[Lee]

The Spain Forum Rules and Guidelines

These are the same rules that have been posted on here since 10-04-2009
The original version can be found by clicking on the following link.
http://www.thespainforum.com/f275/sp...-rules-174666/ (The Spain Forums Rules)

Internet Forum Definition

An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site. It is the modern equivalent of a traditional bulletin board, and a technological evolution of the dialup bulletin board system. From a technological standpoint, forums or boards are web applications managing user-generated content.

People participating in an Internet forum can build bonds with each other and interest groups will easily form around a topic's discussion, subjects dealt with in or around sections in the forum.

Membership and membership benefits.

Membership of the Spain forums is free. There is no charge for anything offered to members on here.
We have made the registration process as quick and as simple as possible.
Members see no adverts apart from those displayed in the free classifieds
As a forum member you gain full access and use of not only the forums, but also the blogs, picture galleries, classifieds, arcade etc etc.
You also gain access to full member features such as instant notification (if you desire and by your own choice) of any new messages posted in subject you have joined in a discussion on or an particular forum.

If you have any problems using the forums ( a link directly to the help forum is provided below ), please see our information area on making full use of the forums and if a subject is not covered on how to use any particular feature, ask your question there and the forum admin will be more than happy to help you and or show you how to use a feature. The forum admin believe in helping all members make the most of the Spain forums.

We have several subjects covering the basics of forum use at present and are more than happy to help any one with a problem.

Test area - forum help - Not sure how a feature works on the forums, want to try adding pictures to posts, try things out. Want advice with clear instructions on how to do things, try it in this area.

Our Members

We value each and every member on here. If any member encounters any problem with the forums, we do our very best to aid them with their problem or take appropriate action to help rectify the problem they are encountering.

New Members Posting Links.

We have a five post minimum in place to be able to post links.
What this is means in order to post links to external web sites, you need at least five other posts on the forums.

This is just our method of combating spam and has been tried and tested over a long period of time. The average person posting links to pornography etc will join, post several links then go back under their rock.

Dont worry if you do though - you will receive an error message and the post will be moved to a hidden area that only the forum administrators and moderators can see. They can then move the post back into view.

This is just our method of combating spam and is nothing to be concerned about.

Forum rules

In order for everyone to get the most enjoyment from our forums we do ask that all who would like to post messages follow the rules and guidelines outlined below.

Rule 1: Be Polite

This seems obvious, however, many can sometimes forget that common courtesy goes a long way to lending respect to both you and your opinions. Just because you don't see the other readers' faces doesn't mean they don't have feelings and won't be hurt by rude comments. When you read something that you find silly, rude or insulting, first assume that perhaps there is more to the post than you initially thought. Re-read it and keep in mind that tone and inflection is difficult to convey in written form. It may be that the person is attempting a joke or is exaggerating on purpose. It is best to politely request clarification before accusing someone being ignorant, a liar, or worse.

If after clarification you still disagree with the person then politely outline your points. Try to avoid name-calling or even implying insults wherever possible. These tactics generally only inflame a situation and lead to what are known as "Flame Wars." Whenever a flame war starts it usually ruins a perfectly good discussion. Others will lose interest in the thread and the discussion board in general if this kind of interchange is found here.

It also should go without saying that swearing, profanity, sexual references, etc. should be used in moderation. Remember that we may have readers of all ages.

Rule 2: Stay on Topic

After reading and posting at The Spain Forums for a while you may feel as though you have developed friendships with some, perhaps many, of the other posters and readers. This is probably one of the most rewarding parts of participating in a discussion area. It is only natural to occasionally want to share information with your friends that is "Off Topic" (i.e. not related to the subject matter of the forum you are in).

While it may at first seem harmless to post a bit about off topic (OT) subjects, it can become a slippery slope. If others join in on OT posts then soon everybody has sent the discussion threads on so many tangents that it is difficult to follow the original topic. Further, posting off topic essentially violates Rule #1. People come to the Spain Forums forums looking for all kinds of information. It is not polite to post off topic items frequently. For general chat, use the 'general chat' forum.

Rule 3: No Spam

While Spam may be a tasty meat product (yum!), on the Internet "spam" refers to invasive, unsolicited information. Posting advertisements for unrelated web pages or services is simply not acceptable. In addition, posting many repeat posts just to increase your post count or to generally be 'cute' is also inappropriate. All "spam" is a violation of Rule #2 and certainly Rule #1.

Other definitions of spam

We get a lot of companies join the forum purely to post information about their company or services. These have, in recent times included "nice post mate, come see my web site" or " we are a new business in Spain, blah blah blah" or "replying to posts with " I am now offering such and such at discount "

In other words unsolicited spam.

Whats allowed

If a member asks for help finding a company or a tradesman that can help them, by all means offer your services

Rule 4: Editing of posts by Administrators or Moderators

From time to time a post might be edited by a forum administrator or moderator.

