RULES & GUIDELINES

[WaterWitchin]

HERE AT ORCHID BOARD we are not fans of lots of rules and regulations that people break accidentally. We want this forum to be fun!

Sometimes new members feel restricted by the rules of some other forums and are afraid to post things that are perfectly fine here. On the other side we do have some rules (though thankfully people breaking them is rare, which makes our job easier.)

If you have any questions or suggested additions just drop one of the moderators/admins a PM and we will do our best to help. None of the rules listed below are new, other than a couple of minor modifications, overall condensed, and easier to locate.

FIRST, WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Mention Vendors
That's fine. If you bought a great plant, want to ask where you can get something, ask if a particular vendor is any good, or report good or bad experiences with a particular vendor, go ahead! The Vendor Feedback section is the best place for this. The one proviso here is that negative feedback may only be left by members with a minimum of 100 posts and six months of membership.
• Mention Other Orchid Forums
That's fine. We do not pretend we are the only orchid forum out there. There are lots of other good ones. If someone on another forum gave you good advice and you want to refer to it, then do so. If you think another member's question might get good answers somewhere else when no one here has known the answer, then by all means direct them there. Some forums specialize more than us and attract experts in certain areas. Let's share all information sources we have.
• Post in the Wrong Place
Some new members seem worried about posting in the wrong place. Don't worry about it as many posts could easily go in several subforums. And if it really is in the wrong place, no one will get upset with you. A moderator may move your post if it's really in the wrong place, or you can also contact a moderator if you want your post moved.
• Go Off-Topic a Bit in Threads
Sometimes conversations wander a bit. That's natural and we don't want to try and stop that. Provided the original poster does not object, conversations can wander. Just be respectful of the original poster’s thread.
• Create a New Thread if You Don’t Find an Answer
Do search and see if you can find answers, but if you are not sure if the answer applies to you just ask again with details of your circumstances. We would go further than that and say that creating a new thread gets more answers than adding a question to an old thread. While other forums want you to only create threads if you can't find an existing one for the question, there are so many subtleties to orchids and growing conditions that it doesn't really apply here.
• Bump Threads
You can bump both your own and other people's threads if you want to help it get seen by more people, especially if a post has not had many responses. On some forums people bump threads to be able to find them again. This is discouraged here because you can subscribe to a thread without adding a comment to it, so if you want to find it again it's best to do that instead.
• "Multi-Quote" Other Posts
This is when you quote multiple parts of someone else’s thread and add your comments between them. This is banned on some forums because it can be used for "flaming". Flaming is when multi-quotes are used to pick apart someone’s post and attack it bit by bit. We do not allow flaming, but multi-quote is often useful in friendly discussions. So provided everything stays friendly, there is no problem with multi-quotes.

RULES AND GUIDELINES

While these rules cover most common situations, they cannot anticipate everything. Moderators reserve the right to take any actions deemed appropriate to ensure Orchid Board is not disrupted or abused in any way. Rules and guidelines include using the forum email and private messages.

• Only Post a Thread in One Place
Please only post a thread in one place. If you can't decide where then just pick one and don't worry if it's the wrong one. If you post multiple times, a conversation can become splintered and people replying may not have seen the existing replies in the other thread(s). If the moderators believe this is happening, the two versions may be merged. If you post something then decide it's in the wrong place, or you are not getting many answers and think more people may see it somewhere else, then ask a moderator/admin to move it for you.
• Don't Type IN ALL CAPS
People tend to read this as if you are shouting. We won't change any posts like this or take any other action, but be aware it tends to annoy other members.
• Don't Use 'Text Speak'
Please write in full words/sentences. It's hard for members to understand you if you use text speak, and especially if English is not a member’s first language. Again, no action will be taken (except perhaps a request for a translation) but be aware it tends to annoy other members.
• Please Post in English
This is an English-speaking forum. If you do post in another language, please also post a translation. Don’t worry about how good your English is. We have many members whose first language isn't English and as long as we can understand that's fine. If you post in another language we may have to wait for a member who speaks that language to provide a translation before we can help you.
• Only Copy From PM's With Permission
If you want to share what someone else has said in a PM make sure you get their permission. The other member has said something to you in private and may not want it shared. However, if you think a PM is spam or abusive do use the 'report' button on the message. That will send a copy of it to the moderators who will take appropriate action.
• Don’t Use Abusive Or Offensive Language
By abuse we mean any comment used to embarrass, threaten, harass, or cause distress or discomfort to another user. Anything offensive or using obscene language, defamatory comments, abusive or hateful comments, flaming, racially or sexually discriminating or any other sort of discrimination, pornographic, sexual or suggestive comments may be removed by moderators. Political and religious viewpoints are not appropriate subjects for Orchid Board, are discouraged, and may be removed by the moderators. Sometimes your comments may be read as offensive when you didn't mean them to be. We understand that and may warn you, but not take any other action; however repeated offenses will lead to additional action being taken. Anything in your user profile or posts which moderators consider to be offensive or abusive will be removed.
• Don’t Promote Illegal Behavior
Orchid Board does not allow the promotion of any illegal behavior. This includes, but is not limited to, illegal shipping of orchids without the correct paperwork, and illegal collection of orchids from the wild.
• Don't Post Photos or Copyrighted Material Not Owned by You
If you want to ask people about a photo that isn't yours then post a link to where you found it. If you do post a photo that isn't yours and no link is available, do make sure you give credit to the owner and/or state where you found the picture. Similar to photos, don't post any sort of copyrighted material that doesn't belong to you. Again, post a link instead. If you are posting an article of your own that is copyrighted, please state that it is your article and its origin. Copyrighted articles will not be altered by a moderator, but a copyrighted article may be removed at the moderator’s discretion.
• Don’t Post Negative Feedback of Vendors (new members only)
Due to the seriousness and financial impact of negative posts, we only allow members with a minimum 100 posts and six months time as a member to post negative feedback of vendors.
• Member Sales, Free Plants, Trades and Want To Buy
We have a Classifieds section where members may sell, trade, offer free orchids or orchid-related materials, or advertise for items or plants the member wants to buy. Items for sale, trade or free should always go in the Classifieds. Discussion between the person offering and the person wanting should be discussed in PMs. Do remember to update your ad or post once an item is no longer available. Classified ads may be closed at moderator’s discretion. You may not post advertisements for orchids or orchid related products other than in the Classifieds section.
• Commercial Business.
This forum relies on sponsor advertising for its existence. If you would like to advertise your venture, become a sponsor by contacting a moderator or administrator. Linking to a commercial website in a signature line may be permitted at moderator discretion by established members, with a minimum of 100 posts plus a one-year time period as a member of Orchid Board. Once a member has been granted permission by the moderator, the requesting member is allowed links to their legitimate business selling orchids and/or orchid related useful in orchid growing in their signature line and/or Classified Section.
• Spam
Orchid Board has a zero tolerance of spam. Spam is defined as posts with links which have no reason to be there, are not relevant to the discussion, appear to be there to raise search engine ratings, links in signatures or posts linking to external sites which do not relate to orchids and/or are trying to sell something. The decision of what is or isn’t spam is at the sole discretion of the moderators/admins.

