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View Full Version : TGO Code of Conduct - Please be sure to read it!


Tungsten
04-03-2008, 09:26 PM
As basic as this may sound, TNGunOwners.com does have a written Code of Conduct that all of our members are required to follow. If you haven't read it, now would be a good time for you to do so.

You can always find the most current version of this document HERE (http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/faq.php?faq=general#faq_general_conduct). This link is repeated at the bottom of every page as "Code of Conduct (http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/faq.php?faq=general#faq_general_conduct)".

As of this writing, our rules are as follows:


1. Keep it clean. Using foul language or posting lewd or otherwise inappropriate materials simply is not necessary to have a good time and will not be tolerated. What we consider to be lewd or inappropriate are the same things that the major broadcast television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) do. This not only means no cussing but also means no dirty pictures, sexual innuendo, etc.

* The only forum where materials considered to be Not Safe for Work (NSW) or not family friendly may be posted is our "Ready Room" forum accessible to our TGO Benefactors only.
2. Maintain a good fellowship with others. Members should treat each other as they would like to be treated themselves. Name calling, flame posts, racial slurs, and other insulting remarks meant to cause conflict will not be tolerated. You should always try to maintain good fellowship with the other members of this community and be respectful to your fellow shooting enthusiasts whether they are new shooters or seasoned veterans.

Debate is welcome and encouraged, but you must always stick to attacking the issues rather than the person or profession. Personal attacks, and name calling, serve no purpose in the exchange and debate of good information. Keep in mind that in life there is no guarantee that others will agree with your thoughts or comments. You absolutely must try to handle disagreements, criticisms or opposing viewpoints with tact and maturity.
3. Do not discuss illegal activities of any sort.Illegal activities should never be discussed here. This includes but is not limited to discussion of ways to circumvent laws or regulations (see Rule #4).

Obviously a web community centered upon firearms ownership will have members from various local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies let alone be monitored by those same agencies. Don’t put them in a position to have to do something professionally about something stupid that you did or are going to do.

We would greatly prefer that our members not engage in illegal activities in the first place, but if you have you should be smart and not blab about it on the Internet.
4. Observe all laws. Part of responsibile firearms ownership is observing all local, State and Federal laws that pertain to firearms. All of our members are expected to do so when communicating on our forum or when conducting sales through our forum.

For example, certain things should never be discussed. Things like how to convert a semi-automatic firearm to full-automatic, or how to build a bomb, how to circumvent proper transfer and registration of a firearm, etc. Likewise, all sales of firearms should be done in accordance with the Law. Out-of-state transfers must be coordinated through Federal Firearms Licensed (FFL) dealers on both the seller and buyer side of the transaction.

If you are in doubt of what is legal in a given situation, always ask before you commit or post!
5. No unauthorized soliciting. Advertising opportunities are available to persons or companies wishing to market their goods or services to TGO members. If you are interested in taking advantage of that while helping support this community, contact us and let us know.
Unapproved commercial advertising should never be posted by members of our community. This means that unless you have sought authorization from the TGO Staff to post a commercial advertisement for goods or services, you may not use advertising language in posts made to the forums. Specifically:


No advertising language, links, banners, images, etc. in posts
No advertising language, links, banners, images, etc. in signatures
No sending unsolicited private messages (PMs) to members with any of the above in it

Authorized vendors are exempt from these restrictions.


Manufacturers or their dealers are welcome and encouraged to post information in the discussion forums as it relates to technical specifications, new product releases (models, colors, options, etc.), prototypes, user feedback, or additional features in existing or expanding products lines. Members interested in selling or trading equipment should use the Trading Post forums.

6. Use of the Trading Post forums. The Trading Post forums are our online equivalent of the Classified Ads pages of your local newspaper. They are made available to our members free of charge so long as certain requirements are met:


A member must be with us for at least 30 Days and have made at least 50 posts in the other discussion forums before they can start a new thread in the Trading Post.
A member may bypass those restrictions by becoming a TGO Benefactor (http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/payments.php) and contributing monetarily to the support and maintenance of the site.

Anyone may reply to an existing thread so long as their reply is relevant to the thread in question. Anyone caught replying to an existing thread just to try to advertise their own merchandise will lose all access to the Trading Post forums permanently.

We do this to prevent commercial or private brokers from signing up just to use our forum as a form of free advertisement. We value the quality of our participants over the quantity, so if we lose a few "spammers" in the process, that sits well with us.
By using the Trading Post forums to buy or sell merchandise, you understand that you assume the burden of following all local, State and Federal laws pertaining to the transaction. This site, it's staff and owners cannot be held responsible for any damages, direct or indirect, caused by the result of any transaction made between buyer and seller.

***. You are a guest here. Conduct yourself accordingly. All members are reminded that they are guests of TGO and should conduct themselves accordingly. You do not have a God-Given right to be here; this is very much our "house" and our guests are expected to follow this code of conduct.

The word of the TGO Staff is final on any subject. If you have a question about or disagree with the way something was handled by a moderator or Staff member, take it up with them in private. Do not debate them in public! If you do not like the answer that you receive, feel free to contact the TGO Administrator.

Other than that… enjoy yourself and your visits with us!

Tungsten
06-18-2008, 07:49 PM
Lately we on the TGO Staff have gotten to where even we have had to shake our heads a few times, clear out the cobwebs and wonder just what the heck the rule was for any given scenario on the forums. Chances are if we couldn't keep track, neither could our members.

File that under Whoops!

So in order to make things simpler, easier to understand and keep our rules short, sweet and quick to reference, I have updated our "Code Of Conduct" and posted it both in the associated FAQ entry as well as in the post immediately preceding this one.

Really not much has changed. I've added some things to clarify our stance on debating the issue rather than attacking the person, and I've incorporated the rules about using the Trading Post forums.

The main thing to remember here is that we want everyone to enjoy themselves on TGO. The rules are meant to foster an environment where that can happen. When the rules become too cumbersome for anyone to have fun, we've got a problem. We were bordering on having a problem ... so we've distilled it back to the basics.

Thanks for reading. :D