The Golden Age of Hollywood

GENERAL RULES for Posting

The range of films discussed here means there will be many different opinions expressed on many different subjects on this board. Keep in mind that we have members from all over the world. Please try to refrain from posting comments that may be considered offensive to people from other countries, cultures, race, religions, gender, etc. Have respect for everybody and their individual beliefs. You must accept that others may not share the same opinions and beliefs. Members are allowed to express opinions and beliefs without being attacked or belittled. It is requested that you think about the possible effects your words will have on other members before you post.

1. Have Fun and Post
This is a message board to discuss classic films and is a “hobby”. Do not take things too seriously, especially opinions that may differ from yours or question you or your opinion. In the big scheme of things this board really matters little and there is no point in allowing feelings that are damaging or disruptive to yourself or others to have their way with you. Do not try and second-guess persons motives or intent unless it is clear they meant offense. Different people communicate in different ways and offense may be taken when none was meant. It is best to try and communicate your feelings to the person who posted privately to resolve the matter or contact an Admin or Mod.

2. No Flaming
You may not harass, threaten, abuse or intimidate other users. This behavior will not be tolerated and you may be subject to disciplinary action for repeated offenses.

3. No Offensive Language
Do not post any words which are considered to be cuss words or obscene. Do not attempt to circumvent this rule by misspelling, adding spaces or replacing letters with symbols (*) to convey a word which is considered a cuss word or obscene. In addition, violent talk, fights, racist language, or other abusive language is not allowed. Our goal is to make this a site that is appropriate for all ages.

4. No Sexual References
Do not post anything containing sexual content or innuendo.
The administrators will determine which sexually related posts are acceptable. If you have something that's not directly sexual to post, but can be interpreted as sexual, please contact an administrator for permission. This refers to X-rated or suspect material in your post.

Due to the controversial nature of topics such as homosexuality, cross-dressing, and other such behavior these subjects can only be discussed when they relate directly to film content.

5. Websites
Please do not post links to websites that have adult content or are inappropriate for viewing by children. Websites that are inappropriate are at the sole discretion of the administration and moderator team. If you have a link to a questionable site, and want to link it, but are not sure how to go about it, please contact a moderator for assistance.

6. Post Padding
Please do not post pad. Our board has an edit feature with a 24-hour time limit (unlimited for Admins and Mods). If you want to add something to a post, you may use that feature; it is not necessary to start another post. We understand that sometimes you may want to quote more than one person and it’s easier to do so in multiple posts, but please don’t make a habit of multiple posting. Post padding also includes pointless posts that do not add to the conversation, humor and sarcasm exempted.

7. Fluff Topics/Posts
We want to encourage posting but please don't just post for the sake of it. We discourage the posting of "fluff" topics. Continual posting of "fluff" topics will be considered post-padding and is subject to action by the administrative staff. To clarify what we mean by "fluff" topics, here is a definition from Dictionary.com:

QUOTE:
Something of little substance or consequence, especially:
Light or superficial entertainment: The movie was just another bit of fluff from Hollywood.
Inflated or padded material: The report was mostly fluff, with little new information.

8. Signatures
Signatures are allowed and you can use any quote or text of your choosing as long as it doesn’t violate other board rules. Banner signatures are also allowed but please don’t post signature pictures that will warp the board or are very large in size.

9. Conflict
Should a serious conflict with a fellow member arise, do not attempt to resolve the matter yourself. Please contact a member of the Moderating team to allow them to attempt to resolve the issue. It is usually possible to reach a compromise with which everybody is happy.

10. Posts, Topics, and threads
The Admins and Mods of The Golden Age of Hollywood have the right to edit, move, merge or delete any post, thread or signature which do not follow the above rules or is determined to be objectionable or offensive in any way.

No member is obligated or is required to use the search feature of the board to find out if a thread already exists before starting a thread. However, be aware that a duplicate thread may be merged with an existing thread if one is known to exist.

Reviving of old threads, otherwise known as "bumping", on this board will be allowed and encouraged. We do not have 5000 members, and possibly if we did this policy might change, but when we have new members joining who discover older threads about films or stars of interest to them, we will not discourage reviving a thread to generate renewed interest in the subject.

