Rules and Regulations of Scale Model Malaysia Forum

Effective Date: 8 MAR 2006
First Issued: 8 MAR 2006
Last Update Date: 9 MAR 2006
Rev: B

Updates**:
1. Add Rule 6.13 and Rule 6.14.
2. Correct item #8 paragraph #5.
3. Correct item #3 "hotlining" to "hotlinking."

** Updates are marked-up with underlines.


1. Welcome

Welcome to the Scale Model Malaysia(SMM)'s Forum. Please feel free to post any messages or questions related to scale modeling, whether they relate to tips and techniques, industry news, upcoming releases, kit construction problems, or similar topics. Before you post in the forums, please read and understand the rules when using this forum. By using this forum, you agree to follow the rules stipulate below.


2. Disclaimer

The site owner and admin staff of this forum are not responsible for any messages posted. We do not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message, and are not responsible for the contents of any message.

The messages express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of this forum, its owner, or the admin staff. Any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to contact us immediately by using the 'Report' button. This will send an e-mail to the admin staff with a link to the offending post. We have the ability to remove objectionable messages and we will make every effort to do so, within a reasonable time frame, if we determine that removal is necessary.

You agree, through your use of this service, that you will not use these forums to post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law.


3. Copyrighted Material

You agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you or Scale Model Malaysia Forums. Hotlinking from other sites are not allowed unless it is hosted at SMM or at your own site. Instead, please use a hyperlink.


4. Topics and Forums

There are many sub-forums available to answer any question or facilitate any specific discussion, so please try to make an effort to post your messages to the correct forum. If the moderators notice that a message is in the wrong forum, they will move it to the proper place. This helps to keep discussions on-topic, and it also helps you to get answers to your questions faster.

Along these lines, please post in one forum only when you post a message. It is not necessary to cross-post to multiple forums, especially when you consider that using the 'View New Posts' feature will allow you to see all new posts in all forums. If you feel that something is important enough to cross post to multiple forums, please contact a moderator before doing so.


5. Editing Your Posts

This forum has an edit feature....please use the edit feature to edit your posts rather than 'double posting.' You have the ability to edit any post you make to this forum using the edit button at the upper right of your post. Seeing 2 or 3 posts in a row by the same person within a couple minutes of each other can get annoying.


6. Prohibited Conduct

Violation of these rules is grounds for modification of posting privileges. Modification of posting privileges can consist of moderator restriction, temporary suspension, extended suspensions, or outright banning:

6.1 No profanity in subject lines, posts, signatures or avatars. This includes thinly veiled attempts to defeat the word filters by using asterisks or other characters to replace letters in profane, obscene, or vulgar words.
6.2 No posting of pornographic or objectionable material in your posts, avatar or signature.
6.3 No spamming.
6.4 No flaming of other members to incite or perpetuate an argument. Personal attacks or name-calling is not permitted.
6.5 Do not impersonate other individuals or falsely represent yourself. Also, please do not create multiple accounts. If you had a prior account and are experiencing any kind of difficulty, please contact any member of the admin staff, and we'll do our best to sort it out for you.
6.6 Do not post on behalf of a banned member.
6.7 You must have a valid e-mail account in your profile so a forum administrator can reach you. If we cannot reach you by email, you may be banned without notice.
6.8 Do not post personal information about others (i.e. addresses, phone numbers, passwords, etc.)
6.9 Be considerate. Any member who is intentionally unpleasant or disruptive may be subject to restrictions without warning. Posts should be of a positive nature whenever possible. Discussions and debates are welcome as long as they are shown in a positive light and do not involve flaming or personal attacks.
6.10 Any information you choose to take from this site is at your own risk. We make no warranties, implied or actual, as to any information posted within these forums, and cannot realistically guarantee the accuracy or validity of any given post.
6.11 Material posted here may not be reproduced or reposted elsewhere without the consent of the author.
6.12 No linking to unauthorized, unlicensed or copyright-protected items.
Moderators and administrators frequently review forum messages. Any messages found to be in violation may be deleted without warning or explanation. We reserve the right to ban any user, at any time, and for any reason. The rules of conduct also apply to any private messages or e-mails sent through the forum's software. Any private messages or e-mails sent through the SMM Forums which violate these rules will have the same effect as a violation made when posting to the public part of the forums.
6.13 Although posting questions with regards to scale modelling is encouraged, do not ask the same question within the same thread. Also, do not ask for information that is already available within the same thread. This is to prevent message threads becoming boring. It also shows that the poster did not follow/read the message thread prior posting the question(s).
6.14 Irrelevant messages will be deleted/moved at the sole discretion of the admin staffs.

