Terms of Service: These are our Rules.

[BBQchef33]

Our rules are simple.

Most important rule: Have fun. Join in. POST!!!. Use our Cattle Call forum to introduce yourself, and edit your signature line to include your equipment, so when you ask a question, we know what type of of pit your talking about. Get to know the personalities and characters and don't BE TO SERIOUS!! We are a lighthearted, respectful bunch, with a common passion. BBQ. But our board is more than a knowledge base, its a place to hang out, a community.

We are a family site. Not to say your entire family will be here with you, but we like to make it so a member will never be ambushed with an "off color" photo, sound or "whatever" popping up while your family may be sitting with you.

So, before you put it up, ask, is it OK for:

My MOM to see it?
My kid to see it?
My wife to see it?
Can I show it at the dinner table?

If so, its most likely OK to put it up here.

Next:
We have an international demographic.
NEW MEMBERS: DO NOT SELL, SOLICIT, PIMP, HAWK OR ADVERTISE... ANYTHING.. PERIOD. THERE IS ZERO TOLERANCE FOR THIS. IF IT APPEARS THAT YOU HAVE JOINED US JUST TO SELL YOUR STUFF, SOLICIT DONATIONS OR ADVERTISE, YOU WILL BE PERMANENTLY BANNED WITH NO WARNING AND EXTREME PREJUDICE. This will be based on your join date, your post counts and what those posts were. Dont think about post pumping because we do check on whats been posted.

We DO have a for sale section that is reserved for our members who have been here for a while, proven they are here to be a part of our community and want to sell or pass on their equipment or accessories.

We also have a vendor section where vendors may purchase a vendor subscription and they receive a dedicated area on the forum where they can sell and advertise freely.

Do not post any copy written material, or links to sites containing copywritten material. Our software embeds links and it will appear as if we are hosting that material. So please, no copy written works, and if in doubt, please refrain.

Following this post are our "official" guidelines. DO's and Dont's. Its mostly common sense, but someone always needs it in writing.

[BBQchef33]

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE WORK AND PROPERTY OF THE BBQ BRETHREN. IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE TO STEAL IT TO USE ON YOUR FORUM, PLEASE GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT IS DUE.

BBQ Brethren and Flaming Pig Logo are REGISTERED TRADEMARKS. Duplication or use is strictly forbidden. No exceptions.

The BBQ-Brethren

Rules of our Forum
©

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We reserve the right to amend these rules from time to time.

Ignoring or breaking any of these rules is grounds for deleting the thread or post.
Habitually breaking the rules of the forum will be grounds for deactivating membership.

*** References in this document and throughout our website to 'contributing members', have no relevance to monetary contribution, subscriptions or donations. Contributing members refer to those contributing information, sharing knowledge and are an active part of the community. ***

This is a quick outline of what you should do.

• Have fun
• Post often
• Share experiences, BBQ, and life.
• Leave any attitude at the door.
• Be yourself. We dont judge.

This is an outline of what you CAN’T do.

• Advertise, hawk, pimp, sell or solicit anything. Period.
• Solicit for donations or post fundraisers without approval from admin staff.
  
• **Insult or Flame others..
• Racism, slurs, prejudice, bigotry, vulgarity, or offensive language stricly forbidden
• Post material that has a copy right or is privately owned without express permission from its author and/or owner
  
• Post any type of porn or other illegal materials
• Air dirty laundry. If u have an issue with another member or staff, take it private. Do not publicly post copies of private messages to slander. the sender, to prove your point. or build up your fan base in a pissing match. Private Messages(PM) are called PRIVATE for a reason. Keep it that way.
  
• Use our email or PM to send spam
• Use our e-mail or PM to promote other forums and blogs
• Use our forum for sales pitches or solicitations.
  • user IDs and Avatars cannot be business names or logos without vendor/advertiser status.
    
• Post the same topic in multiple forums
• Cross post from or to other forums(copying text) without giving credit(or blame) as to the source location and author of the text
• Having a signature or Avatar that does NOT follow the guidelines(See below for details.)
• Hijack or post Off Topic in certain Forums. Qtalk, Competition and Discussion & Reflection” should be considered sacred ground.

Now some details.

