Forum Rules <all read and understand>

[Art]

Welcome!

This forum exists to serve the collecting community in helping disseminate information between collectors. It is a place for sharing knowledge about awards and all that is asked of the membership is to adhere to a few rules. This website and it's forum are able to be offered to the collecting community free of charge only through funds donated by its generous members and by the displaying of website advertisements. The moderators of the forum are valued experts in the area of Soviet awards and uniforms and have websites of their own. The membership are kindly encouraged to patronize the moderators businesses. It is they who offer the truly expert opinion, and they do it tirelessly and accurately. You can visit their websites by visiting the links section of this website. Their sites are "showcased" in a section for moderators only. They are the only dealers who are endorsed by this forum. You see them here, you know who they are, and you know they are honest.

However, the moderators and I are also bound by these simple rules:


1. Absolutely no offers by non-subscribing members to sell awards, or links to websites which sell awards. Period. Please note this also includes posting a link to a site for the purpose of linking to an image or a text file of some sort. In short, if a posted link directs members to a website that sells awards, no matter where the image is located on the website, it will be deleted. Also note, that the forum marketplace section consists of a for sale section AND a wanted items section. Posts outside the marketplace that are deemed to be a "want to buy" will be deleted. Members replying to wanted ads with the intent to fulfill a request should reply via private message (PM) to the poster of the wanted ad.

You may post links to EBay auction items if you follow the rules below. If you do not follow these rules, the message will be deleted. Please post authentic, quality items only. And remember, the membership WILL discuss the authenticity and quality of your item. If you can't stand that heat, don't jump into that fire.

There are different rules for subscribers and non-subscribers.

For subscribers, You are welcome to post EBay links in the Marketplace section as well as the RSS Feed section. The post must be relevant to the area you are posting in. It is suggested you post image attachments to help illustrate the item you have for sale

For non-subscribers, No EBay links will be allowed in the Marketplace areas. You are free to post as many relevant links within the RSS Feeds sections as you'd like. Image attachments are encouraged.

For all members: If you are posting an EBay link for informational reasons within the discussion areas (for example the General Talk forum) you must attach an image of the item that clearly illustrates your point. If you are not posting a link, you may continue to post images only. This is for when the auction ends and the link eventually goes dead. We want to avoid building a topic of discussion around something we can no longer see.

2. No advertising via tagline ( the text pasted on to the end of every message ) or custom user group name ( e.g. mine is Generalissimus ). This includes non-commercial websites. These areas are for self-expression, not free places for advertising.

3. No "name-dropping" of websites or dealers which just have a little "helpful information". We are all on a friendly first-name basis here, and we all know each other..any dealer that needs to be referred to on a first and last name basis isn't among the membership of this forum. Certain dealers names are now censored automatically by the forum. Attempts to circumvent the censor will result in a 1 week banning. If you feel you absolutely have to tell the world about this person, make a comment within your message to have anyone interested PM you for more information. Also note: As of 1/1/07, Advertising via Google Adsense will now be visible to all those except those who have donated a minimum of $20 USD per year to the forum. This is paid advertising. Although this advertising is visible, it is forbidden to discuss advertisers. More information on the donation program is here. Donations can be made by clicking the PayPal button in the upper right hand corner, or by clicking here.

4. Be nice to each other. We are a global community. Don't assume the stereotypes held in your part of the world about a certain culture are held by everyone. While debating and discussion is fine, we will not tolerate rudeness, insulting posts, personal attacks or purposeless inflammatory posts or posts which seem to be nothing more than an attempt at trolling. Discussions that begin to sway towards being political, religious, or personal commentary based on current events will most likely result in a moderator deleting the offensive material and posting a reminder to keep the thread on topic. This type of message content leads to nowhere but an eternal difference of opinion and aren't part of the scope of this forum.

Posts that are political or religious in nature will be deleted. This forum is for collecting Soviet awards. It is not a debate forum for current events. Our decision is final in these matters.

5. Image Posting Rules. This forum requires that all members post images onto the forum rather than linking to them. The reason this is required is to ensure that the images will not eventually disappear and leave a hole in the discussion. To see an example of a ruined post because of non-functioning offsite image link click here. Because of the sheer number of images we accumulate year after year, image posting must be managed carefully. Several different levels of image posting are granted.

New Member (0-150 message posts)

New members are encouraged to join the discussion. We hope you enjoy your membership here and continue to contribute your knowledge which will educate others. New Members may post a maximum of three images per post, with a file size limit of 50K per image. If you must post additional images, you can do so by posting a follow-up message to your original post. New members are required to keep images at 50K or below, so that we can conserve storage space on our server. Please note this applies to sound files also if you are referencing this in your post. Please look at the image editing FAQs to read more about how to edit your images so they can be posted properly. Linking to "free" image hosting websites or to your own website in order to avoid the 50K limit is not allowed and the image/link will be deleted. You may post links to these off-forum images if you provide an adequate smaller preview image along with your links. Any link without a proper thumbnail image will be deleted. Follow-up comments such as "where is my link, why was my link deleted, etc.." will be deleted, repeated comments will result in the thread being closed. It is your responsibility to understand this rule and the reason behind it. You will be banned accordingly if you require to be repeatedly warned about your image posting habits.

Dedicated Member (150+ message posts)

As a reward for those that have become dedicated members, your image posting privileges have been increased accordingly. Dedicated members may post images that are a maximum of 100K, with a maximum of three images per message. You may also post a follow up message with more images if you feel this is necessary.

Donating Member (no message post requirement)

As a donating member, you are entitled to several additional benefits. Please visit the donating members FAQ for a better explanation of donating member benefits. The image file size limit for donating members is increased to 120K per image, three images maximum. You may add another message onto your original if you feel this is necessary.

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In conclusion, If you see your message has been edited (the edited portion will be XXXX'd out along with who edited it and when they did it) do not question us about it unless you absolutely feel you have been wronged. The moderators and I have the ultimate say on what is permissible and what is not.

Well, with all that in mind, please enjoy the forum

Art