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Mastiff Forum

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  • Welcome back!

    We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.

Mastiff-forum: Personal Conduct

Vicki

Administrator
A. Forum Use
  • Remain respectful of your fellow forum members. This site does not tolerate racism or discrimination and we keep a zero tolerance policy. Everyone on the site has a common interest but we all share different opinions. It is vital for a healthy forum to respect each other’s opinion. There is nothing wrong with a discussion or debate but libel, personal attacks, and/or insults will not be tolerated. If you have a serious issue with someone you are expected to contact him/her via private message to resolve the dispute. If private messaging cannot resolve the dispute we ask that you please contact a forum moderator to assist in mediating the problem.

  • This community does not support or condone the illegal act of dogfighting, however we understand the necessity of such discussions for the purpose of education only. Approved conversations would include discussions pertaining to current events in the news media or historical accuracies on the subject. However, dogfighting is not to be discussed in any other manner including, but not limited to: insinuating or accusing members of dogfighting for pictures they post or posts they make, pedigrees or dogs they may or may not own, etc. If you find you have an issue with something posted to the site, or is in direct violation of our rules, please report it to the administration so that it may be properly handled. Please do not make a post to it.

  • Each person is allowed a single forum account. If you share the computer with someone else they are allowed to make an account but it must be on a separate working email address. If you share your PC and someone uses your account to break a rule, you will be held responsible. Please keep the email address attached to the account in working order. Sometimes we send important announcements or communications and without a working email you will not be notified.

  • The forum has specific categories for posting so please pay attention before posting a thread. Staff members will move threads posted in improper forums to the appropriate forum. You may not receive notification of this event.
B. Posting Guidelines
  • Posting is a privilege so treat it like one. Your posts need to be clear and easily understandable for other members. Please refrain from shortening words and using chat speak. The posts need to be on topic. If your post has nothing to do with the thread you are reading, please make a new thread in the appropriate category. Please do not post a second time to correct mistakes in your post. We have an edit button so that you may alter your post after it has been made. If you have problems with the system you can ask a forum moderator for assistance.

  • Please do not spam on the forum. Links to useful information are acceptable as long as you give a description of what you are posting. Please do not post links in an attempt to drive traffic up at another site. Posted links may be removed at anytime if the staff feels they violate our policy. Off topic subjects may be discussed in the pertinent forum only.

  • Cross posting from other forums is not acceptable. The content at those forums is for their members. Please do not start “board wars†or incite another forum into waging an online battle. If you have an issue with another board please take it up with that forum or its owner.

  • Kennel bashing, bloodline bashing, and overall derogatory remarks regarding someone’s choice in dogs is not acceptable. Once again if you have a specific problem with someone you need to address him/her about it. Please do not post links to kennels or forums in an attempt to persuade others to take action. The forum is used to provide information to people so that they may better educate themselves and understand the breed. Forcing your point of view or opinion on someone does not accomplish this goal.
C. Disputes
  • Whenever possible if you have an issue with a member of the forum you should private message that person directly to try and resolve the situation. Under no circumstances should you bring your problems to the forum. Private business is between the involved parties. If you are unable to resolve the situation through private messaging, please contact a forum moderator for assistance. Posts providing private or personal information will be edited or removed depending on the staff members decision. You may receive disciplinary action for repeated disregard for these rules.

  • If you have an issue with a staff member you need to follow the chain of command to address that problem. If you have an issue with a moderator you need to contact an administrator. If you have a problem with an administrator you need to contact the board owner. Challenging any staff member on the public forum is regarded as the poorest of personal and professional courtesy, and will not be tolerated. Public questioning of staff decision concerning banning, position assignment, or other staff decisions is to be dealt with in private. Contact the person you are having an issue with and if you find no success resolving the problem contact the next person in the chain of command. All staff members regularly visit and use the board but no one is on the computer 24/7 so please be patient in resolving an issue. We will address matters of urgency in the proper priority.

  • Abuse reporting should be as specific as possible. If there is an immediate or potential problem regarding what someone has posted in a public forum, please advise the moderator for that forum. If there is a major issue with the board you need to contact a forum administrator. For abuse of forum features (such as spam through the forum PM or email system), please contact the forum administrator. While we appreciate your help we would ask that you let us resolve these sort of issues. Please do not report the same incident multiple times because that just leads to confusion and longer times to resolve the issue.
D. Posting Courtesies
  • Posting links to features or articles found elsewhere in the web is both expected and encouraged. However, please make an effort to provide a preliminary description, pertinent personal thought, or quoted excerpt from the link you are posting. Creating a new topic containing only a link with no description is both annoying and a potential security risk to end-users. You are responsible for whatever content you post. Please do not blindly link to websites you haven’t fully explored or read yourself. If you are quoting a website or other media source please give proper credit where it is due. Do not take other people’s intellectual property and post it without their permission.

  • Our forum allows the ability for users to place images in their posts. Any images posted on the board must be 50Kb or less in file size and of a physical size to fit comfortably within an 800x600 window without stretching the forum display or producing a bottom scroll bar. If your image is greater in physical size or file size than these limitations stipulate, please link to it instead while stating its type and file size (e.g. 230Kb JPEG, 200Kb animated GIF etc.). If you post a link to page containing a large file (such as a large PDF, streaming media file, or something built in Flash), please describe the media type and file size. Please remember we have all sorts of users with different Internet speeds so posting the information requested directly affects their forum experience. Our goal is to provide a great experience for all users so respecting the above rules helps us achieve that goal.
E. Member Rights
  • Sometimes forum ranking based on post count or through paid subscription will entitle members to special privileges. These include availability to forums inaccessible by the general membership, email system, exclusive board features and being granted input and voting for certain administrative matters pertaining to the forum. Such members occupy a preferred status on our forum while being expected to use their position responsibly, and may be obligated to abide with certain additional rules and privacy agreements governing their position. We do not discriminate based on your forum status and all matters will be handled in an equal and unbiased manner.

  • You may also request a name change but availability and final approval will rest in the Administrator's hands. You need to respect the decision made even if you do not agree. Offensive names will be changed without notice and may result in disciplinary action.