Rules for participating in Talking Utah Radio

[CAwasinNJ]

These are the rules that I, the moderator, have for participating on this board.  They shouldn't be too difficult to follow and they will make for a more pleasant experience for everybody.  This is not an exhaustive list of every possible situation and I reserve the right to make decisions in the best interest of the board as circumstances warrant.  That is not likely to be often.  I strongly prefer to moderate as little as possible.

This document will no doubt change over time.  This top post will always be current with changes noted in followup posts below in a changelog style.

Suggestions/comments/complaints can, as always, be posted to the General Talk board.


The Rules of the Road for Talking Utah Radio

Anything that has been published/posted/etc. elsewhere by someone other than yourself (particularly material protected by copyright) may not be reposted to this board.  This includes ratings numbers.

• The biggest single issue that has come up over the years has been the reposting of material.  Attempts to allow limited reposts under the concept of fair use have only led to confusion and anger and this policy attempts to address that problem.  This policy includes ratings numbers and relative changes (up 1.0, down 0.4, etc.)  Ratings positions (#1, #15, etc.) are allowed.  Violations of this rule are subject to having your post edited and/or deleted and may result in a suspension or ban.  Instead of reposting, link to the page where that material was originally posted.

Do not spam.

Do not troll.

Do not lie, be untruthful, be misleading, attempt to be deceitful in any way, speak in hearsay, or anything else along those lines.

• This is not an exhaustive list.  Use common sense.
  This may include substantial editing of a previous post. 
  

Accusations of misdoing (fraud etc.) must be backed up with evidence.

Statements given as fact must be able to be backed up by evidence.

• If you can't back it up as a fact, state it as an opinion.
  Also, please take the time to confirm that your information is correct.

Crowdsourced references (e.g. Wikipedia) are unreliable and thus may not be used as the source of facts.

Be respectful of other members.

• It is fine (and even encouraged) to disagree or offer constructive criticism with anyone (including the moderator) as long as it is done in a respectful way.
  We have a zero tolerance policy on attack posts.
  Defamatory, libelous, slanderous, inflammatory, or similar statements about a person/company/organization/etc are considered attacks and will not be tolerated.

Make sure to check your private messages.

• If I send you a message I am going to assume you've read it.

Your moderator is not a lawyer and unless otherwise stated nobody else here is either.

Please use proper English.

• Please try to use proper English grammar and spelling as much as possible.
  This is not Twitter or Facebook so please don't use that nonsense.

Please watch your language.

• We try to be PG-13 around here.  If you can say it on the air you can probably say it here.  If you can't, please don't.

Be smart with your posts and think before you post.

• This is especially true when posting a link to a news story.  Think about whether what you are posting is worth posting about.  Some websites will write a story about anything a radio company sends out a press release about. That doesn't mean it's worth taking everyone's time.  And on a related note....

Simply repeating news that has published elsewhere is discouraged.

• This is a discussion forum.  It is not meant to be a news site.  If you post a link, offer your own thoughts about it.  If you can't think of any it probably isn't worth posting about.

If the subject of a thread has drifted, please start a new topic.

• I, as moderator, will also split topics off as necessary.

Don't post just for the sake of posting.

Please think twice before posting about stations being off-air, glitching, having technical problems, etc.

• These things happen a lot more than you might think and a lot more than they used to.  Unless there is something unusual about it, or there is something specific that you'd like to comment on, it probably isn't worth posting.

Please review the posts that have already been made before you post one of your own to avoid duplicates.

Obituaries should only be posted in the In Memorium section.

• These will not be subject to the usual locking policy.

Inside information is welcome, but not if it will cause any trouble for the person sending it.

Duplicate accounts are forbidden.

• Those who currently have more than one account may keep them, however a ban of one will result in a ban for all.
  Waivers of this policy may be given if there is a valid reason.

Decision of the judge is final and at his discretion.

[CAwasinNJ]

Added: Crowdsourced references (e.g. Wikipedia) are unreliable and thus may not be used as the source of facts.

[CAwasinNJ]

Rewrote and clarified reposting policy

[CAwasinNJ]

Updated title.