Please be advised, these rules are subject to change without notice. However, we will make every attempt to notify members of major changes to the forum rules.


7. Political Posts

Effective immediately, we will immediately delete political posts or entire threads which degenerate into political debates. If posts or threads are removed, and a new one appears as a continuation, it will be removed as well. The vast majority of these invariably evolves into name-calling and flame wars, and can result in bad feelings amongst people who otherwise have a good relationship. Country and politician bashing will not be tolerated. There are plenty of other sites to discuss politics. We, like the rest of you, come here to get away from these types of discussions and share our interest in scale modeling......the tie that binds us all.


8. Objectionable Posts

Because of the number and frequency of posts, it is impossible to review all messages or confirm the validity of information posted. We are not responsible for any messages posted and do not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message. The messages express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of this message board or any entity associated with this message board. We encourage any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable contact us immediately by using the 'Report' button. We will make every effort to review these posts, within a reasonable time frame and determine if removal is necessary. Please remember that removal of posts is a manual process and may take some time.

Any posts containing personal insults or objectionable content will be removed from the server. Problem posters will have their ability to post messages to the SMM forums restricted by moderators, suspended, or even revoked.

Keep in mind that the decision to moderate, delimit, close, or delete any discussion, as well as change a member's posting or log-in privileges is at the discretion of the admin staff, and their decision is final in these matters. These actions may be done with or without notifying the member - each situation is handled on a case-by-case basis.

Also, SMM will not allow posts that engage in the criticism or 'bashing' of other scale modeling websites. This has presented itself as a problem in the past, and in the interest of the greater good, we will delete or edit any post that we find contains objectionable material about another website. There is plenty of room for everyone, and we wish nothing but the best for ALL of the outstanding modeling websites available. Remember too that many readers visit a multitude of websites on a daily basis, and posting negative comments about other websites is bound to cross over into these sites, with a likely end result being a multi-site flame war, and a general perpetuation of bad feelings and divisiveness. We ask that all of our readers please refrain from making derogatory comments on the SMM Forums about other websites in this genre.

Please keep in mind that the admin staff does its best level to provide an open environment where posters can share their views, but if those views, or the way they are expressed, are inflammatory or offensive to other posters or groups of people in general, then administrative action may be taken against the poster. Use common sense and be courteous. In other words, treat other people in the way that you would want to be treated.

By posting to this board, you agree that you will not post any material that is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing….you get the idea. We reserve the right to reveal your identity (or whatever information we know about you) in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any message posted by you. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless this message board, its Administrators and Moderators, the makers of the bulletin board software, and their agents with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s).

Finally, discussion of banned members is not permitted. If someone has been banned, there is a reason for it and if you agree or not is not of consequence to the forum or its admin staff. The board owner/administrators decision is final regarding these matters...... this is a privately owned forum, and we reserve the right to allow or deny members as we see fit without explanation.


9. Banners and Sig Line Images

Many of SMM's readers like to use banners or images attached to their sig lines to identify themselves with personal interests, or group builds that they are participating in. In the interest of conserving bandwidth and reducing page load times, we ask that banners loaded to a member's profile be no larger than 750 x 150 pixels wide. If you need help re-sizing a banner, please contact any member of the admin staff, and they will assist you. Banners that exceed these size dimensions are subject to removal without notice. Multiple banners that exceed these dimensions will also be removed.

* Remember, if you don't wish to view images, emoticons, or banners, you can turn them off by going to My Controls and adjusting your preferences under Options: Board Settings


10. Public Critiquing of Models at SMM

If you notice an inaccuracy on one of the models displayed on SMM and you have some carefully worded constructive criticism to offer, then please contact the modeller in question privately by e-mail. The majority of modellers don't appreciate having inaccuracies in their models addressed in a public forum. Unsolicited critiques will be removed by the moderators. This also goes for discussions of models posted at other scale modeling websites.

If you notice an inaccuracy on one of the models displayed on SMM and you have some carefully worded constructive criticism to offer, then please contact the modeller in question privately by e-mail. The majority of modellers don't appreciate having inaccuracies in their models addressed in a public forum. Unsolicited critiques will be removed by the moderators. This also goes for discussions of models posted at other scale modeling websites.

