Explanation of forum rules

[Opus4]

See the new list of Forum Rules.

Q1: So what's up with having a set of rules listed on this forum!? We never had a need for such things before, so why start getting all official about things now?

A: Well, for one: we now actually have a rule about not sharing copyrighted material on this forum, so I figured it would be a good idea to make such a rule visible. Once you've had one rule, you just have to have another; you can't just stop at one.


Q2: Oh. So does that mean things are going to get a lot more strict around here? (And I was just starting to have fun. )

A: The forum will continue to be run as it has been for a while now. The only difference is that the unstated rules that have been in force around here are now being stated.


Q3: What if somethig isn't listed? Does that mean it is allowed?

A: Yes, everything else is allowed, except when an administrator or moderator decides it isn't allowed. Then it isn't allowed. That should cover everything, but if the need arises, the rules could be amended.


Q4: What's this rule about posting in the apropriate forum? Will I get in trouble if I post in the wrong forum?

A: Trouble? Hmmm... well, I guess that depends on whether you insist on reposting the same thing in the forum where it was moved from. The real point is this: The entire forum is about SageTV. If you have a question, please check the forum section descriptions for the appropriate place for that question. Maybe it has already been answered there before. Maybe someone in the future will be able to find it in that forum when they have a similar problem. Don't think your question about some hardware belongs in the hardware forum because the problem only occurs while using SageTV? Remember: the entire forum is about SageTV. Issues with beta releases go in the beta forums; issues about TV listing data goes in the EPG Service forum; and so on.

Moderators may move a thread when it is apparent that it belongs elsewhere. If it just isn't clear where it belongs, well, it may just stay where it is at due to indecision. Who knows. Some things just aren't always clear. Similarly, off topic posts in threads may be moved to another thread. Such post splitting won't always occur for every off topic discussion, but it is a possible action that may be taken.


Q5: Will I receive a notice if a post is moved or deleted?

A: Normally, no notice will be sent via a Private Message (PM) for a post that is simply moved, but a moderator may choose to do so.

Deleted posts should normally result in a PM explaining why the post was deleted and perhaps will contain a request to reword some part of it if it was removed for just that part of the post. Please allow some time for the PM to be written after the post was deleted. Some posts, such as spam, will receive no explanation via PM and it is at the discretion of the moderator to make the decision of whether a PM is needed. If no explanation is received after a reasonable amount of time, send a PM asking for clarification.

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That's all the basic Q&A I can think of at the moment. In general, the rules are simply meant to keep the forum a friendly place to discuss SageTV usage. (Oh - and if you can't be friendly, then please just be polite.)

- Andy

[Lucas]

Andy,
I believe the movement of theads to appropriate sections will create uniformity.
It will be usefull though if when moving the thread to post message recording the movement. Not all of us use "New Posts" all the time.

Does the rule about copyrighted material (software) apply to posting a message to let other users know that a new version of some software has been released?

Thanks

AL

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by Lucas

It will be usefull though if when moving the thread to post message recording the movement.

The problem here is that it occurs _quite_ often, so I'm not sure how a useful notice could be made w/o 1) taking a lot of (my) time or 2) clogging the forum with "moved" notices.

Originally Posted by Lucas

Does the rule about copyrighted material (software) apply to posting a message to let other users know that a new version of some software has been released?

That depends on whether you are trying to obtain or provide illegal copies. The rule mostly applies to file sharing. Since we deal with TV recordings around here, the rule came out of requests such as "I missed last night's episode of McGyver in Space. Did anyone record it? Can I download a copy?" Such shows are copyrighted, and it is not legal to provide copies of copyrighted material. To keep the rule generalized, other media, etc., was mentioned in the rule.

- Andy