These instances will normally either be to the post title or heading. These instances will normally be in the case of "need help" "please help" type instances, by adding information about the subject to the title ie "need help finding ###### information"

Please dont take this to heart, we are trying to help you.

From time to time we might see fit to have to remove some content that can be deemed as putting the forums in a position that can result in legal action. This is a rare occurrence, but it has happened.

Rule 5: Links In Signatures

Linking to a commercial product/service is fine, provided it is not a product or service that competes with a product or service offered by THE Spain Forum and it is not an affiliate program.

Promotional text for a commercial product or service is ok, provided there are no price(s) of product(s) or service(s) listed.

A link and promotional text for a site that is not commercial and does not contain product(s) and/or service(s) is allowed, provided the site is not sexual or does not violate THE SPAIN FORUMS community standards. The Spain Forum team shall be the sole arbitrator of what does and what does not violate community standards. (Examples include sites about drugs and/or sex.)

Duplicate links to the same URL in a signature are not allowed.

If you break the rules…

While we all have the best of intentions occasionally mistakes happen. Unfortunately there will be people who sometimes try to goad others into acting in a manner they would otherwise avoid. Many of us can get on each other's nerves occasionally either by accident or on purpose. When this happens sometimes things are posted that are later regretted. This happens to the best of us, and with a quick apology you can usually repair any damage done.

In addition to the occasional loss of temper, there are a few out there who seem to enjoy causing trouble. They will post inappropriate information in various forums and make comments with intent to start flame wars, add spam, etc.

To keep such occurrences to a minimum, The Spain Forum has moderators who read the forums and try to keep things polite and on topic.

If posts occur that break any of the above rules the moderators may take some or all of the following actions, often without warning:

:: Posts that are in the wrong forum will be moved to the correct forum. If your post just disappeared - DON'T PANIC! Check the other forums to see if it was moved.

:: Threads that get long because they have wandered off topic will be locked. People can still read the thread, however no new posts can be added. If you'd like to continue your ideas start a new thread with an appropriate title in the correct forum.

:: Posts that contain profanity, insults, blatant attempts at baiting a flame war, racial slurs, etc. will be locked/edited/deleted. Occasionally whole threads may have to be deleted if they degenerate into a situation described above. Repeatedly posting such comments may result in temporary or permanent suspension of posting privileges.

:: Spam posts (ads, attempts at attention, etc.) will be deleted on site. Repeat offenders may receive temporary or permanent suspension of posting privileges.

:: Off Topic Posts: While these should be avoided, the occasional off topic post is generally allowed as long as it reasonably contained. Be sure to mark any off topic post with "OT" so readers know what they are looking at. Note that off topic posts should be RARE and kept to a minimum. People who repeatedly post off topic and abuse this may risk suspension of posting privileges.

Remember that posting on this forum (or any Internet forum, for that matter) is a privilege, NOT A RIGHT. Please treat it that way. If your posts are locked, edited or deleted due to one of the issues outlined above do not be offended or take it personally. Evaluate what you posted and think about why it might have been. If you have any questions as to why your post was locked or you lost posting rights, please feel free to use the contact us button at the bottom of every page or contact Me ( Lee ) via private message

[Lee]

All information shared on the forums are posted by private individuals and are their own opinions.

Any posts that provoke hatred, cause offence or provocation of other, we endeavour to remove, but from time to time they do inadvertently get missed.

The forums are not funded by any company or organisation which could lead to giving any misleading or biased information.

The forums, and all web sites associated with them are funded, designed and hosted by one private individual

[Lee]

For many people that discover an internet forum for the first time, understanding and finding how to use, navigate, post replies or help others by giving answers to their questions can be rather daunting.

We have a series of easy to follow step by step guides to help solve the mysteries and make life easier.

These easy to follow guides can be found in the forums test area, which has been put in place for all members to test things out and find how the different bits work
http://www.thespainforum.com/f342/

By clicking on the following links you will find easy to follow guides

How to post a new question, start a new chat topic
http://www.thespainforum.com/f342/po...-topic-173809/ (How to post a new question, start a new chat topic)

How to reply, add a comment to a topic
http://www.thespainforum.com/f342/re...-topic-173810/ (How to reply, add a comment to a topic)

How to add a picture to a topic, conversation, post
http://www.thespainforum.com/f342/ad...n-post-173812/ (How to add a picture to a topic, conversation, post)

Signatures, what are they, how to add one
http://www.thespainforum.com/f342/si...es-add-173813/ (Signatures, what are they, how to add one)

How to start your own social group
http://www.thespainforum.com/f342/sp...groups-174678/ (Spain Forum Social Groups)

How to start your own mini forum
http://www.thespainforum.com/f342/start-forum-174684/ (how to start your own forum)

at the same time if anyone gets any problems with understanding how to use the forums, I am always more than happy to help give guidance or solve any problems your having-

Lee