Guidelines
SFO Forum Rules and Terms of Use
Version 2.0.0
PLEASE READ: THIS IS NOT THE USUAL MUMBO-JUMBO
Welcome to the StarFox-Online (SFO) Community! This community is mainly for the discussion of Nintendo's Star Fox series, but general discussion is allowed.
Sections:
Preamble
Disclaimers
Staff
Terms List
Main Posting Rules
Image Policy
Writings Policy
Signature Policy
Avatar Policy
Punishments
Locked, Deleted, Merged, and Split threads
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
PREAMBLE
The purpose StarFox-Online is to provide a fan-friendly, all-ages, site that contains useful and unique information about the Star Fox series while maintaining a community of fans who discuss the series as well as other topics amongst each other in a peaceful and friendly manner.
DISCLAIMERS
SFO resides in the United States of America and is subject to the laws of that country. Please note that, while this country has free speech rights, these rights only apply to public speech. SFO is a private entity, and is therefore able to impose rules restricting what may or may not be posted. If you do not like one of these rules, you have all right to not participate in this community. Do not use free speech as a justification for violating a rule.
SFO, its owners, staff, or affiliates, are not responsible for the actions, hyperlinks, or posts of its users.
SFO will cooperate with any official, legal, investigations that require action on SFO's part.
The IP address of the Internet gateway for the computer you use will be logged for each post you make in order for certain board features to work and in case that information is needed by authorities.
SFO retains all posts for at least six months. Posts that are deleted are automatically archived in case they are needed for any reason.
You will be making up your own username and password. Keep the password secret and do not share it with ANYBODY. Not even the admins. The staff is not responsible if your account is compromised.
Please note that by posting, you are agreeing to follow these rules, which are subject to change at any time with or without notice.
STAFF
The Moderation staff, which includes Forum Administrators (“Adminsâ€) and Moderators (“Modsâ€), will enforce these rules as fairly as they can.
You may contact any of these people to report violations of these rules or if you have questions concerning them. You can either contact these people via Private Message (PM) or e-mail.
Please provide proof when claiming someone violated a rule. You can access the profiles of the staff from the admin and mod groups pages, which are linked above.
TERMS LIST
Troll - Someone who causes trouble for their own amusement
Considered Troll - When something is considered troll, that means that it is assumed that the post was made to cause trouble
Flamebait - A post that has high potential to start heated arguments.
Avatar - A small picture under your username
Signature (sig) - a short text message or image that follows all of your posts.
Private Message (PM) - A message sent to another user that is not shown to other users.
Spam - a post that has no purpose other than to take up space or advertise something
Shock Site - A website with graphic content intended to disgust and/or shock the viewer. These sites often contain graphic images of sexually deviant behavior and/or death. Linking to a shock site WILL get you banned.
MAIN POSTING RULES
1. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Insults, flamebait, trolling, linking to shock sites, and racism/sexism/etc. are not allowed. Please post in a friendly manner. Do not use ad hominem argument in debates.
Please note that mild profanity is allowed so long as it is not used in excess or insult.
2. Do not respond to trolls. When a troll comes around, do not respond to them. Alert the staff and let them handle it. Anyone whose actions encourage the troll to post, intentionally or otherwise, may be subject to punishment.
3. Do not advertise a product or another site or forum, even if they are related to the topic of discussion. Such posts are considered spam and may be either deleted or locked with or without warning. You may link to your site in your signature or in your site list thread on The Portal board.
4. Do not post anything with no discussion value. One word posts, l33t speak, posts intended for one person (use a PM) and such do not add to the discussion. Please do not post them. Such posts will be considered spam and may be either deleted or locked with or without warning. There is a board for silliness called “The Rec Room.â€
5. Do not post a PM in public unless everyone involved agrees to it.
6. The PM system is subject to all forum rules. PM harassment will not be tolerated.
7. No sexual content. Lewd remarks, pornography, and non-artistic nudity are not allowed and can get you banned if it is bad enough (anything that can be considered child pornography will get you instantly banned, including drawings/artist renderings). Some artistic nudity is allowed in the art forums and in the mature area. See the image policy for clarification.
8. Do not under any circumstance link to a shock site or post or link to an image from a shock site. This is an instant ban offense.
9. Do not post anything illegal under the laws of the United States of America. This includes ROM dumps and disc images from commercial games, Warez, information on constructing explosives, copyrighted recordings, copyrighted text (including song lyrics), copyrighted images, terroristic behavior, anything promoting illegal substance use, or anything else in violation of the law.
Note: If a post of copyrighted material can be rationalized as fair use (by the legal definition), you may post it.
10. Discussion of politics and religion are not allowed. Such discussions tend to cause animosity among members.
11. Do not dredge for old topics. Check the date of the last post before replying to a thread.
12. Do not create more than one account. If you have a special reason to do this, ask an admin first.
13. Attempts to exploit software bugs, gain access to unauthorized areas, or otherwise hack SFO is a violation of US Law and charges will be pressed.
