Below you will find rules regarding the forumand its members, forum moderators, and chat moderators.  These rules are placed here so that you will know what we expect out of you and so you will know what to expect from our moderators.  If you have questions, you may place them on the forum or send a Private Message to myself or a moderator.  You will also find information on how to change your text color and avatar assistance.  You may use this as a test thread for those purposes.

Moderation & Privacy Policy

This forum is intended to provide an atmosphere of open communication, where each member can share his or her own insights and opinions. To help achieve this goal, we ask that you:

Do not post illegal material.

Do not post harassing or discriminatory comments based on race, ethnic origin, gender, or sexual orientation.

If you have questions or comments about this forum (such as technical difficulties or performance issues), please contact your forum administrator for the appropriate channel for your inquiry.

Moderation

Any post that violates the above conditions, or departs from the intended purpose of this forum may be removed without notice by the administration.

We reserve the right to edit any post for reasons including, but not limited to: language, length, or content not appropriate to the topic of this forum.

Any member who breaches these Guidelines through hostile, abusive or other inappropriate behavior may find their account privileges revoked.

Privacy

Remember that this is a public forum, and you have no guarantee or expectation of privacy. Your post could be read by anyone.

Posts can be traced. We record information about every user of this forum, and will honor any court orders or requests by recognized law authorities for information about individuals posting illegal material.

All communications on this board are deemed to be public and not private communications. We reserve the right to remove without notice any message posted for any reason, but we have no obligation to remove content you find objectionable.

Regarding your email address and other personal information

Although we require your email address for verification purposes, we recommend that you do not post it or any other personal information such, as phone numbers or your home address. Your posts can be searched by bots or third parties that have no affiliation with the administrator or staff of this forum.

Disclaimer

The views expressed by members of this forum are their own and do not reflect the position of the administrator or other members. Each member is responsible for the content of his/her own posts.

Please report any activity that you notice which is illegal, inflammatory, or in violation of common decency to the management immediately.

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FORUM RULES FOR EVERYONE

*Treat all forum/chat moderators and other members with respect. NO name calling!

*Do not use foul language . Simply edit it with a "*" or something similar.

*Do not bash someone for asking for help .

*Do not post material (or links to material) that would not be suitable for children to see.

*Defend yourselves when necessary , as I will not delete posts/threads unless:

A) They are clearly the mark of a mouthy know-it-all. 

B) It is something that could affect someone's personal life.

C) It clearly is meant to bash someone who is interested in a particular pet, calls someone a BYB or PM without substantial evidence, or goes down the "you're not a responsible breeder unless you perform 500 tests" road.  

I WILL NOT delete posts that challenge another's view, disagree with my own personal feelings, question someone in a respectful way, or simply because i don't like you.  If you ever feel that myself or a moderator has been unfair - by all means post it in a thread so that it can be dealt with.  Others may have the same questions/concerns as you and they cannot be addressed if those posts are continually deleted to 'protect' myself or a moderator.

IF a post is ever edited/deleted by myself or a moderator, I assure you that a reason will be given BY the moderator who edited/deleted it.  I think that is a fair way to handle it and it gives us a way to learn from others mistakes.

Here is what we CAN do:

We can talk about anything (it doesn't have to be pet related)

We can discuss other websites, forums, newsgroups, people, etc

We can post links to other sites (and recommend them!)

We can feel safe to post our opinions without the fear of getting bashed because our views are different.

We can argue a topic respectfully

We can cross-post from other sites (as long as you give the site credit)

We can post about issues we may have with the site owner/moderators because you may not be the only one with that concern.

We can prove that the most successful forums are those where the people are friendly and offer their help, advice, and information when needed.

And most importantly - we can set the example of how ALL pet owners (regardless of pet) should be treated - with respect, dignity, and compassion.  Remember, what may seem like a silly question to some of us could actually be an important issue for the one who is asking.

Addendum to forum rules (effective 05/18/05). 

