Please read these terms of service carefully. It is assumed by all staff
at Martial Arts planet that all members agree to abide by the terms of service
detailed here. MAP reserves the right to modify the Terms of Service at
any time and without prior notice to its members.
This document is subject to periodical review and update.
The onus is on you to check it from time to time.
If in doubt about any aspect of what is and is not allowed at MAP please
refer to this document.
Section 1: General information
1.1 MAP Community Purpose:
The core purpose of the Martial Arts Planet (MAP) community is to bring
people together for the purpose of the friendly exchange of information
relating to the study of the Martial Arts and associated topics.
1.2 "Freedom of Speech":
While we believe very much in freedom of speech & personal expression,
you DO NOT have an absolute right to say whatever you want in this community.
1.2.1 Anything that goes against
our core beliefs and the purpose for which this community was designed may
not be allowed.
1.2.2 Posts and comments that
are meant to incite conflicts between members or outside parties are strictly
prohibited.
1.2.3 MAP Administration has
the absolute right to view, edit, modify, close or delete any content found
in this community. This may include amongst other things the Private Message
system in situations where we have concerns about the conduct of one of
our members.
1.3 Inviting outside Contact:
"Inviting" is termed as a post where you invite other members
to contact you to find out more information, rather than post it in the
forum. This is not allowed and any posts with emails or invitations to contact
for more information will either be edited or deleted entirely.
1.4 Posting Personal Contact Information
(Address/ Phone Number):
Members may not post personal contact information such as home address,
work address, home telephone number, work telephone number, email address
etc., in the public forums.
1.4.1 ANYONE, including guests
to MAP, can read the public forums - this policy is in place for YOUR safety
and protection.
1.5 Posting Links & URLs:
While we prefer that all content be posted in the forums themselves (unless
it is a copyright violation to do so) so our members will always be able
to access it, we realize that some information must remain on remote sites
as it may be too extensive to re-post. Posting links/URL’s in the
MAP forums is allowed as long as they substantiate a post, or are summarized.
1.5.1 Please do not post links
with a comment such as, "Check out this link". Let members know
what the link is about, rather than surprising them with it.
1.5.2 If you copy & paste
content from elsewhere that you did not author, please credit your source.
1.6 Nudity / Pornographic & Adult
Material:
Nude and pornographic material is not acceptable anywhere in the Martial
Arts Planet community. Overly suggestive photographs/pictures or "Jokes"
etc will most likely be considered inappropriate material and removed. This includes links to sites containing adult content in the form of overly suggestive adverts.
1.7 Threats, Racism & Sexism:
Threads or replies promoting or expressing intolerant views towards any
group (race, religion, sexual preference, interracial couples, etc.) will
not be tolerated. Consider this the only warning. Violators will be banned.
1.8 Sexual Conduct:
It is the policy of Martial Arts Planet that sexual misconduct, sexual harassment,
or harassment in any form will not be tolerated. Sexual misconduct, sexual
harassment and harassment include: unwelcome sexual advances (verbal, written
or implied), requests for sexual favours, suggestive talk, name calling,
discriminatory or derogatory remarks, and other verbal, written or implied
abuse of any sexual or other nature.
1.9 "MAP Bashing":
Threads/replies attacking Martial Arts Planet Policies will not be allowed.
This policy document is not open for negotiation and membership of the MAP
community is dependant on your compliance with it.
1.9.1 Further, any member
found to be bad mouthing the Martial Arts Planet community at an outside
location will be banned.
1.9.2 If you do not care for
this community, you really have no business here anyway.
1.10 Use of the MAP name:
No MAP member is permitted to use the MAP name in any cause that is not
specifically authorized in writing by a MAP Administrator. It is sincerely
appreciated when our members assist us in spreading the word about the Martial
Arts Planet community but to state to others that "MAP and I are blah
blah blah…" is not permissible unless it has been officially
sanctioned by MAP.
1.11 Legal & Medical Related Posts & Issues:
Martial Arts Planet DOES NOT endorse any legal or medical advice given within the Martial Arts Planet community. We highly recommend that members and guests get the advice of an accredited expert whenever possible and never rely on just one source.
1.12 Illegal Activities:
Threads/replies encouraging illegal/unethical action are not allowed. Posts
such as these will be deleted and may lead to you losing your posting privileges.