MODERATOR RESPONSES TO INFRACTIONS

• What To Do If You See A Rule Being Broken
Orchid Board operates an infraction system and an option to report posts. When someone uses either of these options it creates a thread in a moderator/admin area of the forum and the moderators/admins are sent an email. We will review the offending posts and decide what to do.
• Using The Infraction Button
To report spam or pornographic content, choose the 'spammer' option for the type of infraction. This immediately bans the user from posting more of the same. Don't respond to a spammer. Don't quote spam in a response as it is easily missed when moderators are cleaning up spam and may still be there in your quote. You can also give infractions for offenses other than spam; however, be aware that the user given the infraction will be notified of you doing this. This may cause bad feelings, especially if the offense was accidental. It is usually better to use the report option in this instance and let the moderator moderate…that’s their job. Using the Infraction button sends a report to moderators. Moderators then review and take necessary actions such as deleting a post, up to and banning a member permanently.
• Using The Report Post Button
If you find someone's post offensive it is best not to engage with them. Instead use the report option which creates a thread in the moderator area for review, but does not notify the individual being reported. When moderators receive a report, we take into account who has committed the offense and what the offense is. For example, a new member (one who has not taken part in the forum before) will be immediately banned for spam or pornography. Occasionally with spam it may seem like a genuine mistake from a new user and we will warn the user in a PM first, then ban then if they repeat the offense. Members of the forum who have been taking part for a while will always be warned first for any offense. Only with repeated offenses and a failure to heed warnings will the member be banned. Fortunately, such bans with longer term members are very rare.

THE SMALL PRINT... What You Need to Know

• We Are Not Responsible for Posts. Orchid Board is not responsible for any of the messages posted. While we try to ensure offensive messages are removed (with your help reporting offensive messages to us) we do not check for accuracy, usefulness or completeness. A member may disagree with another member’s opinions, as long as not in an offensive way. It's up to you to judge if advice given is accurate. Orchid Board is not responsible for any advice you may choose to follow. Remember, our moderators/admins are just members of the public who have an interest in orchids and have volunteered their time to maintain the forum. That doesn't make us orchid experts.
• You Are Responsible for Your Posts
You remain solely responsible for the content of any messages you post. Further, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the owners of this forum, any related websites to this forum, its staff, and its subsidiaries. The owners of this forum also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or any other related information collected on this service) in the event of a formal complaint or legal action arising from any situation caused by your use of this forum.
• Your Email Address & IP Address
We store the IP addresses you have logged into the forum from, and these can be viewed by moderators and administrators. Moderators and administrators can also see the email address you have registered on this forum. We strongly recommend that you do not reveal your email address publicly on the forums, this includes not using your email address as a login ID. If you have used your email address by accident, then contact a moderator/admin and your user ID will be changed for you. Remember that anyone (including people who are not members) can read the public posts on the forum.
• Keep Your Account Secure
Never give your password out to another person. Moderators and Administrators should never ask for your password. Also don't use another person's account for any reason. We highly recommend you use a complex and unique password for your account, to prevent account theft.
• Cookies
This forum uses cookies and by using this forum you agree to the use of these cookies. We don't send the information in those cookies anywhere and it can't be seen by anyone.

ENJOY OUR FORUM! If you are here to take part and not intending to cause trouble, then don’t worry about breaking a rule. We only have a few and can usually tell who has done it accidentally. So relax and enjoy. We're glad you are here!

[This thread is locked for comments. You are welcomed to contact one of the moderators or admins and we will be happy to discuss any questions or concerns.]

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[WaterWitchin]

[WaterWitchin]

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[WaterWitchin]