The exception to this is the Critiques Forum. Here, you can offer polite, constructive critiques on models when it is asked for. Rude or insulting posts will be deleted at the discretion of the moderators.

wow... organised...

Forum Members:

In the last two weeks, we have received many complaints with regards to forum postings. As a result, we decided to lay down the rules to safeguard the interest of the forum and fellow members. Hence, we encourage all members to read carefully the rules and regulations above as it is in effect beginning 8 MAR 2006.

Thank you for your support, and we hope this forum has been informative to all members.

Arg for Scale Model Malaysia

kenny, sape complaint??

glad that there rules here too...
just make sure it wont violate the freedom of speech...hehe

my 0.02 sen

Members are still free allow to express their opinions as long as it does not get out of hand. Mind you opinions posted in the forum can be easily misinterpreted and misunderstood by readers. Written opinions may or may not be express the same as verbal opinions.

As far as complaints go, they are being sorted by the admin staffs.

Thank you for your patience.

Agrillion I will Print it and Read Carefully. May be will ask some question if don't understand! :P ;) :lol: :D

will taker note on this ....

a world without rules is a world of anarchy.....
and a world of anarchy is a world without a future

Nicely done , Mr.Mod!

btw Is there any possibility to add more emotioncon into the smilies??? ;)

"Hotlining from other sites are not allowed unless it is hosted at SMM or at your own site. Instead, please use a hyperlink."

Argi...what is hotlining stand for???

Correction has been made acoordingly. Thank you for reporting.

Hotlinking? Please show us some sample in this forum..... ;)

When you posting photos in this forum, you are basically hotlinking. The rule here doesn't apply to any photos that belong to you or your website. However, to prevent copyright infringement, we do not encourage hotlinking from other sites that you have no right to the material. Instead, use a hyperlink to send the reader to the referred site.

Roger That!

Hi agri

a small matter

about the new underline clause... sometime we might not know if the same Q has been posted by , i mean some of us, like me , do not read all the threads all the time and the column may gone faster then we can participate , it might gone to the second page or further which may be missed.

maybe u can give a timing of the unwanted repeated question ? like within the same week or so ?

of cause we would not ask the same things or repeated the same subjects unless we can get to read those posts ...

and some answers may lies in different thread ?

sorry a just a two cent thoughs hehe

Good to have such rules here.
We don't want this forum to become another malaysiakini or sarawaktalk...

This thread is open for questions or suggestions with regards to the rules of the forum. Chatting is inappropriate. Poster message has been deleted accordingly.

In addition, we believe all necessary guidelines have been provided here in the written rules.

Agrillion:
Just wanna ask few questions.

1. "Chatting is inappropriate.", what kind of reply consider as Chatting?

2. About the "Clickable Smilies", can not use more than 1 kind or too many in a post?

Thanks for reply and show/guide the correct way in the forum.

1. The definition of "chatting" is ambiguous in forum-based websites but can be categorized. According to the rules stipulated above, "chatting" is allow if the following guidelines are met: -

a. Contains constructive comments with regards to the subject;
b. Expression of feelings towards issues that is outside the subject;
c. No soliciting for commerial dealings unless it is in the "For Sell / To Buy" categories. We encourage members to use Private Messages (PM) to enquire the price and availability.
d. No repeatitive comments or questions. If an earlier member has asked or answered in the same thread, do not repeat the same post.

An example of Chatting by Posting Repeatitive Comments
***********************************************
One member has asked, "How are you John Doe?" and then a second member then asked again, " Yeahlah! How are you John Doe? Where have you been?"

e. Chatting is allowed in off-topic discussions (clearly marked in thread topic) or junked topics.

2. We have no wish to manage emoticons being used in messages. However, we discourage posting messages with emoticons and no other comments or opinions are provided.

Agrillion:
I receive it load and clear! Thanks for your long explanations and samples. Really appreciate your reply.

Is that the space matters then you discourage posting messages with emoticons?(I guess)

Before your issues become a chat element here, this is our final clarifications for your earlier questions: -

Emoticons can be used. We have seen messages that only contain emoticons. First of all, posting emoticons is not a constructive comment. It's an expression of feeling subject to good/bad interpretation. Secondly, it misleads members to read the updated topic only to find that the last message is an emoticon. Bear in mind, time esp. downloading time is priceless.