This includes but is not limited to:
- "Sharing" of copyright material through P2P networking programs
such as Kazaa, eMule etc. or torrents;
- Illegal trading in copyright material such as video tapes, DVD and CDs
etc.;
- Selling any copyright material where you also retain a copy yourself.
1.13 Drugs:
Conversations relating to manufacturing and "hyping" (promoting
or sensationalizing) of drugs and drug use are not welcome at MAP.
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Section 2:
User accounts
2.1 User Accounts:
A maximum of ONE account is allowed per person. We have the ability
to track and match IP addresses on accounts.
2.1.1 If you are found to
be using two or more accounts, one or more of them will be deleted and you
may be banned from MAP all together depending on the situation. The bottom
line here is to register one account and stick with it.
2.1.2 If you have account
problems, contact a MAP Administrator or Global Moderator. Contact details can be found HERE.
2.2 Contact Information:
Please be sure that if you change your personal email address that you do
so here at Martial Arts Planet as well. If you lose your password in the
future, you will need to have a current and valid email address in your
profile to receive the lost password, and verify any changes.
2.3 Impersonating Members & Accessing
other's Accounts:
You may not impersonate another member or create an account for the purpose
of provoking other users.
2.3.1 This includes creating
an account very similar to another member as to confuse others by the similarity
in names.
2.3.2 Accessing or using someone
else's account, attempting to access another member’s account or allowing
another person to access your account is strictly prohibited.
2.4 Signatures:
Signatures are currently allowed at MAP but are a privilege that may be
revoked if abused. Guidelines for signature content are…
2.4.1 Signature content must
adhere to the general guidelines on suitable content
2.4.2 No commercial advertising.
2.4.3 A maximum of 4 lines
of text or a signature graphic banner.
2.4.4 Signature graphics must
be 350x100 pixels or less (landscape format) and 15k in files size or less.
2.4.5 Animated signature graphics
are distracting – please do not use them.
2.5 Avatars:
Personal avatars are allowed at MAP. Please ensure that they…
2.5.1 Adhere to the general
guidelines on suitable content
2.5.2 Are 100x100pixels or less
and 10k in file size or less
2.6 Post attachments:
Graphics uploaded to MAP web space rather than linked from your own use
bandwidth. Please keep file sizes to a minimum and certainly below 75k
2.7 Trying to Circumvent a Ban/ Block:
If you log onto MAP and receive a message that you have been banned, please
feel free to get in touch via email to discuss the situation.
2.7.1 You may NOT re-register
under a new name even if the software lets you.
2.7.2 If you try to sign up
again and we catch you, then it will become a permanent IP Ban. We rarely
send out notices that you have been banned.
2.8 Donations:
A donation to MAP is exactly that, a donation. While all donations are
gratefully recived, a donation is not a payment for a service of any
type, and should not be viewed
as
such.
2.8.1 MAP cannot
guarentee site uptime for supporting members.
2.8.2 Other than the add-ons
stated here,
Supporting Members have no extra priviliges on this site.
2.8.3 Supporting members
are not exempt from following the terms of service of the site, and are
just as able to have their membership removed as any other member.
2.8.4 Should you be banned or decide to leave of your own accord, you
will
not
be entitled
to a refund on your donation.
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Section 3:
Advertising
3.1 General advertising guidelines
MAP has a NO free advertising policy. This includes goods or services for
sale, the promotion of discussion forums, message boards, chat sites, commercial
businesses & services.
3.1.1 You may publicise your
club websites discreetly in your signature. You may however post a direct
link to an outside site given that the information is RELEVANT to a question
someone else has requested, or you believe it will be helpful to others.
Sneaky advertising will not be tolerated.
3.1.2 If you have a business
or service that you think will benefit the members of MAP, please contact Aegis via Email or the PM system for our advertising rates.
3.2 Advertising your club
For those of you who would like to post more details of your martial arts
club we have a "Clubs" section located on all MAP top menus where
you are free to post details of your club etc.
3.3 Martial Arts Seminars & Events
Martial arts seminars and events may be advertised by regular members in
the "Event Promotion" forum.
3.3.1 Please see the rules
there for specific requirements.
3.3.2 If you wish to pay to
advertise, please contact an Administrator via the PM (Private Messaging)
system.
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Section 4: Forum post,
chat, journal & other user posted content
4.1 Profanity:
While we understand that most of our members are grown adults, we do also
have young adults and children that visit MAP. Further, many people are
offended by vulgar language. If you feel you must swear to get your point
across, then please do it elsewhere.
