It is implied that all rules must be adhered to, and that any member disregarding the advise will be penalised to an appropriate level. Although the staff at South Yorkshire Transport Forum (SYT) try to operate a policy of courtesy and moderate tolerance, anyone failing to observe the rules as set out below will be dealt with to a level agreed by the staff team. Any ruling made may be challenged or queried, however, the final ruling will not be reviewed (i.e. an initial ruling may be challenged, but a final decision is non-negotiable) for discussion and will be applied within the way and time period agreed and informed. Anyone receiving a warning on behaviour but without any restrictions placed on them is expected to act according to the warning provided. Failure to adhere to this will result in an appropriate action, and repetitive ignorance of warnings made will result in total suspension in the worst cases.
Although we would seek to activity ‘coach’ any member deemed to have broken the rules, a warning will initially be issued in most cases requiring agreement on the infringement. In severe cases of infringement, the staff at South Yorkshire Transport Forum (SYT) are capable of using the following punishments:
• Temporary Suspension
• Permanent exclusion
• Access restrictions^^ In the case of an infringement within the senior members area, a removal of access to the area is most likely, although in the most serious breaches further action may be required.
We would ask that all members respect these rules and ask the staff at South Yorkshire Transport Forum (SYT) for any clarification if unclear. Failure to read the revised rules (which will be actively promoted to all users), or to claim mis-understanding without consulting a member of staff will not be valid reasons for failure to adhere.
You will acknowledge and accept that all content posted on this site becomes the property of the site owners, you acknowledge that You are the author of each message posted and SYT are the publishers of all your posts in their entirety.
If you request your account to be deleted you acknowledge and accept that we are under no obligation to edit or delete all your posts submitted on the site.
The rules and guidelines are set out below in no particular order:
1. Any form of bad language will not be accepted within the forum, other than in specific circumstances such as a “quote”. Where bad language is appropriate we ask that it is masked. ((EXAMPLE: “I boarded the bus and asked whether bus was going to town. He replied “of course it f&*^$%g is!”))
2. Treat other members with respect and in a friendly manner, speaking to each other in an appropriate manner. Although disagreements will occur, it is requested that they are conducted with appropriate language and other than in extreme circumstances are conducted via PM.
3. It is implied that this forums contents will remain within the “walls of the forum”, with specific reference to the senior members area. Where information is freely available to the public (through VOSA, company websites, media websites etc.) this ruling does not apply. Please act with discretion with any information provided.
4. Avoid the use of slang phrases and text shorthand on the forum. It is expected that all users will use plain English at all times, and will use the spellchecking facilities available. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in warnings initially, but ultimately will require more severe penalty if this is unresolved.
5. The forum does not operate a specific requirement for text size or font, but it is expected that all members use an appropriate style. It would be expected that no font size will be over ’12’, and that a simple font (Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, Gills Sans) will be used. Use of Bold fonts, italics etc are acceptable when identifying key points but are not acceptable for general typing. The use of CAPITAL LETTERS is not acceptable for general discussion. This implies hostile language, shouting and is not acceptable within the Plain English Campaign as it makes reading difficult for many people. Again, it may be acceptable to use capital letters however in the context of a key point. ((EXAMPLE: “Despite previous posts to the contrary the new vehicles for Stagecoach Yorkshire will actually be MAN 18.240’s and are Euro 4 standard.” – In this case bold was more appropriate, but within long text strands capital letters may be more appropriate, as may italics when reporting a quote.))
6. The use of softcore or hardcore pornographic pictures is strictly forbidden on the forum. Any member failing to obey this rule will be immediately & permanently excluded without appeal from the site. It is implied that this ruling also allows for any internet hyperlink to such material even where an image is not physically posted.
7. Anyone using material from another source (be it internet, book, magazine etc) is REQUIRED to quote the source. This is good practice in terms of referencing providing a level of accuracy (i.e. not just opinion) but also helps other users find such information if they required. The use of sources and referencing is also vital when dealing with copyrighted material. There are a number of approaches to referencing material, but an acceptable convention will be the full web link (i.e.
www.firstgroup.com/index.php) for a website, or “author, book/magazine, article title, page ref, publisher & year” for a book or magazine. So long as things are properly referenced, the staff at South Yorkshire Transport Forum (SYT) have no concerns over the exact reference structure, although the above may be a good guide. Because of copyrighting laws and the implications for the site owner, it is imperative that this is done. Failure to do so will result in warnings initially.
8. It is implied that any links to other sites (fotopic etc) should be of acceptable standard (see point 6) and will be checked by the staff team. Linking to inappropriate material will not be acceptable and will be dealt within the procedures outlined. All warez, cracks, serials or illegally obtained copyrighted is unacceptable. The South Yorkshire Transport Forum (SYT) staff reserve the right to remove any material that is deemed to be unsuitable.
9. All links to other sites are expected to carry links back to this site out of common courtesy. This does not apply to links carrying news material (references). Failure to provide a return link on linked sites will not be acceptable. However, ownership of the site linked will be considered.
10. Avoid all cross posting except in specific circumstances
*. Post your message once, to the appropriate area of the forum only or it may be locked or removed without warning. By joining the forum you accept that from time to time, as agreed by the staff team, material added by members, may be subject to editing by forum staff. This includes editing titles, removing hyperlinks or image links for example.
* Note this does not apply to the senior area in cases where information is freely available and appropriate for both sections.
11. The staff expect all postings to be relevant and offer contribution to the forum. Do not under any circumstances simply post material or comments purely to increase your post count. It is implied that where a member has no information/useful comment to provide, then no posting should be made. Postings such as “great”, “thanks” and “welcome” will not be tolerated. We remind all members, new and old, that the number of posts made on this board provides no indication of seniority, knowledge base or experience of a member.
12. Avoid sending personal e-mails to other members or admin staff with regards to board topics. In most cases these will be ignored, but considered in relation to any ‘punishment’ for other infringements. HOWEVER, the forum staff would like to point out that this does not apply in the case of seeking clarification on a matter, providing useful feedback, or asking a specific member a question to avoid a ‘speculation’ type thread unnecessarily. We would ask that members use discretion on all postings (PM and board) especially outside the senior area where the general public can observe.
13. Where a message of speculation is appropriate to the forum, this must be kept to a minimum and must be clearly marked as a rumour/idea/suggestion. We are not here to provide panic to the general public with regards to service changes etc. Any member of the forum with access to the senior area is requested to check rumours there first, and upon agreement (if appropriate) it may then be transferred to the main forum area.
14. You may only register once on the forum. Multiple account registrations will not be tolerated and will result in ALL offending accounts including the main account being removed permanently. In any circumstance where a member has been permanently excluded from the forum, no reactivation with a different name is acceptable. Blocking of an IP address is a last resort but will be considered depending on the case. Where a member de-activates their account through personal choice then decides to re-activate, this is acceptable, although we would request that the member uses the same username as before.
If you have any problems arising on the forum, these must be taken up with the forum staff. The staff are here to help when needed. This includes any comments and/or feedback on the above rules. However, all members are reminded that the rules are enforced as per above. Should a rule change be considered, the current ruling applies until such time as the rules/guidance thread is updated.
Thanks,
Staff at South Yorkshire Transport
