Post by sandbachhatter on Jan 15, 2014 8:23:31 GMT
ALL MEMBERS MUST READ, UNDERSTAND AND ABIDE BY THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
1. Introduction
The following rules govern the use and membership of the County Heaven forum. They apply to all members, and any breach of these rules may result in action being taken by the admin team. By registering an account on the site, you hereby agree to abide by these rules. Yes, even you.
2. Application of rules
The following rules apply to anyone who is a member of the forum, regardless of their status, and encompasses any written posts, links, pictures or other such material put onto the forum by that member, as well as anything contained within a private message (“PM”) to another member. The rules also apply to individual usernames, which should not breach any of the following rules either.
3. The Admin Team
County Heaven is supervised and moderated by a volunteer admin team, currently comprising of the following members:
Big Fudge
Bringbacklenwhite
Ceefer
Epworth Hatter
gts
Hatter In Macc
Sandbach Hatter
Sheff
In addition, forum support and maintenance is provided by Gazza007.
Any of the admin team can be contacted via PM with concerns or queries regarding these rules, their application, or the use of the site in general. In addition, anyone suspected to be in breach of these rules can be brought to the attention of the administration team by the same method so that appropriate action can be taken.
Individual profiles of each of the admin team can be found in "Meet The County Heaven Admin Team" and you can also contact each of us by clicking on our name.
4. Prohibited Behaviour
It is not permissible, when posting on County Heaven or sending a PM to another member, to use any language, picture, or link to another site which is likely to be considered in breach of any of the following:
(i) Offensive language
Common sense will hopefully prevail when it comes to using language on the site which is considered to be offensive. If in doubt, please check with a member of the admin team. We will often turn a blind eye to mild swearing, as we do not want the site to be unnecessarily restrictive on members’ freedom of expression and we fully understand that, when supporting a club like ours, swearing is often necessary, involuntary and downright unavoidable.
However, as a general benchmark, please consider any language that would not be permissible before the 9pm watershed on TV as offensive, and the use of an asterix should be implemented accordingly. This includes any reference to either Manchester team, which should henceforth be referred to as Un*ted or C*ty. However, do not be under the misapprehension that simply inserting an asterix into a word automatically makes it acceptable, nor using several ‘edited’words in a string of profanity, particularly if it is directed to another member or someone outside of the forum who may take offence. If in doubt, use your brain to think of a better, less offensive, word.
(ii) Discrimination
Discrimination is defined by the Equality Act 2010 (a link to which can be provided upon request if you’re really that fussed). Essentially, County Heaven is open to anyone and everyone and no member should be subjected to material, whether written or otherwise, which would cause them upset, anguish or torment on grounds of their age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion or disability. One of our admin team is an actual female (as opposed to Maccy and Sandy who have simply ‘dabbled’ with drag in the past) and, whilst she often has the temperament, mannerisms, and drinking prowess to suggest otherwise, she is very much a lady and should be treated as such.
(iii) Bullying
Bullying, whether online or in person, is not permitted. We all like a joke at another’s expense from time to time and, as County fans, we should be immune to it by now as we’ve been the subject of most jokes for many years, but we’re not. When it stops being funny for the person on the receiving end, it stops being acceptable. Bullying can take many forms and does not necessarily need to be the threat of physical violence. If you would not like to be treated in the way you are treating others, it needs to stop. This includes repeatedly singling someone out for ridicule, unless it is abundantly clear that they are taking it in good humour. If in doubt, don’t do it.
(iv) Libellous or defamatory material
No member of County Heaven should post anything which may be considered libellous or defamatory against another individual, organisation, and particularly Stockport County Football Club. Defamation is the communication of a false statement which damages the reputation. Libel is when that defamatory comment is put into writing, particularly in the media, of which we are a type. Any post considered to be libellous will be removed or edited accordingly.
