|  | | Tech Support Guy Rules |
The following rules are guidelines for using the Tech Support Guy Bulletin Board. These rules were designed merely to give users a framework in which to conform their conduct while participating on the Board. The Administration, in its discretion has final say as to the specific action to be taken, if any, for violations of rules. Further, the Administration reserves the right to close or delete any thread, post, signature, or other content that it deems unacceptable for any reason, regardless of whether such content violates a specific rule or rules. Keep in mind that our goal is to provide useful technical support in a congenial atmosphere, which is the ultimate guideline we will use when evaluating any post or thread, or the conduct of any member. If you have any questions, email mike@techguy.org.
NOTE: Use of this site and any information contained within it indicates your acceptance of our legal policies.
IMPORTANT:
If you believe that a user has broken any of these rules, click the "Report Thread" button on that particular thread. Please be as specific as possible in describing exactly what was done, what rule was broken, who did it, and the address (URL) of the offending thread (if applicable).
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Category I Offenses (link)
Minor and Sometimes Unintentional Annoyances | - P2P Instructions - We do not support P2P file sharing applications and any threads requesting help for such will be closed. This includes Torrents, Kazaa, LimeWire, RapidShare, Pirate Bay, and the like. If you're interested in the topic, you are free to discuss it on our site (and please visit StealingIsIllegal.com), but information on how to use them will not be provided.
- Circumventing Copy Protection - While we believe it's reasonable to make backup copies of CDs and DVDs that you own, a lot of people break copy protection for the wrong reasons. The law is still vague, at best, as to if it is legal to break copy protection in order to make such a backup, even for personal use. (The DMCA, for example, seems to make it illegal.) As a result, we do not allow discussion of how to break copy protection at this time. If we can find a nice way to draw the line, we may reconsider this in the future as laws get sorted out.
- WiFi "Piggybacking" / "Wardriving" - We do not support the act of using someone else's Internet without permission. Also, please note that almost every ISP prohibits sharing your Internet connection with another home, and we will not assist you in breaking their rules.
- Passwords - Please do not ask for assistance with forgotten passwords and/or bypassing them. As there is no way to verify the actual situation and/or intentions, no assistance will be provided and any such threads will be closed.
- Multiple Postings - It is simply not acceptable to post your question more than once, or to post it in more than one forum. Choose the forum that your question or post best fits in, and place it there and only there. If, after posting, you feel it should be in another forum, use the "Report Thread" button at the bottom of the post and we'll move it. We also reserve the right to move posts to other forums and delete duplicates.
- Misuse of vB Code - Over-use or mis-use of vB Codes may be held as an offense at moderators' discretion. This would include particularly annoying, large, flashing, or otherwise unnecessary over-use of such special features.
- Forum Flooding - (Applies only to Random and CivDeb, not to technical forums!) While we do not want to discourage members from posting new threads, to be fair to all members we must limit the number of new threads started by the same member to prevent "forum flooding." As a rule of thumb, you should strive to limit starting new threads on average to no more than 3 or 4 new threads per week. We will enforce the "spirit" rather than the "letter" of the rule. As an example, you may want to post 6 good threads in a week and only one or two the next week. Please be considerate of other members when deciding to start a new thread. Do a search of threads that already exist—chances are you will find one that covers your "new" topic.
- Log Analysis/Malware Removal - In order to ensure that advice given to users is consistent and of the highest quality, those who wish to assist with security related matters must first graduate from one of the malware boot camp training universities or be approved by the administration as already being qualified. Those authorized to help with malware issues have a gold shield
 next to their name and authorized malware removal trainees have a blue shield  next to their names. If you'd like to participate in a training program, please contact a Moderator or see this article.
Trusted Advisors are specially selected individuals who have proven that they are technically knowledgeable, dedicated and highly respected members of our community. In appreciation of their work and to support their efforts, they will have extended permissions when it comes to using tools such as HijackThis, etc. We understand that they are quite capable of handling minor issues that may appear in a HijackThis log and can easily diagnose more serious situations that need to be turned over to a qualified malware removal helper and will act accordingly. Trusted Advisors have a green shield  next to their names.
| First Offense: As these offenses are often unintentional, the offending user will first receive a warning from a moderator within that particular post. The offending thread may be closed at the discretion of the moderator.