• Our members have an uncanny ability to hijack anything that moves, but they will always respect a post when needed. Lighthearted banter during an On topic post is the norm and allowed. If the banter derails the post, a moderator will scrub it and put it back on track. If posts go cold, they might get hijacked and taken Off Topic. Please understand this is part of our lighthearted nature. Moderators will also split or scrub posts if the original intent is being compromised and the post needs to stay for informational purposes (Roadmapped. Explained below). If a post is hijacked that you wish to keep on track, please PM a moderator. Cold or closed threads will also be scrubbed for simple housekeeping. Discussion and Reflection forum should be void of hijacks.
• NO personal attacks. NO attacks of any kind. Recognizing that everyone has, and is entitled to an opinion, if your opinion comes across as antagonistic, bad karma, insulting or hurtful to another member, or person, keep it to yourself. Any meaningless post that is nothing more than a negative comment or is strictly there to antagonize, will be edited or deleted. Any post with no redeeming quality or deemed negative by moderators will be deleted. In other words, you are NOT allowed to be a jerk just to chit stir or piss people off. Understanding the fine line between friendly jabs or wise cracks, and obnoxious comments, use discretion. Moderators do not have time to be putting out flame wars.
• NO nudity, porn or seductive pictures of any type, anywhere in any forum. NONE. There is zero tolerance for this. It will be deleted immediately and don’t even think of complaining.
• NO lewd, vulgar or off color language. Minor profanity (Damn It!) is okay. "F-Bomb"– or any variation is not allowed, "C" word not allowed, male/female anatomical reference not allowed.. You know what I mean. We have a word censor in place. It will replace any 'not allowed' words with "*****". If this happens, move on and DO NOT THINK UP A CUTE OVERRIDE OF THE CENSOR to make your point. It will earn you a 10 day ban.
  

So, we are adults, light profanity is okay, vulgar profanity is not. Be polite and be aware that we are not a locker room. Don’t split hairs, you know what we mean. Directing extreme or vulgar language to any forum member will result in getting your butt booted outta here.

• Topics can stray off the Primary topics as long as it does not continue to the point of destroying the original intent of the thread. Moderators will split or cleanup threads that may have been hijacked. A PM request to a moderator to cleanup or split a thread is encouraged. Especially in the ontopic forums, this is normal housekeeping. Dont complain that a post was deleted that had no useful information.

Learn the difference between political correctness and common courtesy. We are not politically correct, but we do insist you show respect for those out there that you DO NOT KNOW. Your best friend on the forum, who you never met, may be the guy your insulting and don't even realize it.

Editing or deleting Posts/Threads.

Posts have a 6 hour window for editing by the authors. After the 6 hour window closes, a post can only be edited by a moderator at the request of the author only. If you need a post edited or corrected after the window closes, simply send a PM to the moderator and they will copy and paste the correction right in. Moderators will not edit someones post on their own unless correcting a spelling error, typo or fixing formatting.

We are about free flow of information and will not censor or prohibit someone from stating their opinions, product or business reviews, or personal/professional experiences as long as the post abides by our rules. Once a post is up, it becomes the property of the forum membership, yet may/may not express the views of the forum overall or its administration.

The OP may not dictate the content or flow of the thread. The concept of 'this is my thread' does not exist in this forum.

Posts will not be deleted once entered or responded to unless they break a rule. Deleting posts in mid thread will at times render the thread senseless or disrupt its flow.

Posts will not be deleted because someone dislikes or disagrees with it, so don't ask. This includes but is not limited to personal opinions, business reviews, product reviews, etc. We do not moderate on content and any posts that are stated as opinions or are assumed to be factual will remain. What this means is, we will not delete or remove a post that you, the member, does not like due to content. If you don't like a post, don't read it, or respond civilly and factually to counterpoint.

Accuracy of all content is the sole opinion and responsibility of the author of the post. Never at any point will a post written by anyone except the ADMIN or Moderator in an OFFICIAL capacity, reflect the opinion of this forum, its owners or representatives as a whole. BBQ Brethren is NOT responsible for individual content, but will moderate according to the rules and guidelines specified in this document.

A MODERATORS DECISION IS FINAL. If your moderated, live with it and move on. We live by these rules, and any moderator action is due to an infringement. We don't moderate on content, but we do enforce these rules.

• Challenging a moderator in public for their action will lock you down, all abilities to post and edit will be removed.
• Whining to the admin will get you no where, so don’t bother.
• When you are moderated for an infraction or infringement, you might receive a PM as to why. If it was a blatant infringement, it will be deleted with no notice. If not, it is acceptable to send a civil note to the moderators requesting the reason.
  
• We don't sent messages for general housekeeping and scrubbing or cleanup of friendly banter or Off topic chatter. General housekeeping may be done in cold threads or threads of significant value or potential roadmapping.
  

