Media UK forum rules

The rules of how to conduct yourself in the forums. Kind of thing.

Terms and conditions
Media UK does not actively monitor the contents of every posted message and is not responsible for any messages posted. Media UK does not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message. If you feel that a posted message is objectionable, please contact the forum guides immediately by email, using the "Alert a forum guide" feature on every post. Media UK may edit, restrict access to or remove any message, posting or any other material for any reason whatsoever without giving notice at any time.

Language and behaviour
Media UK's community forums encourage frank and impassioned debate on a wide range of issues. Behaviour on our forums should be akin to a lively discussion in a pub - at no times should the discussion degenerate to a slanging match, nor should personal abuse be tolerated. We expect you to moderate your language, suitable for a general adult audience.
You should not use your anonymity to be rude about others, or make allegations against them. We will remove such postings without warning, and may suspend or terminate your account, and/or ban your computer from using the forums in future.
By posting messages which could be considered as defamatory or libellous under English law, you are putting both yourselves and this site at risk. We reserve the right to release all available details to aid identification in case of legal action. We will not disclose them at any other time, and you will be notified if we wish to release them, and given every reasonable opportunity to settle the matter without recourse to release of information.
You cannot use Media UK's forums to post libellous, defamatory or otherwise illegal postings.

Truthful information
We ask that privileged information gained during the normal course of your employment is kept off the forums until it is public knowledge.
When posting statements of fact (eg which station is the market leader, how many people listen to a particular show) please try to, wherever possible, show the source. This allows others to judge what is factually correct and what is just based on hearsay.
Also, be truthful about your occupation and experience. Remember that other people will build up a profile of you based on your postings across the entire site, so claiming to be a Programme Director in one thread whilst asking for freelance work in another will quickly get picked up. You cannot use Media UK to lie about who you are.

Privacy and representation
We log IP addresses and other personal data every time you access our forums in accordance with our privacy policy.
Outing: Please respect the right of others to have privacy, and don't publicly double-guess where they work, who they are, etc... many companies specifically forbid their employees from making any public statements that are directly attributable to them or their company. On the other hand, please don't promote yourself non-stop under a pseudonym; we'll let you know if we think you've gone too far, and if you continue to promote yourself like a mad banshee we'll not help protect your privacy.
We do not let people post anonymously to help them that they can be rude or make allegations about others. Our privacy policy is a separate document, but guarantees that your details will never be released without your permission to a third party without legal action.
We do not let people have multiple usernames so that they can agree with themselves, or 'gang up' on other users. In general, you may only use one "alias" in one thread, unless there are clear reasons to do otherwise. We will remove multiple usernames from users who abuse this facility.
You may not impersonate others by signing up as their name. These registrations will be blocked.
Your e-mail address must be valid. If your e-mail address bounces, or requires anti-spam validation using a web client or other service, we will delete your account.

Other peoples' copyright
Want to copy something you've read elsewhere? Here are some basic guidelines:
Everything online is copyright to someone. (It doesn't need to say "Copyright" to be copyright, incidentally). You can't legally copy and paste stuff into the forums without the author's consent.
Ways round this:
- Post a direct link to other websites in the forums, like: "I read this great article about digital radio recently: http://www.foobar.com/dab/madeuppage.html - what do you think?"
- In most cases, you can also quote a small amount of the article (like, for example, the first paragraph), but you must acknowledge the source and link to it wherever possible - like... "I read this great article about digital radio recently... Digital Radio Is Great 'It's great,' says Editorial Director James Cridland, in an interview today... ...more at http://www.foobar.com/dab/madeuppage.html - what do you think?"
If in doubt, contact us; we'd be delighted to help.

Advertising and commercial messages
As on Usenet, advertising is forbidden, except in areas specifically designated for it (like the Media UK Marketplace). However, in the course of normal conversations, you may use the signature function of our forums to include a short commercial message (not all in capitals) for the company you work for. Exceptions are where your company offers services similar to those found on Media UK, including (but not limted to) directory, job, and forum areas. Your forum guide will be able to help you if you have any queries about whether such a message is suitable. Note that most users can only see two lines of a signature: you can change this in your control panel.

Complaints and suggestions
If you have a suggestion about how Media UK can be improved, please visit the Media UK feedback forums, or use the 'contact us' system.
If you have a complaint about message content, please use the "Alert a Forum Guide" function with every post.

Post a comment to this article Any comment you submit will be published on this page, and is a good way to add your thoughts or discuss this with other users. You can also contact us directly.
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