Acceptable Use Policy and or Rules and Regulations for Forum Membership.

Section 1 - Registration.

1. Users with usernames containing offensive words, phrases or other, will be notified of this and have their Username changed, or their account suspended. The Administration is identified by rank and username colour. If anyone is found impersonating an Administrator they can and will be punished to the full extent of our ability. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

2. Admins reserve the right to prevent anyone from registering or gaining access to the forums, for reasons either violating this AUP or a unanimous judgment derived from reasonable cause. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

3. We also reserve the right to check either at registration time or later on that you registered with a valid email. If you failed/fail to register with a valid email we reserve the right to remove your access to the forums. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

Section 2 - Conduct.

1. Spamming, (Defined at end of document)of any kind of these forums can result in your username added to the moderation queue, if you cannot conduct yourself as defined by these rules then you are subject to having your post rights removed completely. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

2. Flaming is not allowed (Defined at end of document), treat each member with respect, if you fail to comply you risk having your username added to the moderation queue, or your account suspended. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

3. Pornographic Material of ANY KIND is not allowed on the forums this includes but is not limited to: PMs, emails, uploads and other forms of communication via our forum or it’s services. If you cannot comply with this rule your account WILL BE SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

4. Warez, or Illegal promotions or activities are strictly prohibited, we do not promote such actions and unless an admin deems this excepted from the AUP, If you cannot abide by this policy your posts/pms or other forms of communication, can and will be edited, deleted, or otherwise censored as the moderators or Administration see fit. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

5. You are allowed to express your opinions on this board as long your opinion does not violate any of the forum rules, in which case please refrain from publicizing your opinion on the forums. We at FOSF fully support the right to Free Speech for all of our members, however if you cannot conduct yourself in a civilized manner, you have the right to voice your opinion, but you are subject to losing this right and having your posts added to the moderation queue if you cannot comply with all forum rules whilst your expressing it. If you cannot abide by this policy the Administration reserves the right to remove/censor your posting and or add you to the Moderation Queue. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

6. Treat people with respect, conduct yourself in a civilized manner, respect that members of this forum might not be of suitable age to be exposed to vulgar or otherwise uncivilized materials. Discrimination of any kind is prohibited, this includes but is not limited to Nationality/Race, Age, Sexual Preference, Culture, Religion belief or standing, sex, rank, registration date (I.E. No “newb” comments.), Political views, or disciplinary history. If you cannot abide by these rules, the administration reserves the right to punish you to the full extent of their ability. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

10. If you are a long-standing member, behave like one. Lead by example and assist other newer members rather then attacking them. We look upon our veteran members to use this opportunity to teach the newer members the appropriate way to use these message boards. Violation of this rule is also violation of our discrimination policy, and you will be punished as such. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

11. No excessive Profanity. If you feel the need to use profanity, keep it civilized, if you are excessive and abusive to this policy of Free Speech, the Administration reserves the right to revoke your posting privileges and or add you to the Moderation queue. This includes the #FOSF Channel on Gamesurge.net

12. Political and Religious discussions have been reserved for a political forum, not FOSF, or any related chat room or communications services offered by us. There are two things you should never discuss in public, Politics and Religion, this applies for FOSF aswell.

Section 3 - Moderators and Administrators (Admins).

1. Moderators have the power to close, censor and/or delete any topic they feel necessary to do so. If you feel a topic has been closed, censored, or deleted without viable reason, contact an Administrator. Moderators have the right to censor your posts, the “Edited By:” line is not removable by a moderator, and when filing a grievance be sure to include this “Edited By:” line, with date, username, and reason for contacting an Administrator.

2. The rank structures of forum Administration and Moderation is as follows.
Forum Owner/Leader - Force Commander - SuperAdmin.
Administrator - Command Staff - Admin.
Moderator - Senior Staff - Mod.

3. The Administration fully supports the input of users and moderators in the Forum and IRC, however, if you feel the chain of command has been violated, you are to contact the Administration privately and explain your grievance. If you have a complaint about an Admin, you are to contact the SuperAdmin, or Force Commander. If you have a specific grievance about the SuperAdmin, you are to contact the other available Administration.

The Administration reserves the right to remove your privileges as they see fit with specific and undeniable reason and proof of such reason, If you feel your post rights or access to the forum or IRC has been revoked without proper cause, you may contact the Forum Technical Administrator - The Lords of Kobol via IRC or E-mail privately.

Section 4 - Conclusion

1. The Administration reserves the right to alter, add to, or delete from these rules without warning. Please check back regularly.

2. By registering on the forums, you agree to the AUP stated here, and future versions. If you cannot abide by such rules as stated above, you can and will be punished.

3. The rule over a decision, if you feel it has been unfair or without just cause, can be decided by an organized meeting of the Accused, the plaintiff and a neutral ruling body. If this does not resolve the conflict, an investigation into the allegations will be organized and the ruling judged by a body of neutral members. The chain of command fully applies here, if a Moderator or Administrator has a grievance about a party of superior command this can and will be taken to a neutral body of judges after a trail and investigation into the accusations.

4. IRC availability and status is a privilege not a right, Operators reserve the right to add, remove, or otherwise kick/ban a user for violating the AUP stated above. If you feel you have been treated unfairly or have been removed from the chat without reason, please bring your grievance to the Administration, including screenshots, and specific grievances.

Section 5 - Definitions

1. Spamming - Spamming is characterised by the initiation of threads or posts that contribute nothing to a forum, be it off topic or on topic. This includes but is not limited to: empty posts, posts with few words that have no relation to the current thread or discussion and those posts that state they are spam, either to increase post count or cause discourse. Spamming is also characterised by posts which have no relation to the original post in the topic, regardless of other points made in the topic. PM's or new topics are better suited for this, rather than taking a post Off-Topic, if a thread has been deemed “Off-Topic” by a Moderator or the Administration there will be warnings, and then possible closing of the thread if the topic is not restored. Whether a post or topic is spam or not is decided by a moderator, or admin.

2. Flaming - Attacking someone due to an opinion or expressed views in a post. If someone does something silly, maybe post a topic in the wrong forum, attacking them or their posts is a violation of Section 2 Pt. 6 of the AUP. If you cannot abide by this policy the Administration or Moderation reserves the right to either delete or edit your post. Instead, let them know the error and guide them into the right action. Remember, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Admins and moderators will decide a punishment if any for flaming. Team Members, moderators, global moderators and Admins are expected to behave sensibly with relation to flaming. If you think one of the above groups (mentioned in the previous sentence) is participating in flaming, please contact an admin directly.

3. Moderation Queue - The process by which all posts will be reviewed and edited as needed by a Moderator or Administrator before posting, this service can be timed or indefinite, and will hold your replies and topics until properly reviewed. If you feel you have been unjustly added to such service, please contact the Administration.

Finally, thank you for your continued support, we will update this AUP as needed so please check back, Have a wonderful time chatting!
- Administrator The Lords of Kobol and FOSF Staff.