Links to existing popular threads -

All moderators, please update this when you lock and start a new thread, if you don't know how just PM Big Graeme and he'll show you.

Chat Thread - ALWAYS stickied at the top of the forum.

Movies Discuss films, the filmmaking process, box office figures, rumours, (legal) gossip, trailers (new and old) here.

TV Shows - Current and past TV shows, beware there will be spoilers, popular stuff like Big Brother will have their own thread while it is being shown, the mods will decide what show gets its own thread.

[url]Pictures[/url] Personal or any other legal images here. Remember - REMOTE LINKING IS BANDWIDTH THEFT. - No Current Thread

Music - All things noisy...

Books - Reads, recommendations etc

Jokes - What it says on the tin.

Tech thread For SPECIFIC questions about PCs, hardware and software problems.

Food Everything from curry to cheese to cheese or curry crisps.

Games thread. Things to do with games – consoles, online etc.

Phones thread.Things to do with mobile phones.

Links to interesting thingsWhile paying full attention to issues of copyright and the rest of the AUP, naturally No YouTube Links allowed.

Photography - Pictures you've taken, tips and advice. A step up from the Photos thread but we don't bite...

No threads relating to the above should be posted unless there is a good reason for doing so. If you aren’t sure whether your reason is good, post in the existing thread.

Jokes, Computer Queries, Organised Meetings and Spyware etc. are non-negotiable. ALWAYS post in the threads provided. If the thread linked isn't available it has either been locked after 1000 posts (it puts less strain on the server) of has dropped off the server due to lack of activity, PM one of the mods and they will sort it.

CURRENT MODERATORS

Code13
Mintball
tb
Big Graeme
Oldham Rhino

ADMINS

Mugwump
SBR
Southstander.com
tb
Mintball

RULES AND REGULATIONS

So why the sudden need for censorship/moderation/fascism/totalitarianism around here?

Two major reasons:

1. We are simply receiving too many complaints about the Bin’s appalling standard of content.
2. We are concerned that the Bin may ‘frighten off’ potential sponsors.

Why should that bother me?

Well, unfortunately we just cannot afford to lose visitors or sponsors. As you may or may not know – RLFANS is a purely non-commercial venture, designed, maintained and paid for by a handful of genuine RL supporters working on a part-time basis. Now whilst we are fairly handy at ‘doing things on the cheap’ around here, we are fast approaching a moment when the money in our pockets is going to run out. And when that happens: bye bye RLFANS, no VT, no SouthStander.com, no FMM, no Leythers.co.uk … no Sin Bin.
So as you can see, the situation is fairly serious and I trust you can appreciate the dilemma we are facing.

Are you saying that the Sin Bin is going to be axed?

There is a very real possibility that this could happen – yes.

But surely it’s the parent’s fault, or the moderator’s fault, or God’s fault!

We are not here to apportion blame or find ‘fault’; we are here to proffer a solution

The forum title says ‘…X-rated …’ doesn’t it?

This misnomer will be substituted for the phrase ‘off-topic’ shortly.

IMO, one major problem is that people just don’t know who’s in charge – how are you going to fix this?

From this point onward, I (mugwump) will be taking over the responsibility for this forum. To help with this matter, I have asked Code13, Mintball, tb, Big Graeme and Oldham Rhino to assist me.

The group listed above will carry out all administrative functions; there will be no interventions made from outside of this group.

What about those annoying and anonymous moderators who just lock/delete/edit posts ‘willy-nilly’?

As from tonight – no topic will be ‘moderated’ without an accompanying explanation. This explanation shall be classed as absolute, and not open to public discussion.

What ‘powers’ do these moderators have?

Moderators can:

1. Edit individual posts
2. Delete individual posts entirely
3. Lock threads
4. Move/merge threads
5. Delete threads
6. Issue warnings on behalf of RLFANS.COM
7. Block access to user accounts

Are you saying that only these three people will be moderating? Or will you make it four?