This is not a rule, but rather a guideline. Please try not to take God's name or Jesus Christ's name in vain because a good number of the members are Christian in one form or another and such use is offensive to those who are. There is no penalty in doing so; we just figured the rules would be a good place for everyone to see the request. The same holds true for offensive use of language of other faiths outside of Christianity. Be respectful of a person’s faith no matter what that faith that may be. You are not their judge.

No Spam allowed. We will allow the occsional link to another site if it is board related but members who come on the board to promote their own goods for sale in order to hook members to buying their product will be banned permanently.

11. Prejudice
Prejudice will not be tolerated. A person’s sex, sexual preference, race, religion or age is to be respected. Behavior by a member, which openly displays prejudice will lead to a warning and possible ban from the board. Conflicts of this nature have no place on the board.

12. Relevance
All posts in the board apart from posting in the Welcome! section, and the Other Diversions section, must be related in some way to film: i.e. specific titles, genres, groups of films, all-time great lists, stars, directors, DVDs etc. Any posts with no reference or connection to film will be removed. The only exceptions to this are welcomes to new members outside the Welcome forum. Discussions of anything unrelated to film in any way must be conducted in the Other Diversions forum.

13. Politics and Religion

Due to the controversial nature of politics and religion it would probably be in the best interest of the board if everyone refrained from making comments within threads about such matters unless the discussion "directly" relates to the topic at hand. There are many message boards out there that deal with these issues and if you have a passion in either area I would encourage you to find a board where those topics can be freely debated. Please remember that Derek's primary vision for this board was to discuss classic films but not to the exclusion of current films. We also have opened two areas in the Other Diversions section. Retro Alley is meant to be a place to discuss things like Old Time Radio, Vintage magazines, Pulp Fiction, Music of the 20's to the 50's etc. and Other Interests is a place to discuss about everything else. Yes, you can discuss religion and politics in this area but if you do please have respect for other individuals and their opinions. Threads or posts that make derogatory remarks about another person's character or beliefs will not be tolerated. I see nothing wrong with good healthy debates as long as we all remember not to take things so personal.

I would also like to mention a couple of other things.

First, remember that this is a "Message Board" and we cannot hear your voice and see your face and it is very easy for written statements to be misunderstood and to cause offense. We would appreciate it if everyone would re-read their posts before hitting "send" and read it with a thought as to how others "might" perceive what you wrote. I have found that by doing so I am less likely to offend others and usually I can still say what I wanted by just restructuring the sentence to be less offensive and hard or harsh sounding.

Second, if you are offended by another person's post try and refrain from making a personal attack back at them. Be as objective as possible and try, if you can, to understand the other members position. More often than not they did not mean to offend but the way it came across was more offensive then what was actually posted.

Quite often off-handed remarks get taken too seriously, when they were not meant to be, and personal quarrels begin when they shouldn't. The rest of us don't want to be in the middle of your private little war. Sarcasm is one thing that I feel should be refrained from using as many people do not know if the person using it is serious or not and it serves no purpose other than to demean.

Often times a private message sent to the poster explaining who, what, where and why, will help that person take a second look at how they post and help them be more thoughtful about their posts.

If you have a situation or conflict arise between you and another poster please contact one of the Administrators or Moderators and let us try and resolve the issue.

Treat others the way you would want to be treated. Even if you were the one wronged it is better to forgive and forget than to fume over something so trivial. In the great scheme of things what we do here matters very little. It's just fun to have a place to chat with others who have common interests. So let's all bear these suggestions in mind and we will have a much happier community.

DECISIONS ON ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF THE MODERATORS AND ADMIN.

Admin reserves the right to impose further case-by-case restrictions. A rule does not specifically have to be written down here to be enforced.

If you disagree with an action that has been taken by a member of the Moderating Team, please send a PM to Classic Movie Man (Derek), or Ktrek and the issue will be discussed. But, in most cases, the decision of the Moderator will be upheld.