**Any member of this forum will be banned immediately if they are found conducting behavior on another forum or website which defames, slurs, or places The Furum in a negative manner, as determined by the Admin and the Moderators of this site.  You can do this all you like, but will not do it and be a member here. If you dis-like The Furum bad enough to trash it elsewhere, then you do not need to be here.  If you still wish to participate in this type of behavior, then please use an assumed name or take it to a chat room (other than ours) and do it there where I will not see it.  I have spoken with the owners of several different forums over the last month, from pet forums to car forums and even the FOX and CBS forums and they all handle this the same way or at lease similar.  I'm not going to continue to watch people join here for the sole reason of playing nice here and then trashing this place elsewhere.  If you have an issue with The Furum it needs to be taken up here, not on other sites.  This is not to say that you can't dis-agree with comments you see here and post about it elsewhere.  I am talking about direct attacks on The Furum.  This includes statements that refer to our members as a whole.  Saying that 'they are all this' or 'they are all that' is also stating that The Furum is 'all this' or 'all that' because this forum is represented by its members.  I think the most of you can understand what I am talking about.   If you are one of the few who like to trash this forum on other places though, then please think before you type next time.  If you have aproblem with someone, address it with the specific person, and not the forum as a while.  If you post about how badly things are run here, then you need to post it here.  Again, that is defaming The Furum when you post it on different sites and it will get you banned. Any problems with The Furum should be addressed here.

**TerrificPets Issues: In the coming days there will be a new folder created on the Talk City Forum.  This folder will be just like the other and you can access it by request only.  This prevents those from TerrificPets who are not members here from reading the issues and running back to their board with them. New members who sign up will not have the option of accessing this folder until I decide otherwise.  This is to prevent those members from TerrificPets from registering under assumed names and gaining access to the folder for purposes other than to try and discuss issues that are bothering them.  This also allows The Furum to be more family friendly by keeping these posts off of our main board. It also allows those who do not like the TP issues from  having to see them if they don't want to.

If you are found to be accusing one of our members of spamming/joining/posting on TerrificPets or any other site without sufficient evidence, then you will be banned.  I am really tired of all the accusations flying around here.  If you accuse, make sure you have the proof to back up your claim.

**Banning Procedures: You must all understand that I cannot ban anyone who does not break a rule here.  No matter what name they use, what lie they tell, or what story they fabricate......if it does not break a rule, I cannot ban them.  An example from today is that I cannot ban someone for claiming to own a dog that they do not own.  That does not break a forum rule.  Banning will be at the discretion of the staff of this forum.

**New Members: I am requesting that all new members be treated with respect.  If a new member seems 'fishy' then politely ask them your questions and explain why you are asking.  Some of you have been very good about this but a few have been down right nasty, to the point that it was just uncalled for.  We are not here to police what others do in their real lives.  We are here to chat, have fun, and get information. If a new member happens to have the same or similar name as someone we know - I can't help that.  Unregistered names are fair game and anyone can use them.  As long as that person does not try to impersonate someone with that same name and does not break any rules then they are welcome here and I expect them to be treated so. Every forum has trolls. That is life.  But I won't allow an innocent member to be made to feel unwelcomed here because we may assume they are someone else. If they are not who they say they are then they will slip up - it always happens.  When/if they slip up, they will be dealt with.  Slipping up does not mean you lied about what kind of dog you have.  It means that you have identified yourself to be someone that you are not and are here to cause trouble.

Unfortunately, these rules are in place because of less than a handful of members here, and will be interpreted and exercised by The Furum staff.  Most of you already do the right thing and knew what lines you shouldn't cross without me ever having to say anything, but I wanted to clarify so that we can make this a better place. To sum it up.....Treat others with respect (as already stated in the rules), don't accuse, place all TP posts in the TP folder once it is up, and lastly - if you don't like this forum then don't come here.  The rules are really not that hard to follow.

I am not a mean person.  If you feel something isn't right then email or PM me.  I get some really polite PM's each day from people who just have questions.  I am always happy to answer them.  I too, have areas that I still need to work on.  Even I accused our newest member of being a trouble maker.  Thats why these rules are here now - in case anyone needs to see it in black and white.  There is so much untrustworthy stuff happening recently that sometimes you never know what to think.  When that happens, just stick to the people and threads that you know.  Everything else will sort itself out.  Just because you don't see me here and just because I may not think the same way that you do does not mean that I'm not checking things out.  If it takes me a few days or a week to figure out a troll before I ban them then so be it.  I'd rather know I took my time on finding them out than banning an innocent person too soon.

Thanks for your understanding.

You will immediately be banned if:

You spam ANY member(s) via the PM feature (this includes promotion of websites, services, email, etc.). All promotions are allowed on the board. I will not tolerate the abuse of other members PM feature. If a member asks for your promotions via PM that is fine, however, soliciting of ANY kind without that persons permission will not be tolerated.