Three people only, I am merely here to oversee the moderation process in an impartial manner.

So what if I have a complaint about moderator X, who do I speak to?

All complaints (whether related to moderators or otherwise) should be sent to me at: mugwump@rlfans.com

Please be advised however that with respect to enforcing the rules, a moderator’s decision is final, and like a referee’s adjudication: it cannot be reversed.

So what are the rules?

The full and updated Agreed Usage Policy can be found here

But a quick precis is

1. Messages that promote, or that appear to promote activities that are in contradiction with UK law are prohibited on this forum i.e. Theft of intellectual property (mp3 file sharing), slander, racism etc.
If you include (instead of linking to) an image that isn’t your own you put a drain on the owner’s possibly expensive bandwidth. DON’T DO IT.
Copying news or information from a site (such as the BBC) verbatim is theft. Link to it instead.
2. Messages that contain, or link to, sexually explicit images are prohibited on this forum.
3. Messages that are wholly designed to upset or cause distress to other RLFANS members are prohibited on this forum.
Please note that this extends to private messaging too. Attempts to bully, intimidate, groom etc. via our PM system may result in your account being terminated and your details reported to the authorities.
4. Messages that contain a level of profanity that exceeds the moderator’s definition of ‘acceptable’ are prohibited on this forum.
5. Messages that contain a level of sexual content that exceeds the moderator’s definition of ‘acceptable’ are prohibited on this forum (as a rule of thumb, anything that wouldn’t get on the Beeb before nine won’t get on here)
6. Thread ‘titles’ that contain sexually explicit language or profanity are prohibited on this forum.
7. Threads purposely created so as to enable users to reach a specific number of posts are prohibited on this forum.
8. No more than TWO ‘word game’ threads may be open at any precise time.
9. .SIG file images should be no larger than 10 kilobytes (there’s a bit of latitude in this, but not much)
10. SPAM is prohibited on this site. If you have something to advertise use the appropriate forum or put a small notice in your SIG file.
11. Posts that deliberately attmept to ruin or derail a thread or are designed to kill a thread may be removed.
12. Public criticism of the moderation process is prohibited on this forum.

What does the phrase ‘…the moderator’s definition of ‘acceptable’…’ mean in rule 4?

Basically it means that if you interpolate every sentence with the words ***** or ****, then there is a fair possibility that you’ll fall foul of the moderators.

Whoa! Hang on a second! What’s this about not being able to criticise the moderators? What kind of fascist are you huh?

From today onwards, the practice of lynching moderators in public will cease. Any person who feels that they have a genuine complaint against a moderator can now discuss the matter in private with me at: mugwump@rlfans.com

I personally guarantee that all complaints will be investigated fully, and I shall reply to every issue raised in detail.

What happens if a moderator starts to abuse his/her power – won’t you side with your ‘mates’?

Not at all, any moderator that is found to be abusing his/her power would be asked to vacate their position posthaste.

I still don’t like the sound of this at all!

Look at this as a ‘trade-off: On the one hand you give up the ability to criticize the moderation process publicly, on the other you gain … an improved moderation process.

So what can I say now without landing myself in hot water?

Well, when you look at the above closely, it should become patently obvious that there really isn’t much that cannot be said on here, provided that you are willing to exercise a touch of creative diction (apologies if this is an inconvenience).


What happens if I do screw up, are the moderators going to be coming down on me like the KGB on speed?

Ideally we would like to keep this whole thing ‘softly softly’, with the emphasis placed upon ‘quiet chats’ via personal messaging. However, we fully recognize that it won’t always be possible for us to do this, and so we are quite prepared to pursue other alternatives if the need arises.

And that’s it folks. I trust that you will all respect my wishes and the mandate given to the moderation team and I look forward to an altogether brighter future for the Sin Bin.

I (NOT the moderators) shall be taking any questions that you may have about the above in this thread for the next week or so. Please refrain from creating new threads discussing this subject, as they will be removed.

