to join your site. That is considered spamming as well. We have a zero spam policy. If you break it, even on your first post you will be banned.
   
   
6. No Trolling/Impersonating: Post as yourself. If your username is a character name from a movie or a famous person, post as yourself, not said character. Everybody knows you are not a made up character. Posting as one just annoys everyone. You will be banned if you do this. If you actually are a famous person then please prove so before being allowed to post as that person.
   
   
7. When posting a news story or anything you didn't write, wrap the story or text in quote tags and cite your sources. Please follow up quotes of outside text with your own opinion of the story or why you personaly felt it was worth sharing.
   
   
8. If you want your posts to be displayed in all one color, all bold, all italics, etc, you can set this up in your UserCP > Edit Profile Page, which still allows users to view the forums without seeing your post formatting if they do not want to. The in-posts formatting options should be considered as ways to highlight certain points you want to get across or draw attention to a word or phrase. Do not use these to format your entire post however.
   
   
9. Language: When posting, please refrain from using suggestive language. Sexually explicit titles/posts will be removed. Repeat offenses may result in a ban, at staff discretion. This rule also applies to outside links. If your page is of a suggestive and/or offensive nature, it can not be posted here.
   
   Swearing IS permitted in posts. We have an option built in that allows users to enable or disable censoring. Those who have it turned on will see **** in place of certain words.
   
   
10. PM Privileges: If you receive a PM that you deem to be offensive or threatening in any way (including spam), please save the PM, and forward it to an Admin/Mod. This is a one strike you are out system. If you are found to be sending PM's that offend, threaten, or in any way try to undermine this site or it's members, you will lose your PM priveleges permanently, and you will most likely be permanently banned as well.
    
    
11. Posting of Private Data/Conversations: Do not post personal contact information of other members. In addition, do not post PM or IM conversations between you and another member. There is most likely a reason they spoke to you in private. Please respect the privacy of others by keeping these conversations private. (Within reason, joke or funny conversations are not subject to this rule. If you aren't sure then you should ask the person first). Additionally, this does not include posting screenshots of transcripts of non-private chat logs, which is fine.
    
    
12. Ignore Lists: If you have a problem with a member of the forum, who you in good faith feel you cannot get along with, please use your ignore list. This function prevents you from seeing their posts, and stops them from being able to Private Message you. (Obviously it's best to work things out though because ignoring somebody can lead to confusion when posting, as you won't see their replies, but others will).
    
    
13. Fighting/Arguments: Fighting is discouraged. If caught fighting/baiting on the forums a warning will be issued and posts will be edited/deleted. Further abuse will result in Temporary or Permanent Ban. If you feel that a post has the possibility of starting a fight between you and another member (or two other people), please use the report button "!" to alert the staff. Please Note: We will not handle problems that come out outside of our site or in real life. Please handle those yourself.
    
    
14. Avatars and Signatures: The same rules that apply to posts apply to signatures and sig images/avatars. These cannot have explicit language, graphic images or excessive swearing. In addition, signatures, signature images and avatars cannot contain links or urls to "opportunity" websites such as money making scams, paypal scams, affiliate programs, referral links, etc.
    
    
15. Individual Forum Rules: Some forums have their own small set of rules which can be viewed from the Main Forum page. These rules must also be followed.
    
    
16. Content Copyright Any and all content posted on GeneralForum.com is considered GeneralForum.com intellectual property. It is our policy that user submitted content including but not limited to threads, posts, and attachments will only be deleted at administrator discretion. All user submitted content is Copyright © GeneralForum.com. Original writings or works posted by members remain the property of the author, however said author agrees that by posting original writings, stories, poems, etc that GeneralForum.com can essentially host and display said works on our forums. (Meaning you retain ownership but allow your works to be displayed in your posts.)
    
    
17. Privacy: Any personal and private information we collect on our members, including but not limited to IP address, street address, phone number, email address, legal name, will be kept private. IP addresses are not visible to anybody but the forum owner.
    
    
18. Cookies: GF and advertisers on GF may store cookies on your computer for various purposes such as session tracking, session saving, etc. GF utilizes Google AdSense, which has its own privacy policy regarding cookies sent by Google.
    
    
19. Rules and Policy Changes: We reserve the right to change or update our rules and privacy policies at any time. It is your responsibility to keep current on changes, site announcements, adjustments, and modifications made to these rules.
    
    
    If you have any questions please feel free to contact a Administrator or Moderator.