(v) Multiple Accounts and Hacking
No member should open multiple accounts on the forum (even though it would make our member count look good), nor should anyone even attempt to gain access to a fellow Heavener’s account for the purposes of changing their profile, amending their settings, or posting in their name. The Admin team have access to everyone’s IP addresses and will monitor any suspicious activity. We reserve the right to send Fudgie round (see 'Meet The County Heaven Admin Team' for a general idea of what he looks like) if you misbehave.
(vi) Spam and advertising
Links to other sites which may be of interest to fellow County fans is, of course, permitted. However, multiple links which start becoming overbearing, or links to personal/business items for sale are not allowed. Please use common sense.
(vii) Pornographic material
Any pictures, or links, considered by the admin team to contain material of a pornographic nature will be removed immediately and placed in our personal collection.
(viii) Revealing personal information
Generally speaking, members do not use their real names on County Heaven and everyone chooses a username or ‘moniker’ when they register. Should a member choose to use his/her real name, either in their username or in a post, that is at the individual’s discretion and they do so at their own risk. It is not acceptable, however, to reveal any other member’s real name or personal details without their express prior permission.
5. Implications of Breach
Breaching any of the above rules will result in action being taken against the offending member. Initially, the admin team are always willing to take an informal approach and a private message will often suffice, with the offending post being edited or removed. Innocent breaches, particularly with new members, will be dealt with this way and no further action will be taken. We all make mistakes. Do not be offended if you receive a friendly 'suggestion' of this nature.
However, repeated breaches, or breaches deemed sufficiently serious, may result in more severe action being taken which can include, but is not limited to, the following:
(i) Threads being locked until the issue is resolved;
(ii) The offending member’s account settings, access, or privileges being amended or restricted;
(iii) The offending member being removed from the forum altogether and their IP address banned to prevent them from returning with a different account;
(iv) Reporting the offending member to the club or, in extremely serious cases,the Police (the law enforcement agency, not the band fronted by Sting)
The Admin Team reserve the right to take a harsher stance on any breaches of these Terms and Conditions, should said breach occur either during or shortly after a match when County will have, inevitably, lost in spectacular fashion.
6. ProBoards
County Heaven is a free forum which is operated by, and forms part of, the ProBoards group. ProBoards have their own rules and regulations governing the use of their forums, and they can be found here:
www.proboards.com/tos
By registering on County Heaven, and by continuing to use the forum, you also agree to abide by these rules at all times. ProBoards operate over 3 million internet forums and their CEO is not only worth billions, but he’s also American. It goes without saying that, whilst the County Heaven admin team are generally mild-mannered, if you breach the ProBoards rules as well, they probably wouldn’t think twice about ‘taking you out’ - and, no, we don’t mean on a date. So unless you want to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder somewhere in the Cayman Islands, you better behave, ok?
7. Disclaimer
The County Heaven admin team are, normally, a reasonable bunch. We will, wherever possible, try to expeditiously deal with any issues in a fair and impartial way and to the mutual satisfaction of all parties concerned. Should any member of the forum, or outside party, wish to raise such an issue, contact should be made to the admin team as soon as practically possible and action will be taken where appropriate.
We cannot, however, be online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and some posts considered to be in breach of the above rules may remain in situ for longer than we would have liked. County Heaven is not a legal entity, and the admin team are merely volunteers. Neither County Heaven nor any member of the admin team accepts responsibility for the comments, links, pictures or private messages placed onto the forum by other members. Should anyone wish to consider legal action against County Heaven or any of the admin team as a result of content placed on the forum, all we can say is, good luck. Not only do you not have any grounds for doing so under the law of England and Wales, but we’ve all made sure our passports are up to date and we have a private jet waiting at Manchester Airport which is fuelled and ready to leave to an unknown destination with 20 minutes notice. You would never see us again.
Thank you for taking the time to read these Terms and Conditions and, most importantly, for being a part of County Heaven. We sincerely hope you enjoy the forum and continue to do so for many years to come.
The Admin Team
Last Updated: 1st February 2018