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Cowboys-Forum Rules (As of 9/4/05, voted on by the Committee for approval)

This forum was created in order to provide Dallas Cowboys fans a place to discuss issues related to their team in a CIVIL MANNER. As a result, the following rules MUST be adhered to:

1. Individuals must refrain from making PERSONAL statements about and attacks on other posters. (Differences of opinion will naturally occur. Defend your position if you wish, but stay away from PERSONAL remarks about one another. Stick to the subject at hand.) We're ALL passionate about our Cowboys, and discussions can get a little "heated". Sometimes it's better to just "agree to disagree" and move on to the next thread. Remember, you ARE responsible for what you type.

2. "Flame Wars" (and posts intended to start them) will NOT be tolerated. Example: "PARCELLS SUCKS!" (When the poster does not go on to explain WHY, in a calm, adult manner, he feels this way.) Posts intended to incite anger or cause trouble on this site are FLAME posts.

3. Only ONE ID per poster. Do NOT attempt to "spoof". This is a TWO STRIKE offense.

4. Racial comments are STRICTLY forbidden.

5. Vulgar language is NOT acceptable. (Find another word to use.) This includes vulgar photos, animations, and links to them. The board has an automatic filter to hide most curse words. While a post containing a filtered word will not automatically result in a strike, any abuse of the system by repeated use of filtered words will result in a strike. Any attempt to get around the board's filter by purposefully misspelling a curse word or using symbols instead of letters, etc, will result in a strike.

6. Promoting of other professional football teams is NOT allowed. Posts demeaning the Dallas Cowboys (such as saying the Cowboys SUCK) or posts referring to how great the Eagles are (or any other professional football team), will be considered a violation of the RULES. Remember, this is a site for COWBOYS fans. However, ALL fans of ALL teams are cordially welcome to join in the fun and post according to the rules.

7. It is a violation of the rules to discuss any ILLEGAL activities. (These include, but are not limited to rape, murder, personal threats, bank robbery, etc.) Anyone found doing anything illegal under Federal United States standards will be banned IMMEDIATELY and your IP will be recorded and given to the local, state, province, or federal authorities.

8. If you are willing to imply that you are someone of, generally listed, but not limited to...

A) A person(s) who is famous
B) A professional athlete
C) A professional writer
D) Anyone else of general nature that would be deemed a celebrity.

You will be required to release a phone number to where the staff can contact either yourself, or an agent who represents you. The staff will check the veracity of the person on the other side of the phone for authenticity purposes.
If one staff member is unsure, the phone number will be given to the Admin, or the owner of this site and they will check the validity of the claim.

Consequences of falsifying this information is VERY severe. To claim that you are a celebrity, makes the board look imprudent. If you are found to be misrepresenting an identity, there will be NO vote by the Rules Committee, there will be NO strike awarded, your IP address and DNS will be banned as well as your username. (Amended by the Committee 5-15-05)

9. We are implementing the following restrictions on signature size. The sizes allowed are still very generous and allow for significant creativity.

Height Limit 250 pixels
Width Limit 600 pixels
Size limit 1/2 MB (512 kb)

(Amended by the Rules Committee 7-15-05)


10. The intentional posting of false or misleading thread titles (such as "Jerry Jones sells Cowboys" when, in fact, no such thing has happened) is a violation of the board rules. Any poster that creates such a thread will receive a strike, the offending thread title will be immediately removed, and the thread will be closed. This board prides itself on being a legitimate source for breaking Cowboys information, and any false or misleading threads will only serve to diminish the great reputation that this board and its posters have worked so hard to develop. (Amended by Rules Committee 12-15-05)

11. General Conduct. This rule prohibits any and all conduct considered by the staff to be detrimental to this site. It may include, but not be limited to:

(A) Rules 1 through 10
(B) Anything the Admin or Moderators deem inappropriate.
(C) Anything the Rules Committee votes as inappropriate

12. No public criticism of Staff policy and/or Board policy on the main forums. Sorry, but you may make suggestions on board policy in the Site Improvements Forum. Or, if you have a problem with a particular action by a moderator or other staff member, PM that person, or the administrator, and discuss your concerns in private. The public image of this site is considered paramount. We cannot (and will not) allow people casting doubt on the integrity of the decisions made and actions taken by the staff. The Staff are the people responsible for providing you this venue. They are ALSO responsible for maintaining the posting atmosphere out in the "regular" forums. They will be more than willing to listen to your concerns (in private) and they are happy to correct any mistake that was made. Just remember, people are here to talk football, not to listen to an argument about what was or wasn't a rule violation. (Amended by the rules committee 6-29-06)

13. It is an automatic three strike violation of the rules to post any picture or link to another site which contains sexually explicit, obscene, or indecent material, or content that would be deemed "Not Safe For Work". This includes ANY and ALL nudity. ANY violation of this rule results in an immediate permanent ban. Remember, Cowboys-Forum is a family-friendly site. The posting of pictures with people that are not fully clothed (even in swimsuits) can lead to the site being blacklisted from work servers that edit for content, thus costing the site numerous members and potential members. If you wish to post something and you are even the least little bit unsure if it is too racy, you must contact a member of the staff and find out for sure. Always err on the side of caution, because it will be up the the moderators' sole discretion as to what violates this rule. We simply cannot take chances when it affects people's livelihood. (Ammended by the rules committee 6-29-06)


Strikes and Policies The board was started with a culture of friendly cooperation of the members. We remind members of that culture as we prefer willing cooperation rather than formal punishment.

The governing body of this forum adopted a "THREE STRIKE" policy. Moderators issue "strikes" to users who violate the Forum Rules. The Forum Rules specify the degree of strike for each violation, but any imminent serious threat to the board or a poster can result in immediate banishment.

The moderators will note the strike in the offending post and send the user a PM informing him of the violation. All violations will be recorded for future reference. The Rules Committee can overturn any strike based on extenuating or mitigating circumstances. The strikes are as follows:

First Degree Strike: This strike will serve as a warning that such conduct is not appropriate.

Second Degree Strike: Two strikes result in an automatic ban from the site for one week.

Third Degree Strike: Three strikes result in immediate banishment from the site. The Rules Committee will then vote to determine whether to permanently ban the poster or allow the poster a chance at reinstatement.

Any user not permanently banned may reapply for active membership after serving a 6 month ban. However, if the member is reinstated, ANY future rule violation will result in an automatic and permanent ban..