You impersonate another member

You sign up under multiple accounts without contacting me first (and you better have a good reason for wanting a mulitple account)

You post information regarding someone's personal life without permission from the person it involves, myself or a moderator first.

You continually break the rules of this forum

FORUM MODERATOR RULES

Forum moderators will be required to post the reason a post was deleted/edited so that others may learn from the mistake. 

Forum moderators will, at their own judgement, delete/edit any profane words, name calling, or any information that would otherwise disturb the members of The Furum.

Forum moderators will respect all views of a particular topic and give unbiased attention to the topic when and if needed.

Forum moderators agree that any questions/concerns governing their actions may be displayed (in a respectful way) on The Furum in the forum section and they will address these questions/concerns if needed.  This allows others to learn and have questions answered that they may not feel comfortable asking.

Forum moderators will have the ability to ban you from this site without contacting me.  In choosing them to moderate this forum, I trust their judgement.

Forum moderators agree to accept PM's (Private Messages) from members and answer them in a timely manner.  Any abusive Private Messages sent to a moderator will be forwarded to me and I will ban you from the site.

Forum moderators agree to edit/delete posts by using A, B,  & C (above) as a reference.

CHAT MODERATOR RULES

Chat moderators agree to give everyone equal participation rights in the chat room.  This means that personal feelings cannot be a factor in kicking someone from the room. 

Chat moderators are required to give you one warning before kicking you out of the room.  Chat mods cannot kick another chat or forum mod out of the chat room.

Chat moderators will encourage and assist others in registering their name in chat so that no one else can come in and act as that person in a fraudulent manner.

Chat moderators will give you a reason why you were kicked from the room.  After the second kick, your user name will be banned from the chat room.  In extreme cases, your IP will be banned from the entire site.

Chat moderators will make decisions based on their own best judgement.

Chat moderators agree that any questions/concerns governing their actions may be displayed (in a respectful way) on The Furum in the forum section and they will address these questions/concerns if needed.  This allows others to learn and have questions answered that they may not feel comfortable asking.

Chat moderators agree to accept PM's (Private Messages) on the forum in regards to questions referring to chat as well as accepting PM's in the chat room and answer them in a timely manner.  Any abusive PM's sent to a moderator will be forwarded to me and I will ban you from the site.

If a Forum or Chat moderator wishes to be removed from the moderator list, all you need to do is PM me and let me know.  I will remove your moderator privelages and restore you back to a regular member - no questions asked.

IF YOU SEE A FORUM OR CHAT MODERATOR ACTING INAPPROPRIATELY, PLEASE CONTACT ME VIA THE 'PM' FEATURE OR YOU CAN EMAIL ME AT ADMIN@THEFURUM.COM WITH AN EXPLANATION, WITNESS NAMES, AND ANY CUT/PASTE INFO YOU MAY HAVE.  I WELCOME ANY COMMENTS, HOWEVER, REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO DEFAME A MODERATOR (SUCH AS PROVIDING LITTLE OR NO EVIDENCE) WILL GET YOU BANNED FROM THIS FORUM.

Our moderators are here to provide a service to you and to me.  I will not allow them to be harrassed on this forum or in chat and you should not want that either.  Please respect your moderators and feel free to PM them privately if you have a private matter question.

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AVATAR ASSISTANCE:

For those of you who need help with uploading your own pictures to make them an avatar, this is the easiest I have found.

www.imageshack.us

Browse and get your image and then click 'host it'.  You will get a page that gives you different URL's on it which can be used for different things.  One says it is for use in forums do not use this URL as it contains HTML (tags like this [ IMG ]) .  Use the URL that says "Here is a direct link to your image".  Just paste that URL in the field where you choose your avatar and all should run smoothly. 

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TEXT COLOR:

Changing the colour of text is achieved by wrapping it in .
You can then specify a recognised color name (eg. red, blue, yellow, etc.)
For example, to create red text you could use:

Hello!

This code would show up in your post as : Hello!

 You can also click on "Posting 'How To' when replying to a message or starting a thread.

-- Edited by ADMIN ANSY at 09:25, 2005-02-28

-- Edited by ADMIN ANSY at 09:29, 2005-02-28

-- Edited by Ansy at 04:32, 2005-04-05

-- Edited by Ansy at 22:15, 2005-05-17

-- Edited by Ansy at 06:34, 2005-06-30

-- Edited by Ansy at 19:40, 2005-07-31

-- Edited by Ansy at 14:28, 2005-08-07