4.1.1 This includes attempts
to disguise profanity by using *s to mask letters or by the use of acronyms
and abbreviations.
4.2 Language:
MAP is an English speaking forum. Please take the time to post in plain,
legible English.
4.2.1 This is not a mobile
phone text service – you do not need to use abbreviations to reduce
the length of your post. It makes it hard for ne1 not used 2 txt sp34k 2
read wot u r saying.
4.2.2 Asian characters such as kanji and kana must be accompanied by an English translation
4.3 Abuse / Flaming / Derogatory Comments:
Abusive Comments, personal attacks, flaming, or derogatory insults or comments
are strictly forbidden.
4.3.1 It is fine to disagree
with another member’s point of view, but please do so in a mature
and civil manner.
4.3.2 If someone posts to
discuss their personal problems or seeks help from other forums members,
please do not respond unless you have something positive or helpful to add.
4.3.3 If you find yourself
being flamed or insulted by another member, please do not dignify that person
with a response. Notify a moderator and let us handle it.
4.4 Spamming & Cross Posting:
Spamming and Cross Posting is defined as posting the same information or
content (full or partial) in two or more posts. We understand that some
topics might fit into more than one forum or category but we ask that you
please pick the best one and stick with it.
4.5 Trolling/ Inciting Conflict:
"Trolling" or making posts with the intention of creating problems
on the forums is obviously against the forum guidelines.
4.5.1 This includes registering
an alternative ID for the sole purpose of creating problems on the forums.
"Troll ID's" will be locked immediately and permanently, and the
primary account holder may be banned.
4.5.2 Members that visit MAP
only to participate in "conflict" threads or who incite others
on other forums and websites to do so are not welcome here and their account
may be temporarily suspended or permanently removed.
4.6 Attacking MAP Moderators &
Administrators:
Posting a thread or reply to question or criticize moderator or administrator
action is not appropriate in a public forum. Please utilize the board’s
Private Message function, or email, if you wish to discuss these issues.
As long as you bring up your concerns maturely and civilly to the moderator
or administrator in question, we will do our best to address your concerns
fairly and promptly. Here are the “Do’s” and “Don’ts”
of addressing your concerns to moderators or administrators:
4.6.1 “Do” be
civil and polite. Bring up your concerns in a mature and respectful manner.
If you are contacting us because you violated forum guidelines, be adult
enough to admit your mistake. If your ID has been locked for some reason,
talking politely to us about it in private, via e-mail or private message,
can get your ID reinstated in many cases.
4.6.2 “Do not”
be derogatory or insulting towards us. You will not get what you want by
name calling or bashing us.
4.6.3 All we ask is that you
treat us the way you would want us to treat you. If you treat us with respect,
we will do the same for you.
4.7 "Junk" Posting:
"Junk" posts are posts that do not add to the overall positive
content in threads, or are postings solely for the purpose of boosting your
post count. A good example of this can be found in threads asking for information
on a topic for which you have no answer and does not inquire directly (by
name) of you to answer. If you were to reply to this thread by saying, "Nope,
I have no information", this is a junk post. There is no reason to
comment because your silence is as good as saying you do not have any information
to contribute. If they are asking you personally (by name) though, please
do feel free to reply regardless of whether you have the answer or not.
Many people judge member’s credibility based on post count, so we
ask that you obtain your post count legitimately. Furthermore, junk posts
add up over time and waste server space and ISP bandwidth unnecessarily.
4.8 "Bumping" Threads:
"Bumping" a thread is when you make a post for the purpose of
making the thread appear on the "View New Posts" option, or light
up as forums with new posts do. This is not allowed at MAP.
4.9 "Off-Topic" Posts:
These are posts that do not relate to the original post/topic, or are placed
in the wrong category. While we realize threads often expand into different
topics, we encourage members to do their best to stick with the original
topic, or start another thread.
4.9.1 Off-Topic posts are
subject to editing or removal at moderators' discretion, and without notification.
4.10 Posting in the Appropriate Forum:
Please post your topics in the most appropriate forum. If you post a thread
that would be more appropriate in another forum, a moderator will move it
for you. However, please do not make the moderators do this for you. Use
your judgment to determine which forum best suits your topic. If you are
dealing with a topic that could appropriately fit in more than one forum,
please pick the one you feel is closest to your topic.
4.11 Thread Subject Titling:
As MAP grows, it becomes increasingly important to properly title the subject
of new threads. People find the threads that they are interested in mostly
by scanning the titles, even when searching with our site search engine.
