House Rules
The small print - "play nicely" people!
No advertising, no SPAMming
We don't mind links to informative (or humorous) sites, but blatant advertising is strongly discouraged. For example, if your first post on-site is no more than a list of links and phrases designed to attract search engines there's a very good chance your account will just be deleted with no warnings given. This also includes not posting the same or nearly the same thing to 2 or more threads. If you're participating in those threads, so are others and they don't want to to be reading the same thing repeatedly in different threads.
Try to keep things around a PG-15 level where possible
Not everyone who browses the site as a Guest is an adult; try to remember that. Our Moderators can edit/remove postings that are just too profane or sexually explicit, but we'd rather not have to. Star out those f*****g swear words!
Try not to post anything that disrupts the flow of the site
By that I mean don't post links that force the page to scroll sideways. For example, if you're linking to an image you found on Google, link directly to the image itself and not to the search page on which you found it. If you can't avoid huge links then use a service like [url]http://tinyurl.com[/url] to shrink them to a reasonable size to post. Try to keep pictures and images at a reasonable size (around the size for messages boards as suggested by [url]https://postimages.org[/url] approximately 640 x 480 px), and don't post images that are likely to upset other users. Please be sparing with your use of icons and emojis - you might think they're better than words, but they can make posts impossible to read for some of our users. Persistent offenders may find their posts being deleted if polite requests are being ignored.
Post in the appropriate boards
If you're discussing The Archers, put it in Discuss the Archers. (Duh!) For general chat, post in The Bull, start "party" threads in The Bull Upstairs etc.; problems with the site should be reported in Notes & Queries. Questions about The Archers should also be posted in N&Q.
Trolls and Sock-Puppets are not welcome here
We're reasonably tolerant of registered users who choose to post as a "Guest" in order to make anonymous contributions on threads about "sensitive" subjects, or who want to comment on a very active thread without associating it with their account, but registered posters who show up as one or more "Guests" with the sole purpose of haranguing other users or trying to break other House Rules without "tainting" their own account will not be tolerated. Any such "Guest" posts will be deleted without comment, and the user may additionally be put into Pre-Mod or even blocked from posting. "Guests" posting under multiple IDs without a registered account will simply be blocked. Guest posts from unidentified posters (you don't need to register, but you do need to pick a name, stick to it and use it when posting) will be deleted.
If you appear to be posting with the sole purpose of starting a squabble or hassling another poster then we will take steps to stop you. Depending on the severity of the trolling these steps could range from a simple warning to a police complaint. And if legal action does become necessary, remember - we keep posting logs.
If you think you've noticed a troll, don't call the poster out on the board. Report your suspicions to the moderators and let them make the determination. They will take action if necessary. Frequently genuine posters are accused and it only causes bad feeling if the accusation is made publically.
Pre-Moderation: Special rules
Users who have proven themselves to be especially disruptive or find themselves unable to moderate their own behaviour may find their accounts put into Pre-Moderation. This means that they are still allowed to post, but that those posts will not appear on the site until they have been seen and approved by a Moderator. Posters whose accounts have been sanctioned in this manner will not try to influence either the Moderators or other posters by commenting on their Pre-Mod. Attempts to so do will result in the account being suspended for a period. Users who are in Pre-Mod are not allowed to try to circumvent it by posting as a "Guest" or creating/using a different account to post. Postings made in this way will be deleted without comment. Repeated attempts at circumvention will simply lead to the user being blocked from posting completely.
Don't carry arguments over from other places
It's considered bad form to pass comment on the perceived shortcomings of other sites, or to badmouth posters who aren't here to defend themselves. Such postings will be removed. Please do not carry arguments from one thread to another. Do not use a different section of the board to complain about threads - if you have a problem, report it to the moderators and let them deal with it. Please remember that this site is open to all to read - we are a small and friendly site, but don't let that lead you to believe that anything you post here is private and cannot be seen by someone you know.
Harassment of the Moderation Team
We will not tolerate any attempts at harassing the moderators or site admins - either by bombarding them with emails demanding explanations or requests to reduce/rescind a sanction or by attacking them on the boards and complaining about moderator decisions. A single email seeking clarification is acceptable, repeated emails is not. The first time any poster threatens any team member with legal action because they don't like something that has been posted on the boards or a moderator decision, will result in an immediate ban.
We don't condone illegal activities here
Talk about anything you like, but if you start putting up links to Warez sites then expect to lose your account at best. Links to sites leading to images of child sexual abuse or other criminal activity will lead to your details being forwarded to the police.
Thassorl.