Second Offense: After the second offense, a warning will be emailed from an administrator.
Third Offense: If same offense is repeated after a warning has been sent, the account will be disabled. Good communications with the offending user following this may result in re-enabling the account.
| Category II Offenses (link)
Advertising and Spamming | - Spamming/Advertising - You cannot post advertisements of any sort in any forum. This includes products, services, or web sites from which you'd directly or indirectly benefit in any way.
- EXCEPTIONS (may be objected to, at the discretion of the moderators)
- Unaffiliated Announcements - If you see a great deal somewhere, you're welcome to share it with everyone by posting it in the "General Opinions and Reviews" forum if and only if you are completely unaffiliated with that deal.
- Signatures - When posting a useful response, you may include your own web page (or that of your company) in the signature of your message. However, this does not precede other rules. (That is to say that you can't mis-use vB Code in your link, provide links to naughty web sites, etc.)
- Offensive Reference/Text/Images in Signature – Information provided in your Signature should not be offensive or derogatory in general or to any member specifically, such as attributing a quote to a member. If you are going to refer to or quote a member specifically, you should obtain the member's permission before so doing.
| First Offense: As soon as an offending post or signature has been found, a moderator will delete it and contact the user who posted it. If the user has signed up only to spam, the account will be disabled immediately.
Second Offense: If a post or signature similar in nature is posted after an email or PM has been sent, the account will be disabled.
| Category III Offenses (link)
Intentional Offenses | - Crude or Rude Intent - Tech Support Guy was designed to be a community of people who can help one-another, and should be completely free of any profanity and vulgar language. There is absolutely no excuse for being rude to a user. Uncivilized and offensive language (especially cursing of any sort), images, or anything else, used anywhere on the board (including your user name) is completely unacceptable.
- Irrelevant and/or Inflammatory Postings - While we certainly don't discourage productive and useful debate relating to the particular topic at issue, posts that are made for the purpose of arguing or debating, in a nonproductive or inflammatory manner, an irrelevant or ancillary issue with either the topic starter or another poster are not permitted.
- Intentionally Harmful Advice - In the same way, this is a place to help people, not harm them. This offense applies when administration suspects that a user has intentionally posted harmful advice. For example, don't tell a user to type "FORMAT C:" in order to send an email.
- Impersonation - This applies when administration suspects a user of misrepresenting their identity, whether to the web site in general, or to another user.
- Multiple Accounts - Likewise, users are not permitted to maintain multiple accounts, as it may mislead or cause confusion to other users. Some exceptions may be made.
| First Offense: The offending user will be contacted by email and the account will be immediately disabled. There will be no second offenses of this sort. In some rare cases, a user may be given a second chance after the account has been disabled for a while.
| Category IV Offenses (link)
Serious Crimes | - Hacking/Interference - This is the deliberate use of any device, software, routine, or activity to achieve or attempt to achieve any interference with the proper operation of the site, as determined by the administration.
- Threats/Harassment - This would be threats of bodily harm or other harassment from a user, whether by email or on the forum, as determined by the administration.
- Other Illegal Activities - As you might expect, we don't want anything illegal going on here. Users cannot post hacks, cracks, pirated software, or anything of the like. Furthermore, we do not allow instructions on how to complete illegal activities, such as pirating. Please don't ask for advice on using illegal software, as it will be removed.
| First Offense: These are very serious crimes, not merely site regulations. The offending user's account will be immediately disabled and his/her service provider will be informed of the activity. If applicable, proper authorities will be contacted. The user may or may not be immediately contacted by administration during investigation.