4.11.1 Thread titles that
are non descriptive such as "Check this out" are not allowed.
4.11.2 MAP Moderators may
change the title of any thread to assist in describing the content of the
thread without notifying the member who started the thread. In some cases,
a moderator may also contact the member if it is evident the member is having
a problem with titling to give tips.
4.12 Splitting:
When a thread is split into two, a new thread title has to be chosen. This
is done by the moderator who splits it. The new title will be as objective
as possible, and not chosen to deliberately cause embarrassment to any individual.
4.12.1 If you have an issue
with the new title of a thread, please bring it up with a moderator in private.
They can be changed, but a moderator's decision is final.
4.13 Referrals / Commissions / Affiliate
Links:
Members are NOT allowed to post links that lead to any type of affiliate
program where points are given or any type of prize or monetary value is
awarded.
4.13.1 Members found to be
posting links such as these will have their posting privileges suspended.
Repeated violations will result in banning.
4.14 Private Messaging (PM) Chat and
the Journal System:
ALL of the rules listed apply to the Private Messaging, Chat and Journal
system also, especially soliciting, advertising and sexually related content.
4.14.1 Using the PM, Chat
or Journal system in an attempt to circumvent forum posting rules will be
considered a violation of those rules. Persistent offenders may have their
access to these facilities removed.
4.14.2 Private Messages are
private. Do not post the contents of private mesages in public forum areas.
That includes Chat, Journals and all other public site areas. Private messages
may be read by Admins in situations where we are concerned over the actions
of one of our members.
4.14.3 Lurking in the Chat
room is not permitted. Lurking involves being logged into chat for an extended
period with no attempt to contribute to the discussion. Lurking wastes bandwidth.
4.14.4 If you are found to
be lurking in chat a moderator may kick you out. This will automatically
prevent you from using the chat system for a period of several hours. Repeat
offenders may be dealt with under the procedures in section 5.5 and 5.6
4.15 Reporting Posts and Private Messages
The report post function is there to serve as an efficient way of notifying the moderators that there is a post or private message that clearly breaks the Terms of Service. Abuse of this function includes, but is not limited to, using it to report posts or messages (by a member with whom you may have a disagreement) that do not actually break the Terms of Service. Repeated abuse may result in sanctions (see 5.5 and 5.6).
4.15.1 By reporting a private message you authorise the Martial Arts Planet staff to read the message and intervene on your behalf.
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Section 5: Enforcement
of rules
5.1 Moving of Posts:
MAP Moderators and Administrators will move threads & replies to the
most appropriate forum often without notice to the member who started a
thread. Please spend a little extra time making sure where you start a thread
is the best place for it, and don’t rely on moderators to do this
for you. Members found to blatantly post threads "wherever" may
lose their posting privileges.
5.2 Deleting Posts and Closing Threads
MAP Administration has the right to close or remove any post or thread we
deem inappropriate. The decision to Close or Delete a Post/Thread is solely
ours. We have a strict policy of keeping the posts in this community constructive.
5.2.1 Posts that create an
unnecessary amount of conflict and serve no further purpose may be closed
at the moderator’s discretion.
5.3 Administration Dispute Resolution:
If you are having a problem on MAP that you feel you cannot solve by any
other means available to you, we invite you to contact one of the MAP administrators
via PM or email.
5.3.1 Administrators have
the final say with anything in this community.
5.4 Disciplinary Procedure:
Violating the rules in this document may see one or a combination of the following disciplinary procedures being invoked.
5.4.1 Which type and level
is applied to which offence is solely at our discretion and is judged on
an individual case basis.
5.4.2 Almost ALL disciplinary
action is discussed amongst senior staff and Administrators before application.
5.5 Removal of Permissions :
If you break a rule you may lose some of your permissions on the site. For example, abuse of the Private Message (PM) system may result in your being unable to private message for a period of time. Rule violations in a particular forum area could see your posting permissions for that area removed.
5.5.1 Should any permissions be removed, you will be notified by email as to the duration.
5.6 Banning:
In extreme or repeated cases of disregard for these Terms of Service, members may be temporarily or permanently banned from the site.
5.6.1 While temporary bans can be of any duration, common bans are 3, 5, 7 and 14 days.
5.6.2 On banning you will receive an email from a Global Moderator or Administrator regarding the duration of the ban and the reason behind it.
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