14. Please try to stay on topic within a thread.
15. Please be mindful of users with lower screen resolutions. If your post creates horizontal scrollbars, please consider revising it.
16. Any behavior or post deemed by the staff to be inappropriate or against the best interest of the community may be subject to action, up to and including post deletion and permanent ban, even if it is not explicitly in violation of these rules.
IMAGE AND VIDEO POLICY
All images and videos, signatures and avatars included, posted on the SFO Forums must abide by these rules.
1. No Pornography. Pornography is any image that contains non-artistic nudity or sexual acts.
2. Artistic, Tasteful, Nudity is allowed ONLY on the art boards (fanart and member works) so long as it follows these guidelines:
A. All images that contain nudity must have a warning and may not be embedded in or attached to your post. You may only link to the image in such a manner that someone browsing the boards will not accidentally see the image. NO NUDE VIDEOS, PLEASE.
B. The subject may not appear to be underage, even if the subject technically isn't.
C. Female Nudity: The full breast may not be shown, the area of the nipple must be covered; the crotch area must be covered, regardless if something can be seen or not.
D. Male Nudity: The crotch must be covered, regardless of if something can be seen or not.
3. Clothing should not be too revealing. If a private area is obviously visible through clothing, then don't post it. With female subjects, it's fine to have a little bit of a lump where the nipple is, but it shouldn't be too obvious. Same goes with the male crotch, so long as the shape isn't obvious and it isn't too large. The staff will determine if an image shows too much.
4. Please do not post anything that suggests anything sexual or suggests the desire for a sex act.
5. Graphic depictions of death or serious bodily injury are prohibited. A small amount of blood is fine, but nothing extremely graphic.
6. Please post a warning if an image contains significant violence.
7. Do not post anything that promotes illegal activity, including substance abuse.
8. Do not post any image or video that appears as if it would trigger seizure disorders. Seizures are serious medical emergencies, and are not funny. Intentionally posting such an image or video will be considered troll.
9. Please respect copyrights and ensure that you have permission to post the image or video on forums or the post constitutes fair use.
10. If the staff deems any image or video to be inappropriate, it may be removed.
WRITINGS POLICY
All literary work, including stories, song lyrics and poetry, posted on the SFO Forums must abide by these rules.
1. No Pornography. Pornography is any writing that describes sexual conduct or nudity in detail.
2. Graphic descriptions of death or serious bodily injury are prohibited. A reasonable description is allowed, but if reads like the script to a slasher film, then don't post it.
3. Please post a warning if a writing contains significant violence.
4. Do not post anything that promotes illegal activity, including substance abuse.
5. Please respect copyrights and ensure that you have permission to post the writings on forums or the the post constitutes fair use.
6. If the staff deems any writing to be inappropriate, it may be removed.
SIGNATURE POLICY
1. Signatures must abide by the main posting rules.
2. Please keep the image sizes reasonable. Total height of all images shall be no taller than 200 pixels. Total width of all images shall be no wider than 800 pixels.
3. Signatures have a 300 character limit (including bbcode tags) enforced by the forum software.
4. You may not use any form of script in your signature, server-side or otherwise. This is for security reasons.
5. You may not have more than one animated GIF in your sig, and it may not be distracting to people reading posts.
6. If a staff member tells you to change your signature, please do so. Refusal will result in an admin removing your signature.
AVATAR POLICY
1. All avatars must conform to the image policy and main forum rules.
2.Avatar sizes are to be no larger than 150W x 200H x 300kB. No exceptions. This is enforced by the forum software.
3. Your avatar may not be a script, server-side or otherwise. This is for security purposes.
4. If a staff member asks you to change your avatar, do so. Failure to do so may result in you avatar being removed.
PUNISHMENTS
If you violate a rule, one of the following will happen.
1. Warning - the most common and the most lenient. A staff member will remind you of the rule and advise you to change your behavior.
2. Locking, Deleting, or Editing of posts – Your offending posts will be locked, deleted, or edited at the staff member's discretion.
3. Post Moderation – A moderator must approve any post you make before it is shown.
4. Permission Restrictions - You will lose the ability to use non-crucial board functions, such as avatars, sigs, and custom titles.
5. Temporary Ban - You won't be able to post for a few days.
6. Permanent Ban - You are permanently banned from SFO. You may not return. If you create a new account, it will be banned too.
7. Contact of Authorities - If your action violates the law, SFO may contact the relevant authorities.
LOCKED, DELETED, MERGED, OR SPLIT
Threads become locked for many reasons. The staff will attempt to explain the lock as the final reply to any thread that they lock. If you restart a locked thread, it will be closely watched or re-locked, depending on reason for lock.
Threads become deleted if they are too old or if they are in serious violation of a rule. Threads deleted for rule violation can't be restarted. The staff will delete them again.
Any thread that is posted in the wrong forum will be moved. A shadow topic will be left to inform people of the move. If a thread becomes something that belongs in another forum, it will also be moved.
