Last week I heard several people saying that it seemed to them that the posting rules on TechRepublic had changed. So I got curious and looked them up. I would agree that there are a few points that might want a bit more explanation so I took a whack at interpreting them as I have always understood them.
Before going any further, I will start by saying that Tammy is a different moderator than Beth was or Jay before her. She moderates across several sites and applies the rules across them all. This is not a bad thing but IS somewhat different for the herd of cats that hangs out here.
I will send the link to this discussion to both Sonja and Tammy. Hopefully, they will be available to (a) tell me if I have it wrong- it could happen- and (b) to help us out if there is something that is not understood.
This is NOT intended to be an attack on any peer. This is not intended to be a flame fest. This IS intended to address those who feel that the rules have changed and no notice given. I don’t believe that TR intended anyone to feel that way at all.
From the T&C: Without limiting the foregoing, you agree that you will not use our sites to take any of the following actions:
1. Defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten, or otherwise violate the legal right of others;
If it would get you arrested in the real world, it is not going to be tolerated here. No tall tales about other peers (XYZ was caught with child porn), no ad hominem attacks (address the issue, not the person), no threats (publishing Google street view of someone’s house, death threats). We are adults and need to act like adults, regardless of what section of the board we are in.
2. Publish, post, upload, e-mail, distribute, or disseminate (collectively, “Transmit”) any inappropriate, profane, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, or unlawful content;
If you want to post inappropriate links, do it somewhere else. This includes flatly disgusting pictures, pictures of children or protected adults, pornography, gratuitous violence, etc. No, we aren’t talking about a picture of your child or grandchild. We are talking about pictures that law enforcement would have a field day with.
3. Transmit files that contain viruses, corrupted files, or any other similar software or programs that may damage or adversely affect the operation of another person’s computer, our sites, any software or hardware, or telecommunications equipment;
We all get viruses. This refers to the deliberate sending of viral material. Know that your computer is clean before you send.
4. Advertise or offer to sell any goods or services for any commercial purpose unless you have our written consent to do so;
If you have moving services, cell phones, gaming systems, or software and you expect and intend to garner a personal profit from their sale, don’t post about it here. We can, and will, use the spam button to request that your idiocy be flushed to the magical bit bucket in the sky.
5. Transmit surveys, contests, pyramid schemes, spam, unsolicited advertising or promotional materials, or chain letters;
To clarify- we get the occasional college student doing a survey for a thesis or paper and will post asking for participation either through posting a link to an external site or by posting questions in a discussion. That is generally acceptable. We also get the odd survey in the Friday Yuk- What South Park Character are you? What is your Star Trek IQ? Those are also fine. They are generally posted as links to an external site. But surveys that harvest information, promote a particular product, redirect to a malformed website, promote a Ponzi or pyramid scheme or direct a person to a Nigerian banking scheme are not acceptable. The caveat is that we have had good discussion arise from a peer posting the whole of an unsolicited email that was received. This has been done for informational purposes, generally to advise and inform the community of a new scam or a new approach to an old one. Chain letters are never welcome unless they are posted in their entirety to provide information only (see above).
6. Download any file that you know or reasonably should know cannot be legally obtained in such manner;
If you are pirating software, go somewhere else to do it.
7. Falsify or delete any author attributions, legal or other proper notices or proprietary designations or labels of the origin or the source of software or other material;
I guess this means that I can no longer steal Sonja’s old articles and claim that I wrote them. If you want to use a Fair Use excerpt of copyrighted material, you must provide all attributions. You should also provide a link to the original material. We all know that you did not write 100% of the Vista source code.
8. Restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying any public area within our sites;
This one is the toughie because there is no objective measurement. Certainly, if you are barring someone from using TR by stealing their password or doing something equally obnoxious, your login will be toast. But what about the subjective measurement?
The forums exist for everyone. If you are posting in a way that puts off a new peer, that could be considered unacceptable by this rule. There is a difference between heated debate about a subject and a full on flame war. Ad hominem attacks are not a good choice.
“What about trolls?” That’s amazingly simple. Don’t feed them. If you think that someone’s behavior is trolling, simply find another discussion or sub-thread or choose to reply to the people who are not trolling. This is the internet for heaven’s sake, not your front yard. We had a whole lot less troll feeding when Palmetto still got a slap for every feed.
Off topic does not mean that the rules of the board are suspended. Please keep in mind that TR is a business. If, by our actions, the community drives people away, TR could end up on the cutting room floor. Then we ALL lose.
The short form of all of the above is this: be adult in your interactions please.
9. Collect or store personal information about other end users;
Not much clarification required here. Grant your peers their privacy.
10. Interfere with or disrupt our sites, servers, or networks;
Another no-brainer. Sending malicious code to the CNET/CBS infrastructure will get you banned. It could also invite legal repercussions. Don’t do that.
11. Impersonate any person or entity, including, but not limited to, a CNET Networks representative, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;
I guess this means that I can’t call myself Tammy or even Beth any more. Seriously, we are users of the site, not employees. Although if JD refers to Sonja as his “big” sister again, I will not be held responsible…
12. Forge headers or manipulate identifiers or other data in order to disguise the origin of any content transmitted through our sites or to manipulate your presence on our sites;
If this is not self explanatory, ask.
13. Take any action that imposes an unreasonably or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure;
Uploading huge files to the server will get your login toasted. Links to external resources are fine.
14. Engage in any illegal activities.
Your local and federal laws pertain. We don’t need you running a call girl operation over the site.
The discussion is open to all peers. What you are reading is MY interpretation. If you have another interpretation, post it. If your interpretation is not accurate according to the PTB, you’ll be let know.
Everyone starts with a clean slate. Any one flaming, posting inappropriate content or otherwise violating the rules above will likely be given an enforced vacation from the site. No one wants that. Debate is good and healthy but flame wars defeat the purpose. If you have opinions, voice them. As I understand the profanity rules, you can use an acronym as long as it isn’t in the subject line and is not directed to a person. So “WTF was Apple thinking” used in a post is okay. “WTF is your problem?” is not okay. Context is everything. If you are unsure, consider another way to get your point across.
What are your thoughts?
