Contents
If you've been reading for a while then you will already know that moderation policy is pretty slack and that the forum contains a wide range of threads and is not just 'Football Only'.
The site is targeted towards adults, and as such may contain things that you might not want your children to read, however that doesn't mean that anything goes and moderators will remove anything that goes too far and you are in danger of finding yourself banned.
The only things which are not allowed on the main forum are politics, race, religion and 'serious' current affairs, if you wish to discuss these then registered members have access to the 'Politics' forum, if the moderators feel that a thread is a bit close to the line a post will get moved to there.
Pornography and "Adult Content"
Please do not post any adult content this includes but is not limited to nudity or strategically covered nudity, lewd or provocative poses, sexual fetishes, erotic stories, and links to pornographic or adult content. If you are in doubt please mark the thread by putting NSFW in the title of your post.
Language
Try to avoid swearing too much, a 'swear filter' is in place which will cover most of the obvious phrases but it's not perfect so please use your common sense. Any deliberate attempt to bypass the swear filter will likely earn yourself a short ban. Please be aware that the swear filter does not work in thread titles and persistent swearing in thread titles will lead to a ban.
Keep things civil and polite, just because you are typing a message on the internet does not allow you to be deliberately rude or insulting, persistent infringement of this will cause you to be banned. Please note however that if the moderators feel that you are being intentionally provocative in order to cause someone to respond in an inappropriate manner then the person doing the provocation will also find themselves banned.
Please note that the moderators reserve the right to remove posts which could be seen as overly sexist and/or derogatory, obviously this relies on the judgement of individual moderators and as such may not always be applied consistently.
Libel and Slander
Just because you are posting on the internet does not mean that you are immune from prosecution for libel or slander, the moderators will try to remove posts that are libelous, but if you spot something that we've missed the please use the report button to let us know.
Also please rest assured that if the site is threatened with legal action for something that you have posted then I will have no qualms in passing your details on, ultimately you are responsible for what you write.
Bans
There are several types of ban in use on Small Heath Alliance. You will normally get a PM from a moderator explaining the reasons for the ban, but in cases where the reason is obvious then they'll probably not waste their time.
- The Naughty Step - This is a virtual slap on the wrists, it's an automatic 24 hour posting ban designed as a time out and for you to think about what has happened.
- The Naughty Corner - For serious offences or repeated minor ones, it's an automatic 2 week posting ban designed to give the moderators a bit of piece and quiet, and for you to consider your future conduct.
- Read Only - If it becomes clear that you are not responding to warnings from the moderators then 'Read Only' is an indefinite posting ban which has to be removed manually by a moderator.
- Deactivation of your account - If you manage to talk you way out of read only but continue to act in the same manner then the final resort is to completely deactivate your account, there is no way back from this and if the moderators suspect that you are using multiple accounts then these will be summarily deactivated as well.
Please note that the above descriptions are for guidance only and the moderators are free to ignore them if they see fit.
Moderation
Please note that the moderators are volunteers and as such can not be expected to put up with people deliberately testing their limits, anyone judged to be taking the piss or deliberately undermining the running of the site will probably find themselves getting a ban.
If you feel that a post needs to be moderated please use the report button on the post in question, this alerts the moderators of the problem and if necessary they will deal with it, please note that you probably won't receive a direct reply to a report.
If you have a problem with another member and find yourself constantly getting into arguments with them then use the 'Ignore User' button, which will hide their posts from you.
If you have a question about moderation policy or why a particular post was moderated then please use the 'Issues' forum, asking the question on the main forum risks repeating the initial problem and generally comes across as a bit needy.
Other Stuff
These rules are liable to change from time to time so please check back occasionally.