Sometimes, though rarely, a thread will be split. This will usually only occur if a thread takes a noticeable turn and doesn't return to the original topic. Usually, topic-drifting threads will be locked as the split function is somewhat limited in its ability.
Also rarely, two threads may be merged into one if they become redundant. Usually, redundant threads will be locked as the merge function is somewhat limited in its ability
TERMS OF USE
PLEASE DO NOT JOIN THIS COMMUNITY IF YOUR ONLY INTENT IS TO SELL, DISTRIBUTE, OR OTHERWISE PROMOTE A PRODUCT OR SERVICE. ACCOUNTS CREATED FOR THIS PURPOSE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY BANNED.
You must follow all of the forum rules to participate in this community.
You will choose your own username. IT MUST COMPLY WITH THE FORUM RULES.
Your user account will be password protected with a password of your choice. DO NOT give the password to ANYONE, NOT EVEN THE ADMINS. It is ONLY for your use in authentication prior to using the forums. It is recommended that you USE A STRONG PASSWORD. Strong passwords are at least 8 characters long and meet at least 3 of these four criteria:
- lowercase letters
- uppercase letters
- numbers
- special characters (NOTE: some special characters may be rejected)
StarFox-Online provides its services ****AS-IS WITH NO WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE.****
It is impossible for Starfox-Online to confirm the validity of posts. Please remember that we do not actively monitor the posted messages, and as such, are not responsible for the content contained within. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented. The posted messages express the views of the author, and not necessarily the views of Starfox-Online, its staff, its subsidiaries, or Starfox-Online's owners. Anyone who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to notify an administrator or moderator immediately. The staff and the administrators reserve the right to remove objectionable content, within a reasonable time frame, if they determine that removal is necessary. This is a manual process, however, please realize that they may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately. This policy applies to member profile information as well.You remain solely responsible for the content of your posted messages. Furthermore, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Starfox-Online, its owners, its staff, and its subsidiaries. Starfox-Online also reserves the right to reveal your identity (or any other related information collected on this service) in the event of a formal complaint or legal action arising from any situation caused by your use of this forum.
After you register and login to this forum, you will be able to fill out a detailed profile. It is your responsibility to present clean and accurate information. Any information the forum staff determines to be inaccurate or vulgar in nature will be removed, with or without prior notice. Appropriate sanctions may be applicable.
Providing false information of any kind in your profile may be grounds for termination of service.
Due to COPPA, minors under the age of 13 are not permitted to use these forums.
Please note that with each post, your IP address is recorded, in the event that you need to be banned from this forum or your ISP contacted. This will only happen in the event of a major violation of this agreement.
Also note that the software places a cookie, a text file containing bits of information (such as your username and password), in your browser's cache. This is ONLY used to keep you logged in/out. The software does not collect or send any other form of information to your computer.
StarFox-Online reserves the right to collect anonymous site usage statistics for site performance and viewership tracking. This information is for internal SFO use only to improve site performance and increase viewership, and will not be provided to any third party for any purpose, advertising or otherwise.
The Rules, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service are subject to change, even without notice. By your continued use of StarFox-Online, you affirm any changes made.StarFox-Online is a private entity reserves the right to refuse or terminate service to anyone for any reason, even if the reason is not stated in the Rules or Terms of Use.
PRIVACY POLICY
Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we
provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the
choices you can make about the way your information is collected and
used. To make this notice easy to find, we make it available in our
footer and at every point where personally identifiable information may
be requested.
Personal Information
StarFox-Online will not share, sell, or otherwise distribute your personal information
to third parties without your consent unless such information is
requested by law enforcement agencies or by parties to litigation
involving StarFox-Online.
Please note that StarFox-Online operates a publicly viewable forum. All posts and profile information
posted on the forums may be viewable by the general public.
StarFox-Online, its owners, its staff, and its subsidiaries are not
responsible for any redistribution or disclosure of personal information
posted publicly.
Server Logging
Log files are maintained and analyzed of all requests for files on this
website's web servers. Log files do not capture personal information but
do capture the user's IP address, which is automatically recognized by
our web servers. This information is only used for troubleshooting and
server maintenance, and is not available to anyone, save for server
technicians, outside SF-O except in case of court order.
Your IP address is also logged by the forum software for user maintenance
purposes. This information is only available to StarFox-Online staff,
and is only used for user maintenance and disciplinary actions, such as
IP-based bans.
COPPA
Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important. For that reason,
we are compliant with COPPA by not allowing members under 13 to
register.
Cookies
This website does not store any information that would, on its own, allow us to
identify individual users of this service without their permission. Any
cookies that may be used by this website are used either solely on a per
session basis or to maintain user preferences. Cookies are not shared
with any third parties.
Tracking
This website uses Google Analytics to monitor website traffic. This
information is not shared with Google partners and is only used for
compiling usage statistics for use by site staff solely for improving
the site. If you do not wish to be tracked by Google Analytics, Google
provides an opt-out solution here: Google Analytics Opt-Out.
- Starfox-Online and its staff ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE if you password is compromised.