Links to existing popular threads -

All moderators, please update this when you lock and start a new thread, if you don't know how just PM Big Graeme and he'll show you.

Chat Thread - ALWAYS stickied at the top of the forum.

Movies Discuss films, the filmmaking process, box office figures, rumours, (legal) gossip, trailers (new and old) here.

TV Shows - Current and past TV shows, beware there will be spoilers, popular stuff like Big Brother will have their own thread while it is being shown, the mods will decide what show gets its own thread.

[url]Pictures[/url] Personal or any other legal images here. Remember - REMOTE LINKING IS BANDWIDTH THEFT. - No Current Thread

Music - All things noisy...

Books - Reads, recommendations etc

Jokes - What it says on the tin.

Tech thread For SPECIFIC questions about PCs, hardware and software problems.

Food Everything from curry to cheese to cheese or curry crisps.

Games thread. Things to do with games – consoles, online etc.

Phones thread.Things to do with mobile phones.

Links to interesting thingsWhile paying full attention to issues of copyright and the rest of the AUP, naturally No YouTube Links allowed.

Photography - Pictures you've taken, tips and advice. A step up from the Photos thread but we don't bite...

No threads relating to the above should be posted unless there is a good reason for doing so. If you aren’t sure whether your reason is good, post in the existing thread.

Jokes, Computer Queries, Organised Meetings and Spyware etc. are non-negotiable. ALWAYS post in the threads provided. If the thread linked isn't available it has either been locked after 1000 posts (it puts less strain on the server) of has dropped off the server due to lack of activity, PM one of the mods and they will sort it.

CURRENT MODERATORS

Code13
Mintball
tb
Big Graeme
Oldham Rhino

ADMINS

Mugwump
SBR
Southstander.com
tb
Mintball

RULES AND REGULATIONS

So why the sudden need for censorship/moderation/fascism/totalitarianism around here?

Two major reasons:

1. We are simply receiving too many complaints about the Bin’s appalling standard of content.
2. We are concerned that the Bin may ‘frighten off’ potential sponsors.

Why should that bother me?

Well, unfortunately we just cannot afford to lose visitors or sponsors. As you may or may not know – RLFANS is a purely non-commercial venture, designed, maintained and paid for by a handful of genuine RL supporters working on a part-time basis. Now whilst we are fairly handy at ‘doing things on the cheap’ around here, we are fast approaching a moment when the money in our pockets is going to run out. And when that happens: bye bye RLFANS, no VT, no SouthStander.com, no FMM, no Leythers.co.uk … no Sin Bin.
So as you can see, the situation is fairly serious and I trust you can appreciate the dilemma we are facing.

Are you saying that the Sin Bin is going to be axed?

There is a very real possibility that this could happen – yes.

But surely it’s the parent’s fault, or the moderator’s fault, or God’s fault!

We are not here to apportion blame or find ‘fault’; we are here to proffer a solution

The forum title says ‘…X-rated …’ doesn’t it?

This misnomer will be substituted for the phrase ‘off-topic’ shortly.

IMO, one major problem is that people just don’t know who’s in charge – how are you going to fix this?

From this point onward, I (mugwump) will be taking over the responsibility for this forum. To help with this matter, I have asked Code13, Mintball, tb, Big Graeme and Oldham Rhino to assist me.

The group listed above will carry out all administrative functions; there will be no interventions made from outside of this group.

What about those annoying and anonymous moderators who just lock/delete/edit posts ‘willy-nilly’?

As from tonight – no topic will be ‘moderated’ without an accompanying explanation. This explanation shall be classed as absolute, and not open to public discussion.

What ‘powers’ do these moderators have?

Moderators can:

1. Edit individual posts
2. Delete individual posts entirely
3. Lock threads
4. Move/merge threads
5. Delete threads
6. Issue warnings on behalf of RLFANS.COM
7. Block access to user accounts

Are you saying that only these three people will be moderating? Or will you make it four?

