Hardware Canucks Code of Conduct & Infraction System
 

After a member registers on this forum, they are responsible for a lot of things including their avatar, signature, profile content and posting habits. We recommend going through this post and familiarize yourself with the Hardware Canucks Code of Conduct to ensure you and the other members can enjoy the forum.

We have implemented an infraction system which will allow for better and simplified moderation that is universal for all users and ultimately provides a better forum experience.

Warning - If a member receives a warning, they will not acquire any infraction points. A warning is simple a way to remind a member of the forum rules and to politely ask them to follow the rules from now on. Multiple warnings for similar offenses may be upgraded to an infraction. They may also play a role if the account comes under review.

Infraction - If a member receives an infraction, they be given infraction points. Infraction points will lead to a restriction of forum rights, and a potential temporary or permanent removal from the website.

Infraction points will expire within 7 days - 3 months (based on the type of infraction) and new infractions will renew the expiry for all active infractions. When an infraction expires, the associated points will be removed from the member's infraction total. An accumulation of a high number of lifetime infractions will result in a user's account being manually reviewed by the moderation team and appropriate action taken.

In general, Infractions will only be received once in a thread, unless particular numerous replies warrant multiple demerits. Persisting with poor behavior after an infraction has been issued in a thread or elsewhere in the forums, will result in additional infractions.

You will receive a message when you receive a warning or infraction and can access your history under the UserCP menu.

If a member ever has a question or wishes to protest their warning/infraction, they can feel free to PM the Administrator or Moderator who gave them the warning/infraction, and it is suggested to also include a second Moderator in the conversation.


Infraction Point Values

• 3 Infraction Points = Restricted Posting
• 4 Infraction Points = 3 Day Suspension
• 6 Infraction Points = 1 Month Suspension

1. If a member surpasses 10 Lifetime Infractions, the account will be reviewed for permanent removal. Mitigating factors such as length of membership, post count and seriousness of all infractions will be taken into consideration.
2. Any and all permanent bans of members will be first reviewed by the entire administration & moderation team with the exception of spam accounts.
3. If you are suspended you will still have access to the PM system and should only use this to speak with staff and complete trades in progress.
4. Restricted posters will be unable to view or use certain sections of the forums. The amount of time spent as a restricted poster may vary but will not be longer than 3 months.

The following offenses lead to a Warning or Infraction for repeated violations:


Spam

• Posts which contribute little or no content to a thread, or are not relevant to the topic.
• Willful attempts to be a nuisance
• Single words to increase post count. *Exceptions include topic bumps or replies that warrant this type of reply*
• ALL CAPITAL LETTERS OR TITLES
• Thread Hijacking - Start your own thread if you wish to direct a new conversation

Mis-Use of Forums: Double Posting, Excessive Bumping, Dead Topics, Advertisements

• Please do not post two times in a row on the same topic. Use the edit button or the multiquote button instead.
• Do not post in old inactive threads unless you have something worthwhile to add to a thread or if you have some insight or unique knowledge to add to an older discussion.
• If you are an employee of a company and wish to promote your business, please contact gav@hardwarecanucks.com to receive approval and inquire about advertisement opportunities. Unsolicited advertisements from new members will be treated as business spam and permanently deleted & banned
• Observe all copyright laws, TOS's and NDA's when posting copyrighted material. If the material belongs to someone else, credit the original source.

Failure To Adhere to the B/S/T Rules: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...ade-rules.html

• This will also result in the closing/deletion of an offending thread.

Posting items currently under NDA

• Posting of products which are currently under NDA may be pulled without notice. Hardware Canucks is often under NDA with manufacturers for product reviews and posts regarding these NDA products may be pulled at the manufacturers request.

The following offenses may lead to an Infraction

24-Hour Cool-Down Suspensions May Be Issued At Moderators Discretion


Flaming (1-3 points) (Mild, Moderate, Excessive)

• Various forms of attacks directed against another member
• Consists of (but not limited to) racism, sexism, trolling (posting flamebait), derogatory comments, inappropriate language.
• Hidden flaming is not allowed in signatures, avatars, locations or computer specs.

Posting or linking to inappropriate material (1-2 Points)

• Content posted on should generally be considered "work-safe" or "PG-13" (unless approved by moderation staff). This includes (but not limited to) excessive adult language and sexually explicit content.
• This rule counts for writing, images (both attached and linked), links to sites with inappropriate material, avatars, signatures, custom titles, etc.
• Refrain from post personal information. Please protect your personal information and respect the privacy of other members.

Discussion of Deviant/Illegal Activity (2 Points)

• Do not post about Illegal activities on the forum. This includes but is not limited to drug references and illegal file sharing.

Threatening (4 Points)

• Making a direct violent threat to a member or staff will lead to an immediate suspension and may be (depending on situation) may be classified as an criminal act.

Automatic Ban Offenses:
These bans are immediate and permanent.

• Malicious links
• Child Pornography
• Scams or Fraud
• Suspension Evasion
• Multiple Accounts**
• Conducting Illegal Activity & Hate Speech *Performing any contravention of the criminal law*

** If you wish to change your username, please contact the moderation team. Requests will be judged on a case by case basis and (if required) any new accounts will be tied to original accounts.


Hardware Canucks Forum reserves the right to revoke any privileges of the forum for any member at any time.

Messages that are in violation of Hardware Canucks Forum rules may be deleted without due warning.

Hardware Canucks Forum reserves the right to change the aforementioned rules at any time without warning or notice.

By posting to the Hardware Canucks Forum, you agree to abide by the above rules and terms.

Welcome to the Hardware Canucks Forum!