When subject actions are in question the decision of the moderators and/or Site Administrator is final. Any member assuming a second identity for the sake of circumventing our rules or administrative action will be permanently banned.

If you disagree with their actions, take it private thru the Private Messaging system and keep it civil. A public display of flames, tantrums or sniping at the moderators will cause immediate ejection and banning.

Soliciting/Advertising:

• Direct sales pitches by non members, commercial businesses or business owners are prohibited without a vendor subscription or banner ad. We do not want guests to come in here for the primary or specific purpose of advertising. Occasional display of your own products are limited to the general For Sale forum. If you have a product, let OTHERS speak for it in Qtalk or Comp.
• Members may post non commercial items in General for Sale.... Your own items such as pits, trailers equipments, etc..
  
• An occasional Non BBQ item is ok if you want to sell your lawn mower or kids bicycle. Dont make it habit.
  
• Product owners may OCCASIONALLY post an item, a special or a sale. However, to be fair to members who have vendor forums, if you post more than the occasional item in general for sale, you will asked to refrain, or purchase a vendor subscription for your own forum or begin banner advertising.
  
• Product owners may NOT hawk their product in Qtalk. product names in thread titles or photos in threads is considered product placment and not allowed. Soliciting the general membership to hawk product for you is also dirty pool. If your product is that good, let it speak for itself, and let the membership speak for you of their own accord.
• Donation requests and/or fundraisers MUST be cleared by ADMIN first. DO NOT post requests for donations to any cause without prior permission.
  

- If a For Sale Item or advertisement is placed anywhere but “For Sale” we reserve the right to either delete it or move it.

· NO cross-posting of For Sale announcements in the talk sections. Such posts will be deleted.

Product owners using their product name in the titles of thread or photos of their product in posts is consider product placement/advertising. Please refrain. Let your product speak for itself and others do your advertising. Vendor subscriptions are available. This gives product owners a dedicated area to promote their product. User IDs with business names are reserved for those with vendor subscriptions, or banner advertisers.

Linking to Forums:

• Do not post links to other forums like ours(BBQ forums/chats) for the sake of promotion or for information that can easily be found within our forum(this excludes the links section).
• It is ok to point to another forum to ANSWER A QUESTION OR SHARE PHOTOS/INFORMATION. This is not considered promotion.
• References within the forum to obvious forums of authority are allowed when referring to specific questions/requirements. (i.e. Green Egg Support, FoodTV, etc. ).
• We reserve the right to remove gratuitous references to competing forums.
• Links to forums in signatures is not allowed.

Bloggers:

• A link to your blog is ok in your signature.
• Posting requests to "Read My Blog", "Check out my Blog" "Go to my Blog", etc....is considered a gratuitous link/for the sake of promotion and will be removed.
• If your blog contains something interesting, post a copy or preview in our forum and let the members decide if they want to link back to read it.

Recruiting our members to another site, or hawking a site via PM or email will get you booted out.

When posting in the forum, links to pages related to BBQ are ok as long as their purpose is informational, and not to promote the site or product.
Example: A page that includes your widgets and gadgets you use when you cook. ACCEPTABLE. (Key word, "includes").
Example: A page that contains Links that look like a sales pitch. NOT ACCEPTABLE.

************************************************** *********************************************
Signatures and Avatars must follow these guidelines:

Avatars: These are the little pictures next to posts. It is and can be a graphic or photo.

· Avatar Graphics of Commercial sites or products are discouraged. Tone it down. no blinking billboards, no oversized, no animated, no marquees.

· Normal non commercial avatars should be limited to no bigger than 120x120(120 wide and 120 long.)

· NO risqué’ pics of porn, soft, medium or hardcore. Noting suggestive, explicit, implicit, inflammatory, degrading, controversial, or IOW, anything regarding sex or nudity, religion or politics. NONE, NADA, ZIP. IT WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY OR SOONER and don’t even think of questioning it. This rule has ZERO TOLERANCE.

· We reserve the right to resize, remove or replace any avatar that is questionable or in the gray zone. If the admin resizes your avatar, leave it alone.

Signatures: This is a text box BELOW each post. It cannot contain a graphic or Photo.

• If you have a Private site(without a forum) of your own, you may post a link in your signature.
• If you have a link in your signature, you must place a reciprocal link on your site linking back here.
• Reciprocal link must be on the landing page that you are linking to from here. The link must be visible, easily located and not buried in text or articles. If you wish to use a graphic to hotlink with, you can copy the avatar from this post.
  
