ASG's Terms of Service/Read Before Posting

[Polly]

By joining our forums, you have agreed to the following Terms of Service:

AtkinsSupportGroup.com (herein known as "ASG") has an absolutely zero tolerance stance on flame wars. If you have nothing positive to contribute to a thread's obvious demise, we ask that you refrain from posting at all. We ask that you think before you speak. We all come from different backgrounds and places. We ALL have something good to contribute and we can all learn from each other. All flame wars/arguments/troll/anonymous/goodbye posts will be moved to either the staff forum or the Hot Topics forum, and the participants may be banned or disciplined in the form of posting privileges. The instigator of the offensive thread or post may be banned for no less than 30 days and anyone that contributes after the instigator's post or on the thread will be banned for no less than 2 weeks. There are NO exceptions. We need to be a positive, supportive sanctuary, where we feel safe and cared about. In this culturally diverse internet universe, we are all not going to agree on things, and sometimes, a person's opinion might be completely UN-fathomable to some of us, but we have to respect that. We need to show respect for each other here. If you don't like what someone has to say, ignore them. You'll find, in time, you might like what they have to say on another topic...and you won't be kicking yourself for being so rude. Think of how your post is going to affect the overall outcome of the thread:

Is it relevant to Atkins?

If not, is it a positive, uplifting post that might assist others?

Does it have the potential of becoming an argument?

Are you starting it with, "I know I shouldn't say this, but..." or "I know I might upset some people..."? If so, you might want to give some thought to reconsidering, or rewriting your post.

Please keep in mind this board is not a "free-for-all" neither is it a forum or platform for "Freedom of Speech". This is a private board, and all members choosing to post here are allowed to by AtkinsSupportGroup.com only with the express agreement that the Terms of Service will be followed.

The intent of ASG, is to provide a positive and welcoming community where men and women can find and provide support in a common experience. We do not consider this an unreasonable or unattainable objective.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FORUM "HOT TOPICS" HAS ITS OWN SET OF GUIDELINES AND THAT SOME OF THESE RULES MAY APPLY! CHECK THE HOT TOPICS FORUM FOR MORE INFORMATION. THANKS!

We hope the following examples will help you:

1) Posts should preferably be topical (diet, exercise, health, etc. ). Those that are not topical should be either positive in nature or neutral (with exception to Hot Topics).

2) Call-outs will be permitted only for the express purpose of direct positive interchange with a specific individual.

Examples of Call-outs that would be allowed:

Subject: Jodie592 where are you?
Comment: I was wondering how your doctor's appt. went. I started Atkins this week.

Subject: Erin...
Comment: do you want to chat?

Examples of Call-outs that would NOT be allowed:

Subject: Holly2345...
Comment: Who do you think you are? Do you think you own this board? You are such a jerk.

Subject: Kathy21 is causing trouble
Comment: She is the worst thing to happen to my life. She has created every problem that I have ever had or will ever have in my life. Her comments have ruined me forever.

3) Specific individual usernames should not be included in a post in anything but a positive way. *Any* name-calling will not be permitted (it does not have to be expressly vulgar or offensive).

4) We do not feel that any additional commentary about issues we are dealing with is welcome or appropriate to the purpose of this board.

If you find that you are unable to abide by these rules when posting, then you should not post.

Solicitations to other commercial sites or adddressing other members of other boards in a negative way are also violations of the Terms of Service. Please do not solicit other discussion boards in chat or on the forums.

We've come to "guidelines" that we would like you all to go by. First of all refer to the terms of service and rules. Read them, know them, live by them. This is your ASG bible.

In the case of a violation to those rules the following MAY apply:

First violation: A written, formal warning via PM.

Second violation: a 2 week ban.

Third violation: a 30 day ban.

Fourth violation: an indefinite ban.

In some cases, if the offense is strong enough, we will vote in the staff-only forum to decide if we should move forward and ban indefinitely rather than follow the standard process.

Members will receive a letter for each violation stage. A record of offenses will be kept in the staff-only forum for future reference.


So, let's move forward knowing that we are all in the same boat, on our way to weight loss and good health--and we all have to do our share in order to get to our destination smoothly.


Here's the rule on signatures, NO EXCEPTIONS:

Registered Members' siggies cannot be over 50K. Your icon/personal picture cannot be over 30K, or 75x75 pixels... and cannot be of a physical size that disrupts the board template in anyway. If you are unsure of the size of your signature, move your mouse over each seperate item of your siggie...for instance, each blinkie, each graphic...then right click over each of them and click on "Properties". If the size of all your graphics in your siggie adds up to be over 50,000 bytes (that's 50KB) then you need to remove or resize. The problem is when there are so many graphics, it can make the board run VERY slow for a lot of people.

Rules On Posting Pictures In Posts: Please use common sense when posting photographs in threads. If you need help with sizing a picture, use our graphics forum to ask for help.

Solicitations to any commercial sites or addressing members of other boards in a negative way are also violations of the Terms of Service here. Please do not solicit other discussion boards to any of our members in chat, PMs, emails or on the forums. Links to other diet message boards are NOT allowed in signatures, profiles or avatars, as graphics or otherwise. All links not removed within two days (48 hours) of a warning will be removed by a staff member. Any staff member reserves the right, at their discretion, to determine whether a link is related to any of the above and may take steps to remove said link.

Our member database and member list is not to be used in any way for harvesting emails, personal information or to gather members for any purpose such as commecial sites, message boards or sales.

CHAT RULES: no foul language, please respect others, and keep topics relevant to Atkins or other non-offensive topic. If you cannot abide by this you will be booted from the chat room and will be sent a formal warning.

DISCLAIMER: Always check with your medical professional before choosing a diet or exercise plan. You should always follow the advice and recommendations of your health care provider. Nothing contained in this site is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. The information and services are provided with the understanding that neither atkinssupportgroup.com nor its suppliers or users are engaged in rendering legal, medical, counseling or other professional services or advice.

Atkinssupportgroup.com and any contributors take no responsibility for any consequence relating directly or indirectly to any information, recommendations, treatment, procedure, action, application of medicine or any product purchased or solicited by any person on Atkinssupportgroup.com.

The information presented on our site and forum is for educational purposes only, and addresses only non-urgent questions of a general nature in relation to diet and exercise. If you have any concerns about your health, please consult your family's health care provider immediately. None of the information presented on our sites should be considered a substitute for personal medical attention, diagnosis or treatment.