American Heraldry Society Forum Use Guidelines
Adopted by the Board of Governors on June 18, 2007.
The purpose of the American Heraldry Society’s (AHS) Internet forum is to encourage and promote the collegial discussion of heraldry. To this end, the AHS asks that you treat fellow forum participants with respect and courtesy and that you conduct yourself in a civilized manner.
The following guidelines and rules explain what is expected of you and other forum users. The guidelines are not exhaustive, and as such the forum administrators and moderators shall have discretion to address any behavior or communication that may be deemed inappropriate for the message board, the chat room, in your user profile, private messaging, and on the forum’s user map.
The AHS reserves the right to suspend access to this forum at any time for any reason not limited to failure to abide by these guidelines.
User Profile
Forum users may use nicknames as their user names, but all forum users should record their full, real names and a current email address in their user profiles. Personal avatars, graphics, and signatures should not be offensive and should not include unauthorized copyrighted material.
Message Board, Chat Room, and other Media
Communicating on message boards and in chat rooms is different from face-to-face communication. Your facial expressions and tone of voice are not seen, so jokes and sarcasm can be misinterpreted. Please use care to express yourself well so you do not unintentionally offend others.
Please remember that some of your fellow users may be minors, so do not post language or material that is not appropriate for all ages.
Some heraldic topics, by their nature, can spark disagreements. Controversial topics include nation-specific design standards, expressions of nobility in America, expressions of nationalism, gender bias in armorial inheritance, religious heraldic traditions, usurpation, and differing aesthetic values. Thus, it is not surprising that there should be differences between the views held by one user and another - indeed it would be truly remarkable if there were not. However, the words you enter during a burst of passion or indignant anger will be there for you and everyone else to see, sometimes long after those intense feelings have passed. That’s not meant to discourage spontaneity, but we remind everyone to heed the long-term existence and effects of what you post.
By using this forum, you agree :
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<li>Not to post any communication that is intended to harass, belittle, humiliate, threaten or cause embarrassment to a fellow user.</li>
<li>Not to post off-topic messages in a topical message board.</li>
<li>Not to post material (or links to material) that contains vulgar, obscene or indecent language or images.</li>
<li>Not to send spam or unwanted emails or private messages to other users.</li>
<li>Not to post material that defames, abuses or threatens others.</li>
<li>Not to post statements that are bigoted, hateful or racially offensive.</li>
<li>Not to post material that advocates illegal activity or discusses illegal activities with the intent to commit them.</li>
<li>Not to post (e.g., upload or copy/paste) unauthorized copyrighted material.</li>
<li>Not to post advertising or any form of commercial solicitation (references to commercial heraldic activities in a topical discussion are permitted).</li>
</ul>
Statements or postings that violate the above terms will be deleted upon discovery. While we may attempt to notify you if we move or delete a post, we are under no obligation to do so. Depending on the nature or severity of the violation, the AHS and/or site administrators at their sole discretion may terminate a user’s account.
All content and compilation of the content of the AHS website, forum, chat rooms, publications, and all other media ("content") is the property of the AHS, and is protected by the United States and international copyright and trademark laws. It is understood that when a user posts content he or she grants the AHS the right to display, disseminate, and use the information as it sees fit for the normal operation of the website, forum, and its features. Users should not copy, display, or disseminate user-created or AHS-created content without the written permission of both the author(s) and the AHS.