GENERAL FORUM RULES

The word censor is in place to change words that are not permitted due to this forum being family rated - any attempt to defeat the censor will result in an immediate warning.
REMEMBER THIS IS A FAMILY SITE WITH MEMBERS OF ALL AGES. Please keep this in mind when making posts.

• Respect the authority of moderators.
  The moderators and administration have the final word on the interpretation of all rules.
  Public discussions of moderator actions are not allowed on the forum. It is also prohibited to protest moderator actions in forum posts, subjects, and signatures.
  If you don't like something that a moderator did, PM or email the moderator and try your best to resolve the problem or difference in private.
  


• Adhere to the Golden Rule philosophy \"Treat others as you want them to treat you"
  


• Your rights to Freedom of Speech don't apply here.
  You are welcome to have opinions. You are welcome to question certain subject matter posted on these forums.
  You are welcome to dislike a certain post or disagree with it.
  Though we typically condone people to express their opinions and ideas, we have the right to delete yours if we deem it necessary, and may do so ,with no explanation.
  


• NO cursing, swearing, name calling, racism, or use of obscenities on the forum.
  


• Keep the focus.
  Each forum has a focus on a certain topic. Questions outside the scope of a certain forum will either be moved to the appropriate forum, closed, or simply be deleted. Please post your topic in the most appropriate forum.
  


• Zero tolerance on piracy.      
  Posting links to warez sites and program cracks are not allowed on the forum. Anyone found guilty of participating in piracy activity on the forum will be permanently banned.
  


• Spam is not tolerated.
  Spam is considered posting topics or messages on our forums that contain no point, relevance, or contain subject matter that doesn't directly allow other member participation.
  Topics directed to a particular user, posting several times consecutively as an appendage to ONE post, and posts in threads that have NOTHING to do with the subject matter are all considered spam and will be deleted on sight. Contributing to/or intentionally posting spam will not be tolerated. EXCESSIVE Bumping of posts without significantly adding to the thread is not necessary or acceptable. Bumps may be deleted and warnings may be issued.
  The PM message system is designed to directly contact another member - use it instead of making a public post to a specific individual.
  


• No Store or Product bashing
  This site has a zero tolerance policy for anything posted in a negative fashion about other members, fish breeders, wholesalers, suppliers or any business of any type. We feel this is the fairest policy possible to all parties. Positive comments are welcome. This is called a Positive Feedback System, and though it's not a perfect system, it's a fairer way of dealing for all parties involved than the alternative. In no way is this site to be involved in buyer/seller disputes. Posts of this nature will be removed at the discretion of the owners or their agents.
  
  Bashing consists of making unsubstantiated claims or bad mouthing an entire store or chain of stores for an incident you may have had with one particular person.
  Remember that if you have an unhappy experience at a store, talk with a supervisor or manager or owner to try and resolve the problem. Stores and manufacturers can only improve if they're made aware of problems with the staff and products-contacting them by email/PM/phone is a more appropriate way of dealing with something that is between YOU and THEM.
  
  The onus is on you, the consumer, to try to resolve any issues you have with the person who can make the change needed to fix the problem.
  


• Keep your files small.
  Please keep your posted pictures of a reasonable size to fit the page. Overly large pictures forcing the page to scroll may be deleted without warning.
  


• Keep your signature brief.
  This forum has a signature feature that allows you to \"sign\" your posts with a customized block of text. However, large signatures that take up more than 5 lines may be deleted. Everyone would agree that people are much more interested in reading your ideas than looking at your signature. It's annoying to see posts that have signatures that are much bigger than the messages in the post. Please keep your signature brief.
  


• No \"Trolling\", or starting discussions intentionally meant to \"stir things up\" or get other people upset.


• No links to undesirable sites (i.e. pornographic, hate literature, indecent material or any site that the executive deems inappropriate).
  


• You will not post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise violative of any law.
  


• No copyrighted material is to be posted unless the copyright is owned by you or by this forum.
  


• Multiple accounts are not permitted.
  When you join, create one account, be certain you're satisfied with your forum name, and keep it. Be sure to choose your user name carefully. If you wish to change your user name for whatever reason, please contact an administrator.
  If you require multiple accounts, please ask an administrator for help. Only one account per person is preferred as a way to accurately gauge how our forum is growing.
  


• Your account is for YOU only.
  Your account is for your use only. You may use your account to post your opinions, your thoughts, and your views within the guidelines stated on this page.
  You may NOT use your account to post for people who are not members, have been banned, or have had their posting permissions removed. You also may not grant others access to your account. In the end, you are accountable for posts made on your account.
  


• You remain solely responsible for the content of your posted messages. Furthermore, 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.
  


• Advertising and solicitations are NOT permitted.  
  If you're interested in advertising a business or service on the forum, it is very inexpensive to put a banner in the rotation, or purchase a section in the forum. Please contact Admin for more information/prices.
  
  We have many forum sponsors that pay a fee to keep the forum running, and we encourage you to support these businesses, as they support the hobby.
  


• Habitual mention of non-sponsored businesses may be considered as advertising and deemed as a violation of the Forum Rules.
  

BUY AND SELL AREA RULES

Hobbiests:
This forum exists as a free service for our members to trade and sell their personal Fish and Fish/aquarium related items. If you are repeatedly selling new equipment, having multiples of the same new item(s), or being able to GET ANYTHING a poster may ask for, is a sure-fire way to have your post and you classified as a COMMERCIAL SELLER, and thus removed. All posts will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis (which means we may remove these posts if they don't seem, or the owners feel are not, appropriate; and allow exceptions to the posting rules if the administration or moderators see fit).
Hobbiest Group Buys are allowed, but if it turns out that the same person is organizing group buys week after week, then they will be classified as a Commercial Seller.

Commercial Sellers
Commercial Sellers are defined as Businesses or individuals who purchase livestock or other goods with the intent to redistribute them. Anyone fitting this description is subject to a Yearly Forum Sponsor Fee. The Forum Sponsor Fee is to be paid prior to any transactions being conducted, and is valid for one year (non-refundable). Please feel free to contact WFF Admin (David) for more information.

• All General Forum Rules applies.
   


• Buy/Sell/Wanted Ads belong in the Marketplace.
  Ads posted anywhere else will be moved or deleted at Admin/Moderator's discretion.
  


• Buyers and Seller Should Provide:
  Price - It speed's things along if people know how much you would like to receive - Any Ads posted without price will be deleted without warning.
  Valid E-Mail Address
  A picture of the item is also helpful
  


• No Negative feedback of any kind towards any seller or their product.


• The Winnipeg Fish Forum, its owners and moderators are not liable for items sold on this forum.