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| Guidelines for Random Discussion and Civilized Debate (link) | | This applies only to Random Discussion and Civilized Debate. We consider this a "family site" and the guidelines we use to moderate the discussion forums are based on the "PG-13" rating for movies. Obviously, this means that there is a certain amount of subjectivity at work here. Moderators are given wide latitude and you can expect that we will make some mistakes from time to time. As a family oriented site and in keeping with what would be considered a PG-13 rating, we do ask that profanity be kept to a minimum. While we certainly don't intend to moderate every single instance of mild profanity, certain things are not acceptable at any time. Profanity with sexual connotations is completely prohibited and will be removed, with a warning given, as soon as it comes to our attention. Excessive use of milder profanity within a post or thread in general will be edited and a warning issued to those involved. What constitutes "mild" profanity" as well as "excessive" is at the discretion of the staff, so if you are unsure, you should err on the side of caution. All of this should make it clear that we cannot, nor do we try, to please everyone all the time. Our goal is to establish a happy medium that will keep the largest number of people pleased with their experience here. One way for you to make a positive impact towards that goal is to remember that not all members here are alike. In addition to the range of opinions in the discussion forums, you will also find a wide variety of ages, native languages, nationalities and cultures. One of the most common sources of conflict is simply the failure to understand and appreciate who you are addressing. If you remember that when you post, and choose your words with a respect for our differences, many disagreements can be avoided. While we do our best to listen to the concerns of every member, it is important to understand that if you feel attacked (by name calling, belittling, sarcasm, etc.), YOU need to report the post in question rather than respond to it. Verbal attacks will not be tolerated. Moderators will review a reported post, considering its content, context and tone. We expect that you will not fuel the fires of offensive behavior by responding in kind. Participants must understand, however, that relationships develop here that result in some fun between friends. At first glance, these may appear to be verbal attacks but they are allowed as long as they do not exceed the concept of good fun. What constitutes "good fun" will be determined by the Moderators and violations will be reprimanded. For this reason, then, if you are not the recipient of a verbal attack, please do not report the post -- it may all be in fun. Other members may, of course, report a post that violates any of the site-wide TSG rules. We expect that you are already familiar with these rules but they are always available here. We do anticipate, however, that many violations will be self-corrected by the participation of our members. Like any environment, the discussion forums are healthiest when everyone involved is paying attention. And we remind all participants that both the guidelines and the report buttons here are not meant to allow you to try and enforce your personal feelings about appropriate behavior. Should you disagree with a moderating decision or a Moderator's actions, in either Random or Civilized Debate, and wish to make this known, you are expected to do so in a constructive way that both appreciates why that team is in place, and respects its authority. Failure to do so will quickly become a "time out" offense. When we consider these topics to have run their course and have closed the discussion, you are expected to comply with the closure and end the discussion, in any form, of the incident. An inability on your part to comply will have swift consequences, though we recognize that you may still be dissatisfied with the outcome. If you are dissatisfied, you may make your case via PM (private message), using the following protocol: First, contact another Community Moderator. Should that fail to resolve the issue for you, contact an Administrator. And lastly, if you still feel it warranted, contact TechGuy himself. It is expected that all communication will respect the privacy of the members involved and that the information exchanged in the PM process will not find its way back into the public forums. Be mindful of the sign at the door of the Civilized Debate forum (it says don't enter here unless you have thick skin). Our Moderators are here to preserve a constructive atmosphere in an environment that allows for a free discussion of controversial issues. Some people feel very passionate about these issues and will express their opinions forcefully. While we expect common sense rules of respect and courtesy to apply, we also recognize that the PG-13 guidelines allow for a degree of banter that may offend some people. For the same reason, it's important to understand that some members here view these forums more as a playground; a place where they feel comfortable "unwinding." This can take a variety of forms, according to individual personality and style. As a consequence, you will find jokes and innuendo of all kinds scattered throughout these forums. We chose the PG-13 guidelines to help everyone understand the limitations of acceptable content in their posts. But Moderators are not here to enforce a particular view of "taste." The "ignore" button is provided to help each user do that for themselves. We expect each member to use it if they find another member to be particularly offensive. Similarly, we trust that each member is capable of choosing what kind of content is acceptable to them. If you find a topic or a post that you consider to be morally or ethically reprehensible, then our advice is not to respond to it unless you are willing to discuss your value system in a challenging exchange of opinions. Thus, we expect that each member will examine the tolerance of their own value system before choosing to enter a particular thread. |
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