• NO pictures or graphics in signatures.This does not pertain to AVATARS.
• Keep signatures in plain text no larger than 3 points. Use discretion with bold and/or colors. Over sized or overbearing signatures will be edited to conform.
• Your signature and profile should contain a list of your equipment and your location. This way, if you ask or answer a question, we can consider where your cooking from and what you’re cooking on without asking. It should NOT contain anything that may be derogatory, inflammatory or controversial. No references to sex, religion, politics or controversial subjects.
• Your own BBQ related site URL may appear in signature line as long as it is the URL only.
• NO SALES and NO Advertising(unles you have a vendor forum and subscription)
• No Sponsor links or Advertising for your sponsors.
• No pointers to other bbq forums.
• Blogs and websites are OK. NO FORUMS.
• A reciprocal link back here is required no matter what.

If your Signature contains a link to your site or blog. You MUST have a link to our site in yours. If not, your signature will be edited and link removed. If an admin or moderator edits the link out of your signature, it cannot be put back unless the reciprocal link is in place.

Signatures and linking will be disabled for those that refuse to comply. Moderators will make spot checks to ensure the cross linking is present. If not, One private message MAY be sent to you for not being in compliance. If a reciprocal link is not added within 5 days, your signature will be edited. We reserve the right to modify or delete any signature not in compliance at any given time.

Roadmapping: FYI.
Some forums have a ROADMAP post at the top. These are shortcuts to FAQ posts. They are links to quality discussion threads on specific topics within the forum. Refer to these when you are looking for something specific and use our search tools. Feel free to update roadmaps with posts you think may benefit members on a regular basis.

Color codes in member names mean something.

GOLD/RED is the forum Admin and our Founder/Owner. Badger and BBQChef33 respectively.

RED or GOLD text denotes Administrators posting in official capacity and NOT as a member.

Green are our moderators. They enforce our rules and ensure our forum remains a family friendly atmosphere. Green text denotes moderators posting in official capacity and NOT as a member.

Purple are members of our governing body and our senior members. They help set policy and rules, assist new members and lead by example.

If you need help or have questions, anyone from this administrative staff can be contacted for assistance

Blue is the general population.

Fundraisers
We acknowledge that everyone has a cause or favorite charity, but we cannot be burdening our membership by constantly posting fundraisers and $$ requests. We choose them carefully and do this to manage what goes on, not run the well dry and avoid drive-bys and fly-by-nights from using our forum haphazardly or for self serving purposes. Since we have already declined or deleted many requests and ventures, precedent has been set and we have to be fair.

Any fundraisers must be proposed or requested to the admin team. Each one is reviewed individually on a case by case basis. IF approved, they will be posted by the admins and/or mods after being reviewed, or you will be given the go ahead to post yourself. They are also reserved for tenured members whom we are familiar with and aware of the causes associated with the fundraiser. We also keep it to members and immediate families only. Please refrain from requesting fundraisers for your cousins soccer team, the local high school dance troop, your neighbors kids, or any third parties as they will likely be declined and we prefer NOT to be put on the spot or in a position that may case ill feelings. Any self-serving campaign will also not be allowed, so be prepared. This also pertains to kickstarter campaigns and gofundme sites.

THIS DOCUMENT IS PROPERTY OF THE BBQ BRETHREN. IF YOU WANT TO STEAL IT AND USE IT ON YOUR FORUM, PLEASE GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT IS DUE.

BBQ Brethren and Flaming Pig Logo are REGISTERED TRADEMARKS. Duplication or use is strictly forbidden.

[rbinms33]

Hmmmm....these look like bonfire (aka common sense) rules to me.

Around a bonfire you have a mixed crowd. Sometimes it's the guys, sometimes it's the guys and gals, sometimes you have parents show up and there's always the kids running around. As long as you're mindful of who's within earshot, you adjust the conversation accordingly. You rarely bring up religion and politics and if you do, you keep it high level cause it's a guarantee that somebody's gonna get ticked off and if you take it too far, it may even come to blows. It's never a good idea to challenge the owner of the property....best case, you might find yourself alienated from the group....worst case, you might be told to leave. And you never ever use the bonfire gathering to sell stuff. That would be like springing an Amway party on your friends and family. You just don't do that. They're there to relax and socialize....not to hear another sales pitch. Now if so and so is looking for a tractor and I know where to find one, I'll let him know....but there's a difference between giving somebody a lead and trying to sell them the latest tupperware.

Yep, I think as long as I apply bonfire rules, I'll be alright.