Three people only, I am merely here to oversee the moderation process in an impartial manner.

So what if I have a complaint about moderator X, who do I speak to?

All complaints (whether related to moderators or otherwise) should be sent to me at: mugwump@rlfans.com

Please be advised however that with respect to enforcing the rules, a moderator’s decision is final, and like a referee’s adjudication: it cannot be reversed.

So what are the rules?

The full and updated Agreed Usage Policy can be found here

But a quick precis is

1. Messages that promote, or that appear to promote activities that are in contradiction with UK law are prohibited on this forum i.e. Theft of intellectual property (mp3 file sharing), slander, racism etc.
If you include (instead of linking to) an image that isn’t your own you put a drain on the owner’s possibly expensive bandwidth. DON’T DO IT.
Copying news or information from a site (such as the BBC) verbatim is theft. Link to it instead.
2. Messages that contain, or link to, sexually explicit images are prohibited on this forum.
3. Messages that are wholly designed to upset or cause distress to other RLFANS members are prohibited on this forum.
Please note that this extends to private messaging too. Attempts to bully, intimidate, groom etc. via our PM system may result in your account being terminated and your details reported to the authorities.
4. Messages that contain a level of profanity that exceeds the moderator’s definition of ‘acceptable’ are prohibited on this forum.
5. Messages that contain a level of sexual content that exceeds the moderator’s definition of ‘acceptable’ are prohibited on this forum (as a rule of thumb, anything that wouldn’t get on the Beeb before nine won’t get on here)
6. Thread ‘titles’ that contain sexually explicit language or profanity are prohibited on this forum.
7. Threads purposely created so as to enable users to reach a specific number of posts are prohibited on this forum.
8. No more than TWO ‘word game’ threads may be open at any precise time.
9. .SIG file images should be no larger than 10 kilobytes (there’s a bit of latitude in this, but not much)
10. SPAM is prohibited on this site. If you have something to advertise use the appropriate forum or put a small notice in your SIG file.
11. Posts that deliberately attmept to ruin or derail a thread or are designed to kill a thread may be removed.
12. Public criticism of the moderation process is prohibited on this forum.

What does the phrase ‘…the moderator’s definition of ‘acceptable’…’ mean in rule 4?

Basically it means that if you interpolate every sentence with the words ***** or ****, then there is a fair possibility that you’ll fall foul of the moderators.

Whoa! Hang on a second! What’s this about not being able to criticise the moderators? What kind of fascist are you huh?

From today onwards, the practice of lynching moderators in public will cease. Any person who feels that they have a genuine complaint against a moderator can now discuss the matter in private with me at: mugwump@rlfans.com

I personally guarantee that all complaints will be investigated fully, and I shall reply to every issue raised in detail.

What happens if a moderator starts to abuse his/her power – won’t you side with your ‘mates’?

Not at all, any moderator that is found to be abusing his/her power would be asked to vacate their position posthaste.

I still don’t like the sound of this at all!

Look at this as a ‘trade-off: On the one hand you give up the ability to criticize the moderation process publicly, on the other you gain … an improved moderation process.

So what can I say now without landing myself in hot water?

Well, when you look at the above closely, it should become patently obvious that there really isn’t much that cannot be said on here, provided that you are willing to exercise a touch of creative diction (apologies if this is an inconvenience).


What happens if I do screw up, are the moderators going to be coming down on me like the KGB on speed?

Ideally we would like to keep this whole thing ‘softly softly’, with the emphasis placed upon ‘quiet chats’ via personal messaging. However, we fully recognize that it won’t always be possible for us to do this, and so we are quite prepared to pursue other alternatives if the need arises.

And that’s it folks. I trust that you will all respect my wishes and the mandate given to the moderation team and I look forward to an altogether brighter future for the Sin Bin.

I (NOT the moderators) shall be taking any questions that you may have about the above in this thread for the next week or so. Please refrain from creating new threads discussing this subject, as they will be removed.