Post edited 3:27 pm – March 18, 2009 by Xander

::GENERAL RULES::

WELCOME!

Welcome to Planet Iceberg. Thank you for taking the time to read these rules. Following the rules will make your visits here much happier for both you and the Planet Iceberg community. If you have any questions, or problems, please feel free to PM an administrator (or moderator). If you can’t manage the PM system, try emailing Xander at planet-iceberg dot com. If you can’t manage email, well, perhaps this whole internet thing just isn’t for you.

GENERAL DIRECTIVES

• Keep a cool head.
• Be friendly. It’s hard to detect sarcasm on the internet, and things will go a lot more smoothly if you take EVERYTHING lightly. There are plenty of rapier wits out there on the board, and well, just remember, it’s the internet.
• Fights happen. Insults are bandied about. People take things personally. We’re of the general opinion that occasional public sparring is fine. However, polluting random threads with personal attacks is not acceptable, and will be removed.

POSTING AND YOU

Posting here at Planet Iceberg should be a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone. To that end, we ask that you follow a few simple rules. One, stay on topic. If you are in the Halo section, don’t start a thread about David Duchnovy’s new movie, Against The Grain: The David Hasselhoff Story. Here is a list of the available forums, and their appropriate threads:

• Projects: This is pretty much what Planet Iceberg is about. If you’re a starving flim maker, game developer, or other media projects, here’s where you’d want to post ideas, or ‘cast-wanted’ stuff.
• Gaming: It kinda speaks for itself. Most of the original members of Iceberg are hardcore gamers. Just keep the Halo topics in the Halo category.
• General Discussion: Post topics here if there is no other place to put them.
• The Media: Movies, Music and TV. Please try not to bash on other peoples taste.
• In The Headlines: This forum is for current events and/or extremely topical discussion. This should be plain. Please no political debates. If you’ve got a news article (link required) you want to discuss, post it here.
• Artistic Expression: This forum is for artistic creations by our users. Please post anything and everything you create. But not that of other artists, and not just general art talk.
• Questions, Reports and Suggestions: If you’d like to give us a pointer on web design, board moderation, the state of the internet, whatever, take it here. Complaints welcome as well, of course. Odds are only the admins and the diehards are going to read it, so don’t try to start anything insightful down here.
• Updates: This is check up on only. If you’re at all interested on the progress of the site, and changes that are made.

Not only should you stay on topic with regard to the specific forum that you’re reading, but you should also endeavor to stay on topic within threads. Going off-topic dilutes your point, clutters up the thread you’re in, and generally is BAD. Try to stay on topic! Two, before posting a new topic, decide if you’re contributing something useful. Look at what you’ve typed and ask yourself: Is this contributing to the discussion? Is it intelligent, insightful, interesting, or funny? Are there no similar topics already posted? Are the title and subtitle as descriptive and specific as possible? Is the topic likely to receive more than one reply? If you’re asking a question, is there enough information provided to receive a meaningful answer? If the answer is NO to any of these questions, you should consider holding back until the answer is YES. Most of these suggestions also apply to posting replies. Three, make sure you’re following the copyright and forum-specific rules that apply to your post. Short form: don’t post or ask for anything that is illegal to copy. If in the Tour forums, don’t scalp. Lastly, please do not post FORBIDDEN things. Short-form: things that are illegal, or that are unnecessarily annoying, images that are possibly offensive. Crime And Punishment It happens. You’ve broken the rules. Well, you’ve made a mistake, and now you’ve gotta pay. Odds are your post will be moved, locked, or possibly, removed. In any of these cases, do NOT re-post whatever it was that was moderated. If you think you should be allowed to do whatever was moderated, PM a mod or admin, or post in Reports and Suggestions.

Post edited 3:26 pm – March 18, 2009 by Xander

::THE RIAA HATES YOU (AND US)::

As you may already be aware, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has recently begun to issue subpoenas to servers and service providers requiring them to disclose personal information about users who have illegally downloaded copyrighted material off the Internet. Essentially what this means is that the music industry is prepared to sue and has actively begun prosecuting individual downloaders like… well, maybe you. If you have been downloading any copyrighted material, there is a chance that the RIAA will sue you for monetary damages (significant ones too, shortcake).

RULES

1. Direct Links Versus Indirect Links: In the left corner… DIRECT LINKS!!! In the right corner… INDIRECT LINKS!!! There will be absolutely NO posting of direct links to any illicit downloadable material of any kind. This includes all clearly copyrighted material, such as songs available on CD and videos available on VHS, DVD, or in theaters. This also includes bootlegs, live performances, and songs from radio programs. NO DIRECT LINKS TO STUFF WHAT GOT THAT BIG C IN THE CIRCLE ON IT. Indirect links, on the other hand, are permissible. This means links to content hosting services – megaupload, torrent trackers, and so forth – are OK, if the rules below are followed.

2. Asking for Illegal Stuff: There will be NO posting of any requests or offers to trade any commercial copyrighted material by any band or artist out there. Any such posts will be deleted.

As a basic rule of thumb, if it’s something you can buy, or something you can watch on MTV, you may NOT discuss even the bare possibility of trading it on our board. This is more out of respect for the artists rather than out of fear of legal reprisal.

PENALTIES

Everyone who uses Planet Iceberg is presumed to have read these rules. Therefore, if you violate these rules and disciplinary action is commenced against you, you cannot escape punishment by claiming that you were not aware of our rules. PERIOD.

Everyone gets one free warning. If you violate any of these rules, you will receive a warning from an admin or moderator. If you violate any of these rules again, you will be banned. This policy will be strictly enforced.

Planet Iceberg assumes no liability for the activities of its members. Everyone who uses our boards is presumed to be aware of our rules, and while we will do our best to ensure that all members comply with the requirements of the law, we will assume no responsibility for any illegal actions undertaken by individual members.

Planet Iceberg strives to protect the privacy of all members. We do not voluntarily release or sell member information to anyone, and would only involuntarily release private information if faced with a legally enforceable request for that information. But what this means is that if any of you violate these rules and we subsequently receive requests for information about you from music, movie, or other industry organizations, we will have no choice but to comply with those requests. In other words, if you break our rules and somebody important notices, you’re on your own. We can’t protect you.